Kirkwood and Dunn

Peak Improbability Debates, ESPN Future Ratings, & The Absolute Weakness of the Cignetti Defense

Welcome back to another packed episode of Kirkwood and Dunn! This week, the guys are diving into the ultimate sports thought experiments, reacting to where the national media expects our program to head over the next decade, and taking a microscopic lens to the 2026 Hoosier roster with their first official positional breakdowns. Plus, we look at the wild, ongoing aftermath of the Brendan Sorsby gambling fallout—including Texas Tech’s horrendous public relations roundtables and the unhinged meltdowns happening on our newly launched Facebook page. We close things out with our favorite topic: designing a giant, 200-foot permanent monument to celebrate our 16-0 National Championship run. EPISODE BREAKDOWN * The Ultimate Sports Miracle: IU vs. Team USA Trent throws a wild historical thought experiment at Tim: What would be more improbable—the United States Men's National Team winning the soccer World Cup, or Indiana winning the 16-0 college football National Championship? The guys break down why IU coming out of nowhere as the historically losingest program in division one football to completely dominate the sport remains the biggest hill any team has ever climbed. * A New Era of NBA Parody & The Knicks Drought Reacting to the New York Knicks breaking their 54-year championship drought, the guys look at the massive talent redistribution across professional basketball. With an unprecedented run of eight different champions in eight straight years, Tim weighs in on how the NBA has transformed into a college football style portal era. * ESPN Future Power Rankings: Snubbed at #7 Adam Rittenberg and the ESPN brain trust released their future power conference outlooks. Last year they checked in at #20, and this year they jumped all the way to #7. Tim brings out the broomstick, completely trashing Notre Dame sitting at #1 on the backs of CJ Carr and Marcus Freeman, explaining why Curt Cignetti’s portal evaluation means our future is vastly undervalued. * Defensive Backfield Predictors & The High-Upside Rover * The Absolute Weakness of the Defense: The Linebackers * The Sorsby Fallout Part 2: White Dude Roundtables Texas Tech’s internal damage control continues to crash and burn. The guys react to Tech releasing a horrific 22-minute roundtable video featuring university presidents and administrators attempting to act virtuous about protecting a known gambler who was actively betting against his own locker room. * Designing the 200-Foot Limestone Trophy Monument Listener Jordan writes in to ask where the school will permanently place the 2026 National Championship banners. Tim advocates for stripping out the mismatched fonts on the West press box, while Trent demands the university paint the massive Memorial Stadium elevator shaft limestone structures so fans can take permanent photos. Comment Below: What do you think keeps the SEC up at night when looking at Indiana? And which sport has the ultimate "please like my sport" fanbase? Let us know! Support the Pod: Please hit that LIKE button and SUBSCRIBE to the channel to help us push this into the YouTube algorithm! Follow us on TikTok, X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook at @KirkwoodandDunn. TikTok: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/discover/kirkwood-and-dunn] X: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/KirkwoodandDunn] Instagram: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/kirkwoodanddunn/] YouTube: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@kirkwoodanddunn] Spotify: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn ⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/0LPaxAZrSIfl7Ql1bWLKFY] Facebook: ⁠Kirkwood and Dunn⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589155755614]

Brendan Sorsby Shockwaves | Cody Campbell Never Stops Talking & The Indiana Football Threat Rankings

Welcome back to another unfiltered episode of Kirkwood and Dunn! This week, college football was sent into an absolute tailspin, and all roads somehow lead right back to Bloomington. We are unpacking the massive Brendan Sorsby gambling saga, reacting to the Texas court injunction, and calling out the absolute clown show surrounding Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell. Plus, we look at the wild news of the Chicago Bears potentially moving across state lines to Hammond, Indiana, before diving into our weekly blind rankings to break down the non-Big Ten teams that actually pose a threat to our national championship repeat path. * The Brendan Sorsby Gambling Saga Explodes The biggest story in the sport centers on former IU quarterback Brendan Sorsby. The guys lay out the staggering timeline: 9,000 micro-bets, betting across state lines under the age of 21, and actively betting the under on Indiana games while sitting right inside the Hoosiers' own quarterback room. * Lubbock Legal Injunction Mockery A Texas court just granted Sorsby a temporary injunction, pushing his official trial date until a week after the national championship game. Trent and Tim break down the incredibly weak "mental health and camaraderie" justification used by the judge and explain why this sets a terrifying precedent for the absolute integrity of college athletics. * Cody Campbell & Outkick Meltdowns Texas Tech billionaire booster Cody Campbell went on with Dan Dakich to defend the program, hilariously trying to compare their gambling disaster to Penn State. The guys rip into Campbell's thin-skinned Twitter habits and explain how his mental gymnastics completely undermine the basic premise of sports betting integrity. * JD Pickell’s Silver Lining butt-KissingThe guys react live to On3's JD Pickell attempting to talk out of both sides of his mouth to find a "silver lining" in a player betting on his own locker room. Tim calls out the grade-A media pandering and explains why the court of public opinion needs to make a complete mockery of Texas Tech all season long. * The Hammond Bears? Real Estate & Billionaires As a lifelong region resident, Tim reacts to the Chicago Bears' board advancing a project to potentially build a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana. The guys discuss the classist reactions from Chicago media, the reality of Illinois legislative gridlock, and what a multi-billion dollar state-line border jump actually means for the region. * Curt Cignetti: Time Sports Icon In entirely unsurprising news, our fearless leader Curt Cignetti was officially named to the Time 100 sports icons list. The brand growth is relentless. * Weekly Blind Rankings: Non-Big Ten Daunted List Trent and Tim close things out by going back and forth on a completely blind ranking of the top 10 non-Big Ten programs that make them nervous in a potential playoff matchup. GET INVOLVED Comment Below: What do you think keeps the SEC up at night when looking at Indiana? And which sport has the ultimate "please like my sport" fanbase? Let us know! Support the Pod: Please hit that LIKE button and SUBSCRIBE to the channel to help us push this into the YouTube algorithm! Follow us on TikTok, X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook at @KirkwoodandDunn. TikTok: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/discover/kirkwood-and-dunn] X: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/KirkwoodandDunn] Instagram: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/kirkwoodanddunn/] YouTube: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@kirkwoodanddunn] Spotify: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn ⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/0LPaxAZrSIfl7Ql1bWLKFY] Facebook: ⁠Kirkwood and Dunn⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589155755614]

Curt Cignetti: Face of College Football, The Tom Allen Alternate Reality, & Sam’s CFP Predictions

Sampson James GoFund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sampson-james-rebuild-his-life [https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sampson-james-rebuild-his-life] Welcome back to another packed episode of Kirkwood and Dunn! This week, we are covering the absolute explosion of the Indiana football brand as Curt Cignetti officially takes over the sports media landscape. We break down his starring role in the EA Sports College Football trailer, dissect the beta gameplay details, and react to Fernando Mendoza's star-studded offseason adventures. Then, we transition into a mind-bending alternate reality exercise: What if Indiana never fired Tom Allen on November 26, 2023? How would the 2024 season have played out with Tayven Jackson under center, and where would Curt Cignetti be coaching right now? Finally, we look at College Football with Sam’s post-spring projections, recap Tim's emotional rewatch of our National Championship victory, and bring attention to an incredibly important call to action regarding former Hoosier running back Sampson James. * The Face of College Football & EA Sports Hype Curt Cignetti has officially been crowned the feature tactician archetype for EA Sports. The guys discuss the sheer "aura" of the trailer, look at Memorial Stadium's digital rendering, and deliver some inside updates from the beta version—including missing pant stripes and Road to Glory features highlighting Charlie Becker and Amari Farrell. * Dorca-Palooza in Sin City & Cal Graduation Grifts Fernando Mendoza takes Las Vegas by storm, cranking the siren for the Golden Knights during the Stanley Cup finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. Plus, the guys laugh about Cal trying to grift off his success as he returns to Berkeley to walk with the MBA students after missing his undergraduate business ceremony for OTAs. * The Hypocrisy of Nick Saban’s NIL Testimony Tim goes completely scorched-earth on Nick Saban's congressional testimony regarding NIL and "exponential growth". The guys break down the corporate greed of overpaid head coaches crying about a free market finally allocating money directly to the players who generate it. * The Administrative Synergy: Dolson, Witten, & Cignetti Reacting to Cignetti’s recent Big Ten Network appearance, the guys discuss the rare, unified vision between the head coach, AD Scott Dolson, and President Pam Witten. When your entire organizational chart aligns on what it takes to win, legendary seasons happen. * The Alternate Reality: Staying with Tom Allen in 2024 What if IU balked at the original $20 million buyout and ran it back with Tom Allen? Trent and Tim map out a timeline where Brendan Sorsby still transfers, Tayven Jackson takes the starting snaps. * The Nightmare Sliding Doors: Cignetti to Purdue? If Indiana doesn't move on Tom Allen at the exact right moment, where does Curt Cignetti end up? The guys look at the coaching carousel and realize a terrifying truth: Cignetti likely lands at West Virginia or, worst of all, turns Purdue into a powerhouse. * A Crucial Call to Action: Supporting Sampson James On a somber note, the guys discuss the heartbreaking news that former four-star recruiting win Sampson James has been facing homelessness. They discuss how pre-NIL generations missed out on life-changing security and issue a direct plea to the fanbase to support his recovery. Comment Below: What do you think Indiana's record would have been if Tom Allen had stayed for the 2024 season? And what was your absolute favorite part of Curt Cignetti in the EA Sports trailer? Let us know! Support the Pod: Please hit that LIKE button and SUBSCRIBE to the channel to help us push this into the YouTube algorithm! Follow us on TikTok, X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook at @KirkwoodandDunn. (Note: The link to the GoFundMe setup to support former Hoosier running back Sampson James can be found directly at the top of the description below. Let's step up and help a fellow Hoosier get back on his feet.)

What Keeps SEC Coaches Awake At Night? | Top 10 CFB Venues & IU Recruiting Boom

Have you ever wondered what keeps SEC powerhouses awake in the middle of the night? On this week's episode of Kirkwood and Dunn, Trent McGee and Tim (@tbhoosiers) dive into the psychological warfare Curt Cignetti is waging on college football, break down the latest massive commitments for Indiana, and debate the absolute best (and most overrated) stadiums in the country. Plus, we look at the Chicago Bears' newfound hope with Caleb Williams, tackle the brutal new College Football Playoff schedule, and call out national media clowns. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and drop your own stadium rankings in the comments below! CHAPTERS Intro Trent sets the stage for the episode, teasing IU's recruiting tear, the CFB cover hype, and why the SEC is terrified of Bloomington. The Bears & Hoosiers Renaissance Is this the greatest era ever to be a Chicago Bears and Indiana Hoosier fan? Tim is ready to let Caleb Williams guide him through the pearly gates, while Trent plays the voice of reason. Breaking the Madden Curse & College Breakouts Did Patrick Mahomes officially kill the Madden curse? The guys debate the potential "college football cover curse" and project the futures of elite athletes Malachi Tony, Dante Moore, and Keywon Lacey. IU Commitment Watch: Reinaldo Perez & Brady Scott Live on air, the guys track major commitments for the Hoosiers. They break down safety Brady Scott and the massive win securing 4-star edge rusher Reinaldo Perez out of Ohio over Ohio State, Michigan, and USC. The Brutal New CFP Schedule Blueprint Dads across America are groaning. Tim and Trent break down why the massive breaks between the quarterfinals and semifinals are going to kill the "juice" of the national championship game. Firing Back at Josh Pate & SEC Media Leeches Curt Cignetti and DC Bryant Haines aren't playing the media's game. The guys laugh about Haines directly talking trash to On3's Josh Pate and why this staff is here to chew gum and win football games. The Cignetti Autopsy: What Keeps the SEC Awake? If SEC coaches were smart enough to do an autopsy on IU's success, what frustrates them the most? Trent and Tim unpack how Cignetti repeatedly turns veteran, lower-starred portal transfers into elite, mistake-free quarterbacks. "Please Like My Sport" Power Rankings Which fanbases are the loudest when begging you to watch their sport? The guys take aim at Soccer, Lacrosse, Pickleball, and the irrelevance of IU College Baseball under Jeff Mercer. Part 2: Weekly Rankings – Top 10 CFB Venues The notes are hidden, and the takes are hot. Tim and Trent count down the top 10 physical stadium structures they want to experience a game in. Why the Michigan "Big House" is Overrated Trent goes full hater mode on Ann Arbor, calling Michigan Stadium the "Rupp Arena of college football" due to its quiet bowl design and lack of creature comforts Get Involved: * Comment Below: What do you think keeps the SEC up at night when looking at Indiana? And which sport has the ultimate "please like my sport" fanbase? Let us know! * Support the Pod: Please hit that LIKE button and SUBSCRIBE to the channel to help us push this into the YouTube algorithm! Follow us on TikTok, X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook at @KirkwoodandDunn.

Fake CFB 27 Covers, Texas v Texas Tech + Cignetti's Future of CFB Comments

Tim is officially rocking his Championship Chain after dominating the Best of Summer Draft, and Trent is fully embracing his "Suburban Dad Era" with perfectly grilled meats, Tractor Supply runs, and Dire Straits radio. In this episode of Kirkwood and Dunn, we have to address the completely fake, terribly photoshopped EA Sports College Football 27 cover leak that fooled way too many people on the internet (seriously, where is Arch Manning?!). Then, we dive into Curt Cignetti’s viral comments from the Huber Winery regarding NIL, paying players, and the future of college football. Is Cignetti playing "Moneyball" by prioritizing proven transfers over high school recruits?  We also cover the wild national news: Steve Sarkisian throwing shade at Texas Tech, a Texas Tech donor offering to buy out contracts to play the Longhorns in Week 1, and the actual numbers behind former IU QB Brendan Sorsby's sports betting scandal. Finally, we break down the new CBS Sports Coach Rankings that have Cignetti in the elite Top 3 tier and wrap up with a recruiting check-in to celebrate the addition of 4-star EDGE Myles Smith. Show Notes & Chapters: * 00:00 - The Suburban Dad Era: Tim flexes his draft championship chain, and Trent accepts his new identity as a suburban dad. * 05:40 - Cignetti's Huber Winery Rant: Unpacking Coach Cig's comments on NIL, the financial reality of CFB, and his "Moneyball" transfer strategy. * 19:45 - The Fake CFB 27 Cover: Why the viral College Football 27 cover leak is 100% fake and AI-generated. * 33:30 - Sarkisian vs. Texas Tech: Steve Sarkisian talks trash to lower expectations, and a Texas Tech donor fires back. * 39:35 - Brendan Sorsby's Gambling Scandal: Breaking down the actual math and reality of Sorsby's betting numbers. * 48:30 - CBS Sports Coaches Rankings: Cignetti hits the top 3, Tom Fornelli's #1 vote, and laughing at the coaches ranked way too high. * 1:04:00 - Recruiting: IU lands 4-star EDGE Myles Smith, Jameson Purcell shines at the Elite 11. Get Involved: Support the Pod by hitting that LIKE button, SUBSCRIBE to the channel, and share the show! Catch all of our clips, takes, and polls on TikTok, X, Instagram, and Facebook at @KirkwoodandDunn. TikTok: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/discover/kirkwood-and-dunn] X: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/KirkwoodandDunn] Instagram: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/kirkwoodanddunn/] YouTube: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@kirkwoodanddunn] Spotify: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kirkwoodanddunn ⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/0LPaxAZrSIfl7Ql1bWLKFY] Facebook: ⁠Kirkwood and Dunn⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589155755614]