Against the Grain

We are less than 50 days away from the BIGGEST sporting event in the WORLD. The World Cup is coming to the US, Mexico, and Canada starting on June 11th and going until July 19th. Our crew today (Julian, Andrew, Max, and Jacob) gives an in-depth breakdown of the top teams at the tournament, a group stage preview, and a solemn brief on the state of the US Men's National Team. There are many question...

In our final episode of the semester, we look back on a great year of Against The Grain. From great takes and total misses to unforgettable quotes and memorable moments, we recap the highlights from all of last year! Tune in to hear our end-of-the-year awards segment ("The Grainies")!! After looking inward, we turn our attention to what was an unbelievable 1st round draft night. Who were the bigge...

As our motivation for school fades away, our excitement for sports goes on an absolute heater with the beginning of the NBA & NHL playoffs. Nothing beats this part of the year, and the crew has you covered with the best analysis and predictions set for every first-round matchup in the NBA & NHL. Who will come out of the West? Are the Lakers really nothing without Luka & Reaves? Will MJ...

On this week's episode of Against the Grain, we take a deep dive into our beloved Rice University's greatest tradition: Beer Bike! In a bold attempt to explain this borderline inconceivable event to a broader audience, we were joined by friend of the show, Sandra Alb, a captain of the Duncan College women's bike and chug teams, as well as a college beer bike coordinator. She gave us insight into r...

Get ready for an all-basketball week! Your Against the Grain hosts give a full breakdown of each of your Final Four teams. Can Keaton Wagler keep the Illinois offense chugging amidst their defensive resurgence? Is Arizona v Michigan set to be the best Final Four game of all time? Is Dan Hurley going to chest bump a ref again? We have all these answers and more. The gang follows up our college bask...

This episode rocks!! Rachel gives a wild statement about March Madness brackets that must be put in the record books. Our resident baseball knowers, Jacob and Seth, give a full breakdown of the upcoming MLB season (and why the Dodgers are a shoo-in). We run back the youngins (Seth & Neil) and the oldheads (Garret & Fox) in a game to be remembered (for dubious reasons). Garret and Ian lamen...

We sit down with Rice WBB senior Shelby Hayes to start off this week's episode of Against the Grain, where she gives us an inside look into the Owl squad that has now won a program record 22 straight games, a streak that dates all the way back to Thanksgiving. The crew also discusses if anyone can stop Arsenal in the Champions League, and if anyone can stop the big 3 powerhouses in college basketb...

Last year we never would've thought that we'd end up talking so much about hockey, but lo and behold! We also preview the upcoming World Baseball Classic and give our Owls their flowers as Swim and Dive wins their second consecutive American Conference championship and the Rice women's basketball team wins their 20th game in a row headed into the final stretch of the season. Tune in next Saturday...

We sure do! Whether it's ski jumping, curling, the NBA tankathon, or MJ and the alleged dollar hot dog night at Rice baseball, there's plenty to talk about this week on Against the Grain. As the final weekend of the Olympics approaches, we broke down the biggest storylines and results from sports you may not have even known existed. Rice Women's Basketball goes on the road looking for their 19th s...

Do your local Whataburger employees know your name? Here at Against the Grain, they absolutely do! Today, we break down an NBA trade deadline chock-full of moves. Are people sleeping on Jared McCain to the thunder? Should you be sound-asleep on the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade? Is Grand Theft Alvarado 6 going to drop this year? We answer all these questions and take guesses at who the absolute worst fr...

Chaos broke out in what we thought was going to be a slower sports week, though this week's episode was anything but slow. The Dodgers are ruining baseball, Arizona MBB cannot be stopped, Rice WBB cannot be stopped, and we talked about...wrestling? On an episode full of curveballs and a slower week inside the hedges we talk baseball, basketball, wrestling and Olympic hockey before rapid firing pre...

After Bo Nix' ankle mysteriously snapped in half, resident Broncos fan Neil was left no choice but to defend Jarrett Stidham and the mile high crew as they battle Drake "Drake Maye" Maye (or in the words of Neil "Drake-Drake Maye-Maye") and the Patriots of New England. Jacob's hometown squad (the LA Rams) head to Lumen Field to take on the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC title led by arguable MVP Mat...

2026 is here, and your Against The Grain hosts are prepared to tell you exactly what will happen in sports this year (just don't bet on it)! Rice Women's Basketball is flying through its conference schedule, and we break down the secret to its 9-game win streak. Outside the hedges, we're preparing for a classic CFP final (or another Indiana route). We discuss the biggest storylines from this year'...

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...

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 to end all road trips there's never a dull moment...

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...

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 liabilitie...

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 syll...

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 M...

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 anoth...

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.

We kick things off with Around the Hedges , going through postseason updates and AAC honors. Then it's time for Whose Take Is It Anyway? , where Juju, Brandon, David, and Jacob react to some of the semester’s wildest takes. Garret and Max host our first (and soon-to-be annual) Awards show—complete with speeches, music, and a buzzer to play people off. We wrap up with a predictions recap and a spec...

In today’s episode, we go Around the Hedges —shoutout to the Men’s Tennis team for winning the AAC! Then we dive into Round 1 of the NFL Draft, breaking down the biggest surprises and trades, including the Jaguars and Giants trading up to get their guys. Next, we cover early NBA Playoff results, surprises, and storylines. Then, we open up the mail and discuss if we are buying or selling the takes...

We are so excited to have NFL wide receiver and Rice alum Luke McCaffrey join the show! Ahead of the NFL Draft, Luke looks back on his own draft experience and what it was like stepping into the league alongside quarterback Jayden Daniels. We talk about his rookie season with the Commanders, the biggest takeaways heading into Year 2, and what he's focusing on this offseason. Luke also reflects on...

With both the NBA and NHL playoffs tipping off, the Around the Hedges crew is all in on postseason talk. We start with a trip Around the Hedges before diving into a full NBA Playoffs preview, breaking down the biggest storylines, matchups to watch, and bold predictions. Then, it's time for a Non-All-Star Playoff Draft, where we see if a squad of overlooked players could actually compete with real...