Shutdown Fullcast - 40 FOR 40: The 2025 Armed Forces Bowl

Episode Date: January 1, 2026

WWWWWWWWELCOME to the return of 40 For 40, our bowl preview series where every bowl game gets its own episode and each episode is exactly as long as that game deserves.Who decides what “deserves” means? We do! Thank you for askingThis episode was produced by Michael Ray SurberFullcast theme 40 For 40 intro arranged and performed by Russell PowellFullcast theme 40 For 40 outro arranged and performed by MattDID YOU KNOW: Spencer and Holly write Channel 6, a year-round newsletter that is mostly about football, until it’s notBefore the world ends (again), treat yourself to Jason’s critically praised novel and other workTravel in your mind palace to Phantom Island, Ryan’s new show with Steven Godfrey, which is not a college football show because another simply cannot existCheck out Surber’s band Killer Antz and his new show Podcasterino

Welcome to Folks, as always, after a rowdy time in New Orleans, the next morning is going to feel pretty fucking weird. Yes, the game kicks off at one Eastern, but it is going to feel like a bright, harsh, harsh morning when five and seven rice. And six and six Texas State do battle. Texas State a massive favorite in the Armed Forces Bowl. Yeah, this is the follow-up because, you know,

the sport is blasphemous and refuses to just end itself on New Year's Day. There will always be just detritus hanging around even in the middle of the playoff. Like, I say this every year, but I do really like that any casual observers who assumes that the more important games are at the end will be led to believe that, like, okay, that those playoff games are pretty big, but well, we better tune in for Rice, Texas State. That must be a really big deal. Really, I don't have anything at all to say about this game,

but the thing I wanted to look up that I didn't, but we can look up now and spend anywhere between one second and one hour on is if the Armed Forces Bowl and the Military Bowl went to war, who would win? I'll open this up for discussion first. So you mean the game, do you mean the game,

or do you mean the two teams in the game forming armies? Not the teams, not the teams. The bowls themselves. Like, I think first you're going to lean toward, well, Annapolis Navy, but keep in mind, Lockheed Martin's on the other end. I got to give it to Lockheed. You know, brother, I'm not fed against Lockheed Martin. Only because we're not at all sure what they got cooking in there at this time. The sponsors are a big factor because the military bowl is sponsored by the bowling industry.

Squaring off against Lockheed Martin. Military Bowl is 17 years old, whereas the Armed Forces Bowl. is 20, it looks like 22 years old. So drone pilot versus drone pilot's boss. So institutional knowledge within the armed forces, they've had more time to train up generals and officers and logistical pipelines throughout the country. Yeah, and the Armed Forces Bowl is not so old that it's like,

oh, if I get hit in the knee, that's going to really fucking hurt. And speaking of pipelines, one's in Annapolis, but one is in Texas. Yeah. It's hard to say what all those boats, what they're going to be able to do with it, right? Are you going to invade Galveston, you know? Like, what are you going to do with all? Boy, wouldn't that be a neat trick to invade Galveston from the other direction?

Just drive the boats down from the north on trailers. I'm going to wrap it ingressive. That's not what he meant. I know. I'm going to wrap it. I'm going to wrap it ingress a third rogue candidate here, and that's it. The Xbox Bowl. Master Chief alone.

Thank you. Thank you for rooting my mind. Now you're dividing the drone pilots. So Master Chief. with Wardhog versus the Armed Forces Bull With the Butcher Jones debuffeuf though

Can Master Chief defeat Lockheed Martin? We kind of need him to The power of Xbox Can defeat any enemy Hold on What year is it What year is it? Seemless transition

Between apps and games, man My fucking glorified Netflix viewer Can probably defeat Lockheed Martin That's what you're saying Yeah that's it you you say hey how am i going to beat them but what about an elite going

i'm the man from the military mines that brought you windows 95 if it's not a brick why am i drowning so slowly