What happens out in the lots, stays out in the lots.

How the Big 12 Could Be the New Big East

The college football landscape is in turmoil as an eight-team conference scrambles to hold on to power and relevance among the new world order. No, I’m not talking about the Big 12 in 2021. I’m talking about the Big East. The Big East Conference – barely one decade ago – was in a similar situation to the eight programs that now remain in the Big 12. The Big East’s story could teach us lessons about what to expect from the university presidents, athletic directors, and television executives who hold power and will be making decisions among the Big 12 landscape. This story will undoubtedly sound familiar. Some schools lucked into upgrading, like Louisville, rocketing up the ranks from Conference USA…
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Re-alignment Realities: What options do B12 schools have?

Week after week, terrible headline after terrible headline, Iowa State fans are bombarded with news of Armageddon in the college football world. Every headline from The Athletic (who does not have a dedicated writer for a single remaining B12 team), CBS (who currently partners only with the SEC in college football through 2023), ESPN (The Mothership of the ongoing/impending CFB attack), or whatever website is getting in on the click parade spells the end of the world for the 8 little worthless schools sitting in the middle of America. But reality is perhaps not what these people and their giant media conglomerate overlords say, and the headline always seems to sting a little more than the actual content inside the…
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Let’s look forward, Nebraska

The future doesn’t have to be bleak for Nebraska. Nebraska is still one of the great brands in the sport, but looking back is not going to fix the problem moving forward.
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Matinee Baseball -Super Bowl Buffet

With the Super Bowl coming up we thought it would be nice to put all our Football podcasts in one spot for you to get you ready for the big game. Matinee Baseball 2.11 : Fall ball – The Waterboy Matinee Baseball 2.10 : Fall ball – All The Right Moves Matinee Baseball 2.09 : Fall ball – The Turkey Bowl Matinee Baseball 2.08 : Fall ball – Remember the Titans Matinee Baseball 2.07 : Fall ball – Necessary Roughness Matinee Baseball 1.18 : Winter Workouts – The Replacements Matinee Baseball 1.16 : Fall ball – The Program Matinee Baseball 1.17 : Fall ball – Little Giants
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Ranking Every Iowa State Football Win in the Matt Campbell Era

I’ve been trying to put my feelings into words about a top-10 Iowa State Cyclone football team and the progress this program has made under coach Matt Campbell, but words have escaped me. There’s nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said and with so much happening in the world outside of sports, writing about the greatest era of Iowa State football just hasn’t felt appropriate yet. So instead of trying to contextualize my thoughts on something bigger than wins and losses, I’m going to stick to just wins and losses—actually, just wins. All 35 of them in the Matt Campbell era, to be exact. What better way to celebrate the greatest era of football in school history than…
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Culture Check 2.3: Community

Arnold Woods and Emily Cornell continue on talking about tv shows by chatting about NBC’s Community.
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Old Man’s Strength: 2.03 – Forgiveness

Tim and Chris  talk to Ken Miller The Godfather of DSM sports radio about his and Chris’s unlikely friendship and their history with Marty Tirrell. We hope you enjoy this story of good things come from bad situations.
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Sports & Corks 3.4: Nia Dennis Stan Podcast

Emily and Emily chat about college basketball rumblings and tumblings. They briefly touch on the last weekend of the NFL before the big one. They share many updates about women’s soccer, hockey and gymnastics (because how could they not). They round out your time with them with games of the week, hot takes and wine picks. Also peep this week’s personal plug: Sift + Sprinkle Emily Twitter – https://twitter.com/emily_shaleen Emily Twitter – https://twitter.com/emilproblems Sports & Corks Twitter – https://twitter.com/sportsandcorks The Tailgate Society Twitter – https://twitter.com/tgatesociety You can email Emily and Emily at sportsandcorks@gmail.com
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Old Man’s Strength: 2.01 Silver Linings

Tim Johnson and Chris Shipley are just a couple of old dudes who came together to talk about the way it used to be and the way it has to be now. They laugh, get mad, cuss and talk about how to handle adversity with careers and family and how to come out on top. Try to find the silver lining! Listen as Tim and Chris talk about Chris’s cancer journey, how he let his faith take the lead.
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Matinee Baseball: 4.06 Kingpin

Ted Flint, Jake Vos and Shawn Fensterman share some drinks and talk about 1996’s Kingpin. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6EKoSvoUbxFjdtMI0pidL1?si=7aaa88285d5a412b
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F1: Hungarian GP Takeaways

The Formula One season is a long grind, and this week the teams arrived at the Hungaroring for the final race before the summer break. Everyone hoped to capture some momentum to carry into the home stretch. Some unpredictable weather shuffled the leaders in every practice session, making it difficult to tell who would have the advantage on Sunday. But when all else fails, you can bet on two things: Max Verstappen to prevail and Ferrari to leave everyone confused. Here’s how it went down. Vos Immediate reaction: WTF is Ferrari doing? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a systematic failure as egregious as what Ferrari has had this year. While they’ve had a few GPs where they have shown…
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Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!
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Mount Rushmore: Best NBA Players to Never Win MVP

Most NBA fans argue the tier 1 greats. Michael Jordan vs. Lebron James vs. Kobe Bryant. But what about those tier 2 greats, who just never made it tier 1? I give you the Mount Rushmore of NBA Players to Never Win MVP. Patrick Ewing Patrick Ewing dominated the 80s and 90s and made being a Knicks fan cool. He averaged over 20 points per game for 13 straight seasons including his best season in 1989 where he averaged 29 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, and shot 55% from the field. He finished 5th in MVP voting that season behind Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, and Karl Malone. Elgin Baylor Elgin Baylor is considered one of the greatest players…
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F1: French GP Takeaways

After a week off, Formula One arrived in Le Castellet, France. Fans at the track were treated to French-speaking driver Charles Leclerc, from nearby Monaco, winning pole position on Saturday. But a potential showdown between Leclerc and Max Verstappen ended early in the tire barrier when Leclerc lost control of his Ferrari. Verstappen cruised to victory and likely soon a second championship. Here are our thoughts following the French Grand Prix. Vos Immediate reaction: Ferrari does Ferrari things… again Carlos Sainz was forced to start in the rear, Leclerc started on pole and did a great job to get out in front and hold off Max in the early portion of the race, yet Ferrari managed to have a massively…
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Matinee Baseball: 4.05 Major League 3

Ted Flint, Jake Vos and Shawn Fensterman have too many drinks and talk about Major League 3: Back to Minors. https://open.spotify.com/episode/4l5HcDq6mDWyJZOmVuaJ73?si=182706b36fd84f40
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  • Sports & Corks 2.29: Ball Remains Life

    Sports & Corks 2.29: Ball Remains Life

    Emily and Emily come ready to talk about WNBA and NBA action. They give NHL, NASCAR, college football, and NFL updates. Games of the week are basketball focused (because ball is life, fam). Hot takes and wine picks come through strong. Emily Twitter – https://twitter.com/emily_shaleen Emily Twitter – https://twitter.com/emilproblems Sports & Corks Twitter – https://twitter.com/sportsandcorks The Tailgate Society […]

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  • Matinee Baseball 2.04: Bad News Bears in Breaking Training

    Matinee Baseball 2.04: Bad News Bears in Breaking Training

    If you love baseball, or movies, or perhaps even just nostalgia, this podcast will help you get through the dog days of summer and the baseball season. Ted Flint is joined by Shawn Fensterman and Jake Vos to help you relive the baseball movies of your past. He will be joined by writers from The […]

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  • The Women of TGS: Part IV

    The Women of TGS: Part IV

    Welcome to Part IV of “The Women of TGS” series, where we bring you thoughts and stories from the female contributors of The Tailgate Society. Today’s featured contributor is writer and TGS editor Nicole Gustafson. Nicole Gustafson “The year 2020 has been really tough for a lot of people, and it’s definitely made clear for […]

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  • Culture Check 1.22: Records Revisited – High School

    Culture Check 1.22: Records Revisited – High School

    Arnold Woods and Emily Cornell discuss: Lungs by Florence + The Machine Be by Common Back to Black by Amy Winehouse Loud by Rihanna 

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  • Bitter Units: A Beer Podcast: 1.14 Miller High Life w/ Florida Beer God Joel Kodner

    Bitter Units: A Beer Podcast: 1.14 Miller High Life w/ Florida Beer God Joel Kodner

    In this episode, Aaron, JT, and Tim are joined by South Florida beer king Joel Kodner. Joel Kodner is a South Florida brewing staple and #BeerTwitter antagonist. The Chicago-area native tells it like it is and acts of a voice of reason and conscience for the industry. He also drinks Truly with Mallört, and Aaron doesn’t […]

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  • NBA Playoff Predictions: Western and Eastern Conference Finals

    NBA Playoff Predictions: Western and Eastern Conference Finals

    Wow, another great round of Playoff matchups and another round with Game 7’s. This may be one of the most competitive playoffs to date. Ryan and I take a stab at predicting the Eastern and Western Conference Finals.  Lakers (1) vs Nuggets (3) Jarael: The Lakers have done an outstanding job of coming together in […]

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  • Sports & Corks 2.28: Bubble Reunions and College Football Returns

    Sports & Corks 2.28: Bubble Reunions and College Football Returns

    Emily and Emily are joined by Collin to discuss the NBA, NHL, college football and the NFL. They all come in with flaming hot takes, solid wine picks and games of the week.  Emily Twitter – https://twitter.com/emily_shaleen Emily Twitter – https://twitter.com/emilproblems Sports & Corks Twitter – https://twitter.com/sportsandcorks The Tailgate Society Twitter – https://twitter.com/tgatesociety You can email Emily and Emily […]

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  • TGS Food Fights: Ranking the new Buffalo Wild Wings Sauces

    TGS Food Fights: Ranking the new Buffalo Wild Wings Sauces

    We here at The Tailgate Society love a lot of things: Sports, music, movies. But there’s nothing that generates more discussion on the Slack than food. We are, of course, sponsored by our friends at Deadeye BBQ Sauce. If you’re going to put sauce on your wings, start there. That being said, sometimes you want […]

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  • The Women of TGS: Part III

    The Women of TGS: Part III

    We’re back with Part III of The Women of TGS! Today’s perspective comes from The Tailgate Society’s resident music expert Sylvia June. Sylvia June “It’s like their victories are our victories, too, even though they really aren’t.” What teams/sports do you follow?I’m not a huge sports fan – I joined TGS to write about things […]

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  • Culture Check 1.21: Records Revisited – Middle School

    Culture Check 1.21: Records Revisited – Middle School

    Arnold Woods and Emily Cornell discuss: Mama’s Gun by Erykah Badu (2000) 8701 by Usher (2001) Infinity on High by Fall Out Boy (2006) In Between Dreams by Jack Johnson (2004)

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