Shutdown Fullcast - 40 FOR 40: The 2025 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

Episode Date: December 31, 2025

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 askingNow through December 31, 100% of proceeds from all PTKU merch sales will be donated to Trans Ohio. Visit preownedairboats.com to purchase BRAND-NEW BLUE SHARKS GEAR #EXCLUSIVEThis 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 the cheese at citrus bowl, a flavor pairing that I will note a few years ago when this, when this was announced, I, in case anyone has forgotten this part, I posted about like, oh, God, how disgusting. And the, of course, Citrus Bowl, people then sent over a charcutory board with cheese. It's literally in it, and it was great. We can be bought. I think the key is, as always, actual food paired with garbage, and it works every time. It's every time. This year, of course, the Pop-Tarts Bowl sent over 144 Pop-Tarts. How many Pop-Tarts do you currently have, Jason?

Oh, we gave away a third of them. Another third will be given away soon. I don't know how many will keep. I doubt we'll be making much use of the steroid pop tarts, especially since that traitorous coward refused to be slaughtered in the game itself. Bring them to me. Bring them to me. I will eat the steroid.

I will slaughter them with my teeth. Bring you the muscle pop tarts. Bring me the muscle pop tarts, please. Let me tear its flesh. This in the cheese at Citrus Bowl is Michigan, Texas, which is going to function as I'm springing this on everyone, our chance to talk about Kyle Whittingham, The new head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, a coach who, at literally, almost literally, at least, any point in Michigan's many coaching searches over the past 20 years, we would have said, you should just hire Kyle Whittingham.

We have said it like literally multiple times. People have posted about, I have no memory of this. You did. It was you. Okay, good. The last time. Yeah, like, people have posted to us, hey, you called this. I'm like, of course we did. We love this guy.

We think he, like, we think he is the archetypical Michigan coach. Yes, even beyond. Jim Harbaugh. Because Jim Harbaugh's weird. Michigan's not weird. What's weird? What's weird about memorizing the name of every battleship? That's normal. That's not weird. But like, Michigan's going to play football, how Michigan prefers to play football. And then, you know, some Utah fan will chime in and say, oh, get used to this one weird loss per year. That's called college football. You're going to have one weird loss per year. Stop crying about it. Yeah, we love this dude. There was a listener named Sarah

who worked in Utah's athletic department a few years ago. And she wrote in to tell us a story about Kyle Whittingham. Let me make sure I'm pulling it up just right. It's since been buried in my inbox. I'm pretty sure we hadn't heard before. This was news to me. So she said that there was a day when Kyle Whittingham in Utah's athletic department was made aware of our podcast.

And a portion of it that was played for him was us making a joke about his offense playing like it was composed of 11 fullbacks. Coach Whittingham appreciated this joke and found it quite accurate and fitting. So Whittingham is in on the bit of how his teams play. He is aware that his team plays like a bunch of calf muscles. He is aware that his team just lines up with what it has and then somehow nevertheless does what it wants. And he likes that image, and so do we.

So thank you to Sarah for sharing that story with us. It got to be the oldest full cast-aware coach in all of college football. he is the oldest it's certainly not certainly not bill bellichick he's certainly not aware of us i almost kind of hope i guess the the selection of of current sitting head coaches that we know for sure our full cast aware is a motley crew to say the least but he is he is the dean i believe yeah he certainly has the biggest calves yeah fucking much like i saw a handful of people who were like oh no he's 66 he's going to give a dog have you seen okay challenge him to a squat fest you will out like he's he's a vintage car like uh like a really well-preserved muscle car is where you go

well you wouldn't want to run it 10 times in a row but you know it'll get off the line because we have said this uh michigan will now tank yes sure sorry about that sure you're welcome for that uh also texas is here