Mike Rhyner is in the nurturing bio-sphere of the mothership with two heavy-hitters of the Fort Worth sports scene: Brian Estridge, the unmistakable voice of TCU football and basketball, and Mac Engel, the columnist who has made a career out of poking sacred cows at the Star-Telegram.

This episode isn’t your standard “rah-rah college football” pep rally. Nope, this is three guys who have seen everything pulling no punches about the state of sports today. From TCU’s rise (and how Josh Hoover is suddenly everyone’s new crush), to the absolute Wild West that is NIL and the transfer portal, they dissect how college athletics has turned into a giant ATM with shoulder pads. Spoiler: loyalty to teams is out, loyalty to whoever’s paying is in.

And because sports talk is never just about sports, Mike, Brian, and Mac veer into the dying gasps of newspapers and radio, the joy of covering legends (and clowns), and the absolute absurdity of trying to keep up in an industry where management decisions seem designed to sink the ship faster. It’s sharp, it’s funny, and it’s dripping with the kind of perspective you only get from guys who’ve lived it.

0:02 – TCU, Josh Hoover, and the Surprise Start

4:21 – Beating Belichick? Yep, Apparently That Happened

9:38 – NIL: Name, Image, Luggage

16:57 – Fans Love Players, Not Programs

22:43 – Money Talks: NIL’s Growing Pains

31:28 – RIP Newspapers (And Maybe Radio Too)

34:35 – Life in the Booth (and the 5 AM Alarm Clock Club)

41:48 – If You’re Gonna Rip a Guy, Show Up

52:21 – Nostalgia, Johnny Unitas, and Draft Day Weirdness