Pony Ponderings

Dabo Swinney is a man of faith.

He makes no bones about loving Jesus or attempting to live by Christian principles. That is one of the reasons I love the guy—not necessarily because I share every one of his beliefs, but because he is authentic about them. What you see is what you get. Dabo genuinely means well.

It’s why I wrote a few weeks ago that I’m rooting for him.

I want him to win. I don’t want the changing landscape of college football to chew him up and spit him out simply because he still believes a program should stand for something beyond assembling the highest-priced collection of mercenaries.

And damn, if you believe in miracles, divine intervention or assistance arriving from the heavens, Dabo may have received it Saturday afternoon.

It came in the form of lightning.

For the purposes of our football morality play, Bill Belichick makes an irresistible villain. He is the Palpatine of football. Think about all those years in New England: the hooded sweatshirt, the permanent scowl and the Patriots functioning as the Evil Empire.

Belichick sat on the throne. Tom Brady was his Darth Vader—although the eventual breakup had some real Kylo Ren vibes.

Dabo, meanwhile, remains the relentlessly optimistic hero who wants you to believe in faith, family and the transformational power of “Best Is the Standard.”

Good versus evil. Light versus darkness.

Clemson versus North Carolina.

Belichick desperately needed this one. His UNC program entered the game with its house already smoldering. His son and defensive coordinator, Steve Belichick, had resigned following an investigation that included reported allegations of possible drug use. General manager Michael Lombardi had already resigned amid other turmoil.

The season-opening victory over TCU in Ireland temporarily changed the conversation. For a couple of weeks, UNC could talk about football rather than dysfunction.

A win at Clemson might have changed everything again.

And the Tar Heels were agonizingly close.

North Carolina led 17–15 with 8:11 remaining in the fourth quarter and had the ball at Clemson’s 7-yard line. Clemson’s season—and perhaps Dabo’s future—appeared to be hanging by a thread.

Then Mother Nature intervened.

Lightning halted the game for roughly two and a half hours. When play finally resumed, North Carolina kicked a field goal to extend its lead to 20–15.

After that, everything changed.

Clemson scored 13 unanswered points. Tait Reynolds looked like a different quarterback. The Tigers appeared to have used the unexpected intermission to diagnose precisely what North Carolina was doing and construct an answer for it.

The Clemson team that emerged from the delay did not resemble the one that entered it.

The Tigers won 28–20.

Had North Carolina finished the job, would Dabo have been cooked? Would the conversation this week have centered on whether one of the most successful coaches of his generation had become obsolete?

Instead, Bill Belichick is once again standing inside a burning house while everyone debates how long North Carolina can tolerate the smoke.

Amazing.

Dabo got his miracle.

There is a long season ahead, and Clemson remains far from a finished product. One dramatic fourth quarter does not mean the Tigers are suddenly national-title contenders.

But Reynolds showed enough promise after the delay to make you believe Clemson may have discovered something. More importantly, the Tigers showed some fight when their coach needed it most.

It was like Luke Skywalker prevailing through an unexpected disturbance in the Force.

Regardless of your belief system, what happened was pretty wild.

Good prevailed over the mighty forces of Belichickian evil.

And somewhere, Dabo Swinney probably offered a prayer of thanks for an intervention from Mother Nature.

Is Ole Miss simply better than Lane Kiffin?

That question—and what Saturday’s result could mean for Kiffin’s future at LSU—continues below for paid subscribers.

Who Is Lane Kiffin Without Ole Miss?

Here is an uncomfortable question:

What has Lane Kiffin actually won to justify treating him like one of college football’s untouchable geniuses?

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He spent four days immersed in the town, the program and the buildup surrounding one of college football’s most dramatic rivalries. He wanted to absorb the atmosphere and understand what made this particular weekend feel so different.

Wallace joins Show Pony Live to take us behind the scenes of an experience he called “surreal”—from the football itself to the emotion, tension and theatrical quality surrounding the entire event.

What did Oxford feel like before kickoff? How did the drama change the way the game was covered? And what did Trey learn by staying long enough to experience the full production rather than merely watching it from the press box?

This is college football as sport, culture and theater—all colliding over four unforgettable days in Oxford.

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Phil Knight will likely never see Oregon win a national championship.

That makes me sad.

Knight has invested so much in his alma mater. Oregon may as well be Swoosh U—and I don’t mean that as an insult. This has been his labor of love. He helped transform Oregon from a regional program into one of the most recognizable brands in college football.

But Phil is now 88 years old, and this was supposed to be the year.

The preseason championship hype was real. Everything seemed aligned. Oregon returned so much from a team built to contend, yet all it took was losing offensive coordinator Will Stein to Kentucky for the offense to lose its rhythm.

Oregon promoted from within, and so far, it looks like the new man is in over his head.

The Ducks’ problems extend well beyond this season, too. I’m worried about what this is doing to Dante Moore’s NFL Draft stock.

Think about Drew Allar and Cade Klubnik. A year ago, both entered the season projected by many as potential top-five picks. Then they struggled, their teams disappointed and their stock slipped.

Moore may be traveling down the same road.

He likely would have been the second quarterback selected in last year’s draft, potentially landing with the New York Jets. Instead, he spun the roulette wheel. He came back to Oregon, where he could make great money, compete for a national championship and potentially become the first overall pick.

It sounded like a tremendous decision.

So far, he is losing that bet.

The loss to Oklahoma State turned a disappointing beginning into a horrid one. Tomorrow’s game against Portland State will tell us almost nothing. At best, it gives Moore and the Oregon offense an opportunity to rediscover some confidence.

Oregon still has time to recover, but the larger dream feels increasingly fragile. Knight has spent decades helping Oregon chase the one achievement it has never captured.

I hope he gets to see it.

I’m increasingly afraid he won’t.

Oxford could become the human zoo

I would not want to be in Oxford this weekend for anything in the world.

It sounds like hell.

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That is a lot of mornings. A lot of college football. A lot of arguments, laughs, strange tangents and moments that could only happen when two people with completely different personalities are asked to host a three-hour radio show together every weekday.

On this episode of Show Pony Live, Rick joins me for a conversation that is part college football and part behind-the-scenes look at our unusual partnership.

We talk about how Full Ride actually works, the quirks we have discovered in each other, where we are completely different and why those differences have helped make the show what it is.

If you have listened to us over the years and ever wondered what Rick and I are really like away from the microphones, this episode will give you a pretty good idea.

We also dive into the biggest college football stories surrounding Week 3, including:

• The drama surrounding Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss

• What emotions Lane could experience walking back into Oxford

• The fascinating familiarity connecting LSU and Ole Miss

• The pressure surrounding both programs

• The other games and storylines Rick is watching this weekend

It is football analysis, storytelling and a look behind the curtain at a partnership that has lasted longer than either of us probably expected.

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Thank you for reading, watching and listening. This entire thing continues to grow because you keep showing up for it.

Tonight’s Show Pony Live is a special one.

My longtime Full Ride co-host Rick Neuheisel joins me for a candid and hilarious look behind the scenes of our partnership. After more than a decade together, we have plenty of stories to tell.

Rick and I could not be more different—and that is exactly why the show works. We discuss our quirks, what drives each other crazy and how our unlikely chemistry has kept Full Ride rolling all these years.

But we are not stopping there.

We also break down LSU–Ole Miss, all the drama surrounding Lane Kiffin’s return and the biggest storylines heading into Week 3 of the college football season.

Come hang out with the Ponies tonight. This is going to be a fun one. Watch Show Pony Live

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Sometimes I read the replies on X and wonder who these people are when they put down their phones. Like, truly, who are they?

Are they husbands? Fathers? Do they have daughters? What were they taught growing up? Do they speak this way at work, at church or across the dinner table—or does the safety of a screen unlock a version of themselves they would never allow anyone in their real lives to see?

More importantly, were these people abused as kids? Are they in bad relationships now? Do they have shitty jobs, or are they just generally disappointed with their lives? They have to be, right? Who the hell says the things they say to another human being? Let alone a great one like Nicole.

I love Nicole. I am a huge fan of her work. She works her ass off and does an incredible job—to the point that she was named the NSMA National Sportswriter of the Year in 2020.

She elevated her career from writing for The Athletic to an on-air role with NBC as one of the network’s top college football voices. She has even excelled at covering the Olympics. She’s smart, she’s savvy and she won’t put up with bullshit.

I found myself asking those questions after NBC Sports reporter and SiriusXM host Nicole Auerbach responded to a clip of Arch Manning laughing about an AI-generated video depicting Steve Sarkisian slapping Holly Rowe.

“The laughter from all the men in the room … so, so gross,” Auerbach wrote.

That was it. She did not attack Manning’s family. She did not call for him to be suspended. She did not declare him irredeemable. She pointed out something plainly visible and uncomfortable: A room full of men was laughing while a 22-year-old quarterback described a fake video of a man striking a woman as “hilarious.”

Then came the replies.

Men told Auerbach to “get out of a man’s space.” They called her a “dumb ass” and a “broad.” One decided she “certainly isn’t a babe,” as if a female journalist’s physical appearance determines whether she is permitted to object to men laughing about violence against another woman.

In 2026. Yeah, really. I know. Go look for yourself.

She isn’t alone. Go look at the feeds of Mina Kimes, Laura Rutledge and other women working in sports. They are loaded with weird, imbecilic and, quite frankly, scary stuff.

They’re tougher than I am. If it were on my feed, it would freak me out. I’d probably quit and decide it wasn’t worth it. But Nicole and other women like her are tougher than I am. They are badasses.

I wonder what makes someone react that way. Is it how they were raised? Is it a lack of education or empathy? Is it tribal loyalty to Texas football—but the really stupid person’s version of tribal loyalty, like Harvey Updyke poisoning the trees at Auburn? Is it the belief that any woman who enters a predominantly male space must quietly tolerate whatever the men find funny?

Because guess what? To men who are educated and respect women as their equals, those jokes only make you look stupid and ignorant.

I do not know their backgrounds, and I will not pretend that I do. Some may be highly educated. That would make me sad, but I have met plenty of people with advanced degrees and low morals. Some may sit in church every Sunday. Some may be perfectly pleasant to the women in their own families.

But social media removes the immediate consequences of cruelty. There is no woman standing across from them. There is no boss listening. There is no daughter watching her father type the word “broad.”

I wish there were.

Imagine these dudes having to repeat what they write on the internet to the faces of their wives, daughters or pastors. Instead, there is only an avatar, an audience and the intoxicating little reward of attention.

It is the definition of insecurity wrapped in machismo. Pathetic.

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As for Arch Manning, let me be equally clear: What he said was dumb.

A video depicting a man slapping Holly Rowe is not funny. It does not become harmless because artificial intelligence created it. Laughing about violence against a woman—and then calling it “hilarious” in front of cameras—is gross. I would imagine his father, grandfather and uncles were embarrassed when they saw it.

Being young does not excuse it. Being a Manning certainly does not excuse it. In fact, carrying that name and living beneath that enormous spotlight should make Arch more aware of how quickly an immature comment can become a national story.

The Mannings are, quite frankly, the closest thing to British royalty we have in American football. Imagine Prince William saying something like that. King Charles would not be too pleased, would he? Or is Arch simply Harry at this point?

Alas, time will tell.

But do I believe this proves Arch Manning is a fundamentally bad person? No.

I think he is a 22-year-old college kid who said something stupid, realized almost immediately that he had screwed up and will probably wish for the rest of his life that he could pull those words back into his mouth.

Watch his reaction. After he says it, he looks to the side and appears to recognize that the temperature in the room has changed. I am guessing he saw a Texas communications staffer—possibly John Bianco, whom I know and respect—and understood that he had just created a problem for himself and the university.

That does not erase what he said. It does mean this can be a moment from which he learns.

Arch should apologize directly to Holly Rowe. Not through a carefully sterilized statement written by the Texas communications department. He should call her, own what he said and listen to her. Then, if he speaks publicly, he should explain what he learned without asking anyone to feel sorry for him. (Update: Arch released an instagram statement")

The grown men in Nicole Auerbach’s replies may need the lesson even more.

Sadly, I doubt they will learn it. I hope the manosphere dies soon. I do. I also hope we soon have a woman president. Judging someone based on gender is as ridiculous as judging someone based on race—and yet, here we are, still talking about it.

Arch’s mistake lasted a few seconds. They had time to read Nicole’s words, consider their responses and press “post.” Faced with a woman objecting to a joke about a woman being struck, their instinct was to demean and verbally attack another woman.

They were supposedly defending Arch Manning.

Instead, they proved Nicole Auerbach’s point.

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My favorite band on the planet is a band I don’t even understand.

I know. I am so weird. A unicorn. Trust me, that can be both a blessing and a curse.

As Allie Gehring, our producer on Full Ride, once wisely said:

“Don’t try to figure him out.”

Good advice. I would give it to myself.

But if you would like to further explore my particular brand of weirdness, let me tell you about Jesse & Joy.

They are a brother-and-sister duo from Mexico. Almost all their music is in Spanish. I listen to them constantly.

You may be asking, “Pony, do you speak Spanish?”

To which I would reply:

Yo hablo un poco.

And then I might confidently attempt something like:

Me gusta la música de Jesse & Joy mucho. ¡Su música es muy buena y muy bonita!

Is that grammatically perfect? Absolutely not.

Could I order dinner, exchange pleasantries and perhaps ask where the bathroom is? Probably.

Could I conduct a thoughtful, nuanced interview entirely in Spanish?

Let’s not ruin the fantasy.

(Video: Jesse Y Joy perform Mi Tesoro in Nashville)

I would describe myself as a medium-level beginner. I can speak a little, but you need to go slowly, keep the conversation relatively simple and absolutely not start throwing advanced verb tenses at me.

None of that matters when Jesse & Joy begin playing.

I love these two. I listen to them all the time. Ask my wife. Ask my daughter. They will confirm that I cannot get enough of their music.

And yes, most of the time, I have only a vague idea what Joy is singing about.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter.

I have always been someone who hears the feeling of a song before I process its meaning. You could ask me what a song I have heard 500 times is actually about, and there is a decent chance I will have no damn clue.

I might know every word. I just have never stopped to process what those words collectively mean.

Music does not reach me through language first. It reaches me through the sound—the voice, the melody, the emotion, the rise and fall of the performance.

There is actually some psychology behind this. Our brains do not experience music only as words carrying information. We also respond to tone, rhythm, pitch, dynamics and the emotional texture of a human voice. You can hear longing before you understand what someone is longing for. You can feel heartbreak without knowing who broke whose heart.

(Video: Jesse Y Joy perform Empinar El Codo in Nashville)

That is why you can feel the pain in a song before you understand what caused it—and why a voice can give you chills even when the words themselves are completely foreign. It is why an instrumental song can make you cry without saying a single word. And it is why Joy Huerta can absolutely destroy me emotionally while I understand roughly 20 percent of what she is saying.

Maybe less.

This is also why Jesse & Joy are perfect for me.

First of all, I love female singers. Some of my favorites over the years have included Grace Potter and Florence Welch. I love soul. I love depth. I love a woman with a powerful, moving and beautiful voice.

Most of my favorite bands and artists are fronted by women. I like some male singers too, which I guess further reinforces why I am weird as shit to many people.

But here I am.

And Joy Huerta’s voice? Holy shit.

I do not care what language she is singing in. I am obsessed with her gift. Her voice can be tender, wounded, defiant and enormous—sometimes within the same song. You do not need a translation to know that she means every note.

Jesse & Joy also have a documentary on HBO, and I loved them before I watched it.

Afterward? Forget about it.

I watched with subtitles—obviously—and learned more about the pain of their childhood and the complicated family dynamics behind the music. I saw Jesse navigating life as a young father while dealing with a controlling father of his own. I saw a wife who felt caged. I saw two siblings trying to turn pain into something beautiful.

It is as real as it gets.

(Video: Jesse Y Joy perform Dueles in Nashville)

Their story made me love them even more because it helped me understand what I had already been hearing. Even when I could not translate every lyric, I could feel that something real was happening inside the music.

The emotion was not manufactured. It was lived.

Maybe that is why their songs have always reached me so powerfully. Feeling does not require subtitles.

A little more than two weeks ago, I finally saw Jesse & Joy in concert here in Nashville.

I am reasonably certain I was the only non-fluent Spanish speaker in the building.

Maybe I wasn’t. But it sure felt that way.

At one point, Joy asked whether anyone in the audience did not speak Spanish. Naturally, I was too embarrassed to admit that I only speak a little.

Apparently, I was willing to attend an entire Spanish-language concert, by myself, sing loudly and butcher lyrics with confidence—but raising my hand was where I drew the line. LOL.

Nevertheless, I had an incredible time.

I sang along with my favorite songs. I soaked up the atmosphere. I looked around at thousands of people connecting through a language and culture that are not originally mine, yet somehow felt completely welcoming to me.

I was just so damn happy to see them live.

And how did I discover this Mexican pop duo in the first place?

Broadway, of course.

If you know me, you know I love Broadway. It is my thing.

When I was in Boston for the Army-Navy game, I saw Real Women Have Curves, which had just started its pre-Broadway run at Harvard. Joy helped write the music, and I fell in love with it—especially the song “Flying Away.”

I needed to know who was responsible for that music.

That search led me to Jesse & Joy, and once I found them, I was gone.

Completely hooked.

But I also think my love for them reflects something bigger about me.

I love the world.

I love people’s cultures. I love their stories, their countries, their languages and the different ways they experience life. If you have read what I have written about the World Cup, you know how much that matters to me.

The world fascinates me—all of it.

I do not believe something has to belong to my country, my culture or even my language for it to belong in my life.

Sometimes the fact that it comes from somewhere else makes me love it even more. It reminds me how much beauty exists beyond the small corner of the world I already understand.

So yes, my favorite band is a band I do not fully understand.

Maybe that makes me weird.

Or maybe it means I understand them in the way that matters most.

I may not always know exactly what Joy is saying.

But I always know exactly what she is feeling.

Florida State is desperate.

Athletic director Michael Alford was fired Monday, and I understand why. A once-proud—and, at times, deeply arrogant—program is watching its program fall toward the abyss at the worst possible moment. College football is changing beneath everyone’s feet, and Florida State is in danger of losing more than football games.

It could lose part of its identity.

The crazy part is that it was not long ago when everything in Tallahassee felt like sunshine and rainbows.

Florida State was undefeated. Jordan Travis was its quarterback. The defense was nasty. The Seminoles were mighty again. Mike Norvell had fixed it.

After the decline at the end of the Jimbo Fisher era and the instability that followed, Florida State finally appeared steady. Norvell made the Seminoles feel like Florida State again—almost like a modern version of those Bobby Bowden teams that expected to compete for national championships every year.

FSU was not merely back. It believed it was royalty again.

The problem is that Florida State did not know how to handle being back.

This is something I have probably said one million times on Full Ride, so here goes time No. 1,000,001: Florida State became too arrogant, too quickly.

The program accepted that it was a king before checking the strength of its throne. It believed its foundation was rock solid.

It wasn’t.

It was a foundation of feathers.

I remember speaking with an FSU defensive player before the 2024 opener against Georgia Tech in Dublin. I referred to the Yellow Jackets as a quality opponent.

(Video Above: John Talty explains on Show Pony Live why Florida State’s timing makes sense: fire Mike Alford now, hire the next athletic director, and let that person decide Mike Norvell’s future)

He shook his head.

I stopped and asked, “Wait—you don’t think Georgia Tech is good?”

“Nah.”

I was stunned.

Who did these guys think they were?

Then Georgia Tech beat them.

Even the fan base treated that trip like a coronation. Florida State fans traveled to Ireland expecting a celebration. People planned elaborate weddings around the game. The entire week carried the energy of a royal procession.

Then the football gods laughed.

Ever since Florida State howled about being excluded from the College Football Playoff in 2023—and carried that anger into nearly every conversation afterward—it has felt as if the program has been cursed.

The Seminoles went from an undefeated ACC championship season to 2–10. Since the beginning of 2024, Norvell is now 8–18. Florida State just lost at home to SMU while being outgained 585–324—even though its defense forced four turnovers.

That is not one bad break.

That is not one injured quarterback.

That is a program that has lost its way.

I feel badly for Norvell. I like him, and I still believe he is a good football coach. But unless something miraculous happens, Alford’s firing means Norvell is next.

He is cooked like a Thanksgiving turkey.

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The dream is over.

Who is responsible? Probably everyone.

Florida State has repeatedly missed at quarterback since Travis left. DJ Uiagalelei did not work. Tommy Castellanos did not work. Now Ashton Daniels is trying to stabilize the position, but after watching the Seminoles lose to SMU, I am not overflowing with confidence. Daniels may eventually become a good answer. Right now, Florida State still looks like a program searching for one.

The Seminoles look lost. Subpar. Ordinary.

That would be troubling in any era. It is potentially catastrophic in this one.

College football is rapidly reorganizing itself. Conferences are consolidating power. Television money is driving decisions. Revenue sharing, NIL and the transfer portal have changed how programs are built and sustained. You want to be powerful when the planets shift. You want to be attractive whenever the next round of conference expansion arrives.

Three years ago, Florida State was undeniably attractive.

Now?

It has no permanent athletic director, a coach on a scorching seat and a football program that has fallen off a cliff. Alford also faced scrutiny over NIL, roster funding and an athletics department carrying hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

What makes it even more painful is the rise of Miami under Mario Cristobal.

It feels like two ships passing in the night. One is sailing toward the land of milk and honey. The other appears headed directly toward hell.

Not long ago, Dabo Swinney’s Clemson and Norvell’s Florida State were supposed to be the standard of the ACC. They were also the loudest programs in the room when it came to complaining about the conference.

Maybe this is karma.

Alford was remarkably vocal about his dissatisfaction with the ACC and Florida State’s desire to escape it. Clemson wanted out, too. The league was thrown into chaos, and commissioner Jim Phillips spent years dealing with the headache.

Florida State and Clemson constantly sold the idea that the ACC was holding them back.

Maybe they should have spent more time making sure their own programs were not falling apart.

Miami did.

Look at the Hurricanes now.

John Talty told me on Show Pony Live that he was not surprised by Alford’s firing. He had been tipped off over the weekend that something could be coming.

Now it has happened.

Florida State is panicking and trying anything it can to plug the leak. Firing Alford is not a subtle move. It is the beginning of a full-scale restructuring, and Norvell’s fate now feels like a matter of time.

But here is the question nobody in Tallahassee can answer yet:

Will any of it matter?

Can Florida State find the right athletic director, fix its financial problems, rebuild its roster and restore its national relevance before college football shifts again?

Or has the program spent so much time fighting the ACC, complaining about its circumstances and remembering what it used to be that it failed to prepare for what it needed to become?

Florida State believed it had returned to the mountaintop.

Then it discovered it was standing on feathers.

Now the entire thing is collapsing beneath its feet.

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John Talty, author of Lane Being Lane, joins today’s Show Pony Live as his book tour rolls through Louisiana and Mississippi before concluding around Saturday’s showdown.

We discuss Lane Kiffin’s complicated relationship with both programs, why this game will be so emotional for everyone involved and who John believes will win.

We also react to two major stories from the weekend:

• Florida State firing athletic director Michael Alford as the he Seminoles search for answers

• Texas defeating Ohio State—and why the victory carried such personal meaning for Steve Sarkisian

Watch the complete show here on Substack or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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I’m not sure enough people understand how fortunate Alabama is to have Kalen DeBoer.

The man keeps delivering. He is doing it while carrying the weight of the Alabama job, following the greatest college football coach of all time and being judged against a standard that may never be replicated.

Every Alabama coach is expected to win. DeBoer is expected to win like Nick Saban.

Those are two very different assignments.

What DeBoer has accomplished becomes even more impressive when you recognize one essential truth: This is not the same Alabama job Saban dominated for 17 seasons. It cannot be. The sport has changed too much.

That isn’t a criticism of Saban. Nobody respects what he accomplished more than I do. Six national championships at Alabama, nine SEC titles and a level of sustained dominance we will probably never see again. Saban didn’t merely win within college football. He bent the entire sport to his will.

He built the greatest dynasty the game has ever seen.

But he also understood something before many Alabama fans were ready to admit: The conditions that allowed him to construct that dynasty no longer existed.

Saban did not retire because he had lost his competitive edge or forgotten how to coach. I believe he retired because he recognized that the job—and the sport—had fundamentally changed.

He could still be Nick Saban the coach.

He could no longer build Nick Saban’s Alabama.

That distinction is the key to appreciating what Kalen DeBoer is doing now.

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Why did Nick Saban know it was time to leave—and why couldn’t even the greatest coach in college football history recreate his dynasty in today’s sport?

Let’s talk about what fundamentally changed at Alabama, the advantages that disappeared and why it should make us appreciate Kalen DeBoer even more.

Read more

I have suspected for weeks that my wife and I were misled into signing the “Restore Our Fairgrounds” petition.

Today, an Instagram reel finally set me off.

The video portrayed the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway as a threat to Nashville’s environment and quality of life. It claimed that chipped paint from the speedway washes into storm drains and pollutes the water. It dismissed the track’s history and suggested that because NASCAR already races at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, the historic Fairgrounds Speedway is unnecessary.

Watching it, I realized I could no longer remain quiet.

This did not feel like a good-faith conversation about Nashville’s future. It felt like propaganda designed to convince people that destroying one of America’s great historic short tracks would somehow “save” the Nashville Fairgrounds.

And what makes me even angrier? Because of what happened outside my polling place last month, my name is on their damn petition.

I Asked Them Directly About NASCAR

My wife and I were approached outside our polling place by someone gathering signatures.

The canvasser opened with a simple, sympathetic question: Do you support affordable housing at the Nashville Fairgrounds?

I support affordable housing. Nashville desperately needs it.

But I also understood that there was an ongoing fight over the Fairgrounds Speedway, so I immediately stopped the canvasser and asked a very specific question:

“Does this petition have anything to do with NASCAR or the racetrack? Because if it does, I will not sign it. I support NASCAR coming back.”

He told me no.

Based on that answer, I signed the petition.

Then, yesterday, I received a postcard thanking me for signing the “Restore Our Fairgrounds” petition and helping the campaign qualify its proposed charter amendment for the ballot.

That confirmed what I had already begun to suspect: The petition absolutely has something to do with NASCAR and the racetrack.

In fact, that is its central purpose.

The proposed charter amendment would remove “auto racing” as a required use of the Nashville Fairgrounds and replace it with “affordable housing and/or workforce housing.” The campaign’s own website says its vision includes turning the speedway site into green space and using part of it for housing.

The canvasser did not leave out a minor detail. He gave me a direct answer to the exact question that determined whether I would sign.

That answer was false.

Today’s Reel Made It Impossible to Ignore

I was already angry about being misled.

Then I saw today’s Instagram reel attacking the speedway, and everything boiled over.

The campaign presents itself as an effort to “restore” or “save” the fairgrounds. But its own materials make clear that it wants to remove racing as a protected use and eventually replace the speedway.

That is not saving the fairgrounds. That is redeveloping a valuable piece of Nashville property for different purposes.

People are free to support that. But call it what it is!

Do not use “affordable housing” as an emotional sales pitch while hiding the fact that the signature is intended to help eliminate the racetrack. Do not pretend this is merely an environmental cleanup initiative. And do not tell voters who directly ask about NASCAR that the petition has nothing to do with it.

Local reporting suggests my experience was not an isolated misunderstanding.

Secret recordings obtained by NewsChannel 5 captured canvassers making claims about the speedway that the station determined were false, including that the track was already going to be demolished. Hundreds of Nashvillians have reportedly asked to have their names removed after saying they were misled about the petition’s purpose.

How many more people signed under similar false pretenses and still have no idea what they supported?

Lebanon Is Not a Replacement for the Fairgrounds

The suggestion that Nashville does not need the Fairgrounds Speedway because NASCAR already races in Lebanon is ridiculous.

Nashville Superspeedway is a 1.33-mile concrete, D-shaped oval with 14 degrees of banking. It opened in 2001 and is located approximately 30 miles southeast of Nashville.

The Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a historic .596-mile short track near the heart of the city. It is the second-oldest continually operating racetrack in the country and hosted NASCAR’s premier series from 1958 through 1984.

These tracks are not interchangeable. Honestly, NASCAR likely only came back to use the Lebanon track because they thought the Fairgrounds would be inevitable.

They produce different racing. They offer different atmospheres. They represent completely different eras of the sport.

Claiming the track in Lebanon replaces the Fairgrounds is like saying Nissan Stadium makes Vanderbilt Stadium unnecessary because football is played at both places.

The Fairgrounds Speedway is one of America’s great short tracks. Its banking, configuration and proximity to downtown give it an identity that cannot be recreated at a modern superspeedway in another county.

Its history is real whether opponents value that history or not.

NASCAR Wants to Preserve and Improve the Track

The proposed Fairgrounds project is not about NASCAR destroying the historic racing surface.

Published plans call for retaining the track’s geometry while replacing deteriorating infrastructure with new grandstands, modern amenities, hospitality and community spaces. The design also includes a 20-foot sound barrier intended to reduce the effect on surrounding neighborhoods.

People can question the financing. They can debate the number of racing dates, traffic plans and sound mitigation. They can demand environmental protections and firm guarantees for the surrounding neighborhoods.

Those are legitimate public-policy arguments.

But the idea that renovating the Fairgrounds Speedway means destroying it turns reality on its head.

The track needs investment. NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports want to provide a path toward making it a modern, major-league facility while preserving the historic short track itself.

That could be an incredible addition to Nashville.

Is Nashville SC’s Ownership Behind This Campaign?

There is another question Nashville deserves to have answered: Who is paying for all of this?

I ask that as someone who loves Nashville SC. I have been a season-ticket member for more than five years. I was there before the club moved into GEODIS Park, and I have proudly supported what Nashville SC has brought to our city.

That is why I am especially angry about Nashville SC lead owner John Ingram’s reported support for the anti-racing effort.

The campaign’s website says it is paid for by Citizens Against Racetrack Expansion, or CARE. Because the measure has not officially qualified for the ballot, its donors are not yet required to be publicly disclosed.

So I cannot say that Ingram or any particular business is secretly financing this campaign. We do not currently have the financial disclosures necessary to prove that.

But if Ingram is helping fund or direct an effort that misled my wife and me—and apparently many other Nashvillians—into signing an anti-racing petition, I want to know.

As a loyal Nashville SC supporter, that would feel like an enormous betrayal.

The campaign has paid canvassers, professional advertising, glossy mailers, social media videos and an elaborate redevelopment vision for an extremely valuable piece of Nashville land directly beside GEODIS Park.

The public has every right to ask who is financing it, whether major business interests are involved and what those interests stand to gain if the historic racetrack disappears.

This should not become a manufactured choice between Nashville SC and the Fairgrounds Speedway. I love Nashville SC, and I support preserving the racetrack. Both can thrive at the fairgrounds.

If this is truly a grassroots movement to save Nashville, disclose the money. Let Nashville—and Nashville SC supporters like me—see exactly who is behind it.

Take My Name Off the Petition

The petition campaign did not earn my support. I bet they hoped people like me would just stay quiet.

It obtained my signature after I explicitly said I would not sign anything connected to ending racing at the Nashville Fairgrounds—and was told that it had nothing to do with the track.

Had I been told the truth, I never would have signed.

The Metro Clerk’s Office has said there may be no legal mechanism for officials to remove individual names from this type of Metro petition. Residents seeking removal have been directed to contact Restore Our Fairgrounds at info@restoreourfairgrounds.org.

I want my name removed.

I support affordable housing. I support cleaning up Brown’s Creek. I support responsible development and protecting Nashville neighborhoods.

I also support preserving and renovating the historic Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

Those positions are not mutually exclusive.

This campaign wants Nashvillians to believe that eliminating racing is synonymous with saving the fairgrounds. It is not.

Today’s Instagram reel did not introduce me to this controversy. I already suspected that something was wrong.

But watching the campaign smear the track with exaggerated environmental claims, dismiss its irreplaceable history and pretend the superspeedway in Lebanon makes it obsolete finally set me off.

I am an active citizen. I vote in every election. I take my signature seriously.

The canvasser looked me in the eye and gave me an answer that was not true.

You do not save Nashville by misleading Nashville voters.

You do not build trust by disguising an anti-racing campaign as a simple petition for affordable housing.

And you do not get to use my name to help destroy a historic racetrack I explicitly told you I support.

Take my name off your petition.

After Texas’ incredible win Saturday night, much was made on social media about Steve Sarkisian’s postgame interview—or lack thereof—with ESPN’s Holly Rowe.

Some criticized Holly for appearing to roll her eyes after Sark abruptly ended the interview. Others called Sark an absolute jerk for walking away from one of the most respected reporters in sports.

I don’t think either interpretation captures what really happened.

Let me tell you what I believe we witnessed.

Texas had just completed one of the most remarkable comebacks in college football history. The fourth-ranked Longhorns trailed No. 1 Ohio State 23–3 entering the fourth quarter. They then produced three consecutive touchdown drives, took their first lead on Hollywood Smothers’ 1-yard touchdown run with 25 seconds remaining and won 24–23.

It was the largest fourth-quarter comeback ever completed against an AP No. 1 team.

That context matters.

For all Sark has accomplished at Texas—including restoring the Longhorns as a national contender—he still needed a defining regular-season win. Texas had lost its previous two meetings with Ohio State, including the College Football Playoff semifinal following the 2024 season and last year’s opener in Columbus.

On Saturday night, Sark proved something—not simply to the college football world, but perhaps to himself.

He proved he could be the coach everyone believes he is.

Elite.

His team was dead. The game was over. The Longhorns had been thoroughly outplayed for three quarters, yet they didn’t fold. Sark kept coaching, Arch Manning kept battling and Texas somehow climbed all the way back against the No. 1 team in the country.

Then, moments after the biggest regular-season victory of his career, Sark was supposed to collect himself and participate in a perfectly composed television interview.

He couldn’t.

Most coaches I’ve encountered are cloaked in ego, especially the old-school ones. What I’ve learned over time, however, is that much of that ego is actually insecurity dressed up as machismo. The tough-guy act, the yelling and the constant chest-thumping often come from people trying to prove they are everything they portray themselves to be.

Saturday night, Sark didn’t need to pretend.

He had done it.

That awkward exchange with Holly looked like pure, unfiltered emotion. For those few seconds, I don’t think Sark was entirely himself. The moment probably felt surreal. If his life were the movie Inside Out, that victory would become one of his defining core memories.

Deep down, perhaps he was still the scared kid who dreamed of reaching the highest levels of the sport. He chose a life of fame, fortune, enormous pressure and relentless expectations. Coaches are no different from the rest of us; they simply perform their jobs in a much brighter and more unforgiving spotlight.

What we saw afterward was an emotional explosion from someone who had just proven—possibly to himself more than anyone else—that he belonged on that stage.

It was human. It was real. I didn’t mind it at all.

I also completely understand Holly’s reaction.

I’ve worked as a professional broadcaster for more than 20 years. You have a job to do, and it isn’t easy. Holly was responsible for completing the story of one of the wildest comebacks we have ever seen. She needed to ask Sark how Texas went from looking completely lifeless to beating the No. 1 team in America.

Live television at that level carries its own enormous pressure. Holly is a veteran who takes tremendous pride in doing an exceptional job. I know her, value her as a friend and have immense respect for her work.

She had every right to be frustrated. She was handed the responsibility of documenting the defining moment of Sark’s career, and he walked away before she could do it.

It is also worth noting that technical problems had disrupted Sark’s scheduled halftime interview with Holly earlier in the night. ESPN later acknowledged that he had patiently waited before leaving and that the failed interview was not his fault.

Perhaps that added another layer of awkwardness to the postgame moment.

I’m Team Holly. But being Team Holly doesn’t require me to make Steve Sarkisian the villain.

Sometimes two people can have completely understandable reactions to the same extraordinary moment. Holly was trying to do her job. Sark was overwhelmed by what his team had just accomplished and wanted to celebrate with his players and join them for “The Eyes of Texas.”

Neither person handled the exchange perfectly.

That’s because neither one is a robot.

What happened between Holly Rowe and Steve Sarkisian wasn’t some great moral failure. It wasn’t evidence that Holly is unprofessional or that Sark is a terrible person.

It was simply two human beings experiencing the same unforgettable moment from two very different perspectives.

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Link to join the Well Society and become an owner of Motherwell FC

Sometimes, you can actually have a seat at the table.

Today on Show Pony FC, we head to Scotland and talk about a club that has become very special to me: Motherwell FC.

I’m joined by Stephen Reside of The Well Society, the fan organization that owns the majority stake in Motherwell.

And when I say fan-owned, I mean it.

Supporters can join The Well Society, participate in the democratic process surrounding the club and vote on important matters affecting its future. You don’t need to have been born in Motherwell. You don’t even need to live in Scotland.

Americans can join, too.

I’ve been a Well Society member for three seasons, and that is one of the things that originally fascinated me about Motherwell. For roughly £10 a month, you’re not simply buying another subscription or joining a traditional supporters club.

You become part of something.

You have voting rights. You have a voice. You are helping support a professional football club competing at the highest level of Scottish football.

That concept feels especially relevant right now because something pretty amazing has happened between Scotland and the United States.

Boston Fell in Love With Scotland

The World Cup helped create a connection that went far beyond 90 minutes of football.

Scottish supporters came to America, spent time with fans here — particularly around Boston — and relationships formed.

People shared drinks. They watched matches together. They learned about each other’s clubs, cities and traditions.

Football did what football does at its absolute best: it brought people together who otherwise might never have met.

Now the question becomes: How do you keep that connection alive after everyone goes home?

Motherwell might provide a pretty incredible answer.

If you’re one of the Americans who fell in love with Scotland, Scottish football or the supporters you met during the World Cup, you don’t have to let the relationship end.

You can become involved in Scottish football yourself.

And not just by buying a shirt.

You can have an actual voice.

What Fan Ownership Really Means

I wanted Stephen on Show Pony FC because fan ownership is something American sports fans rarely experience.

Think about how we follow teams in the United States.

Owners own.

Executives make decisions.

Fans buy tickets, jerseys and beer and then scream about the decisions afterward.

The concept that ordinary supporters could organize, own a significant stake in their club and vote on its direction feels almost foreign to us.

At Motherwell, it’s real.

Stephen explains how The Well Society operates, how supporters participate and why the model matters.

We also talk about the responsibility that comes with ownership.

Because supporting a fan-owned club isn’t simply about being able to say, Hey, I’m an owner.

It’s about protecting something that belongs to a community.

Motherwell has generations of history behind it. The people involved today are essentially caretakers responsible for making sure that club remains strong for the people who will support it decades from now.

That’s what I find so appealing about the model.

And Motherwell Is Giving Supporters Plenty to Enjoy

We also get into what’s happening on the pitch.

Motherwell’s recent success has provided another reminder that being supporter-owned doesn’t mean abandoning ambition.

Quite the opposite.

There is something incredibly satisfying about watching a club compete and knowing the supporters themselves have a meaningful role in its future.

For American fans who are searching for a Scottish club, I think that’s a pretty compelling pitch.

You can pick one of the traditional giants.

Or you can find a club where your participation actually matters.

I’ve made my choice.

🎧 WATCH OR LISTEN TO SHOW PONY FC

Today’s conversation with Stephen Reside is about much more than Motherwell.

It’s about what football can look like when supporters aren’t treated simply as customers.

We talk about:

• The growing relationship between Scotland and American soccer fans

• The incredible connection Scottish supporters developed with people in Boston

• How The Well Society and Motherwell’s fan-ownership structure work

• How Americans can become involved

• What members actually get to vote on

• Motherwell’s recent success

• Why supporter ownership could be one of the coolest experiences available to an American soccer fan

Watch Show Pony FC on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

And if the idea of actually having a voice in the future of a professional football club sounds appealing, check out The Well Society and learn more about Motherwell.

Maybe Scotland doesn’t have to be a place you visited — or a group of people you met during the World Cup.

Maybe it becomes your club, too.

Up the Well. 🧡⚽️

Enjoy Show Pony FC? Subscribe to Show Pony Media so you never miss an episode. We’ll continue exploring the clubs, supporters and stories that make this sport unlike anything else in the world.

And if you’re already a Motherwell supporter or Well Society member — especially if you’re joining from the United States — drop a comment below. I want to hear how you found the club.

Hey, everyone!

We have a HUGE Week 2 ahead, so let’s get together the night before Saturday’s action for an exclusive premium-subscriber video chat right here on Substack.

Join me Friday night at 10 p.m. ET as we preview Texas–Ohio State, Oklahoma–Michigan and all the biggest headlines heading into the weekend.

Bring your questions, predictions, hot takes and whatever you’re drinking. I’ll be in the Substack chat live, responding and talking college football with all of you.

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Chris Childers
Show Pony Media

I have spent more than 20 years talking into a microphone for a living.

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Greg Sankey fought LSU—and won.

The SEC commissioner was hell-bent on preserving his power, and he succeeded. Was it effective? Absolutely. Did LSU eventually cower before the hand that feeds it? Absolutely.

But I still don’t like how the SEC handled this.

What it did to LSU felt dirty and unsavory. It felt like a desperate attempt to maintain control.

Yet it worked. So, I guess, bravo.

It’s not as if LSU created this mess or went out of its way to screw the conference. Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris received a preliminary injunction from a Louisiana court that opened the door for them to play. LSU responded to a legal ruling, yet the SEC treated the school as if it had committed an unforgivable act of betrayal.

I know everyone keeps pointing out that the ruling came from a Louisiana court and claiming something about it smells wrong.

Honestly, I disagree.

I live in Tennessee, and if I were the judge, I absolutely would have ruled in favor of the players, too. One hundred percent.

Why didn’t members of the 2022 recruiting class receive the option of playing a fifth season? It makes zero sense. This entire situation makes no sense.

It reminds me of Johnnie Cochran’s Chewbacca defense in South Park:

It does not make sense!

The conference sued LSU and prepared to consider the extraordinary step of expelling one of its founding members. Faced with that threat, LSU filled its final two roster spots with other players, leaving Wright and Harris off the team.

Of course LSU backed down.

The SEC made it virtually impossible for the school to move forward. Sankey threw what the plaintiffs’ attorneys called a cold cup of gumbo right back in their faces—regardless of what the Louisiana court had ruled.

(Young and the Restless star Susan Walters was a guest on Show Pony Live. She explained why the recent LSU news bothered her at first.)

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It’s not as if another conference offering anything close to the SEC’s television payout was waiting on the other side. LSU had no real leverage. It had to play nice. It had to take whatever was coming its way.

The SEC wasn’t messing around.

As Rick Neuheisel said on our show today, Greg Sankey became Greg “Spankey.”

He spanked LSU for stepping out of line.

Sankey did everything necessary to protect the sanctity of the multimillion-dollar cash machine that is the SEC. He preserved the conference’s authority, kept the door closed to future players attempting to return from the NFL and reminded every member institution who holds the power.

Good for him, I suppose.

But threatening to kick LSU out of the SEC?

That was ridiculous.

It also makes me wonder what might have happened had the conference followed through. Would expelling LSU have strengthened the league—or created cracks so wide that the once-undisputed king of college sports eventually crumbled like the Pac-12, all under Sankey’s watch?

Fortunately for everyone involved, we won’t find out.

At least not yet.

Both sides played an expensive game of chicken, and the SEC won. LSU’s president has now written to Sankey, the Tigers abandoned their plan to roster Wright and Harris, and the immediate threat of expulsion appears to be fading.

The white flag has been waved.

The Bayou Bengals have retreated with their tails tucked between their legs.

Still, I don’t like it.

Wright and Harris are the people getting screwed. A court ruled in their favor, but apparently they are the only two people in college sports for whom a court ruling doesn’t matter.

And I bet Sankey knows, deep down, that the underlying situation is unfair.

The NCAA—which Sankey and the SEC remain a part of—created this problem by changing to a five-year eligibility model without providing comparable relief to players from the 2022 recruiting class.

The legal challenge emerged from that transition, not because LSU suddenly decided it wanted to destroy college football.

Lane Kiffin was right to reference Diego Pavia and Trinidad Chambliss. College sports have spent years granting eligibility through injunctions and courtroom victories.

Sankey constantly asks Congress for help because the NCAA no longer has enforceable national standards. Yet when a court ruling benefited LSU, he suddenly discovered a hard line.

Instead of accepting that the NCAA failed to anticipate this problem, Sankey threw a grenade at LSU to avoid getting hit by the shrapnel.

He won.

His authority remains intact. LSU is back in line, and the SEC’s cash machine continues humming.

Greg “Spankey” protected his power.

That doesn’t mean the way he used it was right.

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The next session of Show Pony University begins September 10.

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During this four-week course, I’ll teach you the same techniques I’ve developed during more than 20 years in national sports radio:

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Let me know in the comments: Did Sankey protect the SEC—or did the conference go too far in its effort to force LSU back into line?

Bobby and I break down the controversy surrounding Michigan and what it could mean for the Wolverines, the Big Ten and the broader college football landscape.

Then we turn our attention to Saturday’s blockbuster in Austin: Ohio State at Texas.

Can the Buckeyes handle the pressure of a massive road environment? Which matchups will determine the game? And what would a win—or a loss—mean for both national championship contenders?

Bobby brings the insight, energy and honesty that always make him one of my favorite guests.

Watch or listen to the full episode on ShowPonyMedia.com, YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy independent college football coverage and conversations with some of the biggest names in sports, subscribe to Show Pony Media and share the show with a friend.

Susan is an Emmy-winning actress best known for playing Diane Jenkins on The Young and the Restless and for her unforgettable role as “Mulva” on Seinfeld. She’s also a passionate Georgia Bulldogs superfan who knows plenty about college football's real-life drama. She won the Daytime Emmy in 2025 for her role as Jenkins.

We break down the escalating LSU controversy as the SEC threatens to kick the Tigers out of the conference. Has this standoff officially gone too far?

Plus, we react to a wild Week 1 across college football and demand justice for the MAC after the absolute travesty involving Michigan.

It’s college football controversy, chaos and plenty of strong opinions—with the one and only Susan Walters!

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It was magic.

Let’s be honest: We all needed it.

If I had to think about another lawyer, injunction or courtroom ruling, I was going to lose my mind. I don’t watch courtroom shows. I was never a Law & Order guy. I never watched the old Matlock.

I do, however, love the new Matlock with Kathy Bates. I visited the set at Paramount Studios last year while working the Rose Bowl for SiriusXM, so I felt obligated to give it a chance. It became only the second soundstage I had ever visited, after The Orville on the Fox lot.

Naturally, I started watching. Now I’m addicted.

But I digress.

When it comes to college football, screw the courts. Give me the games—and Week 1 delivered.

Michigan Found a Second

The ending between Michigan and Western Michigan was everything we needed.

Holy shit.

The game was over—and then it wasn’t.

Poor John Fanta had to explain the discrepancy between the television clock and the clock apparently available to the replay officials. The Big Ten said a Western Michigan player touched the ball while out of bounds with one second remaining, allowing Michigan to attempt another play.

Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira didn’t buy it. His position was simple: If the clocks conflict, use the television footage that everyone can see. Had officials followed that standard, Michigan’s final play never would have happened.

Instead, Bryce Underwood received another chance and found JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard Hail Mary. Michigan escaped with a 13–12 victory.

Michigan is 1–0, but my God, how bad are the Wolverines?

They needed a miracle—and a mysteriously resurrected second—to beat a directional school from their own state. A program operating with millions upon millions fewer than the mighty Maize and Blue came within one second of producing Appalachian State 2.0 inside the Big House.

Michigan committed three turnovers, struggled to move the ball and was held without a first down on half of its possessions. Underwood completed only 12 of 22 passes and threw an interception.

This wasn’t just an ugly win. It was an alarm.

I almost feel bad for Kyle Whittingham. He could have spent Week 1 on a beach enjoying retirement. Instead, he volunteered to inherit the mess left behind by Mr. Butter Knife himself, Sherrone Moore.

Now Oklahoma comes to Ann Arbor.

Barring an offensive miracle—and Michigan has already used one of those—look out.

Woof.

Arch Manning Disappeared Into the Fog

Rick Neuheisel and I watched the video of Arch Manning tripping during Texas’ pregame entrance, and oh my God, it looked awful.

A fan reached toward him, Arch lost his footing and suddenly crashed into the equipment before disappearing into a cloud of fog.

Imagine being Steve Sarkisian and seeing that video for the first time. His entire life must have flashed before his eyes.

Texas entered the season with national championship expectations. Arch is one of the most famous players in the sport. Could you imagine that dream season being derailed before the opening kickoff by a fog machine?

Not Ohio State. Not Georgia. Not LSU.

A fog machine.

Luckily, Arch was fine. He later joked about it after throwing for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns in Texas’ 59–7 win over Texas State.

Still, you have to see the video. One moment he’s leading the Longhorns onto the field. The next, he vanishes into the fog like he’s been eliminated from a magic show.

College football is the greatest.

My Middle Tennessee Homecoming

Saturday, I made my debut as the public-address announcer for Middle Tennessee football.

It was awesome.

Yes, the three rain delays combined to last roughly four and a half hours. Yes, we were still inside the stadium after 1 a.m. And yes, the game was finally called with 11:01 remaining in the fourth quarter.

That part was trash.

Everything else? I loved it.

Doing PA is one of the most enjoyable things a person can do with a microphone. It’s a performance. You have a role in creating the atmosphere and building the crowd’s reaction.

It almost scratches my Broadway itch.

For a few hours, I felt like Sutton Foster—if Sutton Foster performed between third downs and weather announcements in Murfreesboro.

More than anything, it felt good to be back at my alma mater. My best friend, Bobby, was there as my spotter. We attended MTSU together and were roommates. Now, all these years later, we’re working football games together.

As I told him Saturday night, we’re making memories.

There was something wonderfully nostalgic about being back together at the place where so much of our story began.

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Dabo Is Finished

Dabo Swinney is cooked like a Thanksgiving turkey.

I hate writing that. I truly do.

I love Dabo. He is unapologetically himself. I believe he cares about his players and genuinely wants to develop young men—not merely assemble a collection of hired talent.

Unfortunately, the team that crushed him Saturday night may represent the exact opposite approach.

LSU annihilated Clemson 51–10. The Tigers from Baton Rouge accumulated 644 yards and a school-record 37 first downs. Clemson managed only 145 yards.

At halftime, LSU led 31–3, had outgained Clemson 336–54 and had recorded 21 first downs to Clemson’s one.

It was the most lopsided loss of Dabo’s tenure.

In today’s college football—an era ruled by NIL money, the transfer portal and unrestricted player movement—it increasingly feels as though the good guys finish last.

The fans are restless. The program looks broken. The sport has changed, and Dabo has stubbornly refused to change with it.

Maybe there’s a miraculous turnaround coming. After watching that beating, I don’t see it.

It may be time for Clemson to make a change.

It pains me to say that. Truly.

I’m a Dabo guy.

Lane Kiffin Owns the Moment

Lane Kiffin is college football right now.

He has become the lovable bad guy—the anti-establishment star who understands exactly how to make the entire sport react to him.

Lane is Stone Cold Steve Austin. Greg Sankey and the SEC office are Vince McMahon.

It’s wild. It’s theatrical. It’s perfect.

After spending the week battling the SEC over LSU’s attempt to use former NFL players, Kiffin walked into halftime against Clemson with a 31–3 lead. He finished his interview with Holly Rowe, started jogging away and then returned to the microphone for one last line:

“Imagine if we had pro players.”

Incredible.

The SEC continues to threaten LSU with serious consequences—including the possibility of removing the school from the conference—if it plays the former professional players at the center of this fight.

I still don’t believe the league will actually do it.

But here’s the funniest part: LSU may not need those players.

The Tigers already looked like one of the best teams in the country. They didn’t merely beat Clemson. They embarrassed Clemson while their coach trolled the entire sport on national television.

Lane Kiffin isn’t fighting college football’s chaos anymore.

He’s harnessing it.

And after one week, it looks like the rest of the sport may be chasing him.

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College football is back.

Not the appetizer. Not the offseason lawsuits, portal drama, NIL arguments and endless speculation. The actual football is back, and we’ve got games stretching all the way through Labor Day.

So before I spend the next few days planted in front of a television — with a slight detour to actually work a college football game or two myself — here are the five things rattling around my head entering the first real weekend of the season.

1. What the hell is the SEC doing?

Seriously. What are we doing here?

On Thursday, a courtroom in Baton Rouge once again told the powers of college sports: you lose.

After SEC commissioner Greg Sankey spent more than two hours on the witness stand defending the league’s position, Judge William Jorden issued a preliminary injunction that keeps the SEC and NCAA from punishing schools over the eligibility of the athletes at the center of this case.

And the SEC still isn’t budging. In fact, they are now suing LSU in federal court in Alabama over being allowed to enforce the organization’s own rules.

I understand their argument. The league doesn’t want a world where players can sign professional contracts, go to the NFL and then decide, “You know what? College sounds pretty good again.”

Fine.

Except I don’t think that’s really what this fight is about.

This is about a group of athletes — particularly members of the high school Class of 2022 — who got caught on the wrong side of college sports changing its own eligibility rules. The NCAA moved toward a five-seasons-in-five-years model but didn’t extend the same treatment to the Class of 2022. Now those players are asking the obvious question:

Why not us?

And courts keep taking that question seriously.

That’s what makes the SEC’s all-out war so strange to me.

Maybe they’re terrified of the precedent. I understand that. But precedent is already happening all around them. Look at college basketball and Charles Bediako, who returned to Alabama after playing professionally in the G League under the protection of a court order.

College sports spent decades fighting to preserve amateurism. How’d that work out?

Now we’re watching another version of the same fight.

Kids are already making millions of dollars playing college football. Revenue sharing is here. NIL is here. Rosters are rebuilt through free agency — excuse me, the transfer portal — every offseason. Coaches make $10 million a year.

This is professional football in virtually every way except the paperwork.

Yet this is apparently the line that threatens the integrity of the SEC?

Come on.

And now the league is fighting one of its own members over it. The SEC adopted its rule barring these former pros by a 15-0 vote with LSU abstaining, and it has gone to federal court trying to preserve its ability to punish LSU.

All while LSU is preparing for the biggest game of the weekend against Clemson.

I keep coming back to one question about Sankey’s testimony: Does he personally believe this is the hill the SEC needs to die on? Or is the commissioner ultimately representing what the presidents of his member institutions want?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that villainizing LSU for taking advantage of a legal opening created by college sports’ own constantly changing rules seems ridiculous.

If you don’t like the loophole, fix the rules.

But at some point, when judges keep telling you the same thing, maybe you should consider the possibility that you’re the one who got this wrong.

2. Tomorrow is a big day for me

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