Week 1 of the college football season means the Barstool College Football Show is back on the road, and this time the destination is Bloomington, Indiana, ahead of the Hoosiers hosting North Texas to open their season at Memorial Stadium. The crew has spent the week hyping the trip, and by Thursday night the caravan was already rolling into town.
What’s the best rivalry in College Football? @reeses Tune into the Barstool College Football Show LIVE from Bloomington, IN at 9am ET on all Barstool platforms
That's the pitch for the show itself: a live rivalry debate and highlight package before the crew even lands in town. But the real chaos, as usual, started with the advance party. Dan DiOrio posted that the boys were en route to Bloomington and promised a night at Kilroys and Upstairs, two bars that have become as much a fixture of these road trips as the show itself.
The boys are en route to Bloomington!! Cya tonight at Kilroys and Upstairs @highnoonsunsips @KaticMichael
Whatever happened on that flight was apparently memorable enough that Jeff D. Lowe felt the need to weigh in publicly, calling it one of the more diabolical hqspider moments he's witnessed — which, given the track record of these trips, is saying something. No further details, but the bar is set for the weekend.
By Thursday night, the crew had actually touched down. DiOrio posted a walk along the sideline at Memorial Stadium, confirming the group had made it to Bloomington with Kilroys and Upstairs still next on the itinerary.
We made it to Bloomington! Next stops: Kilroys and Upstairs
The bigger picture: Indiana opens its 2026 season at home against North Texas on Saturday, and the Hoosiers have become enough of a destination that both Barstool's flagship college football show and Fox's Big Noon Kickoff are setting up on campus for it. Portnoy confirmed he's bringing Ask Dave to the broadcast, live from Bloomington alongside the Big Noon crew, while Viva La Stool put the exact time on it — 9am ET/8am CT from the South Lawn, streaming on all Barstool platforms.
None of this is small stuff for a show that lives and dies by these road trips. Landing in a town the night before, hitting the bars, then flipping into a live broadcast the next morning is the entire formula, and Indiana's rise as a legitimate college football town — not just a basketball school — makes Bloomington a fitting stop to kick off the season. Saturday will tell whether the pregame hangs held up.