The City: Off Campus

On Episode 136, Sam and Jack sit down to give their reactions to the Cubs and White Sox' free agency signings as well as the Carlos Correa situation. They move on to talking Chicago Bears, playing around with scenarios regarding the #2 overall pick, who could trade up for a QB, and which WR the Bears could potentially trade for to enhance Justin Fields. They guys pivot to Iowa basketball losing to EIU as 31.5 point favorites for the largest gambling upset... ever? And Iowa football lost out on 5-star OT Kadyn Proctor? What? Jack wraps the show up with some unexpected news for his New Years plans.

On Episode 135, Sam and Jack catch up and talk about the unexpected comeback of Jack's football career. They dive in to the remaining Iowa football season, how the transfer portal SHOULD GO (including a little prediction) as well as the addition of two new coaches to the Big Ten. They predict each championship game in FBS and then stroke the Hawkeyes bu convincing Jack they will beat Duke.

On episode 134, the guys are joined by Sean Bock to talk everything Iowa Hawkeyes football. Recruiting. expectations, results, bright spots, dull spots. Every stone is overturned this episode. We try our absolute hardest to make sense of this season.

On Episode 132, Sam and Jack prepare their minds and bodies for the Bears to travel to New England and face Bailey Zappe and Bill Belichick's squad on Monday Night Football. They talk about the wide receiver position for the Bears again, looking at NFL Draft prospects given the high-draft position Chicago will have, quick MLB update and discussion on whether or not Fernando Tatis Jr. would have received a ring if the Padres won the WS. The guys wrap the show up with more "talking about my fantasy team" which we all know if our listener's FAVORITE segment.

On Episode 132, Sam and Jack breakdown the state of the Chicago White Sox after a disappointing 2022 season that resulted in Tony LaRussa retiring this past week. Lots of changes will be coming, including Jose Abreu finding a new club, potential trades, potential managerial candidates, etc. The Bears are still trying to find their footing while we reminisce on the memories our parents have as well as debating the magnitude of the NFL Championship vs the Super Bowl.

On Episode 131, Sam and Jack breakdown how their fantasy football season has gone and some of the bets/predictions that have been made through the first 3 weeks. The guys dive into reasoning behind some of their picks, the state of their leagues, regrets, and outlook for the rest of the fantasy season. They get into the Bears WR room after, breakdown the Michigan/Iowa game on Saturday, LiAngelo Ball making his return plus much more.

On the long awaited Episode 130, Sam and Jack come back together to discuss the recent Chicago Bears games through Week 1-2, the Iowa Hawkeyes miserable appearance through Weeks 1-3 and the travesty that is the White Sox finally losing the pennant race (in Jack's eyes). It's not every episode that the guys are pessimistic... or maybe it is. Sad episode all around. Oh and Lonzo Ball is hurt, too. Wonderful.

On Episode 129, Sam and Jack are faced with a time crunch as Zoom inhibits how long the guys were able to record. The short, 15 minute podcast covers many of the pertinent topics that we have missed. From the Chicago Bears going 3-0 in preseason to the White Sox slowly sliding into irrelevance and Tony LaRussa quietly stepping aside, there was plenty to hit on this week. Not to mention that Scott Frost is still coaching.... somehow.

On Episode 128, Sam and Jack recap the Field of Dreams disappointment, preview NFL preseason and a plethora of takes and predictions for the upcoming season, and dive into the new NFL Hard Knocks season following the Detroit Lions. Needless to say, the guys are now casual Detroit Lions fans for the year until they play Chicago. Sam breaks down the end of "The Captain" documentary by ESPN and explains how Derek Jeter was a let-down, loser excuse of a General Manager.

On Episode 127, Sam and Jack take a second to sit down and catch up on the fact that the Bears are debating on moving to Arlington Heights or staying in Chicago with their THIRD possible addition to Soldiers Field. This WAS recorded before the MLB Trade Deadline so apologies for emotional takes that actually sound hysterical at this point. We then get into the best and worst fan bases around, from college athletics to baseball and even fans of a certain someone, we all know who our least favorite fans are to interact with or just merely notice. From The Yankees to the Cubs and plenty in-between, someone is bound to have their feelings hurt after this episode.

On Episode 126, Sam and Jack get together to discuss every little detail from this season's MLB Trade Deadline. From teams that didn't make moves, like the Chicago White Sox, to teams that refused to trade away their top players, like the Chicago Cubs, and even those teams that tried to trade for everyone, the New York Yankees, we talk about it all. Not to mention the single largest and most impactful midseason trade of our generation, Juan Soto, and the ramifications that has on the National League going forward. The guys also slip into the Miami Dolphins scandal with their owner Stephen Jones and talk about how ridiculous that man is.

On Episode 125, Sam and Jack are joined by Iowa Hawkeyes Track and Field All-American Julien Gillum to talk about his career, his sports fandom outside of track and his JUCO journey to reach the University of Iowa. We talk about Julien moving all over the United States as a kid, playing sports like football where he found his speed and transitioned to running track in Texas. From there, going the JUCO route, grinding his way out to earning a role at Iowa and giving himself the foundation to build and grow his own entrepreneurial endeavours.

On Episode 124, Sam and Jack are joined by recurring guest Sean Bock from 247 Sports to get up to speed on everything Iowa football with the season quickly approaching. We dive in to many different topics, from the kicking competition to how the Hawkeye's recruitment shifts with recent five-star commits, how the offense is being "simplified" and whether or not the personnel is there to run what many Hawkeye fans have been clamoring for over these recent seasons. The guys then spiral into random conversation as The British Open wraps up right before Jack's eyes.

On Episode 123, Sam and Jack return from their holiday hiatus to dive in to everything College football realignment, the Chicago Blackhawks funeral and thinktanking what the Chicago Bulls can do to take the next step after last season's first-round exit. The guys also break the news on N'Keal Harry coming to the Bears and our initial reactions to the transaction, general thoughts for the team. They wrap the show up with extensive WNBA talk including Jack finding his new favorite WNBA player.

On Episode 122, Sam and Jack prepare for the hectic NBA offseason by discussing the worst contracts in sports history from various different leagues. From the USFL, to the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB, each league is guilty of offering and signing some garbage contracts. We get into the contracts, dissect some current NBA free agency predictions (though many have already happened, thanks tampering), some "What If?" contracts that were never signed and Jack gets Sam to open up about his Miami Marlins fandom once again.

On Episode 121, Sam and Jack sit down to discuss the world of sports. Jack's experiences while watching the White Sox play the Astros in Houston, Arch Manning becoming a Texas Longhorn football commit, Michael Beasley playing in the Big 3 League and how Jack is still convinced he is undervalued and underappreciated, Keegan Murray getting drafted #4 overall to the Sacramento Kings as the Harrison Barnes replacement, Steve Clifford getting rehired by the Hornets after they fired him years ago and the Blackhawks hiring nice-guy Luke Richardson.

On Episode 120, Sam and Jack sit down to discuss the LIV Tour and all the details you need to know when it comes to understanding the first true financial competitor to the PGA Tour. We talk about pros/cons and some of the golfers included and big picture where the league might go. We dive in to a little White Sox talk and whether or not Jack feels the "fire Tony" chants are valid at this moment. The guys finish the show up with NBA Finals and Stanley Cup discussion

On Episode 119, Sam and Jack recap the first couple weeks of graduated life off-campus. The pros, cons, and little things they get to enjoy now that there's no school. They talk Joc Pederson/Tommy Pham/Mike Trout saga, Charlie Jones transferring out of Iowa unexpectedly and Iowa Baseball getting snubbed to the College World Series. They talk about the NBA Finals, the MLB and more importantly the fact that the White Sox are slowly dying in the 2022 season. Jack talks about his trip to the Indy 500, whether or not you should attend and other stories from his trip. Listen to get a full podcast of Jack's emotions getting the better of him.

On Episode 118, Sam and Jack wrap up the "On-Campus" life with one final podcast with Iowa Baseball Manager Haley Stessman. We complete the long awaited Casey's breakfast pizza review, catch up on NFL Draft movement for Hawkeyes and readdress the "Record-per-day of the week" with Haley. Haley wraps the show up with proposing an analytical measurement for the NFL Draft that sounds vile, but is genius. She also talks with us about an opportunity she has accepted for this summer and her near future plans.

On Episode 117, Hawkeye Insider Sean Bock from 247Sports comes on to recap the 1st round of the NFL Draft. We recorded this before Rounds 2-7 so you the listener will get a peek into our GM brains and see if we had some gems picked out or not. Hint: pretty sure Jack got a prediction right. Pretty cool. We also get in to Iowa prospects in this years draft as well as recruits for both football and basketball, including ANOTHER prediction/nugget from Mr. Bock.

On Episode 116, Sam and Jack are joined by Barstool Sports' Jake Marsh, contributor to Pardon My Take and co-host of Barstool Bench Mob. The guys ask Jake about his introduction to sports media and what got him hooked on the addicting drug that is sports, where the opportunity to work at Barstool came from, how Jake has stayed consistent to who he is all along and various stories/anecdotes from behind the scenes of one of the most prominent sports media companies. The guys finish it up with grilling Jake on what the internet thinks about his height, net worth and some of his top sports memories of his life.

On Episode 115, Sam and Jack talk about their favorite teams during the spring time, the White Sox and Cubs. Both have similar yet different point of views on their teams but the optimism is high in both camps. After some much-needed banter, the guys transition to ranking the quarterbacks in this year's draft and it gets a tad testy nearing the end of the rankings.

On Episode 114, Sam and Jack are once again joined by the cat-owning Ty Snep. Ty comes on after Iowa had finished up a strong series against the University of Michigan to talk about how the Hawkeyes season has gone so far and some big moments for them so far. The guys get to talking shop, including Albert Pjulos' return, Iowa baseball's lack of pranks, their mustaches, Ty's hitting journal and more.

On Episode 113, Sam and Jack are joined by current Iowa baseball manager, data analyst and operations assistant Haley Stessman. We dive into the intricacies of the position, how you go about securing that opportunity and the blood, sweat and tears required to hack it in the sports industry. Haley then dives in to her new segment on The City: Off-Campus: Haley's Hypothesis where she details a certain question or furthers the sports talk with new analytical data. This week's edition deals with Iowa baseball's performance on certain days of the week as well as Fran McCaffery's "Fran Fade" that Iowa fans live to bring up every season.

On Episode 112, Sam and Jack go through the highs and lows that Iowa basketball has experienced this year and how the ending hurt the most. The guys talk about Coach Fran McCaffery, expectations for Iowa basketball going forward and then talk a little about Cubs/Sox as well as the tailend of the Chicago Bulls season.

On Episode 111, Sam and Jack talk about the return of baseball and how the influx of free agents and the excitement for the return may actually save the sport despite all other factors. They talk about all the big NFL moves up until this moment, including the Khalil Mack to Chargers trade and the QB roller coaster taking place. They wrap the show up with some March Madness discussion ahead of Selection Sunday and how they're feeling about the Iowa Hawkeyes leading into the deeper B1G tournament run and the NCAA tournament.

On Episode 110, Sam and Jack are joined by Sabrina Shaw, a medically retired Iowa soccer player who has started her own merchandise-production company named "Urban Wave Embroidery". We talk with Sabrina about her journey to Iowa and soccer altogether, her recruitment process and her experiences within the Iowa soccer program. We dive in to Urban Wave Embroidery and how the concept came to life, some of the challenges Sabrina faces on a week-to-week basis, her short-term and long-term goals for the business and how Sabrina plans to stay involved with soccer post-graduation

On Episode 109, Sam and Jack catch up on the current state of Iowa basketball as well as the Bulls season and our expectations after a quiet trade deadline. We start with discussing the recent Michigan State/Iowa matchup, how Iowa's guards are coming into their own and whether Iowa will earn a 7 or 9 seed in March Madness. They talk about how bad NBA All-Star weekend has become. Sam dives in to how the Bulls maintaining their core of players should be beneficial in the long run, LeBron's legacy in LA and what Aaron Rodger's legacy will end up being if he leaves Green Bay. Besides, where would Aaron even go? We talk about it.

On Episode 108, Sam and Jack are joined by the first-ever Iowa Women's Wrestling commit and the pound-for-pound top women's wrestling recruit in the country, Kylie Welker. We get a background on Kylie's life and career, what got her introduced to wrestling and why Iowa. We talk about her relationship with Women's Wrestling Coach Chun, training at the Olympic Training facility at 16, her Dad selling her on wrestling opportunities at a young age and the responsibilities that she has as a sister that keep her grounded. We briefly talk about her official visit during the Penn State/Iowa dual weekend and how the Pentacrest hill is not to be messed with.

On Episode 107, Sam and Jack are once again rejoined by Levi to discuss the Rams/Bengals Super Bowl, our favorite bets and some bets that you never see until the Super Bowl rolls around.

On Episode 106, Sam and Jack are joined by a familiar face from Big Ten basketball in former Minnesota Gopher now current Windy City Bulls forward Daniel Oturu. We talk about his decision to stay home and attend Minnesota, what led to that decision and why Big Ten basketball was the best place for his development. We talk about playing for Richard Pitino, playing against Luka Garza and his eventual drafting into the NBA. Talk through being traded 50 times on draft night, what he did first after being drafted, playing GLeague ball with Hawkeye alum Tyler Cook and how his confidence has grown since joining the professional basketball scene.

On Episode 105, Sam and Jack discuss one of the best weekends in NFL playoff history as well as the heartbreaking news that the greatest team sport player ever wasn't retiring on his own terms, Tom Brady. The guys look at Bengals/Rams, discuss how we're watching Joe Burrow turn into a superstar before our eyes, how the Rams and their Madden team are the better team to Jack, and some new coaching hires around the league. They talk briefly about the Bears and their new regime and what expectations they have.

On Epsiode 104, Sam and Jack are joined by fellow Chicagoan and Big Ten Network Host Dave Revsine. The guys start the show by addressing the recent news of Matt Eberflus becoming the Chicago Bears HC and if Dave is as pessimistic as the rest of Bears nation. We dive in to the beginning of his career with ESPN, the transition he made to the Big Ten Network at their inception, how he has seen a difference in content and attachment to his work while at the B1G Network, his favorite college towns to attend as well as breaking down the whole landscape of B1G basketball this season.

On Episode 103, Sam enters the Q as he and Jack breakdown how ridiculous the baseball hall of fame voting went as well as talking about new Bears General Manager Ryan Poles. Talking about names who fell off the baseball HoF ballot, names that may never see the ballot again, and what baseball can do to make the sport more interesting during this pivotal moment. They transition to talking about Ryan Poles, the Bears potential head coach (which is now Matt Eberflus, we recorded this on Wednesday, January 26th) and wrap the show up with one of the best bets you'll ever hear on the show.

On Episode 102, Sam and Jack are joined by now former Iowa place kicker Caleb Shudak to discuss the past season and what his future has in store. We discuss the beginning of the year and how the first kicks compared to his last kicks, him and Tory Taylor taking snaps at each other's respective positions and which skill players could actually launch a ball. We talk about the mindset of winning a special teams-dominant game, beating Nebraska with a gameplan similar to that, kicking balls at light poles and what his future with kicking looks like after Iowa.

On Episode 101, Sam and Jack are joined by Alabama sports reporter Max Cohan to talk about his season covering everything Alabama and Auburn football. We talk about returning to stadiums after last year, Coach Nick Saban press conferences, which fan base is more grateful and realistic and some storylines that he followed throughout the season. We discuss some players leaving the Alabama program, which coaches might leave, why Nick Saban has continued to raise the bar and how he started to really cherish and enjoy the moment during this season, how the Heisman trophy was decided through recency bias and other general highlights and news from one of the greatest college football seasons to date.

On Episode 100, Sam and Jack are joined by 247 Sports Hawkeye Insider Sean Bock to talk about Signing Day, any early enrollees and which names we need to continue to keep our eye on as the recruiting season continues to unfold. We start the show with some NFL talk on the Chicago Bears front, figuring out which coach we would like to see and which we have a gut feeling will become the next Bears head coach. We transition to talking about many of the hard commits and prospects that Iowa has had their eye on, including Marco Lainez. We recorded this prior to the Linderbaum news but Jack believes he is the greatest Hawkeye lineman that has played at Iowa.

On Episode 99, Sam and Jack start the show off by discussing the Iowa Hawkeyes loss in the Citrus Bowl to Kentucky, our predictions for the National Championship rematch between Georgia and Alabama (nice predictions, Jack), and fill in the back half of the episode with banter and discussion on who they believe the Bulls should trade for and how realistic each scenario is. From Derrick Rose, to Harrison Barnes, Jerami Grant and Javale McGee, the guys leave no stone left unturned and breakdown a vast number of names.

On Episode 98, Sam and Jack take some time during the lull in sports news to discuss their favorite and least-favorite bowl game names. From the Tobacco Bowl and Salad Bowl to the Fiesta Bowl not being sponsored by Tostitos, the guys hit all the bases on the best and worst of bowl season. They bring up their favorite sports moments of 2021, from Iowa sports related to the professional levels, there is plenty of moments to get nostalgic over. They wrap the show up with some fun banter on which professional teams and organizations they would buy right now and what their vision would be.

On Episode 97, the guys made a compilation of some of their favorite moments and interviews from 2021. From interviewing current and former Iowa Hawkeyes to Super Bowl champs, SportsCenter anchors and CEO's, this episode has a little taste of everything we covered this year. We can't thank each and every one of you enough for the continued support of TCOC and ourselves. None of this is possible without you, the listener. In order: Professional QB, Former Hawkeye Nate Stanley: 00:00 - 06:08 Super Bowl champion, Former Hawkeye Jay Hilgenberg: 06:09 - 11:28 Iowa Basketball's Patrick McCaffery: 11:29 - 18:26 ESPN Senior Writer Seth Wickersham: 18:27 - 22:32 Iowa Hurdler Jamal Britt: 22:33 - 26:18 Neostar NFL Agent Sammy Spina: 26:19 - 32:36 ESPN SportsCenter Anchor Kevin Negandhi: 32:37 - 36:44 NBC Sports Chicago's David Kaplan: 36:45 - 43:43 Front Office Sports CEO Adam White: 43:44 - 48:04 Washed Up Walkons Co-creator, Former Hawkeye Long Snapper Tyler Kluver: 48:05 - end

On Episode 96, Sam and Jack are joined by Levi Lorenz of Levi's Picks to discuss the NY6 matchups and what we think will happen in each. Since all three of us are football experts and played extensively at the next level, our opinions matter and carry weight leading in to the largest bowl games of the season. However, will COVID have the final laugh and cancel all these bowls and be named the CFP champion? We will see. The guys wrap the show up with a little NFL talk and a quick fantasy recap.

On Episode 95, Sam and Jack are joined by Iowa alum and current host of Hawkeye Sports Laura VandeBerg. Laura gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how she got her start with broadcast journalism, what inspired her to work in this industry and some of her learning experiences at the start of her career. We talk about her very young and early introduction to her career, how Laura gets prepared for a gameday or interview with various coaches or athletes and what her most enjoyable moments of the job are. We wrap the show up by talking about Laura's podcast, "Bleav in Iowa Football" which she co-hosts with her husband and former Hawkeye wide receiver Matt VandeBerg as well as uniqye challenges presented from a new born.

On Episode 94, Sam and Jack cover a lot that they've missed over the last week. They touch on Hawkeyes leaving the football program, how the Hawkeyes match up with the Kentucky Wildcats in the Citrus Bowl and how signing day treated the Hawkeyes. They transition to the Bears and how they're meeting expectations of being a medicore excuse for a team. We hit on their injury report and how unlikely it is that they'll beat the Vikings as well as five players the Chicago Bulls should sign if they have to continue to play with a depleted roster. They wrap the show up with Sam saying his typical non-sense, saying Wilson Contreras could end up better than Buster Posey.

On Episode 93, Sam and Jack are joined by NBC's Sideline Reporter for Sunday Night Football, Michele Tafoya. Michele details how she got into journalism and broadcasting, the sacrifices and commitments she's had to make to excel in the industry as well as some of her positions before NBC. Michele gives us a detailed example of what a typical week of preparation for SNF looks like, what her learning experiences as a sideline reporter included, as well as her most rewarding moments in her career thus far. She talks about getting bye weeks for one of the first times, rewatching herself after every broadcast and the most enjoyable moments of working with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth and why they've been the #1 show on primetime for a decade running.

On Episode 92, Sam and Jack take some time to recap the world of Hawkeye athletics at this point of the year. We start the show a little off topic due to the insane coaching carousel taking place, talking about the ripple effects felt from Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly leaving their respective schools with no notice. With Hawkeye Men's Basketball exceeding expectations, the guys talk about their upcoming game this Friday at #2 Purdue right before Iowa football faces #2 Michigan in the B1G Championship down in Indy. We talk about the Hawkeyes game earlier this week vs. Virginia, Iowa football's fifth-largest comeback ever vs. Nebraska last Friday, what we can be hopeful and optimistic for leading into this tough match up vs. Michigan

On Episode 91, Sam and Jack are joined by one of the hosts of the Washed Up Walkons Podcast as well as an Iowa Football Alum Tyler Kluver. We talk with Tyler about his journey to Iowa and becoming the long snapper, how his perspective on playing college sports changed when he began to long snap and some moments from his playing career. We dive into his experience with playing at the 2015 Big Ten Championship, what the Hawkeyes can expect environment wise inside of Lucas Oil Stadium and why conditions are perfect for Iowa special teams. We dive in to how Washed Up Walkons got thought of and created, where the struggles and joys come from creating content now and how Tyler and the guys knew when to evolve or move a different direction with their content. We wrap the show up with more brief Michigan analysis leading into Saturday's Big Ten Championship.

On Episode 90, Sam and Jack are all the way off campus as they record one last show before Thanksgiving Day and the hopeful firing of Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy after the Bears face the Lions at 11:30 AM. The guys talk about their favorite Thanksgiving food/sides, the Hawkeyes game most recently against Illinois, why Jack doesn't care for turkey, Sam's final experience at Kinnick Stadium as a senior and some hypothetical talk on how the Hawkeyes final couple weeks of their football season could end.

On Episode 89, Sam and Jack get very excited about the Chicago Bulls and their start to the season. They talk about how they feel optimistic about the Iowa Hawkeye men's team and their ability to be versatile and how the Hawkeye football team is still alive and busting former TCOC guest Doug Kezirian's bets. They wrap with some CFP talk as the new rankings came out.

On Episode 88, Sam and Jack go through some of the biggest winners and losers they've seen on their fantasy teams this season. From good gambles in their draft to depth problems and the injury bug depleting their roster, the guys walk you through what's worked and what hasn't as well as some talk of a new mode that could be fun to implement in the near future.

On Episode 87, Sam and Jack recap everything we've missed over the last week and a half pertaining to each Chicago sports team and the Iowa Hawkeye football team. We talk about the Bears getting shafted on MNF, why the Bulls are set up to be the most exciting team in the city, how the Blackhawks will be feisty for the rest of the season and why the Hawkeyes still have an outside shot at playing for the B1G championship game with Alex Padilla at the helm.

On Episode 86, Sam and Jack take a break from traditional sports talk and dive into the sports business world with Front Office Sports' Founder and CEO Adam White. Adam talks about what got him into the industry, how consciously making trade offs he knew would pay off down the road inspired him to continue his determined work-ethic and how not getting a job helped inspire him to take the next step and bet on himself. He goes into fine details on how FOS looks at customer acquistion, when they know to pivot in a new direction with different content, "taking the industry with you", understanding the shifts and changes that define the sports business industry and how to apply these changes to new content or distribution, and much more fascinating information.