The Bench Boys

You didn't think we would leave you hanging after that incredible weekend did you? We brought in friend of the show Scott Watkins to talk about the Sun Belt Pages, as well as the incredible games we saw this Saturday. Football is BACK!

A few return guests join us for our first double interview! South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler and Coastal Carolina coach Jaida Williams spoke with us about two major issues in this two-part special! Today, we're talking about the systemic issues of racism and police brutality.

A few return guests join us for our first double interview! South Alabama head coach Terry Fowler and Coastal Carolina coach Jaida Williams spoke with us about two major issues in this two-part special! Up first, the pandemic that ended last season and still plagues the beginning of this season—the coronavirus outbreak.

We talked about his work last week... now we meet the man himself! Braden Gall is a writer for Athlon Sports, a radio host and a fellow podcaster! Now we get to pick his brain about our world... the Forgotten 5! We also ask him how the pandemic impacts his work for Athlon's magazine, and he gets a chance to share how much he knows about college football!

...or is it the train? Thomas and Colin break down exactly what it would take logistically and financially for a team to play a game even 6 hours away. We're also looking at what programs are doing in the sports drought.

The Boys sit down with friend of the show Robby Baker from WKRG in Mobile! They talk South Alabama football, Sun Belt changes and creating content when there is none!

The NCAA is giving spring student-athletes another season of eligibility! That sounds great, but it's actually pretty awful—there's several million reasons why, and we'll give them all to you. Also, the Sun Belt is rebranding! How the world found out, and why they've been so silent about it. Finally, the Draft is going Digital! How the NFL is holding its big event... without the war room!

Yeah, it's a pastiche of Seinfeld, which is itself a pastiche of sitcoms. A pastiche's pastiche. Capeesh? Look, there's no sports going on, so we had to figure something out. Thankfully, the Draft is still happening. But what about Pro Days? We found the answer. Also, we're doing a bracket, and we need your help with it!

Friend of the show, former Troy quarterback, Memphis Express legend and the man who threw the XFL's first touchdown pass joins the show! Brandon Silvers opens up about the transition to the XFL, keeping up with old teammates and how his new team dealt with the coronavirus news!

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March is underway, and the Boys have gone mad! We'll take you through the women's tournament, end of the year awards and more! We'll dive into the latest games for the men, and on the diamond, we have more stats than you can handle!

Special thanks to Troy women's basketball coach Chanda Rigby for joining us! Colin talked with her about her time as a JuCo coach, recruiting players from that level, and so much more! Follow Coach Rigby on Twitter at @ChandaRigby!

We're STREAKIN'! Not only covering as many sports as possible—Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, the NFL Combine, Women's Golf, even a little Softball—we're looking at the teams that are making the BIGGEST MOVES! Like we always say, ANYTHING can happen in February!

Special thanks to Coastal Carolina women's basketball coach Jaida Williams for joining us! Colin talked with her about her time under an Iowa legend (because of course), DJ Williams' incredible weekend, and so much more! Follow Coach Williams on Twitter at @CoachJaida!

We have a new top team in the conference for women's basketball, there's a collision course with destiny in men's hoops, and the opening weekend of baseball did NOT disappoint! PLUS, a tease for a NEW segment!

The conference's top two teams in mens' and women's basketball are starting to make the case for a #1 seed. ALSO: Seven Sun Belt stars get the chance to show their stuff at the Combine (NOT in Ohio) AND a quick recap of the XFL Week One! Happy Birthday Colin!

The dawn of the XFL is upon us! Another offseason, another non-NFL pro league. But, what makes this one different? A lot, apparently. Also, we're getting you caught up on Sun Belt basketball teams. Who's surprising, who's falling short of the preseason goal, and who's EXACTLY who we thought they were? All this and then some!

We're halfway through the basketball season, and Colin has the stats to show who could be contending... and who's just pretending. Plus, we have ANOTHER pro football organization this spring, the usual suspects are at the top of the conference in softball, and reflection on greatness.

We're following the Sun Belt from Mobile to Miami! The Draft starts in our backyard, and the goal of any pro baller—The Super Bowl—is right around the corner. We're also in Pensacola, home of the Division II National Champions, and as football wraps up, we're keeping an eye on the other Big Two sports.

It's the last episode before the holiday... so we pulled out ALL the stops! We tackle bowl season, the best road playoff team you've never heard of, signing day magic, 100-point games, defense in women's basketball... and even some preseason baseball!

The Boys hand out their end of the year awards, discuss the coaching carousel... and even pay tribute to a legendary Sun Belt coach.

Rivalry Week Wrap-up (say that five times fast), we go into the future, and we dig up our favorite Division II team!

The conference race has ended, but there's still football to be played. There are also other sports wrapping up their seasons. Plus, why doesn't the Sun Belt get any love... a little bit of talkin' turkey and... the Boys find an error on the Sun Belt Conference's website! It's a roller coaster ride this week.

It's DO OR DIE time in the Sun Belt! We're smashing records, hoping for hardware, and looking at the likelihood of teams in the title game and bowl games. Plus... one surprising basketball team is 2-0 in the Sun Belt already, and the odds for one team in the conference volleyball tournament.

We're sizing up the upcoming postseason, we're looking ahead to basketball season, we're praising people we've dogged on all season, and we're covering the Sun Belt like no one else does. 

We're going Around the Belt to preview some postseason action in non-football sports... we're diving into Sun Belt players at the pro level... we analyze the Arkansas State-ULM matchup... and we discuss the NCAA's ruling on likeness and compensation.

We're halfway through the season! What teams have surprised us? What players stand out? And what are our bowl projections? Plus... Colin is awarding the @BenOnSports Hustle Award to a team we haven't heard from in a while... Finally, it's How the West Was Won in #KnowYourEnemy week nine! Chase Gage and Texas State Sports President Andrew Zimmell join us to talk Arkansas State-Texas State!

The Bench Boys are on the road in Troy... but the game of the week is in Boone! Hear from Nick White and Adam Witten about the matchup of division leaders! We've also got a special guest making a repeat appearance... we'll talk about the Mountaineers' ranking... and find out why last week's Game of the Week didn't go as expected!

Halfway through the season, and the two most unlikely teams are battling for the No. 2 spot in the Sun Belt East! Scott Watkins and Joe Cashion join us to break down the Panthers and the Chants, Colin explains how the conference turned upside down, and Thomas as Pro Football Focus' QB rankings for the Sun Belt.

One last week of non-conference matchups! We've got the ULM Warhawks hosting the Memphis Tigers! This week, Jeff Brightwell gives us a breakdown of Memphis, and Nick White analyzes UL Monroe. Also, Thomas has some record stats for last week's #KnowYourEnemy matchup, and Colin has a few words about the new California law.

Breaking news out of the West--Logan Bonner is out. How will that affect the conference?

Another Power 5 upset--What went into the Tar Heel Takedown?

The record broken by Colin's Hustle Award winner!

And of course... The #KnowYourEnemy Game of the Week featuring Travis Jaudon and Cody Junot!

Young programs, stadiums under construction, and a distaste for Troy. This week's #KnowYourEnemy keeps the Sun Belt-CUSA rivalry alive and in-state, as the Jags take on the Blazers for the first time. Hear from South Alabama AD Joel Erdmann, UAB AD Mark Ingram, UAB expert Steve Irvine and THE Doug Konkel of 247 Sports. 

There was so much good stuff in our interviews that we couldn't just keep it in one episode! Listen to the full interviews with Justin McNelley, Patrick Magee, Jeremy McClain and Brent Jones!

It's here! Possibly the best G5 matchup of the year is in Troy... and it DEFINES #KnowYourEnemy. Breaking down our matchup this week are Justin McNelley from WTVY and Patrick Magee from the Sun Herald newspaper. Of course, Southern Miss and Troy are two historic programs that have a lot of overlap the past two years... and no one knows that better than Jeremy McClain and Brent Jones! That's right, we've got both schools' athletic directors on the show as well! It's a jam-packed episode, so jump in!

It's #KnowYourEnemy Week 2! We've got Week 1 Upsets, the BenOnSports Hustle Awards, our analysis for this week's games, and of course our Game of the Week! Thanks to Joe Cashion and Scott Chasen from the Chants and Jayhawks respectively for coming on the show this week!

The first full weekend of college football is upon us, so we're breaking down the best Sun Belt matchups! Our game of the week is Mississippi State vs. Louisiana at the Superdome! So, we spoke with Joel Coleman about the Bulldogs and Cody Junot about the Cajuns. A big thanks to our guests.

Preseason watch lists on every blog, picks litter the feed, and coaches opening envelopes to find out if their transfers are eligible? It can only mean one thing... FOOTBALL SEASON IS BACK! Colin and Thomas get back into form with a game of Start, Bench, Cut, Week 0 picks and of course... a rant about the transfer portal! So, cozy up next to the grill, leave a couple of cold ones out for your guests, and crank up the cast!

The Group of Five gets no love. We take a look at the amount schools are spending on football, the best mascots in the conference... and why we're upset about College Gameday. Also, we've got some Sun Belt representation at the next level!

On this week's episode, we take a look at some college football history: the 150th anniversary of the game, the Sun Belt's past performance, and the newest programs in the conference. Also, we break down the Shai Werts situation.

Season two is off with a BANG! The Boys have been putting in the hours, analyzing the upcoming season and retooling the show! On this week's episode, we've got season predictions, a look back at Sun Belt Media Day... and the first installment of the Mailbox!

On the Bench Boys season finale: Another ACTUAL championship--and another player who got REALLY close! Also: we talk bowl game shakeups for next year!

We got through one season and we can't thank y'all enough. Y'all come on back.

Man, 50 episodes. Seems like just yesterday we were talking about Cornhole and stuff. Anyway, we decided to have some fun with this. We're playing some Mario Kart while talking Sun Belt golf, softball, and other stuff. Maybe we should make this a video podcast...

Eat your heart out, First Take. Thomas and Colin argue about who's the best football coaching job in the Sun Belt (well, two programs. They agree on the other eight.) Also, Thomas and Colin got a few major things right in softball... but Thomas retracts a statement about baseball.

The Sun Belt absolutely bombed at this year's draft, so we break down just how bad this year was. Also, there's been some shakeup in the Troy locker room--and no one is surprised. Finally, our bracket challenge winner gets his 50 minutes of fame! 

Coastal Carolina is on a slide, but Thomas doesn't think Chants fans should jump ship yet... Colin goes off about how great the Masters was this weekend... and the Boys put down their pick for Sun Belt Softball Player of the Year.

We didn't do that on purpose. We promise. Our good friend Brandon Silvers is back on the show, we talk about what the Alliance's collapse means, and App State basketball has a good week--both men and women.

Is the AAF in trouble? Colin's got a theory. Also, the coaching carousel hits the court--and Troy comes out well on top. Finally, Coastal is beginning to pull away in baseball... but what exactly does that mean?

1. The first African-American commissioner of an FBS conference.
2. The most Sun Belt teams in a single postseason (7 - Women's Basketball)
3. The best season in South Alabama basketball history... or at least tied for it.

Head coach Terry Fowler talks the conference tournament, hitting the refresh button... and even talks about his bracket (or lack thereof)!!!

Scott makes a third appearance! We talk the end of the Phil Cunningham era, the NFL Draft and more!