The biggest college football news of the day Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson — at midseason, considered a Heisman Trophy candidate — leaving for the NFL. Where does this leave South Dakota native Kalen DeBoer at quarterback heading into year three after a disastrous Rose Bowl loss to Indiana? Nowkhah has blunt thoughts on that, how the offense plummeted in the last few games, and the low energy level of Bama fans at the moment. The bigger picture is not just Bama's erosion on the national stage the last few years — yes, even under Nick Saban before DeBoer arrived — it is the entire SEC at the moment having lost its grip as the best league in the country to the Big Ten. How did that happen? What does the future hold? And who will win this week's CFP semifinals? Oh, and that whole Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss/LSU thing — which Kiffin team has a brighter future?

Green Bay lost its last four games, including a meltdown in Chicago, and yet is favored to beat the No. 2 seed Bears in Soldier Field on Saturday. How is that possible? How should we look at Matt LeFleur now that the Packers are the No. 7 NFC seed for the fourth consecutive season? Winkler will make you think and laugh hard, no matter if you're a Packer fan or hater. He also gives his own esoteric and big picture ramblings on the Vikings, Bears, and Lions — stay for his rant about how J.J. McCarthy is being treated.

How strong are the brands of both Jackrabbits and Coyotes football heading into the 2026 season? It was not a topic on the docket of hosts John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer for the first "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast of the new year, but that is the beauty of the show — a natural barstool conversation, "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" style, that leads down unplanned roads. The "brands" of South Dakota's two Div. I football programs were dissected after John and Matt discussed the early transfer portal headlines for SDSU and USD. Nothing much new has popped since the December news that two Jackrabbits who would potentially be big money Power Four transfers (Chase Mason and Quentin Christensen) announced they were staying in Brookings, while two Coyotes decided to leave Vermillion to seek greener pastures (L.J. Phillips and Larenzo Fenner). The bigger picture is what second year head coaches Dan Jackson and Travis Johansen — who both tackled massive portal losses before their first seasons started — are doing to establish and maintain strong brands that will allow stability and success no matter how brutal portal combat gets year after year. And what about the rest of the FCS? Did Montana State and Illinois State breaking the nine-season streak of either North Dakota State or SDSU playing for (and winning) the national title mean there is more parity, or should we expect the usual suspects back in 2026? And how about Monday night's game? It felt like Redbirds lost it more than the Bobcats won, and John and Matt don't hold back on ISU's collapse. Next, a dive into the early Summit League men's and women's basketball seasons. Speaking of brands and identities, what do nonconference slates and early league battles suggest for things to come in a couple of months once the tournament comes back to Sioux Falls? Will the SDSU women go unbeaten in league play for a fourth consecutive season since Dawn Plitzuweit left USD? How much stronger of challengers will the Coyotes be? On the men's side, is there any clear favorite? And what do we make of USD's M*A*S*H unit and how that affects the program moving beyond this season? The show ends back on the gridiron, where both hosts say "I told you so" on the Minnesota Vikings turning down Aaron Rodgers in the offseason. Considering the shaky ability and availability of J.J. McCarthy in his first season, should Kevin O'Connell reach out to Rodgers or another veteran again... or ride it out with the kid and give him time he may need to pop? The answer to both could be yes. Hear why. Finally, John and Matt try to make sense of Alabama's 38-3 humiliation from Indiana in the Rose Bowl and what legs Kalen DeBoer has to stand on heading into his third year. A history lesson from his early years as head coach at the University of Sioux Falls could lend a hint.

John and Zim dive into the early Summit League men's and women's basketball seasons. Speaking of brands and identities, what do nonconference slates and early league battles suggest for things to come in a couple of months once the tournament comes back to Sioux Falls? Will the SDSU women go unbeaten in league play for a fourth consecutive season since Dawn Plitzuweit left USD? How much stronger of challengers will the Coyotes be? On the men's side, is there any clear favorite? And what do we make of USD's M*A*S*H unit and how that affects the program moving beyond this season? The show ends back on the gridiron, where both hosts say "I told you so" on the Minnesota Vikings turning down Aaron Rodgers in the offseason. Considering the shaky ability and availability of J.J. McCarthy in his first season, should Kevin O'Connell reach out to Rodgers or another veteran again... or ride it out with the kid and give him time he may need to pop? The answer to both could be yes. Hear why. Finally, John and Matt try to make sense of Alabama's 38-3 humiliation from Indiana in the Rose Bowl and what legs Kalen DeBoer has to stand on heading into his third year. A history lesson from his early years as head coach at the University of Sioux Falls could lend a hint.

How strong are the brands of both Jackrabbits and Coyotes football heading into the 2026 season? It was not a topic on the docket of hosts John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer for the first "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast of the new year, but that is the beauty of the show — a natural barstool conversation, "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" style, that leads down unplanned roads. The "brands" of South Dakota's two Div. I football programs were dissected after John and Matt discussed the early transfer portal headlines for SDSU and USD. Nothing much new has popped since the December news that two Jackrabbits who would potentially be big money Power Four transfers (Chase Mason and Quentin Christensen) announced they were staying in Brookings, while two Coyotes decided to leave Vermillion to seek greener pastures (L.J. Phillips and Larenzo Fenner). The bigger picture is what second year head coaches Dan Jackson and Travis Johansen — who both tackled massive portal losses before their first seasons started — are doing to establish and maintain strong brands that will allow stability and success no matter how brutal portal combat gets year after year. And what about the rest of the FCS? Did Montana State and Illinois State breaking the nine-season streak of either North Dakota State or SDSU playing for (and winning) the national title mean there is more parity, or should we expect the usual suspects back in 2026? And how about Monday night's game? It felt like Redbirds lost it more than the Bobcats won, and John and Matt don't hold back on ISU's collapse.

In the midst of Harrison Smith Day at U.S. Bank Stadium, a C.J. Ham Day broke out as well. At the end of the Minnesota Vikings' meaningless 16-3 season finale win over the Green Bay Packers' JV squad, both Smith and Ham were given (apparently planned) send-off moments, a chance for those still in the Purple Palace to shower the veterans with standing ovations and plenty of tears. For Smith — a six-time Pro Bowl safety whose career spanned 14 seasons, all in Minnesota — the moment was expected and a big reason some Vikings fans had any reason to attend or watch the game on TV. "Harry the Hit Man" has shown signs of retirement contemplation. For Ham — an undrafted running back out of Div. II Augustana in Sioux Falls — the ride into the sunset may not have been as anticipated or expected. But the way the Duluth native, teammates, coaches, and fans responded to Ham's moment, it was abundantly clear what he meant to the franchise in his 10-year career, all in purple. Ham even toted the rock for a touchdown late in the first half. So, what do we make of C.J. Ham's career — if, indeed, it is over (he didn't say) — and how it went through Sioux Falls? How did this short ball of muscle, who wasn't an All-American at a small college, manage to not just make NFL rosters but play and make a major impact in the locker room for a decade? That is how the first "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" of 2026 leads off, and one of the several hot football topics tossed around with Kurtiss Riggs — the 11-time championship Sioux Falls Storm head coach, SDSU and high school TV analyst, Sanford Sports Academy football director, record-setting USF quarterback, a best friend and ex-teammate of Kalen DeBoer, and the show's "Monday Afternoon Quarterback." Other topics covered in the show's opening "John-o-logue" and with Riggs: * "Transfer Portal Combat" and how it is affecting SDSU, USD, Augie, and USF * Alabama's gruesome 38-3 loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl and what it means for DeBoer and his staff heading forward in the brutally harsh CFB landscape * Former SDSU quarterback Mark Gronowski leading Iowa to a big bowl win over No. 14 Vanderbilt to seal Gronowski's legacy as a winner in Iowa City and as the winningest quarterback in college football history * How Nebraska continues to get left in the dust on the field against good teams and how Matt Rhule can pick the Huskers off the canvas * Plus, Riggs gives his reaction to top Jackrabbit players Chase Mason and Quentin Christensen turning down (likely) $1 million NIL offers from Power Four teams — for Mason, Riggs says, a lot more — and staying at SDSU, while top USD weapons L.J. Phillips and Larenzo Fenner entered the portal

In the midst of Harrison Smith Day at U.S. Bank Stadium, a C.J. Ham Day broke out as well. At the end of the Minnesota Vikings' meaningless 16-3 season finale win over the Green Bay Packers' JV squad, both Smith and Ham were given (apparently planned) send-off moments, a chance for those still in the Purple Palace to shower the veterans with standing ovations and plenty of tears. For Smith — a six-time Pro Bowl safety whose career spanned 14 seasons, all in Minnesota — the moment was expected and a big reason some Vikings fans had any reason to attend or watch the game on TV. "Harry the Hit Man" has shown signs of retirement contemplation. For Ham — an undrafted running back out of Div. II Augustana in Sioux Falls — the ride into the sunset may not have been as anticipated or expected. But the way the Duluth native, teammates, coaches, and fans responded to Ham's moment, it was abundantly clear what he meant to the franchise in his 10-year career, all in purple. Ham even toted the rock for a touchdown late in the first half. So, what do we make of C.J. Ham's career — if, indeed, it is over (he didn't say) — and how it went through Sioux Falls? How did this short ball of muscle, who wasn't an All-American at a small college, manage to not just make NFL rosters but play and make a major impact in the locker room for a decade? That is how the first "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" of 2026 leads off, and one of the several hot football topics tossed around with Kurtiss Riggs — the 11-time championship Sioux Falls Storm head coach, SDSU and high school TV analyst, Sanford Sports Academy football director, record-setting USF quarterback, a best friend and ex-teammate of Kalen DeBoer, and the show's "Monday Afternoon Quarterback."

Today's conversations with Kurtiss includes:

* "Transfer Portal Combat" and how it is affecting SDSU, USD, Augie and USF * Alabama's gruesome 38-3 loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl and what it means for DeBoer and his staff heading forward in the brutally harsh CFB landscape * Former SDSU quarterback Mark Gronowski leading Iowa to a big bowl win over No. 14 Vanderbilt to seal Gronowski's legacy as a winner in Iowa City and as the winningest quarterback in college football history * How Nebraska continues to get left in the dust on the field against good teams and how Matt Rhule can pick the Huskers off the canvas * Plus, Riggs gives his reaction to top Jackrabbit players Chase Mason and Quentin Christensen turning down (likely) $1 million NIL offers from Power Four teams — for Mason, Riggs says, a lot more — and staying at SDSU, while top USD weapons L.J. Phillips and Larenzo Fenner entered the portal

Local legends and sports headline makers who have captivating stories to tell.

That is what "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" is all (well, mostly) about, and how the show is doing "last call" before ringing in 2026 with new shows srarting Jan. 5.

From Christmas Eve to Jan. 2, we are re-releasing some of out best conversations of 2025.

Our first episode featured retired football icons John Stiegelmeier (SDSU) and Bob Nielson (USD).

Ep. 2 brought back the venerable play-by-play voices of Augustana (Jeff Fylling) and USF (Tom Frederick).

Ep. 3 was "The Kim Show" with South Dakota'a all-time high school football coaching wins leader Kim Nelson and Disabled American Veteran of the Year Kim Hubers, the Iraq War vet who described her trip to New Orleans for the Super Bowl and to meet Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson. It was her first venture to The Big Easy since helping Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

For Ep. 4, we gave you basketball legends Aaron Johnston (SDSU) and Matt Mooney (USD).

Ep. 5 welcomes back the boys of summer: Jabari Henry — the Sioux Falls Canaries' most decorated slugger in their 33-year modern history — and former Canaries co-owner and GM Gary Weckwerth, an original co-owner of the Sioux Falls Stampede and former local TV anchor.

For Ep. 6, a pair of South Dakotans who are shining on the biggest stage in their collegiate sports — Milbank's own Kalen DeBoer and Sioux Falls native Bergen Reilly.

"The Chuck Show" was Ep. 7, featuring men who are one of the GOATs of the teams they joined to talk about. Vikings icon Foreman reflects on the rich, full, and funny life of Super Bowl teammate Jim Marshall. Iowa QB legend Long broke down the early stages of SDSU transfer Mark Gronowski — both assessing Gronowski's play through a few games and how he fit into the offense.

And last but not least, Ep. 8 brings a pair of former Missouri Valley Football Conference studs who have both played in the NFL in the last decade — SDSU's Zach Zenner and USD's Jack Cochrane.

One of the Minnesota Vikings' GOATs, Chuck Foreman, reflects on the rich, full, and funny life of teammate Jim Marshall, the 19-year Viking from the start of the franchise (1961-79) and part of the Purple People Eaters and four Super Bowls who passed away over the summer.

Then, one of the Iowa Hawkeyes' GOATs, Chuck Long, broke down the early stages of SDSU transfer Mark Gronowski — both assessing Gronowski's play and how he fit into the offense.