Shutdown Fullcast - 40 FOR 40: The 2025 Rate Bowl

Episode Date: December 24, 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 God damn to the R-A-T-E bowl I just want to spell it out I don't want to say it because it feels really easy to like you'd kind of say it vaguely, you know? It's not a word I'd feel like

saying very quickly his name was. Just say, it's the ratty bowl. The ratty bowl. It's the one again, so it's once again the old copper and cactus bowl, the junior fiesta at the Diamondback Stadium. Now it's named after a mortgage company that has a whole section on Wikipedia page about its layoffs. Among the various mortgage companies that have sponsored bowls, this is the one with like the most scandals on its Wikipedia page.

So it's perfect for Arizona. It's not good, but it's very 2025. Sure, yeah. Minnesota is, once again, the very exciting, like, middlemost team in FBS, the team that were like, oh, yeah, they're a tough out, even though they get the shit kicked out of them like three or four times, and they, like, barely beat anybody, you know, like, they're super fucking mid, man, but they try real hard. And, like, that's what you won in a bowl game, right?

Yeah. Like, PJ Fleck gives a shit, so his team mostly gives a shit. This is the one thing you can constantly say about that, man. Yeah, yeah. Like, they kind of suck, but they give a shit. The other side is the main attraction here. New Mexico, legitimately exciting. The team that most beat their preseason expectations this season, looked this up last week for the newsletter.

They were projected to win about four games. They went nine and three. Probably should have gotten a shot in the Mountain West title game, but the computers held a grudge against them and sent two other teams instead. They beat UCLA before that was hard because they picked their spots wisely. They beat UCLA when UCLA was down, pounced on them like scavengers, you know, which was probably better in the long run for UCLA. They pulled a little switcheroo after that. Jason Eck is the name of the coach.

He's previously turned around the Idaho v. Eck versus Fleck. Eck versus Fleck. Oh my God. As we know, Spencer is Jason X agent. I have his agent. This is America's best coach. Have I mentioned how he succeeded everywhere he's gone?

Have I mentioned the bond that he has with the bond that he has with players. Have I mentioned how he has led his team otherwise undersold, disrespected, no one believed to them and led them to a prestigious bowl game, which one, the one we're talking about right now, it's got to be hot, it's right on our lips. I mean, coach, or sorry, agent, I'm sure you can rattle off the APR scores and the work his team is doing in the community and all that stuff. But really, what it's all about is making the bowl in the Diamondback Stadium. That is the every, every young man in the Southwest is where they dream of ending up.

Absolutely. And when you do that, by the way, you get to drive 20 miles outside of Phoenix. Imagine the adventure you'll have 20 miles outside of Phoenix. Anything. That is true. That is fair. Why do you think Arizona's so into astronomy? Mm-hmm.

Extremely. What if you could do astronomy straight ahead and also up? Astronomy, astrology, you name it. We got here in Arizona. Hey, if you want to see some stars, just look at the roster of any team coached by Jason Eck. That's right. Some. There are some.

They won't be stars until after he has coached them. Yes. I'm glad he's succeeding. I am kind of interested to see. Okay, I'm waiting for him to get fired somewhere so I can do an X versus severance headline. Aw. I do like narrative. We got that when he beat UCLA, though.

We got that. Shit. Oh, I missed my shot. No, no, no. It still counts. Bring it. All right. All right.

Thank you. Thank you. I do like narratively that this features one coach. who's like, oh, what won't Michigan call me? I just want to interview for the Michigan job! And the other coach is the one that Michigan fans are like... It's like, what, winning Big Ten games is hard? Winning games against Big Ten games is hard?

The other is the coach that Michigan fans on their eighth cigarette are like, fine, call him, call Jason a get him. God, they would be blessed to have that man. But they have to be talked into it. I know, I know, it's so annoying. It's like he's Sean Cottery at the Rock where they're like, we have no other choice. We have to go get Jason.

I guess we have to settle for the guy who wins in incredibly hard places to win constantly. He's from Wisconsin, but that'll have to do. They're so mad that they're going to get a guy who looks like Brady Hoke after he took the like Super Soldier Serum. That's the reason they don't trust him. They just see Brady Hoke. They're like, no, it's a guy in a sweatshirt. Bring me Mountain West Rucks steady. Which, lest we forget, they're only down to because the guy currently coaching Arizona State said no thank you.

That's right. The call of the desert is too strong. Cool, get the desert. A pink taco and a machia annals on the same block? I'm staying right here in 10p. Dude, maybe in the same building. Who knows? And a chiropractor.

If there's not a chiropractor in one of the Arizona flagship school stadium concourses. Every Arizona state. Half-time adjustments. Again, trademark business idea. Every Arizona state grad is just like, they don't sell beer with lime already in it up there. They don't. The beer with the lime already in it.

Can you even get limes in Michigan? Is it like allowed? Are they viewed as tawdry? That's a, yes, that is, that is, that is the horrors lemon. Scurvy should be prevented by strength of character. If you talk about scurvy, they'll start talking about that song about the ship sinking that they all talk about. I've never heard this fucking song apparently it's all they do up there is listening

I only recently learned that that ship sunk not that long they sing about it as if it's sunk in like 70 no no that was very recent when it was recorded wait when did it change the wreck of okay that's it yeah when did the it was the 70s November 1975 what yeah yeah y'all I thought this was like a ballad right I mean it is a ballad but I mean like a ballad ass we got color photographs of photo and you'll sing songs about it like it's your origin story. Right. Yeah. I'm also pretty sure I've never heard this song.

Bobby Bowden was coaching football when this boat launched. I was just going to suggest our Michigan preview next year, which we will obviously be doing as we preview all college football teams should just be a list of things that were happening while the list of things that are older than the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. And it's going to be like, Diana Ross. The Super Bowl is older than the Air Force show. This boat was 17 years old.

It's fine. That's why the wounds are still fresh, Ryan. I'm using Georgia Dome math to say, it's fine. It's too old. Get rid of it. Yeah. Listen, if this were in Atlanta, we would have sunk it on purpose. We would have been like, oh, fuck that boat.

Nutter butter is older. Capri Sun is older than the thinking of the FAA. Man, where is your ballad for Capri Sun? Oh, my God. Spencer is older than the Edmunds. That's right. Damn close. Hawaiian traffic is older than the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

A boat goes down and eight minutes later, every Big Ten fan is singing about it. Funions are older than the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. This is like stolen chronological valor. The Arizona State version of the Abrecht of the Edmund Fitzgerald's just about a beer barge going down on Lake Havasu. And it's just called like RIP, Travis. Yeah. Taco Bell is almost 30 years older than the record, the Edmund Fitzgerald. The August presence of Taco Bell.

Jaws came out before this boat sank. Joss might have sank this boat. Joss sank the boat. Steven Spielberg sank the stupid boat just for this movie. Jack Black is older than the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Jesus Christ. Bro, RIP to the cash grass or ass. It was a great boat.

Actually, wait, this is, oh, this gets more harrowing the further I go down. Jason Bateman is older than the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I'm sorry, the Arizona State boat would be called too in the drink. Wow. Well, Jennifer Aniston is older than the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I'd sing a song to her. I'll tell you, but. Stop it.

Stop it.