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.
Chapters
0:02 – TCU, Josh Hoover, and the Surprise Start
Estridge explains why the Frogs might actually be for real this season.
4:21 – Beating Belichick? Yep, Apparently That Happened
How TCU toppled UNC and what it says about coaching transitions.
9:38 – NIL: Name, Image, Luggage
Why college sports now feels less like school spirit and more like a transfer market.
16:57 – Fans Love Players, Not Programs
How player mobility has completely rewired fan allegiances.
22:43 – Money Talks: NIL’s Growing Pains
The upsides, the ugly sides, and why nobody’s figured out how to police it.
31:28 – RIP Newspapers (And Maybe Radio Too)
Mack Engel explains how to kill media: cut the talent, then wonder why no one listens.
34:35 – Life in the Booth (and the 5 AM Alarm Clock Club)
War stories from careers that started long before podcasts were cool.
41:48 – If You’re Gonna Rip a Guy, Show Up
Brian’s take on journalistic accountability—and why too many skip the hard part.
52:21 – Nostalgia, Johnny Unitas, and Draft Day Weirdness
Because no episode is complete without a trip down memory lane.
