Make-or-Break NFL QBs, a CFB Preview, and the WNBA Renaissance With Todd McShay and Diana Taurasi

**Bill Simmons** (0:00)
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The Bill Simmons Podcast is brought to you by The Ringer Podcast Network where I put up a new episode of The Rewatchables yesterday. We did Aliens. It finally happened after nine years. One of the most requested movies that we've ever had for the Rewatchables Podcast finally happened. Aliens, one of the 10 greatest sequels of all time. So go check that one out. I did a bunch of podcasts last week, including two over under podcasts with Cousin Sal. We did AFC. We did NFC. If you missed any of that, please go check it out. Got to mention the AFC podcast, I talked about how I got my daughter's boyfriend to play some bets for me in Massachusetts because I was in LA.
Did not know about the proxy rules. Yeah, there's some real rules with this stuff.
They've ruled that not only are the bets going to be voided, and I learned my lesson. Apparently, proxy betting not allowed. I actually thought it was, but that's fine.
Now my daughter has to break up with her boyfriend. That was the other thing they ruled. No, I'm kidding. They're going to stay together. But yeah, I did learn. Not allowed to do that. All those bets went out the window. All that special time I had with Hank.
Out the window as well. The good news is, I'm going to be in Boston, and maybe at some point, I'll make some more wagers down the road. So there you go, lesson learned. Coming up on this podcast, we're going to talk football and college football with Todd McShay, because we need to have him on before the NFL season. And then Diana Taurasi, who was on the last Grantland Basketball Hour ever, who was on my podcast the first year, I think, when she was playing in Russia. Yeah, first or second year. I can't remember. She's back. We're going to talk WNBA. We're going to try to have a really fun women's basketball conversation, where we don't hit all the stupid content guardrails that everybody hits and just talk about basketball. It's going to be fun. We're going to have a break, Pearl Jam, and then Todd McShay.
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Thank you for joining us. We'll see you next time. Todd McShay is here. College football season, really kicking off this weekend. NFL starting next week. You want to start NFL first or college first? Your pick.

**Todd McShay** (3:48)
Let's go NFL first.

**Bill Simmons** (3:50)
Okay. I've made, I always feel like there's eight teams that can basically be realistic Super Bowl contenders. And even though Sal and I did the AFC and NFC over-unders last week, I still didn't have my eight, and I think I have six. And I wanted to bounce off the other spots for you.
I always have a pen and a piece of paper.

**Diana Taurasi** (4:11)
I always keep you on your toes.

**Bill Simmons** (4:13)
Yeah. All right. So here's who I have. Rams and Seahawks have to be in there. So that's easy. We got to, I think from AFC, the two teams I feel the best about are the Texans and the Ravens Texans. Cause they have the best defense in the league Ravens. Cause of the schedule. I like Jesse Minter made all these cases last week. So I have those four. I have the Broncos, who I think people are sleeping on a little bit from a town on the roster standpoint. I think people are looking at them as making too big of a step back. I just like them more than the Chiefs. That's five. Eagles. Cause of the amount of talent they have. That's six.
So I have two spots left.
One is for the bills or the Patriots. And I'm biased. You might be less biased than me, but give me your bills or Patriots.