Overview of Part of My Take — Big Ten Media Week, CFB Preview, and “Buttons to Press”
This episode is a football-heavy Friday show built around Big Ten Media Week interviews, a national college football preview with Joel Klatt, some NFL/training camp news, a very Barstool Mount Rushmore draft, and a few classic weekly gripes in Fire Fest. The big themes are winning culture, roster building in the transfer-portal era, and how loaded the Big Ten has become.
Featured Interviews
Indiana HC Curt Cignetti
Cignetti comes across exactly like the program-builder Barstool has hyped him to be: intense, disciplined, and completely focused on winning.
- He talks about resetting after last year’s success and refusing to get caught up in celebrating the past.
- Indiana had to build a new trophy room/case because there are finally enough accomplishments to display.
- His core message is constant:
- Blueprint
- People
- Process
- Standards
- Consistency
- Performance
- He embraces being the team everyone is chasing now, and his answer to pressure was classic Cignetti: “I bought a bigger gun.”
- The interview also highlighted:
- his unconventional coaching path
- how he built winning programs at lower levels
- the importance of development and locker-room culture
- his belief that Indiana’s turnaround was only possible because of support from the top
UCLA HC Bob Chesney
Chesney’s interview focused on the jump to a bigger stage and what it means to coach at UCLA in the Big Ten.
- He acknowledges the margin for error is much smaller in the Big Ten, but says the foundational principles of building a team don’t change.
- He’s comfortable with the “next Indiana” comparisons, but doesn’t want to live off that label.
- He discusses:
- the challenge of not having a campus stadium
- the appeal and beauty of the Rose Bowl
- the need to get fans to come by winning and creating incentives
- The conversation gets playful about:
- t-shirt cannons
- drones dropping burritos
- making the gameday experience more fun
- Chesney also talks about:
- the value of players and coaches who follow him from job to job
- the importance of toughness and grit from his Pennsylvania roots
- building a more competitive UCLA roster
- A standout detail: his staff includes Mikey V / Mike Volcano, a beloved “does everything” operations guy who literally owns a Subway in a Walmart and shows up with a chainsaw when needed.
Joel Klatt on the 2025 College Football Landscape
Klatt is bullish on college football and even more bullish on the Big Ten.
- His main thesis: college football is awesome right now and the sport is better than people give it credit for.
- He argues the Big Ten is the best conference in college football now, based on:
- playoff performance
- draft picks
- bowl results
- overall depth and coaching
- He believes the playoff race will depend heavily on:
- roster experience
- schedule luck
- whether teams avoid certain heavyweight opponents
- Teams he thinks can win it all include:
- Georgia
- Texas
- Indiana
- Oregon
- Ohio State
- Notre Dame
- Miami
- LSU
- He’s especially high on:
- Oregon as the most complete team
- Penn State because of a favorable schedule
- Georgia having a very manageable path
- He also says:
- Clemson/Dabo may be at a crossroads
- Saban is the gold standard for adapting as football changed
- Arch Manning improved a lot late last season
- Bryce Underwood has upside if Michigan uses him correctly
- His Heisman pick:
- Jeremiah Smith
- Dark horse picks:
- Jaden Maiava
- Turbo Richard at Indiana
College Football and NFL News Discussed
Baker Mayfield’s Contract Situation
The crew reacts to Baker saying he feels disrespected and undervalued without a new deal.
- They agree he deserves to be paid.
- They joke that the Bucs may be trying to motivate a pissed-off Baker, since that’s probably the best version of him.
- They also discuss how bad the vibes are in Tampa early in camp.
Bengals Camp Fight
The Bengals get mentioned for another practice fight.
- Jamar Chase was involved.
- Burrow basically backed the intensity, saying guys need a dog mentality.
- The crew interprets it as the Bengals having a little “back against the wall” energy.
Tony Romo DUI Video
They react to the viral arrest footage of Tony Romo.
- The big laugh is Romo stretching and joking around during the process.
- They speculate about the “Grandma and Grandpa” line and whether he was actually referring to his parents or picking up his kids.
- The segment turns into a debate about whether CBS would have any buyer’s remorse and whether the video could matter contractually.
Tarik Skubal Trade Watch
The panel expects Tarik Skubal to be traded and jokes that it will probably be to the Dodgers.
- Teams discussed as possible fits include:
- Dodgers
- Brewers
- Braves
- Cubs
- Rays
- Yankees
- They expect a huge return because he’s such a valuable rental.
LIV Golf Isn’t Dead?
Hank gets lightly roasted over reports that LIV may have landed another big investment.
- The crew jokes that LIV is still somehow hanging on.
- They debate whether the league is “dead” or just “in the coma.”
- They also jokingly note that Barstool has been one of the loudest LIV-adjacent media voices and never got paid for it.
LeBron’s ESPN Doc
They react to LeBron signing a documentary deal with ESPN.
- Big Cat and PFT disagree a bit on whether it’s a distraction.
- The point of contention is whether modern in-season docs create too much noise.
- The crew jokes about the title “Welcome to the Clown Show.”
- They reference how different it is from old-school documentaries and whether LeBron will end up being followed around in real time.
Mount Rushmore of Buttons to Press
The episode’s Mount Rushmore draft is exactly what you’d expect: a lot of satisfying, trivial, extremely specific button presses.
Notable picks and ideas
- Order now
- Snooze button
- TV remote power
- Hotel AC down
- Skip ad button
- Chair recliner button
- Best friends button
- Exit video call
- Podcast button
- Video game console power
- Any red button
- Confetti after a championship
- Garbage disposal
- Garage door button
- Mute/unmute
- Add to cart
- Submit bet
- Elevator door close
- Push to start
- Ice machine button
The overall vibe: the guys are basically ranking the most satisfying little dopamine hits in daily life.
Fire Fest of the Week
PFT: Stomach Bug and Burgers
- He says he had the “diarrhea disease” for about eight days and white-knuckled it with Pepto.
- He’s also trying to keep up his burger count goal, which is now behind pace.
Big Cat: Injured Again
- He’s still dealing with a bad back and says the week has been physically rough.
- Steroids helped, but he’s clearly frustrated by the ongoing cycle of injuries.
Hank: Wet Car / Storm Damage
- Hank’s car got wrecked by rain and now smells bad.
- This leads to the usual joke that his “sick car” situation has gone from cool to cursed.
The Worst One: 10 PM No-Show Softball
- The Pugs showed up for a 10 p.m. softball game, ready to play.
- The other team completely no-showed and only sent a last-minute DM.
- The crew is furious because everyone had already mentally committed to going out there and playing.
- Their consensus: if you no-show a late-night adult softball game, you’re a bad person.
Zach: Couch Shopping
- Zach is trying to buy a couch and discovers the online furniture market is full of lies.
- He complains about:
- “boneless couches”
- bad product photos
- misleading listings
- The advice he gets: go sit on the couch in person before buying it.
Bottom Line
This episode is basically a college football feast with a few detours into NFL drama, golf, and Barstool-style absurdity. The strongest takeaway is that the Big Ten feels loaded, the playoff race is wide open, and the show is very high on the idea that culture + scheduling + experience can still beat raw talent money.