Shows
Phantom IslandNumbers & Words - Bill (AC)C and Forward Progress - PREVIEWESPN's Bill Connelly joins Steven Godfrey to talk about his forthcoming book, preview the fortunes of Virginia Tech, Cal, NC State, discuss the value of returning production versus transfers with experience, explain the ongoing challenges with previewing teams, and more. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.2025-07-2519 minPhantom IslandCan we accept head coaches who aren't workaholics?Hugh Freeze has spent this summer 1) losing a decent number of Auburn recruits to other schools and 2) playing a lot of publicly-recorded golf. These two facts have combined to create some stress for Freeze, which Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni use to unpack the myth of the grindbro head coach, the future of our expectations from this job, and why Tulsa's embracing the links skills of their coach. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.2025-07-2345 minPhantom IslandWe're Not All Like This - The NC State Wolfpack (PREVIEW)NC State often finds itself in tricky spots – drawing less national attention than UNC or Duke, succeeding in football just enough to create expectations that then go unfulfilled, and wrestling with a legacy in men's basketball that can feel like it's fading further into the past. We talked to James Curle, Alec Lower, and Joe Ovies to learn more about what makes the Wolfpack fan base tick, whether they think NC State is a football or a basketball school, and the future with Will Wade. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go t...2025-07-1815 minPhantom IslandWhat are the US Olympic Flag Football teams going to look like?Men's and women's flag football will be part of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and the NFL announced earlier this year that they're open to letting pro players participate. Rodger Sherman joins Ryan Nanni to discuss which details haven't been figured out yet, what the international competition looks like, and why a 5'7" quarterback who will be nearly 40 might be America's best hope for gold. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.2025-07-1647 minPhantom IslandThe Single Wing: Ignore One Of These Answers (PREVIEW)On this edition of the Single Wing, Steven Godfrey takes questions from listeners on topics ranging from expectations for Sherrone Moore, if and how you can get a lifer in the Group of Five, advertisements on uniforms, and navigating the future of your child's fandom. Of note: Godfrey's answer to one question about Scott Frost was recorded before Frost decided to go scorched earth on Nebraska, so, uh, yeah. Forget all of that.This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is...2025-07-1118 minPhantom IslandDo wrestling fans need to know how the magic trick works?Steven Godfrey is joined by Hector Diaz on this episode to talk about works, shoots, and the ways in which wrestling fans want to discern what's real, what's "real," and what's neither. You'll also get some good Godfrey stories about his days working in pro wrestling, as the two discuss the ways in which real life informs and shapes the storylines in the ring. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.2025-07-0951 minPhantom IslandNumbers & Words - A Multisport Survey of Thibodeaus with Neil Paine - PREVIEWThe New York Knicks came two wins away from playing in the 2025 NBA Finals, but they still made the somewhat surprising decision to can the coach who'd helped turn the franchise around, Tom Thibodeau. Host Ryan Nanni brings on Neil Paine, writer for ESPN, NASCAR, and his own Substack, to look at what the numbers say about teams that have bailed on successful coaches in hopes of improving their fortunes even further. Why does this move work better in some sports, and will we see impatient college football teams try this tactic in the near future? Neil also helps...2025-07-0416 minPhantom IslandDoes a college sport need nationwide interest to succeed?The map of college hockey champions and teams that claim titles in baseball and softball don't overlap very much, and that gives Steven some questions to bring to Ryan. Does the regional nature of these sports put a limit on their potential success? Should we live in a world with more Arizona States starting hockey teams? And will the traditional Big Ten teams ever take baseball seriously again? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.2025-07-0251 minPhantom IslandThe Single Wing: Finding The Appropriate Level of Fired Up Chips (PREVIEW)On this edition of the show's mailbag, Steven Godfrey considers the future of Georgia Tech after losing their athletic director, how adding another triple option team changes things in the AAC, getting recruited as a specialist, whether Billy Napier is an FFC, and what recent moment of parenting has made him most proud. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.2025-06-2719 minPhantom IslandWhy does the NHL recycle so many coaches?If you can get a head coaching job in the National Hockey League, there's a decent chance you'll have a shot at a second, third, and maybe even a fourth somewhere down the line. This isn't quite as true in the NFL, NBA, or Major League Baseball, so Steven and Ryan discuss their own theories for what makes retreads more prominent in hockey before asking an actual expert, ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, for his insight into this phenomenon. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.2025-06-251h 01Phantom IslandNumbers & Words - The Return of Bill C. (Part 2) - PREVIEWThe union of numbers and words continues as ESPN's Bill Connelly sits down with Steven to talk about the challenges of building experienced rosters in the MAC, whether Kirby Smart will find his next evolution, the potential of a USC-Illinois showdown, and a whole lot more. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-06-2024 minPhantom IslandWhere have you gone, expansion franchises?As two children of the 1990s, our hosts have an obligation to remember the teal-tinged days when the Charlotte Hornets, Carolina Panthers, and Florida Marlins first came into being. But this episode isn't just about Remembering Some Franchises. Steven and Ryan review the history of expansion in the four major men's sports in the US, put hockey to one side, and then ask where, when, and if we'll see new teams in the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-06-1849 minPhantom IslandWe're Not All Like This - The Texas Longhorns (PREVIEW)After years of tumultuous relationships and mixed results in the Big 12, Texas moved to the SEC and things turned out...totally fine, with a national championship in softball, a run to the Final Four in women's basketball, and a football appearance in the SEC title game. But there's lots to unpack about the Longhorns all the same. How do they feel about the resumption of the A&M rivalry? Which Big 12 team will they miss facing? And is the mixed reputation of the DKR crowd a fair one? Sara Cannon, Gerald Goodridge, and Will Baizer address these questions and...2025-06-1313 minPhantom IslandWho is the Club World Cup even for?Rodger Sherman joins Ryan Nanni on this episode to talk about FIFA's latest invention: the Club World Cup, a 32-team tournament thrown together to...well, move a lot of money around, for one thing. Why does this event exist in this form now, how do fans feel about it, and what is with the pronunciation of DAZN? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-06-1155 minPhantom IslandNumbers & Words - The Return of Bill C. (Part 1) - PREVIEWGet ready to catch the bouquet, as the original marriage of numbers and words is back with special guest Bill Connelly. Topics include Rice’s move to the triple, Houston vs. Madison, an attempt to predict fortunes in the Big 12, and whether Godfrey can be talked back into Clay Helton. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-06-0614 minPhantom IslandWhat does a successful spring football league look like?Year 2 of the UFL – the merger of the USFL and the second edition of the XFL – has resulted in mixed TV ratings, shuffled coaching staffs, and less of The Rock. What does the UFL need to do in order to succeed, and how can they learn from past attempts at spring leagues? Steven and Ryan consult Justis Mosqueda, who worked with the XFL on player evaluation and roster management during the league's 2020 launch, to find spring wisdom. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-06-0453 min
Phantom IslandThe Single Wing: Answer This Ohio RiddleSteven tackles listener questions on three different ACC-related topics, considers an impossible Ohio State or Kent State theoretical, gives you a brief overview of his evolving habits as a moviegoer, and much more. Presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-05-301h 21
Phantom IslandWhy do some WNBA rookies get cut almost immediately?In most professional leagues, rookies are prized possessions that can help teams effectively manage the salary cap, develop talent for the future, and show their superiority in scouting. So why do some women's basketball players get picked in the top 20 and wind up washing out before their first season even begins? This is the question that Ryan brings to Godfrey on this episode, with a special appearance from Marisa Ingemi of the San Francisco Chronicle to bring some actual expertise to the discussion. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-05-2846 min
Phantom IslandWe're Not All Like This - The Chicago BullsThe Jordan Bulls dominated the NBA and the sports cultural landscape in the 1990s, but fans have spent the last 25 years watching an organization swinging between mismanagement, heartbreak, and mediocrity. Maggie Hendricks, Ricky O'Donnell, and Jack Silverstein join the show to share their favorite Bulls memories, explain the dreaded GarPax, and discuss where Bulls struggles fall in the general angst of Chicago sports. Presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-05-231h 09
Phantom IslandAre the Dallas Cowboys on television too much?The NFL schedule for 2025 is out, and Steven Godfrey is not happy with how many prime slots went to the Dallas Cowboys. So he and Ryan sat down, with some numbers, to figure out whether or not America's team actually gets more choice television placement than their record merits and uncover which team isn't getting the TV love that it should. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-05-2149 min
Phantom IslandThe Single Wing: Single Wing Back??Steven returns to answer listener questions about expectation for Sonny Dykes, the future of Northern California's college football programs, the steady creep of gambling into sports coverage, and a whole lot more as The Single Wing makes its triumphant return. Presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-05-161h 20
Phantom IslandAre outgoing coaches really a distraction?Early in the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament, Will Wade was connected with the open job at NC State. Critics complained this distraction was unfair to Wade's players at McNeese State – and then they beat five-seed Clemson. Steven and Ryan discuss the grudges still held against Wade, how the NFL restricts hiring during the playoffs, and evolving notions of etiquette. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-05-1449 min
Phantom IslandNumbers & Words - How to build an NIL O-line with Parker FlemingWelcome to the debut of "Numbers & Words," in which we take a single, anecdotal idea from sports and borrow a smart person to prove its empirical value. On this episode, Parker Fleming (@statsowar) stops by to help Godfrey walk through an idea about the newfound interchangeability of college football linemen in the NIL and portal era. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-05-0947 min
Phantom IslandIs LIV Golf a success or a failure?In 2022, a new competitor to the PGA emerged: LIV. Three years, many hundreds of millions of dollars, and a lot of bitter golf feelings later, has the alternative league succeeded as an entertainment product, a revolutionary force in the sport, or a sportswashing enterprise? Ryan presents these questions to Steven on the first episode of Phantom Island, presented by Homefield Apparel and produced by Michael Surber.2025-05-071h 03
Phantom IslandComing Soon - Phantom IslandPhantom Island, a new show from Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni, is coming to this feed soon, as our several other projects from Steven and Ryan. This, however, is not one of those projects, but merely a placeholder to give you a feed to subscribe to. REAL episodes will be longer than two minutes and usually have at least one word by Steven, unless you tell us you want no words from Steven. The market is never wrong!2025-05-0502 min
Who Killed College Football?The Unaccused Suspects: Schools, Players, and the MediaIf you got to the end of this series and thought, “wait, the six suspects they listed failed to include [INSERT ENTITY HERE],” well, maybe this bonus episode will cover that exclusion! Steven and Ryan sit down to talk about how schools, players, and the media do (or don’t) fit into this mystery, and if you stick around to the end, you’ll hear a little teaser info about what they have planned next. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcf...2025-02-0742 min
Who Killed College Football?Bonus Episode: Government Q&AThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wkcfb.substack.comThe epilogue may be out, but Steven and Ryan are not done reviewing questions submitted by the wise and learned paid subscribers to the Who Killed College Football Substack. A free preview of the episode is available to everyone, but if you’d like to unlock the full episode and be able to submit questions of your own for future mailbags, become a paid s…2024-12-1617 min
Who Killed College Football?Epilogue: The Case File That Won't Stay ClosedWe’ve looked at six different parties who have shaped the direction of college football over the last fifty years (or longer): television, conferences, the NCAA, the NFL, coaches & agents, and the government. So now it’s time to ask a few tough questions. Are any of those six directly and solely responsible? Is college football actually dead or dying? And why won’t Nick Saban sit down to chat with Steven Godfrey?Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...2024-12-0638 min
Who Killed College Football?Suspect Number 6: The GovernmentFrom Richard Nixon to the United States Senate to the Virginia Governor’s Office to the California Board of Regents to the Supreme Court of the United States, college football has been subject to grandstanding, criticism, and scrutiny at all levels of government. But can our nation’s elected institutions (or its courts) actually solve the sport’s problems, and do they even have the ability to do so?Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes...2024-11-271h 09
TrapDraw Podcast – No Laying Up317: Ryan Nanni on Who Killed College FootballThe long wait for another college football-focused Trap Draw episode is over as Ryan Nanni returns to the pod to discuss his latest content series - Who Killed College Football. Ryan partnered with Steven Godfrey for an all-encompassing look at the current state of college football and the impacts of various stakeholders in the game including TV Networks, conference offices and commissioners, the NCAA, the NFL and more.If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining The Nest: No Laying Up’s community of avid golfers. Nest members help us maintain our light commercial interruptions (3 mi...2024-11-261h 33
Who Killed College Football?Bonus Episode: Coaches Q&AThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wkcfb.substack.comSteven and Ryan tackle questions from paid subscribers to the Who Killed College Football Substack community about Suspect Number Five: Coaches and Agents. A free preview of the episode is available to everyone, but if you’d like to unlock the full episode and be able to submit questions of your own for future suspects, become a paid subscriber today!2024-11-2309 min
Who Killed College Football?Suspect Number 5: Coaches & AgentsFrom its earliest days, college football has had a tense relationship with players and money. But it wasn’t until the market for coaches started exploding that the gulf between what coaches earn and what players cannot really started to look outlandish. Agents, of course, helped usher the age of absurdity in, by winning contract terms that gave their clients more and more, even if they weren’t successful. As their pay skyrocketed, coaches were mostly silent about structural issues popping up in the sport, and for good reason: the status quo was entirely too good to overturn.2024-11-151h 10
Who Killed College Football?Bonus Episode: NFL Q&AThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wkcfb.substack.comSteven and Ryan sit down once again to review questions from the paid subscriber community on Substack, this time about Suspect Number Four: The National Football League. A free preview of the episode is available to everyone, but if you’d like to unlock the full episode and be able to submit questions of your own for future suspects, become a paid subs…2024-11-1310 min
Who Killed College Football?Suspect Number 4: The NFLOnce upon a time, the NFL shaped its Draft policies (and date) around not angering college football. The power and popularity of The Shield have increased dramatically over the last four or five decades, but the league spent many of those years keeping underclassmen out as a default, and it took years of pressure from players like Barry Sanders, Cris Carter, and Herschel Walker to eventually open up a pro pathway for juniors. Why has the NFL shied away from taking on college football, and what has it meant to the college game to keep players trapped in one...2024-11-051h 09
Who Killed College Football?Bonus Episode: NCAA Q&AThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wkcfb.substack.comAs we do after every suspect is revealed and investigated, we turned it over to the paid members of the Who Killed College Football Substack community to interrogate us about the NCAA episode. Topics include why the Association and its members failed to plan for the future, the death penalty vs. just kicking a school out of the NCAA altogether, and what…2024-10-2906 min
Who Killed College Football?Suspect Number 3: The NCAAThe NCAA spent the better part of 70 years stamping out threats to amateurism wherever they could find them. From big scandals to seemingly minor violations, the Association was there to defend the idea that college football shouldn’t be about money, at least for the players. For a while, the courts, media, and public opinion all backed them up. But as the riches in the sport grew, the NCAA became something of a comic villain, and when the time came for college football’s relationship with labor to evolve, the NCAA never seemed ready to lead the charge.Producer: Mich...2024-10-241h 09
Who Killed College Football?Bonus Episode: Texas A&M President Emeritus R. Bowen LoftinThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wkcfb.substack.comR. Bowen Loftin served as president of Texas A&M from 2010 to 2014. He also appeared in our Conferences episode, discussing the influence the Longhorn Network had on Texas A&M’s decision to head to the SEC. But he had more to share about life in the old Big 12, including some revelations about the Governor’s office and the reality of the conference’s po…2024-10-1704 min
Who Killed College Football?Bonus Episode: Conferences Q&AThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wkcfb.substack.comAs we do after each suspect, we took questions from the paid members of the WKCFB Substack community about the conferences episode. (Temple is mentioned twice here, to give you a sense of how winding this gets.) A free preview of the episode is available to everyone, but if you’d like to unlock the full episode and be able to submit questions of your ow…2024-10-1413 min
Who Killed College Football?Suspect Number 2: ConferencesConferences didn’t used to be where all the bargaining power resided in college football, and their concerns used to be exceedingly local. Today, they’re conglomerates locked into escalating wars of spending and revenue, and leaning on their market strength (or weakness) to shape everything from the postseason to realignment. They’ve even found a way to make that business competition important to fans, and the conferences have no reason to slow down now.Producer: Michael HenahanResearcher: Alex McDaniel This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acce...2024-10-091h 09
Who Killed College Football?Bonus Episode: Television Q&AThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wkcfb.substack.comAfter we review each suspect in our college football murder mystery, we’ll be taking questions from paid members of the WKCFB Substack community about that episode – what went into making it, topics we didn’t cover, questions about the history we laid out, whatever. We got some great questions after the TV episode and enjoyed batting them around.If you…2024-10-0214 min
I-80 ClubRyan Nanni On Who Killed College Football and the Current State of the Sport | I-80 Club Plus OneRyan Nanni of Who Killed College Football and the Shutdown Fullcast joins Josh Peterson and Jack Mitchell to dive into his new project with Steven Godfrey: Who Killed College Football? They discuss what led to putting together this podcast series, how small changes led to massive overhaul in the sport, and if discussions like this are healthy.Watch this episode on YouTube!Subscribe to WKCFB: https://wkcfb.substack.com/ Did you enjoy the episode? To hear more content like this and support an independent podcast, become a Patron today for as low as $5 a...2024-10-0142 min
Who Killed College Football?Suspect Number 1: TelevisionCollege football’s rise as a valuable TV product is still relatively new. For decades, the sport either couldn’t be televised or was limited at a national level. But once that market opened up, networks moved fast to get more of everything – more games, more bowls, more playoffs. They’re not just broadcast partners either. These companies have found a way to acquire partial ownership of college football, becoming business partners with conferences. Thanks to television, it’s easier than ever to watch almost every game at the FBS level. It’s also a lot harder to tell what that le...2024-09-261h 05
Who Killed College Football?Prologue: College Football Is Dead, Long Live College FootballBefore we dive into the six suspects in the death of college football, let’s begin with a confession. College football is, in fact, very much alive, with upsets being sprung, conferences continuing to realign, and expanded playoff spots to fret over. The sport remains incredibly popular, entertaining, and, at least for certain segments, financially lucrative.But the college football you used to know? That might be dead, whether you’re unhappy about the slow erasure of amateurism, swollen superconferences disregarding geography, the power of television networks to shape the future, and any number of other changes that could shak...2024-09-2526 min
Who Killed College Football?Who Killed College Football - TrailerComing soon: Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni attempt to find out Who Killed College Football? in a six-part series examining the major power players who have wreaked so much havoc on the sport This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wkcfb.substack.com/subscribe2024-09-2001 min
Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast"The Blind Side" commentary track with Steven Godfrey and Ryan NanniThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comSplit Zone Duo is proud to present a long-sought-after project: The feature-length commentary track for The Blind Side (2009). This movie got a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, and Sandra Bullock won Best Actress. Steven Godfrey, who covered Ole Miss around the time of the events depicted in the film, saw things differently than how the movie showed them. Please enjoy this extensive commentary on the whole thing. You do not necessarily need to pull up the movie to...2024-01-2523 min
Shutdown FullcastShutdown Fullcast 3.9Things are totally normal on this week's Shutdown Fullcast as the usual cast of Steven Godfrey, Jason Kirk, and Ryan Nanni, discussing:
-- The Big 12's imminent expansion
-- The Big 12's imminent collapse
-- Living in Orlando: you can do that, apparently?
-- How nuclear winter leads to a reborn, hard-as-hell Big 8
-- How that same nuclear winter plays right into Bill Snyder's hands
-- Paul Johnson's Intervention/Recruiting
-- Godfrey's retirement business plan, Chick-fil-Agnostic
-- Canadian legal precedent. Shit, we've completely lost the damn plot.
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