Couch and The Rube

Latest Episodes:

UPDATED: Ep. 1164: Hot Take Tuesday: MSU hires a new AD, as football season looms Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

NOTE: The audio has been fixed to include the start of the show.
We dug into our takes and yours — on MSU hiring WMU's Dan Bartholomae as its next athletic director, on the Spartans' looming football season and hopes, excitement and lack thereof for it, on the Tigers, the Lions, the start of the Premier League, life's pet peeves and more.

Ep. 1163: Twitter Questions: MSU football gets rolling, and did we give up on the Tigers too early? Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

We answered your questions — on Michigan State football and early thoughts on Pat Fitzgerald and his team as fall camp begins, on MSU basketball and the roster coming out of the summer, on the Tigers and whether we gave up on them too soon, on the Lions, now that Jahmyr Gibbs has signed, and more.

Ep. 1162: Hot Take Tuesday: Tigers trades, MSU football with a chance, and Jaxon Kohler's next move Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

We dug into our takes and yours, beginning with ours on the Tigers' trades of Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize and the return they got back (6:30), on the Lions' negotiations with Jahmyr Gibbs (22:00), and on MSU basketball's roster, the five-year eligibility rule and why Jaxon Kohler is unlikely to return (30:30), followed by listener takes and our reactions to them — on MSU football this season, Pat Fitzgerald, the Tigers' trades, Jaxon Kohler and MSU basketball, Tom Izzo and more (41:00).

Ep. 1161: Twitter Question Friday: Pat Fitzgerald gets folks fired up, and a looming Skubal trade Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

We answered your questions — on MSU football, hopes for this season and whether what Pat Fitzgerald said at Big Ten media day got you fired up and believing, on Michigan football and the coverage of it, the Tigers and a looming Tarik Skubal trade, the Lions at training camp and the Jahmyr Gibbs contract situation, and more.

Ep. 1160: Hot Takes: MSU football, trading Skubal, Warde Manuel's hush money, and pent-up July takes Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

We dug into our takes and yours — on MSU football expectations, Warde Manuel's cushy go-away-quietly package, the frustrating Tigers and trading Tarik Skubal, the Lions' window, and a number of July takes that listeners just needed to get off their chests.

Ep. 1159: Twitter Question Friday: Why media tiptoes around criticism of Michigan athletics Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

We answered your questions on Michigan athletics and how the media covers the Wolverines, on MSU football and basketball, ways to fix college football, on the Tigers, the World Cup, life and more.

Ep. 1158: Joe Rexrode on college football and the saga at Michigan and situation at MSU Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

The Athletic's Joe Rexrode joined us for a conversation on the saga at Michigan and the situation at Michigan State (and why MSU is a football school), and on the state of college football and future of the sport (13:00). Then we discuss what the Tigers should do at the trade deadline, given their uneven play and the struggles of Framber Valdez, etc. (1:00:00), followed by a discussion on the Lions as camp nears (1:11:00), and then Tre Holloman's appearance at the Moneyball Pro-Am (1:13:30). Plus, Norm's golf bets for this week's 3M Open (1:18:00).

Ep. 1157: Hot Take Monday: Warde Manuel's exit; MSU football on the mind; World Cup fever lingers Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

We dug into our takes and yours — on accountability at Michigan and for athletic director Warde Manuel, on MSU football, on lingering World Cup Fever, on The Open, the Tigers, and life.

Ep. 1156: Twitter Questions: MSU football and hoops, U-M's mess, and who the Tigers should trade Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

We answered your questions — increasingly on Michigan State football, on MSU basketball too, on the mess at Michigan, on the World Cup, the Tigers and who they should trade, the Red Wings and Steve Yzerman, betting advice with the World Cup and MSU football, and life advice.

Ep. 1155: Shawn Windsor on the drama in Michigan athletics, MSU, Pistons, and our British Open picks Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

We open talking about the mess with University of Michigan athletics. Then a conversation with Detroit Free Press columnist Shawn Windsor on the drama at U-M, Warde Manuel, the former president and a problematic lawsuit, on U-M basketball, the Pistons and Jalen Duren, the Tigers, and farting through your chest after surgery (20:00). Plus, our best bets for this week's British Open golf tournament (67:00).

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