It's time for Coffee and company.
Fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day, now Here's Nick Coffee.
Starting to get a little bit nervous.
Got the official confirmation yesterday afternoon that it is happening next Thursday. I'm gonna be throwing out the first pitch at the Louis of Bats game. And I've let you know, people I know that I thought might want to be there, meaning like my family, my close friends, and they're nervous for me.
John.
They don't want you to embarrass yourself. Yeah, but like.
I'm not gonna look like I belong on the baseball field. I don't think that would ever be the expectation, Like do they think? And I'm like, what do you mean? Like, I think they'd be nervous for me, regardless of like if if they did or did not know that. I am someone that has probably thrown a baseball like legitimately ten times in my life. I mean I've thrown like to my son recently because he loves to play. But I'm you know, I'm underhand tossing him the ball so
he can hit it. So I mean, if I don't get it across the plate, like that's not like, I mean, that's not a good look, but that's not like the embarrassment that people think of when they think of bad first pitches.
Right, Yeah, usually it's something way off target. But I mean, imagine if you didn't make it to the play and you hear like, oh, hyper fans laughing in the background.
John, I'm not gonna be shocked at all if I don't make it to the play and then and and you know, my dad's like, you're gonna be practicing. I'm like no, I mean, like, I mean, I guess I need to figure out how long it actually is in regards to the distance, and you know, get a feel for it. But I mean, I'm not gonna throw a good pitch, and I have a feeling it's gonna be you know, right in the middle. Not the worst, but sir, not great, but you know, we'll see it'll get the job done.
Yeah, maybe I'll like.
Break my arm like Rookie of the Year, that movie that is my favorite baseball movie ever, where the kid breaks his arm and then it leads to some kind of like muscles using together to where like when he moves his arm forward, it it just it's a rocket launcher essentially, and he's throwing gas, gets called up, he ends up getting to play for the Chicago Cubs. Love that movie, Funky Butt Lovin. Good movie there. All right, thank you guys for hanging out with us here on
a Friday. It is our last weekend without college football. You've heard me say that a million times. Why not say it once more. It's exciting. No more weekends without college football after this one, and that's something to be excited about. So if you have been listening throughout the show, thank you. But if you are just now joining us, we did talk a lot of college football and we'll continue to do that right now as we bring him in. That's right, we've got company. It's mister Zach Barnett of
FootballScoop dot Com. Happy Fridays, Zach, how we doing brother?
Doing good?
Nicholas, how are you doing well?
I'm I can be repetitive at times, so why not do it again. I've told our listeners, and I'm sure you know this, but how about this being our last weekend without college football?
Zact Yeah, I mean we are going to be from now till January twentieth.
I mean, I don't have my calendar in front of me. But I think that's like two straight years.
Oh that gets me excited as hell, and I can't wait. There's not great games next week in week zero, but hey, it's there's a couple of games I'm gonna be interested to watch. I'm gonna wager on them, and it's it's gonna be a lot of fun. So earlier this week, the AP pole came out and the Louisville Cardinals came
in at number twenty six. Kentucky received some boats, and you know, I didn't want to get your thoughts necessarily on those teams, but just even though I would imagine you haven't told me this act, but I feel like you don't put a whole lot into what the preseason AP pole looks like. However, it is a reference point.
I think the playoff rankings, even though they come later, it's actually made these rankings just not I mean, they still get talked about, but just doesn't seem to be as significance there now that we actually have a committee that gives us these weekly rank Because anyways, what I'm getting at what team in the top twenty five caught your attention the most as far as either being wait a second, how are they ranked as high? Or maybe
wait a second, how are they ranked this low? Is there one team that stands out that you feel like was just way off as far as how you view them?
Uh, there's two, and they're they're linked together. There's Ole miss who I think is the biggest paper tiger program. I guess the second biggest paper tiger program in college football. You know, last year their biggest accomplishments were losing to Alabama and losing.
To Georgia, and they've somehow joined that group. Even though they never actually beat any of those teams. They get that.
They did have to win over LSU, over a team that couldn't tackle my eight year old in that LSU team, and that was really all they accomplished in my eyes. They were blown the heck out by Georgia, not super competitive against Alabama, and then they beat another paper tiger program in Penn State that hasn't won a game that's
mattered since twenty sixteen. So those two teams do a really good job of beating of winning games are supposed to win, but they never win any of the games they're not supposed to win.
And this day and age. That may very well get you into the college football playoffs, but.
I don't think their actual continues to even make the semi finals.
When it comes to Ole Miss, Let's say the results are exactly the same, but it's not Lane Kiffen coaching them. Do they generate as much buzz and love you think?
No? Definitely not Lane's persona, And I definitely.
Think the the retirement of Nick Saban the ascension of Jim Harbaugh helps him in the fact that, well, we have to talk about something in college football. We don't have Jim Harbor, we don't have Nick Saban, so that elevates Lane by default.
But I've been enough rooms where I'm.
The only media member there and coaches are talking to each other, and the amount of time they talk about culture to the media is.
Actually less than the amount of time they talk about.
Culture to each other. So over the years, that's leading me. That's led me to believe that this culture stuff is real. And so therefore, when when Lane says I don't think it's possible to build great, great culture in the poortal era, I believe them, and I believe Ole Miss.
Although very collection of good.
Individual talent, I don't believe this is going to be a great team.
Yeah, do you think if in fact the it, I mean, would you act shall start with this? Sticking with the SEC? If if Napier is canned? Does all does Florida turned to Lane Kiffin if he's able to have another you know, successful Sea season, even if it means that, you know, he didn't win any of the big games. But yet they're still winning nine maybe ten, which for ole Miss is pretty good for their standard.
Yeah, I've always thought Lane's next move is to the NFL.
Really.
Yeah, he's a guy that obviously got a shot way too early and has his eye.
He's had his.
Eye on a return to the NFL since the USC days. And uh, I mean the portal. He's way raged, I'm sure ragged raged on whatever on the portal as much as anyone, even though he takes advantage of it as much as anyone. So I and I think the Florida job has has dropped in stature a little bit.
Really.
Uh, they're in their ni L game has kind of been all over the place. Uh, you're still gonna play Georgia every single year, even though the SEC East is gone. Uh, You're still gonna play Florida State every year. Uh, They're they're back on the upswing. Losing the SEC East means you don't play South Carolina, Kentucky, Van Vanderbilt as often as he used to, and that means they're gonna get more Alabama, more Auburn, more more Old or Texas A
and m Oklahoma. So I mean, the right person, it's still the University of Florida, the right person can still make it work.
But I mean it's not the nineties. It's not the early two thousands anymore. Either.
One of the things we've talked about many times over the years during our conversations is about coaching, hires, fires, contracts, that kind of stuff. And you guys do a great job at football Scoop reporting on a lot of those
transactions that take place in the college football world. But with now there being a twenty two million dollar annual bill that these high profile universities are going to have, I mean, it's not a bill, but if you're not willing to pay what the maximum is, there's going to be others that are and you're going to be at a disadvantage. So these schools are not going to have to pay these athletes themselves, and they're still going to
make anil money too. But my question is this, do you think this actually is the the change within college athletics where collectively, agents, coaches, universities, administration, all that understands that the days of having these insane contracts for these coaches where they can suck and not win games at all and still be entitled to generational wealth potentially, Like, doesn't this just like can't everybody read the room and understand that the days of getting contracts like that just
it's got to be oh right, I don't think so.
I think the impact of this twenty two million dollar figure is a little bit overstated because, first of all, it's not all going to the football team, even though the lion's share is, it's not all going to go to the football team. And my understanding is schools are going to be able to count a lot of the money that they already pay towards this that let's just call it a.
Fifteen million dollar figure.
So it's going to increase costs certainly, but I don't think it's going to be as drastic as a twenty two million dollar increase. And kind of like the sports rights bubble. I have been waiting for a bubble in coaching, in the coaching market for a long long time. It's never come, and the money continues to It may level off at a certain point, but it's not going down in
a competitive environment. If let's just say Florida does make a change, they're not going to go out and say, all right, Billy, it's or not Billy obviously, but all right, Lane, let's just say it's time for us to get realistic. Here, how's four million dollars over three years, So no one's taking that job.
Yeah, I just even if we didn't have a big shifting change within the sport, that is in il the portal and again now school's having to pay. It is still crazy that the coaches have these contracts in place to where you know they can be terrible, and yet they're still gonna be entitled to every single penny. You know, you said something to me many years ago, I think on the show. That always stuck with me because I had never thought about it. But it's true. Most coaches
in college football are replaceable. There's very few that if you have a good program, good resources. You know, that's not to say coaches. Good coaches grow on trees. But if you have good infrastructure to where you've got resources where a pretty good coach could have, you know, high levels of success like you can be replaced, Which is why I don't understand why so many athletic directors they just they crumble.
Right.
I don't know if these agents walk in there with a gun and a ski mask, but they put fear into the ads that these guys are gonna leave and somebody's gonna hire them, when in reality, more often than not that's not the case. I don't know, I just I guess I'm jealous that people can be so bad at their job and still know that they're gonna end up having a great life not working and having millions and millions of dollars.
Well, I think it boils down to, in a lot of ways, just a simple truth that these agents, this is all they do is negotiate on behalf of their clients, and they're the ads.
It's one of a hundred things that they do, and.
It's never enough. Your job is to continuously try to get more, no matter how much they give you.
Right, right, And.
I think Jamie Sexton has done much better for himself than any ad has over the course of his career. So the incentives are all on the A D side, are all on the agent side, excuse me, not on the not on the side.
Yeah, I I this This is probably not a great example, just because in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a huge transaction you know that shocked and rocked college football. But Scott Saderfield when he was at Louisville that last year, I mean, I think he can kind of read the room here too, but he they louill was not going to give him another extend, give him an extension in general, which is unheard of. Most guys don't go into the final year of their contract in college football.
They just don't.
So Louisville held held firm and just said, you know, we you know, we're good, but we still kind of want to see a little more before we make another investment in another commitment. He had coaches on his staff that you know, didn't want to leave, but hey, if they if they think you only have one year, they're going to go find a staff that has a little
more security. And it led to him, you know, via Jimmy Sexton somehow getting the Cincinnati job one that you know, Chip Kelly wanted and it led to, you know, Jeff Brohm coming home. So I don't know Josh heard. Louise was atlet the director is still relatively new in his
in his role here. But if all the things I think of that, I'm like, yeah, I'm glad he did that is because I could be wrong, and maybe you wouldn't know, but you know better than I. I feel like in that situation cet Off, it hadn't been bad at Louisville. I feel like a lot of athletic directors would have said, Okay, well we've got to extend him now.
Yeah, I mean, you could certainly make that case, but Louisville's. Louisville's case was so different in that you had your your dream candidate up the road that was receptive to coming home.
So if Jeff Brohm so true in another world where Jeff.
Brohm's not available, who knows how that situation turned.
Yeah, Jeff brom doesn't exist, he may still be here. I mean, in fact, he probably would be, to be honest with you, because he didn't give you a fireable season. It just you know, yeah, you're right, there was circumstances there that did make it make it a little bit different. But Zack Barnett is our guest joining us here talking some college football. You guys can read his work at FootballScoop dot com. You can follow him on Twitter at
Zach Underscore Barnett. You know, also listen to him. He's the co host of the College Football Tailgate Show and he's now joined the Radio world for ninety six to seven the Ticket down there in Dallas. So I mean, and and he doesn't even know it or he doesn't brag about it, I'm sure. But he's also the official college football correspondent for US here on Coffee and Companies, So I mean, an impressive resume for our man, Zach,
who is joining us here on a Friday afternoon. So quick question for you on and we'll move back into some college football stuff.
Are you are you.
Expecting to get some real tea? As the kids say when we hear from Connor Stallions in this Netflix documentary, Like, I kind of feel as if he wouldn't they wouldn't even put this together if he didn't share some things. But then again, I was very underwhelmed with the Florida documentary they did last year on the era that was Tebow and and Urban Meyer. It was well done, interesting because if that was just a legendary era for Florida football. But like of all the things that went on there,
they didn't talk really much about any of that. I'm just curious what you kind of if you have any expectation for what we hear when Connor Stallions talks for the first time.
Yeah, I didn't watch the Florida one, just because my entire timeline that night the next morning was just crapping on the thing and how.
Everybody had the same reaction you did.
Yeah, I watched the Johnny Man's one and it was it was largely the same, So I expect this one.
It seems to me like they are going.
To make Connor Stallions look like this. I'm using air quotes here, evil genius and the detail how he built the system and all the links he went to, and severely downplay anyone who's not Connor Stallion's. And I think they're gonna leave. My anticipation is they're going to leave a lot of the questions that we all have unasked and unanswered, and they're going to paint it off like this lone Wolf thing.
Yeah, I I'm I kind of. I do really enjoy the Untold.
That's the I guess that's their Netflix version of the
of the thirty for thirty. Essentially, they've done some good ones and they're all really well done, but I do think some of them have kind of more so seemed like pr pieces, like and that's not why they're doing it, but like the Johnny Manzill I thought was well done, but it really was sort of like to make him look like, you know, not only a great player that people might have forgot about, but kind of I don't pay him as a victim in a way, which I thought was kind of odd.
Yeah, it seems like the Untold, it seems like on the Netflix side they approached these people like, hey, let us tell your story. Yeah, we will tell your version of the truth. And so I think it's going to be a largely frustrating exercise, but I'll still watch it and write about it.
I'm sure.
Yeah, I think even if you're not because you're if it's a documentary rather be for an episode of a series or an actual documentary film, you know, you can never be the featured person and be someone who's like, you know, executive producer, because again, like that's complete of interest.
But then again, I.
Feel like, you know, they probably wouldn't do this if it was not something they were somewhat creatively, and like there's no way urban Meyer's doing that without him having a little bit of you know, say so in the overall you know direction they're going because you know what you said that one. I mean, it was again, it was interesting just because that was such a phenomenal era
in such a dominant era for Florida. But like just knowing all the guys on that roster and knowing like all the things that took place during their time in Gainesville and then to never be brought up in a three episode. I mean, they got three episodes on Florida. That just to me that was a little bit of a it's got me to where are now with this new batch of the ones they're rolling out. I'm not I'm not as interested in Hey, let me ask you this, what is your favorite sports documentary?
Is there one?
Hmmm?
My favorite sports documentary?
Were you a Last Chance?
Of you?
Guys?
I watched some of them, I wasn't by the channel for for every single one. That's a good question, and I'm disappointed in myself that I.
Don't mean you watch Hard Knocks.
Again, I've watched some I.
Don't watch Hard Knocks, and and I feel like hard Knocks is like for what for what I consume? Like I love documentaries in general. Obviously I love sports, but to me, I'm not interested in like behind the scenes and fl like no no offense to these guys, but like I don't find they're behind the scene stuff to
be that interesting and compelling. Like that's why I did like last jin Chu, because you're truly seeing guys, Like it's interesting to me see what it's like for a guy that's at the Juco level, maybe a guy who's just trying to make it or a guy who got arrested had to go down to Juco. Like I'm more
fascinated about the real live situations. And it's not that it's not real life with Hard Knocks, but like the Quarterback Show on Netflix and now there's Receiver, I'm sure those are great, but I'm not really interested in like behind the scenes stuff of super famous athletes.
Okay, here's this is my dream.
Maybe one day I'll pivot and get this thing done my dream documentary, and I know HBO has done something similar to this, but I think it.
Would work great for football. Is let's say it's a Louisville Kentucky.
Game, and you have two camera crews spending all week with the Louisville staff and the Kentucky staff, And so when Louisville's in their third down offense meeting, we see that. And then when we see Kentucky and their third down defense meeting, and we see the nooks and creanies of how they prepare for each other.
And they get no creative control at all, No, and the cameras are like flies.
On the wall.
Yeah, and we get to go inside and see how these teams prepare and then see how the game turns out, and we can see, you know, the insane hours these guys put in. We can see how much of it is. Oh, at ten fifteen on Tuesday night they cracked it open, or hey, they had the great game plan, but the snap was bad and that threw everything off and the game winning third down touchdown pass was on a total broken play that no one could possibly prepare for.
That would be magic to.
Me, streaming networks. If you're listening. I think my man's made a pretty compelling pitch. I think Zach maybe maybe onto something. Hey, random as hell, but I'm gonna throw it at you. You know who I think would be a I shouldn't say one person, but are you familiar with what a carnie.
Is someone who works at a carnival.
Yes, So, like the Kentucky State Fair is going on right now here in Louisville, and you know, I'm sure there's festivals. There's state Fair obviously in Texas, but like even your county fair. Like when you got a crew that comes in with rides and they look as if like they've been bandaged together with duct tape, you know, you kind of question the guy who picks up your kid to maybe help them get on the ride, and
they travel the country, you know, they're drifters. I think a documentary on the lifestyle of this in the stories of those people would be fascinating, as Helle, I mean, it's not noneing the new with sports, but like I'm going to the fair tomorrow and we're talking documentaries, wouldn't you think that people would want to tune in to hear like, who this guy?
What a story?
How to end up working the working the ferris wheel at the at the something County Fair, Like, I don't know, I just feel like there's like those people and I hate to act as if like they're you know, they're criminals or they're bad people. But I feel like when I'm waiting for my kid to get off that ride and I'm looking at the guy smoking a cigarette looking like you're just ready for the day to end, I can just sense that that guy's got stories, that's that guy's been through something.
Then yeah, I would watch that.
It seems to me like all the people that all every carneye is like the people who works for Joe Exotic.
Absolutely, and Joe Exotic is not.
I mean, I think Joe Exotic is is maybe one of the most interesting documentary characters of all time. Like Joe Like, that's a great point we think alike here creatively because that like that's kind of what I'm going for, Like the people, because the awesome characters that were in Tiger King that weren't Joe Exotic, Like those are the exact kind of people I'm thinking of that work these as Carney. So yeah, we're uh, we're on the same page. All right, last question for you, and then I'll let
you go. Who wins the Husband Trophy this year? Tyler Shuck.
I think.
I think Caleb Downs is the best player in college football, but he has no shot at winning it.
I'm gonna go, I'm a believer in this team and this guy. Uh, I'll make a boring pick and say, Jalon Milroe.
Okay, yeah, is he getting I feel like he's getting more love than he was at the end of last year. And maybe it's just because people realize, oh, by the way, he was pretty good. A lot of guys get better. But is there any is there any chance act that, like people have seen how dominant and unstoppable he is in NAA football for you A sports that they're like, oh, this guy, nobody can stop him. I've not played the game, but I've heard he's like one of the toughest guys to defend in that game.
Yeah.
I'm actually planning on purchasing a PS five today.
Oh hell yeah, hell ya on a Friday, baby.
Yeah.
But I think in a way, obviously you're you're never gonna say you're gonna upgrade when you move on from Nick Saban. Sure, but I mean Caylen de Boor is as bona fide as anybody on the offense side of the ball. So with how much he improved last year, having getting to have a whole season under Klen, de Boor has has made his stock go up.
Zach, you're the man.
Enjoyed that PS five, Enjoy your last weekend without college football. It's here, man, We're getting closer and closer. Talk to you sooner, brother, can't wait.
Right, take care of that.
Zach Barnett, fooballscoop dot Com. I always appreciate the conversation. They're good stuff as always, and it is funny, you know. I always I've never met Zach in person. I've had him on my show for going on ten years probably, and I feel like I'm having a conversation with somebody I've known forever, and I'm referencing things he said over the years, and I'm like, oh, yeah, that was back in twenty sixteen when I was on in middays. So always good to talk to my man, Zach. All right,
quick break, we'll keep it rolling along. It's a Friday. We're feeling good. Coffee and company fueled by thorns. WI you hit me with that saxophone on a Friday joke. Come on, now, we got about twenty five minutes left here before we get out here for the weekend. Maybe some of you have already started your weekend. If that's the case, then you know, shout out to you. We'll
be doing the same thing before before too long. So I talked a little earlier about my fantasy football draft on Saturday, and two different people have responded, sort of sharing I guess somewhat similar thoughts as far as fantasy football just doesn't seem to be as big of a priority because you can now bet on sports and that gives you like a direct, like it gives you a direct, just think the right way to describe it, like when you bet on a sport, bet on a game, like
you know right away, hey that's a payday or it's not. And in fantasy football it's more of like a grind. And they really to me, it just seems I don't want to say it's a lot of work because it's not. I mean, setting your drafting and then setting your roster is not like, oh man, it just takes so much time it's a lot of work because it's not. But I think people kind of view it as a chore because you know, they're just more interested in doing parlays on a s.
The instant gratification.
Yeah, and I think even like fantasy, like daily fantasy, has sort of replaced.
The the.
I don't know, I don't want to act like nobody plays fantasy football, but it just to me doesn't seem like it.
You know it here's what it was to need like it used to.
As somebody who's never done it myself, I've had a couple of people reach out to me about doing it this year, and I think it's harder to bring in new people to fantasy football. You have people who were like Schafers, if that makes sense, But I think bringing in a new audience to fantasy football is a lot harder than it used to be.
So they do have the daily fantasy that you can do, which has been around for a while, and one person wrote in and said that that collectively their group realized they weren't into it as much, so now they just do a weekly league where they all join in to do.
You know, you get a certain bank and you can buy players players costs a certain amount of money, and you know they're still doing fantasy football, just not in a way that you typically would do it with a each week you play a different person and that kind of stuff. And then one person wrote in early on the text line and said, I felt for years I needed to quit my team, but I couldn't do it, always getting grilled by my boys for not setting my roster,
and finally I just told them I'm out. Thought it would make me sad and I would regret it. Never regretted it.
So good for you. I mean, maybe that's the thing, just you know, once you that's the thing.
If we lost a few players in our league, I do think it would be really hard to like not but we wouldn't want to add randos, you know what I mean? Like this is our league to where for I mean, I don't know. I think for the first time, we're all kind of on the same page as far as what this league is meaning. We know many don't prioritize it and betting has become a bigger focal point for people on Sunday afternoons rather than monitoring their fantasy
football team. But it's our league. It's been going on for close to fourteen years now. I think it is and it's you go, it's all about the draft. It's all about the draft, I'm telling you, because we get one day a year where ten of us who have known each other. And I did think about it during the break, like, did I fib a little bit? No, everybody in this league has known one another for at least twenty years.
It's crazy.
So you know, we've been doing this for a long time and we get that one day where all of us are together. And maybe it's only been this way for the last couple of years, but I'm quite sure that the ten of us that are in this league, the only time we were all together at one point in the last couple of years when we have this draft. So, you know, looking forward to it on Sunday, I don't know if my team's going.
To be any good.
Don't even remember my log in to get into the league that we have. I don't have to reset the password, I'm sure, But you know, the draft is what gets me excited about it. Still, all right, let's talk football betting here. So this is just something interesting to keep in mind. I have never been real big on trends because I don't think trends happen because like when if a coach is really good at covering that's that's not
really a trend. That just means the coach is good at it, keeping a game closer than people would have expected, or making it a bigger blowout of people people would have expected. So like to me, I don't think of that as a trend. But like if a team has had like for example, this is college football's best teams
against the spread in the last ten seasons. So again when I say, I don't put a lot in like what happened for the last ten years really won't have a big impact in this upcoming season, especially if you've got like a new era of different coaches and all that. But the college football team that has the best percentage at covering the spread in the last season is Liberty. They are fifty three I'm sorry, fifty thirty one and
two to pushes in the last ten seasons. And what does that tell you that Liberty has I mean, they've been pretty good. I mean, let me look up there. Not that anybody cares about Liberty football, but I just want to make sure I'm not losing my mind, because I feel like they've been pretty good for who they are. Yeah, like in the last ten years Liberty, I mean we're talking thirteen wins, eight wins, eight wins, ten wins, eight wins, and then a bunch of six win seasons. So like
they have. What they've done is they have probably been favorites in games and they've probably just obliterated that and won by a lot more, which by the way, by the way, I totally had forgot that Jamie Chadwell was their coach now at Liberty. All Right, some other teams here that might surprise you as far as again, these are the teams with the best percentage rate of covering
the spread in the last ten years. Kansas State is at number two, Notre Dame number three, Virginia number four, and then there's a tie with it looks like four teams that have covered fifty seven point three percent of the time. That's Utah, Penn State, LSUU and Miami of Ohio. Oklahoma State is at nine, and then tied for tenth is Ohio. Not Ohio State, but Ohio the Bobcats and UAB.
So what are those teams have in common? Not really anything, to be honest with you, right, Like, of those teams, who's can like LSU's been the best of those, I would say, and Notre Dame in there as well. But it really comes down to like, okay, like, for example, I would be willing to bet that Virginia is there because they have sucked a lot, right, They've been terrible Virginia football. When was the last time they were like legitimately like a team you had to worry about?
Ever?
Probably, but they probably have big spreads and don't end up getting blown out by quite as much like Louisll last year Louisville, if you remember they had to sweat that out that might have been that could be wrong here. I think Louisville that home game on a was it a Thursday night when they played Virginia and nearly lost. That might have been the biggest spread Louisville had in the ACC last year. And yet they nearly lost that game.
I mean they did kind of in the fourth quarter really just you know, take over, but it was still a close game that it felt like for a good chunk of it that you may end up losing. All right, Since we're talking sports wagering, this is something I briefly brought up yesterday and I actually kind of talked about it also at the beginning of the show today. But when you start cashing out at some point, these sportsbooks are going to start taking a cut due to taxes.
And let me get the specifics here, because it's actually a pretty good ride up by USA today as far as what's going on here. So yeah, it says here that betters will will still end up paying a price in the fallout of the FanDuel Draft Kings not adding a surch charge. Here's what it says here that better's in high tax states like Illinois, New York, Vermont in
Pennsylvania were able to breathe a sigh of relief. Earlier this week after the parent company of FanDuel announced it would be adding a surch charge or I'm sorry, it would not be adding a surd charge to winning bets. This decision prompted draft Kings to reverse course on its previously announced plan to add a SURD charge, which would have cost betters a percentage of their winning So Fandel says, nope, we're not doing it, and DraftKings has has decided to
reverse course. Because it's a highly competitive, highly competitive in the sports gambling space, especially between those two. So if Fandel's going to say no, we're not going to take any taxes out, DraftKings has a tough time claiming that they're going to do that and not expect to lose, because again, the average bet better is not taking away whole taking away whole lot of money when they cash out,
I would assume if they even do. And if one one sport and by the way, they're all kind of the same, but one, if one sports book is going to take a tax out on the others, not like it's a no brainer you would go to the one that doesn't tax you. So it's really just a no
brainer decision for DraftKings to reverse course. But it sounds like there's still going to be eventually a day where you end up not being able to just take completely the the money that's in your account after you win and you cash out like that, that number eventually is going to look a little bit smaller.
So it says here that.
Let's see, yeah, yeah, let me make sure I've got the right part of the article. It's there's However, while it may be welcome news for betters and short term customers in these states, shouldn't get too excited. Yet sportsbooks will still find ways to make their customers pay a part of those high tax bills. So one confirmed way that betters will be impacted is they're going to receive
fewer promotions. So Fanjil did say on Tuesday's earnings call that they planned to mitigate fifty percent of the increased gaming tax in Illinois through quote locally optimized promotional and marketing spend. So, in other words, betters in these high tax areas can probably expect to see fewer or less enticing sign up bonuses or a drop off in those
profit boosts that you see no sweat bets. You guys have seen those, right, those types of bonuses out there, So that'll give better as a chance to place wagers. You know, it's just gonna basically make it where you can't place wagers on their dime. So this isn't like some dramatic shift in you know, in sports wagering. But again it's still relatively new. It's a baby in all honesty, and they still can capitalize right now because there's a lot I mean, it's something that I consume a lot
of sports wagering during football and basketball season. It doesn't you know, run my life. But you know, when you're so wrapped up into it and you love it and you enjoy doing it and it's fun, you know, it makes you not realize that there's so many people that probably watch just as much football as you, but they've never had the itch to just you know, download an app and sign up. So there still is going to be a whole lot of like, you know, sign up.
Because again for me, when I hear people like when I when I'm when I start giving out promo codes for the sports book that I'm going to be working with this season, you know, here I am thinking like, who hadn't signed up yet? Like you know what I mean, Like, how could you not have signed up? This is great, I've been doing it, you know, this is awesome. But there's so many people that, like, you know, that's just
not their thing. Like some of my close friends that you know are are probably more knowledgeable of college football than me, Like they just have never had the urge to do it. I don't know if it's because they're worried they're going to get addicted or what it is, but.
That's the thing. Some people just know their tendencies and personalities.
Were you worried when you started doing it at all?
No, I think I was aware of it. You're pretty measured as a person. And plus I'm also very like tight with my money in general. I'm very responsible with it, so I know that I can't just go out and you know, blow it on everything.
I really do think you became very a good case study because you are somebody who likes college football, college basketball occasionally NFL. I'm sure you've bet on that before too. You've never done it before, but it became legal, you decided to give it a shot. You've really enjoyed it. But it's not because you're filling your pockets. It's because it's fun. It's entertainment. Yeah, and that's I think that's the majority of what people use these sports betting apps for.
But you know, you know clearly there are gonna be people that get hooked on it and get addicted. But you know that that one they're going to do it even it wasn't legal here. And also you know that shouldn't make it to where people who do it responsibly, the vast majority shouldn't be able to have fun with it. All right, we'll come back, have some fun here and then tell you goodbye. Not a lot of time left here as we wrap it up here on a Friday
afternoon on Sports Talk seven ninety. That's right, we're wrapping things up here on a Friday afternoon, getting out of here for the weekend. You got to be weekend plans, man.
I think my wife and I are going to the Low City game to mow fill. It's a big game, trying to sell out the stadium, I believe for the first time. Sure, I think they've already sold twelve thousand tickets.
Yeah, that's a big game.
I know.
I've seen more promotion for this, for this match, what they call it match.
That's right, Yeah, this match, this.
Match than I have any game for them. And they're how are they so consistently good?
And it is crazy. This is their tenth year and they've never had a bad season. They've had years where they aren't as good as they're better seasons, but they've always been consistently competitive.
I mean, it really is crazy to look at how consistently they've been good.
And they've had different gratches too. It's not all one guy, it's.
Not all one It's not like an era of a player. It's not like it. Again, you've mentioned they've had multiple different coaches that have had success like and it's it's not uncommon like it's not as if you look at their record in the you know, since existence, and say, wow, nobody's ever done that. But you have to keep in mind this was a team started out of nowhere. Like we've just been lucky. Right, there's no I mean I'm looking at their wins.
I mean I believe they at the top of the standings and.
They're having another really really good year, no doubt. So shout out to to lou CITYFC. A little footy action here this weekend for John. Have fun, man, have fun. I know, uh that place is going to be rocking. All Right, we're out of here, you guys, enjoy your weekend, have fun. Next week it's here college football and I'm excited again having a weekend.
Everybody, take care