The 2026 NFL Wild Card Round has a lot of unpredictable matchups to help us ring in the New Year, and even as the experts we are we admit that some of those games are trickier to predict. In spite of this, we press on with a bonus episode to kick off the big '26 and attempt to give you everything you need to know about the 6 unique games on the gridiron this upcoming weekend. We recorded this one virtually so forgive the slight decline in audio quality, and stay tuned for our regular show on KTRU 96.1 FM coming back in the next week or two!

We're about to go on a hiatus for winter break (and many of us already have), but before we left we made sure to give y'all everything you could need watching sports in Houston over the next couple weeks. What should you look for in the upcoming Texans and Rockets schedules - as the Texans fight for a playoff spot and the Rockets go on the road trip end all road trips there's never a dull moment as a loyal fan in H-Town. In other news, Tulane and James Madison are in the CFP and a lot of big name schools didn't quite make the cut, but who do we trust to keep their season alive come January? In a groundbreaking technological innovation on Against the Grain we figured out how to pipe a phone call into our sound board, so Jacob joined us from his home to talk baseball! Don't know when we'll have a good chance to do that again, so if that's your kind of Christmas cookie enjoy it while you've got it, and we'll see you in the big '26!

Why are your hosts so bad at sports betting? Why is Producer Ian not blessing my ears on Around the Hedges? Against the Grain has the answer to these questions and much more, as we dive into a week of nonstop action. Rice Volleyball makes the NCAA tournament once again, but how far can our owls fly? In international sports, resident soccer experts Julian Puerto and Andrew Fox give a full breakdown of the 2026 World Cup groups, showing some optimism for the boys in red, white, and blue. College football conference championships are this weekend, and the playoff implications are enormous. Who's in and who's out?

The reigning Premier League champions entered this season with high expectations, following a summer spending spree of $565M(!!) on star names including Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. A promising start in the standings masked numerous issues on the field that continue to loom over the club: new summer signings have massively underwhelmed and previously reliable club stars have become liabilities, both of which have been intensified by the lack of a clear tactical plan. The Reds have now won only 4 of their last 14 games (at the time of recording), and Head Coach Arne Slot seems to be hanging on by a thread as both supporting and rival fans clamor for his dismissal. Who’s to blame? Is it on the coach? Is it on the players? Is it just a matter of unfortunate circumstances? Join us on a BONUS episode of Against The Grain on KTRU 96.1 FM as we dissect the potential root causes of Liverpool’s poor run of form.

General Mills and his mighty men bring down the husband of Hailee Steinfeld. Does the Against the Grain team believe Money Mills is for real, and how far can the defense carry the Texans? Meanwhile, the Rockets are soaring, fresh off a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. How has Reed Sheppard transformed his game, and who in the West can stand up to this Rockets squad? Jacob forgets to count syllables, but Seth can't get over 9. As the cherry on top, Julian gives everyone a geography lesson. Finally, tune in to the predictions to see what Garret believes Alperen Sengun will do to the poor Nuggets! All this and more on another episode of 96.1 FM's Against the Grain.

Now that the College Football Playoff Committee is releasing weekly rankings, our team weighs in. Who are the frauds? Who is for real? Who's bringing home the hardware come January? We are now both a hockey and poetry podcast, neither of which anyone saw coming. We spent some time arguing about athletes named Jalen (though not Jalen Green, which is a nice change of pace), and paid homage to both Max and Pat McAfee with the final game on the predictions segment. Enjoy the fact that ESPN is back on YouTubeTV and make sure not to miss us next Saturday at 7 AM on KTRU 96.1 FM in Houston.

After a brief schism about Jacob's fashion decisions and the usual trip Around the Hedges, the squad gives you an update on the NFL's midseason status as well as previews the upcoming seasons for Rice Men's and Women's Basketball. Garret talks the talk during the debut of a new trivia game we invented, but can he walk the walk? Jacob continues his case to be the show's Poet Laureate with yet another haiku, Julian walks the city of Houston through the five stages of grief, and we talk about both baseball and hockey in the same episode, so you can mark that one off your bingo card.

WE ARE BACK to give you a taste of the Lone Star State to get started with season 2 of our show for the 2025-26 school year. Unfortunately we don't mean BBQ, but we do catch you up to speed on Julian's hometown Houston Texans and all 3 Texas NBA franchises. Also, Jacob wrote a haiku.