Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich

Dan unloads on Dianna Russini following her tell-all interview and announced return to the NFL. Months after the viral resort photos involving Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel cost Russini her job at The Athletic, she is back and attempting a full PR makeover. Dan breaks down the excuses, the timeline holes, and the fallout from one of the wildest media scandals in football. Plus, ESPN college basketball analyst and former head coach Fran Fraschilla joins Dan to break down the increasingly unpredictable landscape of men's college basketball. With conference realignment reshaping the map, Dan and Fran debate which league can truly claim the title of college basketball's deepest gauntlet this winter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan reacts to Ryan Clark claiming ESPN is leaking hit pieces against Troy Aikman to force him out of Monday Night Football. Is Bristol orchestrating a smear campaign, or is Clark projecting his own bitter firing? Plus, what this brewing PR mess means for ESPN's upcoming Super Bowl broadcast. Plus, Notre Dame just made a massive statement against Miami, but does it put them squarely into the national title picture? Dan Dakich and OutKick’s Trey Wallace break down the fallout from South Bend and diagnose the chaos brewing inside Michigan football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Four-time NFL Pro Bowl offensive lineman Richie Incognito joins Dan for a hard-hitting conversation peeling back the curtain on trench warfare, major NFL front-office gambles, and college football rebuilds. The Trenches as the NFL’s "It Spot": Is football truly won in the middle again? Richie breaks down the shifting meta of modern line play, why interior pressure has become quarterback kryptonite, and what offensive linemen are doing to fight back. The Jeffery Simmons Blockbuster: What does Chicago’s massive trade for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons signal for the Bears? Nebraska & Matt Rhule’s Ceiling: As an alum and lifelong follower of trench-first football, Richie weighs in on Matt Rhule’s rebuild in Lincoln. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FOX Sports national commentator Tim Brando joins Dan to break down a pivotal weekend of college football and react to the CFP Selection Committee's inaugural Top 25 rankings. The CFP Committee’s SEC Bias: The committee loaded 10 SEC programs into the Top 25. Is the conference truly that dominant, or is the committee just rubber-stamping the brand? Tim names the biggest single flaw in the first rankings release. Miami at Notre Dame: Is this an outright elimination game for the Fighting Irish, or does Marcus Freeman's squad have margin for error? Plus, how vulnerable are the Hurricanes without star wideout Malachi Toney for the rest of the regular season? The Reality of the Florida State Job: What is the true prestige of the Florida State opening in the modern transfer portal/NIL era, and where does Tallahassee rank among top coaching destinations in the ACC? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan torches former ESPN host Katie Nolan after she crowned herself the “emotional-wellness police” to lecture Pat McAfee about acting “irresponsibly.” Nolan took aim at McAfee over his Utah rant and past comments regarding Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett—conveniently ignoring that Pat owned the mistake, apologized, and met directly with the family. Dan pulls zero punches on legacy media hypocrites who dish it out but can’t handle pushback, explains why the establishment actually fears McAfee’s independent platform, and dismantles the absurd narrative that an election wave is coming to force Pat off ESPN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

College Football Playoff rankings: Dan Dakich shreds the CFP committee over Notre Dame & Indiana! The selection committee has officially traded credibility for drama, ranking manufactured television narratives instead of actual on-field resumes. With Notre Dame facing a win-or-go-home showdown against Miami, the Irish have zero margin for error. Meanwhile, Colin Cowherd calls out the committee for crowning Curt Cignetti's 8-1 Indiana Hoosiers while ignoring a slipping eye test. From Cowherd's critique to Notre Dame's history of crying foul over bowl snubs, Dan unloads on college football's broken playoff cartel. Plus, FOX Sports national commentator Tim Brando joins Dan to break down a pivotal weekend of college football and react to the CFP Selection Committee's inaugural Top 25 rankings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan is back with an unfiltered, full-throttle "Best Of" show tackling a wild week across college football and the NFL. First up: Florida State pulls the plug on Mike Norvell. Dan breaks down where it all went wrong in Tallahassee, whether the Seminoles' head coaching opening is still truly a top-tier national job, and how Lincoln Riley managed to buy himself another Saturday at USC. Then, ESPN college football analyst Tom Luginbill joins the show to dissect the full-blown coaching chaos across the country, assess the real prestige of the FSU opening. Later, 4x NFL Pro Bowler Richie Incognito steps into the film room to talk raw truth about life in the NFL trenches, what separates elite line play, and and weigh in on whether Matt Rhule can genuinely get Nebraska back on track. Plus, Dan delivers his weekly Stock Up / Stock Down risers and fallers across the sports landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cable news host Joe Scarborough threw an on-air tantrum claiming he's "had enough of Pat McAfee ruining College GameDay"—and Dan Dakich is not letting it slide. With Election Day wrapping up, international turmoil, and economic chaos across the country, Scarborough apparently decided the biggest crisis facing America is a sleeveless former punter having fun on Saturday mornings. Dan shreds Scarborough’s call for ESPN executives to step in and breaks down why the cable news elite just don't get sports fans. Plus, Four-time Pro Bowl guard Richie Incognito joins Dan to take you inside the brutal reality of NFL line play, breakdown blockbuster trade deadline moves, and debate whether today's linemen have lost their edge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan torches ESPN analyst Monica McNutt after she took aim at Caitlin Clark on The Pivot podcast, moving the goalposts and demanding the Indiana Fever superstar constantly answer for toxic fan behavior. Despite Clark repeatedly condemning racism and online harassment, McNutt claims it still isn't enough, even offering patronizing "grace" because Clark is from the Midwest. Dan Dakich exposes the media double standard and explains why fans are sick of bad-faith narratives hijacking women's basketball. Plus, ESPN College Football Analyst Tom Luginbill joins Dan to break down the seismic storylines shaking up college football this week. The $50M Question in Tallahassee: Was pulling the plug on Mike Norvell the right call despite Florida State facing a massive buyout and mounting budget concerns? Do-or-Die in South Bend: Miami heads to Notre Dame for a clash with massive postseason stakes. Is the ACC a One-Bid League? And UCLA sits at 8-0 atop the Big Ten standings. Tom breaks down whether the Bruins are truly the best team in the conference or if a reality check is waiting on the horizon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pressure cooker in Tallahassee has officially exploded: FSU has fired head coach Mike Norvell, cutting him a staggering $50.3 million buyout check just to walk away from the program. Before the axe fell, a plane flew over Doak Campbell Stadium pulling a banner demanding the school fire Norvell—and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney went completely scorched earth on the fans responsible. Swinney blasted the stunt as "embarrassing," "disrespectful," and "shameful," reminding everyone that Norvell is a husband and father, before mocking the boosters for not even spelling his name right on the sign. But moral victories don't save jobs in modern college athletics. Dan Dakich explains why being a fired college football coach remains the absolute greatest gig in human history, how Florida State got trapped in financial paralysis, and why the sport's runaway contract madness has completely detached from reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices