The Solid Verbal College Football

Today, we're taking a rare break from college football and dropping a long, off-topic episode to the feed. It's been nine years after the original Secret Garbage Bracket debuted, and we're bringing it back with an expanded 18-item field, two play-in games, and a fresh batch of submissions from the Verballerhood. The premise is the same as it was in 2017: take things that everyone seems to like, things that carry a high approval rating and rarely get questioned, and make the case that they're actually, secretly, kind of garbage.
This year's bracket covers a wide range of things from modern life, from everyday conveniences and travel staples to entire cultural institutions and lifestyle choices. There are heated debates, a few philosophical tangents, and at least one matchup that spiraled into something neither of us expected.
Fill out your own picks at https://garbage.solidverbal.com!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro to the 2026 Secret Garbage Bracket
8:58 - Skinny Cans vs. Luxury Watches
14:33 - Haircut Industrial Complex vs. Podcasts on YouTube
22:11 - Cars
30:02 - Grocery Stores vs. Food Delivery Services
42:20 - Streaming Services vs. Carry-on Luggage
54:30 - ChatGPT vs. Greeting Cards
1:04:14 - The Future vs. Dog Parks
1:16:28 - Beach Vacations vs. Wireless Charging
1:25:20 - Miami Metro Area vs. Thought Leadership
1:34:40 - Short-form Content
1:38:05 - Elite Eight Matchups
1:43:33 - The Final Four
1:48:19 - The Championship
1:56:43 - Also Receiving Votes
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
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It's time for our annual college football business update, and we couldn't think of anyone better than our friend Matt Brown from Extra Points (ExtraPointsMB.com) to walk us through everything happening behind the scenes. From the revenue arms race to jersey patches to the SCORE Act, Matt breaks down the big-picture forces shaping every athletic department in the country. We talk about whether spending more money is actually worth it, what Congress can realistically do about college sports reform, which revenue streams matter more than fans think, and why the stadium experience still has a long way to go. Plus, a seedy video game pitch, a rining endorsement for Milwaukee, and Dan discovers Summerfest 2026.
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
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What's the one thing your college football team just can't figure out? In this episode, we work through listener submissions on the recurring issues that haunt fan bases year after year. From Arkansas's defensive drought to Mizzou's glass ceiling under Eli Drinkwitz, from Florida's institutional lag, to Oregon's quest to close out the biggest games. Plus, what gnaws at Texas, Michigan, Georgia, and USC fans despite all the talent those programs have stockpiled. We also riff on Iowa, Wisconsin, Alabama, and whether some coaches are simply hardwired to win one specific way.
Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
8:18 - Arkansas
16:43 - Georgia Tech
22:42 - Missouri
30:02 - Florida
40:08 - Oregon
48:07 - Texas
53:46 - Michigan
58:45 - Georgia
1:03:12 - USC
1:07:44 - Wisconsin
1:09:33 - Rapid Fire (Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Iowa, Alabama)
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March Madness has a way of bringing old feelings back to the surface, and for college football fans, there's plenty of unresolved heartbreak left over from the 2025 season. In this college football episode, we introduce the Wiggum Scale, a Ralph Wiggum-inspired framework for rating the most devastating losses and collapses of the year. From Penn State's season-breaking double overtime loss to Oregon at a packed Beaver Stadium, to a South Carolina team that watched a 30-3 halftime lead against Texas A&M completely evaporate, to a botched extra point hold that may have cost Notre Dame a playoff berth, we make peace with more than a dozen moments that some fans may never want to feel again.
Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
7:43 - Omar Cooper Jr.'s catch
13:14 - Oregon derails Penn State's season
18:55 - West Virginia wins the Backyard Brawl
23:28 - Tyler Buchner's botched hold
30:54 - South Carolina gives away a 27-point lead
37:57 - Ole Miss falls just short against Miami
46:09 - Utah breaks Chris Klieman
51:27 - The 4th quarter of UNLV vs Air Force
53:40 - Georgia comes back on Tennessee
59:56 - Cal upsets SMU
1:04:13 - Rapid Fire: New Mexico beats SDSU, Montana State's wild FCS title, the Iron Bowl & the CFP National Championship
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
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In this episode, we each picked eight transfers — four on offense, four on defense, one quarterback max — that we find most interesting heading into the 2026 season. Why these guys? It comes down to situation, scheme fit, prior production, and in some cases, just a gut feeling that something's about to click at the next stop.
We get into the players following their coaches to new destinations, the quarterback pickups nobody saw coming, the edge rushers changing conferences, and the linebackers ready to take over defenses. The big themes keep coming up: how much does coaching familiarity actually matter, can G5 numbers translate to a Power 4 schedule, and what happens when a proven producer lands in a more stable situation?
Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
5:33 - Caleb Hawkins (Oklahoma State)
11:48 - Adam Mohammed (Cal)
19:06 - Ian Strong (Cal)
22:05 - Omarion Miller (Arizona State)
26:45 - Cutter Boley (Arizona State)
31:19 - Aaron Philo (Florida)
36:39 - JJ Buchanan (Michigan)
43:29 - Ben Brahmer (Penn State)
46:52 - Damon Wilson (Miami)
50:29 - Chaz Coleman (Tennessee)
53:44 - Devan Thompkins (Alabama)
56:39 - Austin Romaine (Texas Tech)
59:44 - Sammy Omosigho (UCLA)
1:03:53 - Cade Uluave (BYU)
1:05:49 - Jontez Williams (USC)
1:08:32 - DJ McKinney (Notre Dame)
1:10:26 - Kenny Minchey, DJ Lagway, Anthony Colandrea, Darian Mensah & Colton Joseph
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.