Kickoff Yearning: The College Football Things We Still Love

About this episode

The episode explores the enduring joys and unique quirks of college football as the 2026 season approaches.

In this episode, we take a break from the usual offseason doom loop and focus on the things that still make college football worth getting excited about. With the 2026 season now inside the 100-day window, we lean into the joy, weirdness and ritual of the sport, from team entrances and tailgate footballs to bowl games as holiday escape hatches, overseas openers in Dublin and Rio, and the simple feeling of leaning forward on the couch right before kickoff. We also get into the more specific quirks that make college football feel like college football: pylon cams, visor coaches, turnover props, weird eye black, old-school announcers, preview magazines, 68-degree noon kickoffs, coaches losing their minds on the sideline, late-night windows and the constant possibility that a huge favorite might get dragged into a game it has no business losing. Plus, we look ahead to some of the real football reasons to be excited for 2026, including a loaded crop of star players, a monster Week 10 schedule, the evolving Group of Five playoff race and the SEC’s move to a nine-game conference schedule. Consider this a little kickoff yearning for the summer months, a reminder that, for all the…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ty Hildenbrandt, Dan Rubenstein

Topics covered

• college football excitement
• season anticipation
• football rituals
• unique quirks
• 2026 season preview

Keywords

• college football
• team entrances
• tailgating
• pylon cams
• visor coaches
• turnover props
• old-school announcers
• kickoff

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: iHeartPodcasts

Places: Dublin, Rio

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