SB Nation's Rodger Sherman previewed nearly every team that made the NCAA tournament, but he wants you to know that doesn't mean his predictions are good or even just okay. Still, we decide to ask him about the surprises of the Sweet 16, which team from the state of North Carolina has the best chance to advance to the Final Four, and whether space travel will be commonplace before Northwestern makes the tourney. There's also a quick round of Ask Jane, covering Metallica, rivalry trophies, and...

USA Today reporter Nicole Auerbach joins us to discuss John Calipari's enterprising days as a young basketball player/landlord, which teams you should embrace and avoid in the bracket, what AARP age coach you want taking the last shot for you in a tie game, and why there's no good reason the IOC can't organize Dog Olympics. Plus, Jane and Ryan discuss their personal athletic lows and the perils of keeping Twitter open when you're watching a game through a streaming connection.

Spencer Hall, Editorial Director at SB Nation and Editor at Every Day Should Be Saturday, gives us his thoughts on how to deal with the college football offseason (playoff hockey is your friend), makes ill-advised predictions with us about the 2015 season (sorry, teams we have inevitably over or underrated), and plays a thrilling trivia game we call Florida or Tennessee? It ends with him doubting everything he knows, which is nice.

SB Nation's NBA editor Mike Prada joins us to discuss our very bad ideas to tweak the dunk contest, three point shootout, and the All-Star Game. We also look ahead to the second half stories in both the West and the East, take a moment to feel bad for Carlos Boozer, and brainstorm Valentine's Day for the busy basketball writer. SPECIAL NOTE: This episode was recorded in a conference room, which is why it sounds like it was recorded in a conference room. Just being extremely professional, as...

To close out the year, we bring on Dan Rubenstein to talk favorites and not-favorites - in football, in other sports, and in the world more generally. What do we like? Late night Pac-12 madness, Johnny Weir, rookie wide receivers, and bacon-wrapped dates. What don't we like? You have to listen to find out if we picked something that will make you mad.

We missed you just as much as you missed us, so Jane and Ryan have a lengthy conversation about: - all possible feelings related to Michigan's coaching hunt - what a weird coaching hiring season it's been generally - assigning each CFB Playoff team a Janet Jackson song - of course we gave Alabama "Rhythm Nation" - the Pro Bowl, and how it can be improved

Our look at the contenders for the final College Football Playoff spot concludes with a discussion of the Baylor Bears with Mark Seymour and the Arizona Wildcats with Kevin Zimmerman. We also get Jane's thoughts on the new Terminator trailer and Mike Riley moving to Nebraska. Is Mike Riley a T-1000? A really nice T-1000? Maybe!

A week from today, we'll know who's in the College Football Playoff's first semifinal games and who isn't. TCU's got a spot (maybe? possibly? I guess?) locked up if they can beat Iowa State, so we talk to Jamie Plunkett from Frogs O' War about how confident he is in TCU's position and what Gary Patterson will do if the Horned Frogs get left out. We also chat with Land-Grant Holy Land's Luke Zimmermann about Ohio State's chances and the inevitable dread that comes from facing Melvin Gordon.

NBA writer and old basketball player connoisseur Paul Flannery stops by to talk about the early season surprises, why we can't shut up about the Lakers, theoretical trades for Rajon Rondo, the Malice at the Palace, and some very early (and inconsequential) predictions. We also apologize for last week's college football hex. It was Jane's fault.

No guests this week because we think we're capable of talking about the Huskers, Hurricanes, Sun Devils, and a variety of other college football teams without anyone's help! (We're probably totally wrong.) Plus, there's a round of Ask Jane and we settle which compass direction is college football's best.

We're halfway through the NFL season, so that means it's time to run through every team in the league by asking SB Nation NFL editor Ryan Van Bibber one - and only one - question on each franchise! Questions like: - Would you eat a stewed raven? - Are the Vikings the best bad team in the NFL? - What's happened to Philip Rivers? - Will the Bucs finish last in the garbage heap we call the NFC South? It's fun, unless you're a fan of a bad team, which really isn't our fault. Don't punish us...

The World Series is underway, and either the Giants or Royals will take home the most fragile-looking trophy in sports. We talk to Bill Hanstock about why the Giants are America's unloved cousin and Minda Haas about how the upper limit for playoff ticket prices in Kansas City does not exist. There's also dessert chatter, mayoral trivia, and a very Florida story.

Leaves are changing, Halloween is just around the corner, and that means one thing: college basketball season!  Wait, no it doesn't. But we're talking to Brian Barbour about UNC hoops and Steve Pierce about BYU's basketball chances this year all the same, because we refuse to be constrained by your "calendar." Jane also rates random things by how Michigany they are. It's science!

What's the worst sandwich to get for Christmas? Which dead celebrity should you take to Disneyland? What SEC school is most like Newton's Third Law of Motion? Is going to law school a good idea? These and other important questions our listeners posed are answered by me, a confirmed idiot.

It's a huge weekend in college football, so I'm talking to writers who follow three of the teams with the most on the line: Bob Lynch of Red Cup Rebellion for Mississippi, Eric Murtaugh of One Foot Down for Notre Dame, and David from Rock Chalk Talk for Kansas. You damn right we talking Kansas.

Baseball playoffs are just around the corner, and Ryan needs a team to root for, because he's incredibly behind. And what better way to find a team to root for than to ask team bloggers to make the case for supporting the Dodgers, Tigers, Pirates, and Royals? There are literally dozens of better ways, you say? Huh.

Given what a sad and frustrating week or so it's been to be an NFL fan, Jon and Ryan decide to change pace this episode and talk with SB Nation contributor Jane Coaston about the problems with football and how we address them as people who love the sport.

Jon and Ryan spend one minute - and only one minute* - on each NFL team with SB Nation's resident handsomeness and fantasy football expert, Matt Ufford. Will Sammy Watkins be amazing? Can the Cowboys break the record for yards allowed? What is your favorite vegetable? And stick around for the end of the episode, where we have a special request for all our listeners. *We go over a minute in one instance to make fun of Kenny Chesney.

Statistical virtuoso and good writerer Bill Connelly joins us to talk about muting college football broadcasts, which teams he thinks might over- and underachieve this season, why the Big 12 is unpredictable chaos, and which US Open player is best compared to UCLA. Plus, Jon answers reader questions that make no sense whatsoever!

Sarah Kogod tells us how pedicures lead to the best interviews, which NFC East team will frustrate its fans the most, why Rex Grossman has the greatest job, and whether Richard Sherman is more fun than pizza. Jon and Ryan also share their love of finding weird and sad NFL games. (Obviously nothing is more fun than pizza.)

What is the Pac-12? Is it full of the right kinds of cholesterol? What happens if you put the Pac-12 in water? Does the Pac-12 come in Portuguese? These are not the questions we asked Pacific Takes founder Avi Kunnath about his favored conference, because they do not make any sense. But we do talk about Seventh Heaven and puberty, so.

Baseball's trade deadline has passed, and - what? Of course we knew it was the trade deadline. Why would you even suggest otherwise? We looked it up and everything. Then we talked to Camden Chat's Stacey Folkemer and Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles about the day's trades and what it means for the Orioles, Giants, and their division rivals. Ryan also asks Jon questions about condiments.

True NBA fans know the purest basketball can only be found at the Vegas Summer League, where everyone shoots poorly and hardly anyone is paying attention. We talk to basketball fashionista Mike Prada about improving the Summer League trophies, Vegas nightlife, and why Tim Duncan should be destroying rookies for our amusement.

The Tour de France is one of the oldest and most elegant ways in which a person can nearly kill oneself for sport, and our guest Pete Holby helps us learn what makes it so appealing, whether it will ever appeal to a broader American audience, and why Lance Armstrong does not care what you think as long as he beats you.

NBA Free Agency is in full swing, so Jon and Ryan go all-out with a triple header episode featuring Seth Rosenthal on the New York Knicks, Rebecca Lawson on the Dallas Mavericks, and Ricky O'Donnell on the Chicago Bulls. They're all faced with the same tough question: who will win the heart of basketball's greatest free agent, Chris "Birdman" Andersen?