Welcome to a special edition of Phantom Island, presented by our sponsor Homefield and highlighting five spots on this year's Can't Miss Kickoff Tour. We do that in the most sensible way possible: a game of Two Truths and a Lie, where Ryan Nanni runs Steven Godfrey through a gauntlet of questions about Georgia vs. the Mannings, Hugh Freeze vs. history, Indianapolis vs. the rest of the United States, and much more.

You can learn more about other Tour stops from our pals at Split Zone Duo and the Shutdown Fullcast. Phantom Island is produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey takes listener questions on football, life, and his latest sports media venture. He argues in favor of the 3-3-5, considers the future of Washington State, explains where to find coaches who don't want to jump all over the country, offers some advice on attending games solo, and provides his thoughts on the latest iteration of a Superman movie. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Here's how the narrative used to work in college football: when a coach struggling to win found himself working for a new athletic director, his chances of getting fired went up significantly. The AD, the all-powerful head of a college's sports programs, simply wouldn't owe any loyalty to an underachiever they hadn't hired.

So Ryan Nanni looked at the last four years of coach firings, compared them to a four year stretch from a decade earlier, and took the results to Steven Godfrey. Is this trope still real? Has it changed over time, and what do those shifts reflect about the power shifts within athletic departments? And how many times could you have fired Derek Dooley for the price of firing Jimbo Fisher?

Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

ESPN's Bill Connelly joins Steven Godfrey to review the underappreciated qualities of Louisville and SMU, assess Boise State and Arizona State trying to maintain momentum, name the thing Bill's looking for Clemson to do against LSU, play a terrifying game of Two Coaches Control A James Bond Villain Death Trap, and lots more. Be sure to order Bill's forthcoming book! This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey is joined by Hector Diaz to reflect on the enormity of Hulk Hogan's initial cultural impact, the decay of his image over time, the truths and falsehoods of his wrestling character and his real life, and what value nostalgia has against a litany of harmful and toxic choices. (There are plenty of wrestling stories as well.) Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

ESPN's Bill Connelly joins Steven Godfrey to talk about his forthcoming book, preview the fortunes of Virginia Tech, Cal, NC State, discuss the value of returning production versus transfers with experience, explain the ongoing challenges with previewing teams, and more. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Hugh Freeze has spent this summer 1) losing a decent number of Auburn recruits to other schools and 2) playing a lot of publicly-recorded golf. These two facts have combined to create some stress for Freeze, which Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni use to unpack the myth of the grindbro head coach, the future of our expectations from this job, and why Tulsa's embracing the links skills of their coach. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

NC State often finds itself in tricky spots – drawing less national attention than UNC or Duke, succeeding in football just enough to create expectations that then go unfulfilled, and wrestling with a legacy in men's basketball that can feel like it's fading further into the past. We talked to James Curle, Alec Lower, and Joe Ovies to learn more about what makes the Wolfpack fan base tick, whether they think NC State is a football or a basketball school, and the future with Will Wade. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.