13 Oct 2026
Raising Fans Episode 20
NFL Studs & Duds, College Football Chaos & Fantasy Struggles
This week on Raising Fans, we break down the latest NFL surprises, debate who's falling back to earth, preview a massive week of college football, and discuss the fantasy struggles hitting our own teams. We also cover MLB postseason updates, NBA news, and a WNBA Finals scheduling mess.
MLB & NBA HEADLINES
The Guardians take down the White Sox to advance in the postseason, while Milwaukee looks to keep its momentum going. We also discuss Kristaps Porziņģis dealing with a major health issue and Brandin Podziemski landing a massive five-year, $110 million deal.
STUDS & DUDS
The San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings are still undefeated at 5-0, while Tyler Huntley has stepped in for Baltimore without the team seemingly missing much of a beat.
Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh continue to impress, with Rodgers throwing three touchdowns in three straight games and the Steelers' running game looking better by the week. We also look ahead to Bills-Rams, a huge matchup between two teams with Super Bowl aspirations.
On the disappointing side, the Titans look lost, and Cam Ward is already facing questions about losing. Denver still can't figure out its offense, struggling with playcalling, the run game, and the passing attack. Meanwhile, Las Vegas and Arizona give up 45 points in blowout losses.
The NFC East brings even more chaos: Dallas struggles against Tampa Bay, Philadelphia continues to fade in the second half, and Washington and New York finish in a tie.
THE REST OF THE NFL
Are teams finally settling into what we expected from them? Las Vegas looks increasingly ordinary, New Orleans appears to be falling back toward the middle of the pack, and New England is starting to look like a legitimate playoff contender. We discuss who's for real and who's losing momentum.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAOS
It's time to revisit the Top 25. Is there a clear drop-off after the top eight teams? Should Texas fall to No. 7? We debate the rankings and whether teams are being rewarded or punished too heavily after individual performances.
We also recap the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma, a wild Utah-Kansas game featuring 20 penalties, and Kentucky's overtime win over LSU. Florida went from highly ranked to unranked in just two weeks, and now we have to ask whether Kentucky is being treated the same way.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL LOOK AHEAD
A huge week of ranked matchups is coming, including BYU vs. Notre Dame, Ohio State vs. Indiana, Missouri vs. Ole Miss, Alabama vs. Tennessee, Mississippi State vs. LSU, and Oklahoma State vs. Houston.
Which teams will make a statement, and which contenders could see their seasons start to unravel?
FANTASY SPORTS
Fantasy football is not going well for everyone. Masen is officially chopped, and both Jordan and Masen sit at 1-3 in the main league. Masen has lost yet another running back and wide receiver and is already making moves, including trading Ashton Jeanty.
With the fantasy basketball draft coming up this weekend, we also look ahead to a potential guest joining us Friday to talk hoops.
BTB4
The Atlanta Dream's WNBA Finals run has created an unexpected problem: where will they play their upcoming home games?
State Farm Arena already has a concert and two Hawks games scheduled, leaving the Dream scrambling for a venue for Games 3, 4, and potentially 6. One possibility is an arena that holds only around 4,000 people, though the team is still searching for another location.
Did Atlanta simply not expect to make the Finals, or is this a scheduling failure that should never happen at this level?
Raising Fans — Two dads. Two brothers-in-law. Way too many opinions.
New episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
