The Matt Cave Podcast

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The Matt Cave Podcast

THE voice for Utah sports. Weekly episodes on your favorite podcast listening app!

09/17/2026

Utah Mammoth Training Camp begins TODAY!!!

The boys are back in town at the Sandy Ice Center, and there is a lot to be excited about heading into the 2026-27 season.

55 players are reporting to camp. Five goalies. 50 skaters.

And the biggest takeaway?

NO HOLDOUTS. NO INJURIES.

Everyone should be ready to go.

Now comes the fun part. How hard will the young guns like Tij Iginla, Caleb Desnoyers, Daniil But and Dmitri Simashev push the veterans for their spots?

There is going to be plenty to watch over the next few weeks, and this could be a really fun season for the Mammoth.

2026-27 is almost here.

09/16/2026

Diego Luna has a meniscus tear, and at this point, Real Salt Lake's season feels like it's gone from disappointing to downright depressing.

This season started with so much promise. Top four in MLS! Then came the long World Cup break, and when RSL returned, they simply weren't the same team.

Since then, it's been one thing after another. Justen Glad went down, taking the anchor of the back line with him. Zavier Gozo was sold to Crystal Palace, taking another piece of the attack with him. And now Diego Luna is dealing with a meniscus tear.

Sergio Salas has continued to score goals, but RSL just can't seem to get both ends of the field working at the same time.

At this point, RSL isn't limping to the finish line.

I'm not sure they can even make it there.

09/15/2026

BYU has a new storyline to deal with that both Utah and Utah State have managed to avoid so far this season: injuries.

The Cougars will be without two defensive starters this week, with Raider Damuni out for at least three weeks and Siale Esera listed as week-to-week. They also lost backup running back Sione Moa to a knee injury in Week 1, and he is likely out for the season.

Kalani Sitake has consistently praised BYU's depth, and the linebacker room is deep enough to absorb Esera's absence. The bigger concern may be the secondary. Tommy Prassas filled in for Damuni last week and looked overmatched at times.

Kelly Poppinga did a good job adjusting against Arizona, but the truly good teams on BYU's schedule are going to be better equipped to find and exploit a weak spot.

This isn't DefCon 1 for BYU. Not even close.

But with the schedule about to get much tougher after this week's game at Colorado State, it's definitely something worth watching.

09/14/2026

Apparently Monday got away from Matt a little bit, because this post is showing up later than usual. Better late than never, right?

After taking some time to think about Week 2, there’s a pretty simple takeaway: Utah and BYU look legit, and Utah State may have been a lot closer to pulling off that Washington upset than anyone expected.

The AP Poll has two Utah teams making noise in different ways, and Week 3 should give everyone plenty more to talk about.

And yes, Matt is still keeping that Utah State 6-6 bowl prediction alive. Somehow.

09/13/2026

Week 2 is in the books, and Matt has a lot to say about Utah, BYU and Utah State.

Utah demolished Arkansas 43-10 and looked every bit like one of the Big 12's best teams. BYU made major defensive adjustments at halftime against Arizona and jumped all the way to No. 11 in the AP Poll. And Utah State nearly pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the week against Washington.

Matt also gives a quick Utah Mammoth rookie showcase update before wrapping things up.

The full Week 2 reaction is out now.

09/10/2026

Barry Melrose was the soundtrack to hockey for so many people who grew up watching ESPN.

For a kid in Utah who grew up without an NHL team, Barry’s passion and ability to explain the game made hockey something to care about, even for someone who had never played it.

When Barry got frustrated breaking down film, that frustration came right through the television. It was impossible not to feel his passion for the game.

He helped introduce a young Matt to a sport he eventually came to love deeply and now gets to talk about regularly.

Thank you, Coach Melrose, for the memories and for sharing your love of hockey with a kid from Utah who never got the chance to tell you what it meant.

Rest in peace, Coach.

09/09/2026

The Utah Mammoth are apparently “in” on every big-name player these days.

Auston Matthews. Connor Hellebuyck. Maybe even Adam Fantilli. At this point, who knows who’s next?

It can be frustrating when nothing actually happens, especially when Bill Armstrong keeps the front office quieter than a library.

But honestly, it’s a compliment.

Two years and three offseasons ago, Utah probably wasn’t a destination players were eager to choose. Now players, agents and families are apparently looking at Utah and seeing a team, ownership group and front office they want to be part of.

The fans deserve credit too. This may not be the NHL’s biggest market, but Utah shows up.

The Mammoth are building something special. And seeing Utah mentioned in these conversations over and over again?

That’s pretty cool.

09/08/2026

The new AP Poll is out, and BYU stays put while Utah moves up one spot thanks to Kyle Whittingham’s Michigan team laying an absolute egg.

But this isn’t really about Coach Whit, Michigan, or the ongoing national struggle to determine what exactly constitutes a catch. Seriously, it’s 2026. We still don’t know what a catch is and apparently counting to zero remains an advanced skill.

The bigger issue is that the AP Poll has become far too important for something that should basically be used for college football banter.

It’s not supposed to matter to the College Football Playoff Committee, but everyone knows the committee has to start somewhere. And while the committee says it evaluates teams individually based on performance, record and strength of schedule, nobody realistically has time to watch every game.

So those rankings matter.

The AP Poll has always had its biases. Certain teams get consistently underrated, and when they finally lose, voters get to say, “See! We told you they weren’t any good.”

Meanwhile, the flavor of the week loses and suddenly it was just “an off week.”

At the end of the day, the AP Poll should be fun. It should fuel arguments, trash talk and ridiculous preseason predictions.

It should not be treated as fact or as a sneak preview of the rankings that actually matter in November.

09/07/2026

Yesterday’s episode is still waiting for you. Go give it a listen, then share it with a friend who needs some Utah sports talk in their life.

There’s Utah, BYU, and Real Salt Lake discussion… plus Matt attempting to explain how his preseason optimism for Utah State football was definitely not a terrible decision.

In his defense, there was a plan.

The plan did not survive Week 1.

Listen, share it around, and let’s talk sports.

09/06/2026

Week 1 of college football is officially in the books, and there was plenty to talk about.

Utah looked dominant against Idaho. BYU had a strong opening performance against Utah Tech. Utah State, on the other hand, suffered a brutal home loss to Idaho State.

Matt breaks down what stood out from all three teams, what concerns are legitimate, and why it's still too early to panic about any preseason predictions. Yes, even you Aggie fans!

Then it's over to Real Salt Lake, who somehow still haven't won a league game since the end of May. A 2-2 draw with LAFC provided a point, but Matt explains why the bigger problems with RSL go well beyond the players they've sold.

The latest episode of The Matt Cave Podcast is out now.

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