College Football Kickoff, MLB Awards, and Who Stops Mahomes?
In this episode of the SMQB podcast, the crew—Milk, House, Pope, and Rooster—dives headfirst into the upcoming NFL season with a comprehensive AFC preview, breaks down the heated MLB playoff races, and weighs in on the biggest stories in sports with their signature segments. From fantasy football warnings to major award predictions, it’s an episode packed with analysis and hot takes.
Who’s Buying the First Round?
The show kicks off with the “who you take to the bar” segment, where the hosts each choose a figure from the sports world to sit down with.
Rooster is taking Cal Raleigh, aka “the big dumpster,” (after the show, they realized it was “big dumper”) to the bar. After Raleigh smashed his 49th home run of the season, setting the single-season record for a Major League catcher, Rooster wants to have a chat about getting him a better nickname.
House brings a fantasy football focus, taking rookie running back Tank Bigsby to the bar. Bigsby is set to be the lead back for Rooster’s fantasy team. House follows this up with a public service announcement for all fantasy GMs: “be careful about mixing spirits with drafting”.
Milk, on behalf of the absent Bison, is taking Terry McLaurin to the bar. After signing a three-year, $96 million extension, “Touchdown Terry” is back in Bison’s good graces, and his image has officially returned to Bison’s law firm website.
Pope chooses U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley, who has a huge decision to make. Pope wants to pick his brain about his captain’s picks, including the critical choice of whether he will select himself for the team, a move not seen since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
The AFC Gauntlet: Can Anyone Stop the Chiefs?
The central theme of the episode is the balance of power in the AFC. While the hosts agree that all roads run through Kansas City until proven otherwise, a few contenders are lining up to challenge the throne.
The Favorites and the Fallen
The crew sees the AFC East as a one-team race, with no one capable of challenging the Bills this year. The rest of the division is plagued with problems, including major concerns about the Dolphins’ offensive line and its ability to protect their quarterback.
The main event, however, is the conference as a whole. House frames it as a four-team race to see who can finally dethrone the Chiefs. His pick to get it done this year is the Baltimore Ravens. He cites their “ridiculous” defense, which added Jaire Alexander to a secondary already featuring Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey, and then drafted Malachi Starks. The addition of Derrick Henry gives their offense immense firepower, and House believes if they can secure home-field advantage, this is their year.
The Dark Horses and High Hopes
Milk is all-in on the Denver Broncos, declaring, “this is my team”. He passionately argues that Bo Nix will be a top-seven quarterback in the NFL this season after an underrated rookie year where he threw for nearly 4,000 yards. He also praises their offensive line as possibly the best in the AFC.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs can’t be counted out. Their biggest asset this season may be their anger after how last year ended. House compares Mahomes to Tom Brady after his Super Bowl 52 loss, expecting a season played with a vengeance. The Houston Texans are another team to watch, with the hosts agreeing they will “run away” with the AFC South. After allowing 54 sacks last season, they completely retooled their offensive line, and with Will Anderson looking like a “monster,” their defense is considered top-five in the league.
The September Pennant Chase
Shifting from the gridiron to the diamond, the hosts break down the MLB playoff picture and year-end awards.
Playoff Picture: The American League wild card seems largely set, with the Red Sox, Yankees, and Mariners as the clear front-runners. The National League, however, is much tighter. It appears to be a four-team race between the Cubs, Padres, Mets, and the “pesky” Reds for the final three spots.
Award Races:
- MVP: In the AL, it’s a compelling race between Aaron Judge and the breakout star Cal Raleigh. In the NL, there is no race; Shohei Ohtani is the undisputed MVP.
- Cy Young: The AL features a nail-biter between Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet, who has been “lights out” recently. The NL award belongs to Paul Skenes, who the hosts feel is the best pitcher in baseball, even if he plays for a bad team.
- Rookie of the Year: Nick Kurtz is running away with the AL award, with betting odds as high as -200,000. The NL race is much closer, likely coming down to Cubs pitcher Cade Horton and Brewers outfielder Isaac Collins.
Punches, Lassos, and Buzzers
The episode closes out with the crew’s signature segments, highlighting the best and worst of the week in sports.
Punchable Face: Rooster punches his own New York Yankees for their fifth-round draft pick, a player with a history that includes painting a swastika on a Jewish student’s dorm room and a DUI. Pope directs his punch at tennis star Daniil Medvedev for his epic meltdown at the U.S. Open, where he stormed the umpire’s chair and later smashed his racket to “smithereens”.
Lasso (a shout-out): Tommy Fleetwood earns a lasso for finally securing his first PGA Tour victory after 118 tournaments, taking home a $10 million prize. A feel-good lasso also goes to Hawaii kicker Kansi Matsuzawa, a Japanese native who learned to kick and speak English via YouTube videos before hitting a game-winner against Stanford.
Buzzer Beater: The episode concludes with massive anticipation for the opening weekend of college football, featuring marquee matchups like #1 Texas vs. #2 Ohio State and LSU vs. Clemson in the “Battle of the Death Valleys”. On a more somber note, House feels for Phillies ace Zach Wheeler, whose recent surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome could unfortunately be a career-ending injury.