The Sports Curmudgeon

After Lane Kiffin ended all the speculation about where he would be the head football coach in 2026, the college football coaching shuffle appeared to be ready to come to a halt.  But the football gods decided to throw everyone a curve; and, yesterday, we learned that Michigan fired its head coach, Sherrone Moore, for cause.  Here is part of the statement issued by the Michigan Athletic director on the matter:

“Sherrone Moore has been terminated with cause effectively immediately.  Following a university investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.  This conduct constitutes a clear violation of university policy and UM maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”

The first thing that stood out to me about that statement is the directness and the specificity of the reason for the termination.  Usually, such statements are much more carefully worded there is always some reference to “moving forward” and/or “institutional integrity” near the conclusion of the statement.  Not so here.  The university did an investigation; they found inappropriate conduct; they fired the person engaged in the inappropriate conduct.  Next …

There is another wrinkle here that is out of the ordinary.  Reports this morning say that Coach Moore was arrested by local law enforcement.  And that throws a different light on the “inappropriate relationship” mentioned by the AD.  When I read the statement for the first time, my interpretation was that Moore was doing the horizontal rhumba with a staffer.  Well, if the two of them are “consenting adults”, that would not seem to involve the local gendarmes very much.

Naturally, I wanted to know how much money was left on Coach Moore’s contract that he would seem to have “left on the table” there as a result of being fired for cause.  According to various Internet sources, that number is $13.9M.  Obviously, Sherrone Moore will retain counsel who will try to pry some of that money loose for their client; so, this story is not over yet.  The only thing that is certain now is that Michigan is in the market for a new head football coach and it jumped into that messy business very late in the cycle.  This story is still in medias res.

Moving on …  The MLB offseason – – the so-called Hot Stove League – – seems to have spun into action recently.  The Phillies re-signed slugger Kyle Schwarber to a contract worth $150M over the next 5 years.  Schwarber is about to turn 33 years old and his only real position on an MLB team is “DH”, so this is a lot of money spent on a position that normally commands half of that amount or less.

Schwarber hit 56 home runs in 2025 including one game where he launched 4 moon shots.  That too is a special level of performance for a DH but the bump in salary still seems over the top a bit given that Schwarber is a career .231 hitter.  However, it is also reported that the Orioles also offered Schwarber $150M to sign on in Baltimore, meaning the economic gurus in MLB seem to have placed a significant value on an intangible asset that Schwarber has.

And another power hitter made Hot Stove League news recently …  Pete Alonso is no longer a Met; he will take his talents on a four-hour car ride south on Interstate-95 to be part of the Baltimore Orioles.  Alonso turned 31 earlier this week; his deal is worth $155M over the next 5 years; he will average $1M per year more than Schwarber.  This deal is a bit surprising to me:

• On one hand, the O’s are not known as a big-spending club.
• On the other, they are under new ownership.
• The O’s are in a tough division and finished 12 games under .500 in 2025.  They do not seem to be “one piece away” from a meaningful playoff appearance.
• Is there more “spending” to come from the O’s to bolster the roster even further?

One thing Alonso brings to the table is reliability.  He has been in the major leagues since 2019 and if you ignore the COVID-shortened season in 2020, Alonso has appeared in 152 or more games in every other season, and he has been an All-Star for the past four straight seasons.

The NY Post reports that the Mets did not make an offer to Alonso despite his performance in 2025 where he hit .272 with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs.  It would be surprising to me to learn that the O’s outbid the Mets for a player; it is even more surprising that the Mets never entered the market to keep one of their own players.  Very strange …

Finaly, these ironic words from former NY Governor, Eliot Spitzer:

“Don’t reward bad behavior. It is one of the first rules of parenting. During the financial cataclysm of 2008, we said it differently. When we bailed out banks that had created their own misfortune, we called it a ‘moral hazard,’ because the bailout absolved the bank’s bad acts and created an incentive for it to make the same bad loans again.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

A riff on the adage, “Nothing succeeds like success” might well be:

“Nothing exceeds like excess.”

We are coming upon a spot in the sports calendar where exceeding and excess are front-and-center so that no one can miss their presence.  I refer of course to the season chock full of college football bowl games that have no connection to the College Football Playoff.  Seriously, unless you are an alum of one of the participating schools, do you really and truly give a fig who will win the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl Game this year?

There was a time when college bowl games were worthy entertainment events because there were not 41 of them (that is the number for 2025) meaning that only good teams would be on display.  This year, just to fill out the sidelines in all those games, the NCAA had to allow teams with a 5-7 regular season record to participate.  Think about it; if Whatsamatta U (with a 5-7 record) took on Mediocrity A&M (with a 6-6 record), one outcome could be that both teams might leave the stadium with losing records for 2025.  Set an alarm so I don’t miss that game …

Several teams eligible for bowl games have chosen not to participate.  Notre Dame has its nose out of joint asserting that it was snubbed by the Selection Committee for the CFP, and it is not worth Notre Dame’s time and energy to go and play a meaningless game somewhere against a meaningless opponent.  Call that arrogance if you prefer – – OR – – maybe Notre Dame and those other schools have figured something out:

• Maybe the existence of the CFP will bring on the demise of the weaklings in the minor bowl games universe?

There is historical precedence here.  In college basketball, the premier post-season event used to be the NIT; it existed before there was an NCAA College Basketball Tournament; it was more prestigious than the NCAA tournament in the early days of their co-existence.  However, as the NCAA Tournament grew in popularity and garnered more attention, the NIT had to take a back seat.  That period of co-existence still had the NIT in a position where enough people cared about the outcomes that people paid attention.  Now, with a 68-team NCAA Tournament field, the NIT is less than an afterthought.  Not to pick on the NIT, how many of you recall that in the Spring of 2025, there was a third postseason college basketball tournament in existence:

• Q:  What was the name of the tournament?  A:  The College Basketball Crown
• Q:  How many teams?  A:  Sixteen
• Q:  Who won the Crown?  A:  Nebraska
• Q:  How many teams in the field had double-digit losses?   A:  All of them

            I knew the answers to the first two questions and was pretty sure of the answer to the fourth question above, but I had to go and look up who won the tournament.  It is quite possible that the same thing will befall the minor college football bowl games down the line.  Here is how it might go:

• Interest is focused on the CFP – – maybe expanded to 16 teams soon?
• Interest in minor games wanes and TV ratings drop
• Sponsors do not pony up big money for naming rights
• Sponsors do not buy ad time for the games except at rock-bottom rates
• The networks – – who own many of the minor bowl games – – look to “consolidate”.
  • • Translation: They are trying to cut their losses.
• More schools choose not to accept invites and games go out of existence.

That scenario is not good news for networks nor for that segment of the TV audience that would choose to watch any football game between any two teams at any level of competence.  But it could happen …

And, as usual, I have an off-the-wall idea for the networks and for college football fans to feed their habit:

• In the Spring – – after March Madness concludes – – pick 8 college football teams from around the country.  Do it by a lottery if you want to; just be sure that all 8 teams had a winning record the year before.
• Put them in brackets and play it down as a “Spring Football Tournament”

Teams are going to have “Spring Practice” anyway; teams will play an intra-squad game anyway; why not have 8 of them play a Spring Practice Game against another school instead of against itself?

You know who would absolutely HATE that idea?  That would be the owners of the UFL because I am confident that given a choice of watching a football game in April between two college teams or a game between two UFL teams, more people would watch the college games.

Finally, I’ll close with these words of wisdom from P.J. O’Rourke:

“When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Yesterday, I recalled the “good old days” of Big East college basketball and after posting my rant on that subject, it occurred to me that the Big East seems to be on an ascendant track while ACC basketball seems to be on a downward arc.  Back when the Big East was prominent – – 30 years ago or more – – the ACC was equally prominent.  The Big East declined significantly and is now “coming back” while the ACC seems still to be less than it used to be.

In the past, you could start to think about the upcoming college basketball season, and you could count on Duke, UNC, NC State and Maryland to offer strong teams.  Often other schools would have serious teams on display like Wake Forest (the Tim Duncan years) and Georgia Tech (the Bobby Cremins years) and Virginia (the Ralph Samson years).  That seems not to be the case today – – and in recent years.

I went back and looked at last year’s March Madness bracket; there were only 4 teams from the ACC included in the field of 68 teams.  Getting four teams in the tournament field would have been laudable when the ACC had 8 members; today, the ACC has 18 members.  I think part of the ACC decline can be explained by the exodus of a lot of top-shelf coaches in a short period of time.  Since the COVID cancellation year in 2020, here are some – – probably not all – – of the iconic coaches who retired from ACC schools:

• Tony Bennett – Virginia
• Jim Boeheim – Syracuse
• Mike Brey – Notre Dame
• Mike Krzyzewski – Duke
• Jim Larranega – Miami
• Roy Williams – UNC

That coaching array attracted a lot of talent to the ACC simply because “everyone knew those names”; if a kid or a parent got a call or a letter or an email from one of those coaches, it probably did not go directly into the recycling pile or the great bit-box in the sky.  Those coaches probably have some involvement with those school athletic programs, but they are not the ones active in “closing the deal” with a prized prospect.  It will take time for the current crop of coaches to earn their stripes; ACC basketball will return to prominence just as Big East basketball is in the process of doing; it will just take a bit of time.

Moving on …  It seems that the trial date has been set in the gambling cases brought against two Cleveland Guardians’ pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz; reports say that jury selection will begin on May 4^th, 2026.  Clase and Ortiz are accused of being involved with an illegal sports betting ring and that they intentionally threw specific pitches in specific circumstances so that other members of the betting ring could cash in game bets; Clase and Ortiz have entered pleas of “Not Guilty”.

In addition, Clase is alleged to have been involved with the illegal betting ring and then “expanded its reach” by recruiting Ortiz into the operation.  A report at The Athletic said that as part of discovery, the prosecutors have already turned over a terabyte of information about their case to the defense teams.  Just to give you an idea of how much data that is:

• One of these rants is about 20 kilobytes in storage size.
• One terabyte therefore is approximately 50 million of these rants.
• If I were to write 200 rants a year, it would take 250,000 years to finish the assignment.

Switching gears …  The Colts lost QB, Daniel Jones, to an Achilles injury on Sunday.  Anthony Richardson is also out for the year with an injury and the Colts’ fast start to the 2025 season seems to be derailed.  However, this morning the story is that the Colts worked out Philip Rivers to see if he might come out of retirement for the stretch run in 2025.  In case Rivers has been flushed from your memory banks:

• He is 44 years old and retired after the 2020 season. (His birthday was yesterday).
• He is a borderline Hall of Fame QB.
• He was in the NFL for 17 seasons and threw 421 TDs and 209 INTs.

During his retirement years, Philip Rivers had been the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama.  Rivers was particularly good throwing the “deep ball” during his active NFL days; it would be interesting to see video of his workout with the Colts to see if that part of his skill set remained intact.

Finally, here is a comment that may have haunted Philip Rivers for the last several years:

• The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

The LA Clippers are a mess.  They are in 14^th place in the NBA Western Conference; realize there are only 15 teams in that conference; their record as of this morning is 6-18.  Late last week, the Clippers basically fired Chris Paul; they simply told him to leave the team and go home; they said they would “work with him and his representatives” related to any future endeavors he might be interested in.

Chris Paul is 39 years old; his skills have diminished due to the passage of time.  Having said that, Chris Paul will probably be a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection in the near future; yes, his skills have diminished, but they have diminished from an exceptionally high level.  Moreover, Chris Paul has been a positive influence in the league and as a union member for many years; he had earned a less insulting end to his time with the Clippers.

A glance at the Clippers’ roster might shed some light on why that team is mired in a winning percentage of .250:

• Even with Chris Paul sent home, there are seven players over the age of 30.
• Three of those seven are over the age of 35.
• Kawai Leonard is 34 and needs extensive load management.
• Bradley Beal is 32 and is already injured and out for the rest of the year.

I have no idea who are the folks in the Clippers’ organization responsible for roster construction, but I do think that – – maybe – – those roster constructors are the ones that should be sent home.

Moving on …  In college basketball, the Big East seems to be having a revival.  Seton Hall, UConn and Villanova all have only one loss on their record so far in 2025.  However, I think there is another dimension to the Big East Revival – – the return of coaches who are sideline presences.

In the old days, the Big East had some great teams AND the Big East had coaches who were usually described as “colorful”, but that underestimated them.  Remember coaches like John Thompson, Lou Carnesecca, Rollie Massamino, Jim Boeheim, Rick Pitino, PJ Carlesimo and Jim Calhoun.  Sometimes, those coaches put on nearly as entertaining a show on the sidelines as the players did on the court.  The conference went through a “down cycle” but seems on the way back now and interesting coaches are back in charge of programs.

• Shaheen Holloway at Seton Hall
• Shaka Smart at Marquette
• Kevin Willard at Villanova

Those three guys are sideline presences, but all of them have to be rated at a tier below Rick Pitino at St. John’s and Dan Hurley at UConn.  Rick Pitno was in the “old version” of the Big East and did battle with those guys listed above; he is back in the conference again with the Red Storm.  Dan Hurley would have fit in perfectly with the old cadre of Big East coaches save for the fact that in the last 1980s, Dan Hurley was just about ready to get his learners permit to drive a car.

And just to add a juicy storyline to Big East basketball, Rick Pitino will necessarily face his son, Richard Pitino, because “Pitino the Younger” oversees basketball at Xavier starting with this season.  My interest in Big East Basketball is on the upswing …

One more note in college basketball today …  I was scanning the Top 25 rankings this morning for men’s college basketball and noticed that there are no “small schools” or “mid-majors” there.  There are some teams that I do not normally associate with top-shelf college basketball, but the schools that fit that description are all “big guys” on the college landscape.  Probably the closest thing to a “small school” on the list would be St. John’s ranked 23^rd in the AP Poll – – and in the world of basketball, St. John’s is hardly a “little guy”.

I suspect that this situation is related to the NIL environment and the ability of bigger schools to have bigger NIL budgets leading to concentration of talent at the bigger schools.  You can decry that if you wish, but I think it is a key element in the reality of college basketball in 2025/2026.  We will see in March 2026 if there are “Cinderellas” out there looking to knock off these bug guys – – or if the phenomenon of “Tournament Cinderellas” is going into decline.

Finally, this from former UCLA coach, John Wooden:

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Friday rolled around quickly this week – – or so it seems.  So, I have fastened my seatbelt and am ready to launch another Football Friday.  I’ll start as usual with a review of last week’s “Betting Bundle”.

• Spreads and Totals:              3-2-0
• Season to Date:                     24-37-2

And …

• Money Line Parlays:             1-1                   Profit = $175
• Season to Date:                     13-18               Profit = $402

Here is the final regular season result for Georgia Tech – – my “sleeper team” identified back in August before the season began.

Georgia 19  Georgia Tech 9:  The Tech defense showed up here and held the Bulldogs to only 70 yards passing in the game.  Unfortunately, the Georgia defense showed up too and held Tech to only 9 points in the game.  Tech finishes the season with a 9-3 record; Georgia is 11-1.  Tech will not play in the ACC Championship Game this week nor will it play in the CFP; however, they should get a nice bowl invitation and should be happy with a 9-win season.

 

College Football Commentary:

 

            I mentioned the ACC Championship Game above; it bears a larger mention here.  The game will involve Virginia (10-2 overall and 7-1 in conference games – – sort of) and not too many folks would have a problem with the Cavaliers participating there.  Some nitpickers might point out that a loss to NC State (also in the ACC) did not count against the Cavs’ conference record because the game took place “outside the schedule range” for conference games.  Don’t get me started on professional rule makers…!

The other team in that Championship game is Duke.  The Blue Devils finished with a conference record of 6-2 – – and so did four other ACC teams including my “sleeper team” and Miami who is the highest ranked ACC team by the CFP Selectors.  All 5 of those ACC teams have the same conference record but here are the overall records to consider:

• Miami             10-2
• Georgia Tech 9-3
• Pittsburgh      8-4
• SMU                8-4
• Duke               7-5

If you are wondering how that came to be the pairing for the ACC Championship Game let me just say that the “rule makers” in the ACC – – the same ones that did not count that loss by Virginia to NC State because of the date the game took place – – also came up with a set of rules for tiebreakers at the end of the season.

I am not a “Duke Hater”; in fact, #2 son is a Duke alum.  Notwithstanding that family tie to Duke, those tiebreaking rules make no damned sense.  Period.

Considering the CFP situation – – which of course can be modified significantly by the results of the conference championship games this weekend – – I want to offer a way to look at the selection process.

• If a coach or an AD or a University President feels the need to make a statement intended for national attention about the righteousness of that particular school’s worthiness for a CFP slot, then that team does not really belong in the tournament.
• Supreme Court Justice, Potter Stewart, famously said that he could not precisely define hard-core pornography, but that “I know it when I see it.”  Same goes for teams that truly belong in the CFP; they don’t need PR campaigns; they just belong there.

[Aside:  Here is Justice Stewart’s full statement on the matter: “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description [‘hard‑core pornography’], and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.”]

Over in the SEC, the Championship Game pairs Alabama and Georgia via a different set of tiebreakers in use by that conference.  The matchup is strange – – but not nearly as outrageous as the one in the ACC – – so take a look:

• Georgia          7-1 in conference                    11-1 overall
• Ole Miss         7-1 in conference                    11-1 overall
• Texas A&M     7-1 in conference                    11-1 overall
• Alabama         7-1 in conference                    10-2 overall

One more confusing conference championship matchup will take place in the Mountain West with UNLV playing Boise St. for the title.  Here is how the leaders in that conference finished the season:

• UNLV                6-2 in conference                    10-2 overall
• New Mexico   6-2 in conference                    9-3 overall
• San Diego St  6-2 in conference                    9-3 overall
• Boise St           6-2 in conference                    8-4 overall

The Big-10 and the Big-12 have clear-cut participants in their Championship Game.  Indiana and Ohio State are the only two unbeaten teams in the country and they will square off probably to determine the overall #1 seed in the CFP.  BYU and Texas Tech have the best conference records and the best overall records in the Big-12 and will play for the championship there.

Looking at the conference standings in general for this season popped an ominous thought into my head regarding the future of college football.

• With the expansion of conferences to their bloated sizes of today and with the demonstrated potential for congestion at the top of the standings to cause confusion/consternation, might one of the conferences think about having a 4-team Conference Tournament to determine its champion instead of a single Championship Game?
• Do not dismiss this too quickly; there is money to be made in such a situation.

Here are comments about some of last week’s games starting in the SEC:

Ole Miss 38  Miss St. 19:  Cannot see any way that Ole Miss misses out on a CFP invitation with an 11-1 record.

Texas 27  Texas A&M 17:  One of the three unbeaten teams going into last week’s games bit the dust here.  Somehow, that loss will keep the Aggies out of the SEC Championship Game.  Will that win by the Longhorns be enough to get Texas with an overall 9-3 record a place in the CFP?

Oklahoma 17  LSU 13:  The Sooners will be hoping for a CFP invitation with their 10-2 record; LSU will prefer not to recall this season’s record of 7-5.

Vandy 45  Tennessee 24:  Vandy finishes the year at 10-2 while Tennessee finishes at 8-4.  This is the first time in school history Vandy has double-digit wins in a football season which is a big deal considering that Vandy first began playing intercollegiate football in 1890.

• Quick Quiz:  Who was the President of the United States in 1890?
• Answer Below

Alabama 27  Auburn 20:  The win gives “Bama a final record of 10-2 and participation in the SEC Championship Game – –  and the win prevents rival Auburn from becoming bowl-eligible.  Happy times in Tuscaloosa!

And in the Big-12 …

K-State 24  Colorado 14:  The Buffaloes finish at 3-9 overall and at 1-8 in conference games.   Coach Prime needs to work the Transfer Portal more effectively this year.

Iowa St. 20  Oklahoma St. 13:  The Cowboys finish at 1-11.  Oklahoma St. has not won a conference game or a game against a Division 1-A opponent since 2023.

Texas Tech 49  West Virginia 0:   Tech finishes the regular season at 11-1.

• Tech had 572 yards on offense.
• West Virginia had 180 yards.
• ‘Nuff said.

BYU 41  UCF 21:  BYU also finishes regular season at 11-1.  Their single loss was to Texas Tech by 22 points in early November.  This week is an opportunity for the Cougars to avenge that loss.

As for action in the Big-10:

Iowa 40  Nebraska 16:  Iowa scored 40 points in one game?

USC 29  UCLA 10:  There was a time when this rivalry game was also nationally interesting.  Not this year …

Oregon 26  Washington 14:  Oregon finishes 11-1 and that loss was by 10 points to undefeated Indiana.  The Huskies are 8-4 and should get a decent bowl invitation.

Penn St. 40  Rutgers 36:  Penn St. became bowl eligible with this win; Rutgers failed to become bowl-eligible with this loss.

Ohio St. 27  Michigan 9:  The Buckeyes finish at 12-0. The officiating in this game was less competent than the players in this game.

In ACC action:

Miami 38  Pitt 7:  Will that be enough for a CFP invitation to the Hurricanes?  Miami has 2 losses – – to Louisville and SMU by a total of 9 points.  In terms of “signature wins”, Miami beat Notre Dame by a field goal back in September.

BC 34  Syracuse 12:  That is only the second win of the year for BC.  Syracuse finishes at 3-9.

Duke 49  Wake Forest 32:  Both teams will go to bowl games this year.  Duke will play in the ACC Championship Game.

Virginia 27  Va Tech 7:  A big rivalry win for the Cavaliers and a final record of 10-2 overall.   Next up is the ACC Championship Game.

Cal 38  SMU 35:  If SMU had won here, they would have been in the ACC Championship Game.  SMU led 35-32 with 2 minutes left in the game – – but could not hold on.

NC State 42  UNC 19:  The “Bill Belichick Experience” was not a positive experience in Chapel Hill this year.

In the Mountain West …

UNLV 42  Nevada 17:  UNLV quietly finished the season with a 10-2 record.

Boise St. 25  Utah St. 24:  Boise St. barely eked out a win here, but it was all it needed to assure a berth in the MWC title game.

New Mexico 23  San Diego St. 17:  The  Aztecs lost 2 of their last 3 games when I looked as if they had a stranglehold on the conference standings.  That’s why you play the games …

And in games of interest to me …

North Texas 52  Temple 25:  North Texas will play for the AAC Championship next week.  North Texas has a freshman RB who has been on fire this season; in this game, Caleb Hawkins ran for 186 yards and 4 TDs.

James Madison 59  Coastal Carolina 10:  Too bad JMU and North Texas cannot play off for that CFP slot assigned to teams outside the Power-4.

Delaware 61  UTEP 31:  Delaware finishes at 6-6, which is a very good record for a team in its first season at the Division 1-A level.  Congratulations to Delaware.

La Tech 42  Missouri St. 20:  Even with a loss here, Missouri St. is bowl-eligible in their first year as a Division 1-A team with a 7-5 record.  Congratulations to Missouri St.

Middle Tenn 31  New Mexico St. 24:  This is the third win of the season for Middle Tennessee St. and it saves them from the SHOE Tournament.

Florida 40  Florida St. 21:  Both teams finish under .500 for the season and will not be involved in any bowl games.

Washington St. 32  Oregon St. 8:  Washington St. finishes the season at 6-6 and will represent the “PAC-2” in a bowl game somewhere.

• Quick Quiz Answer:  Benjamin Harrison was President of the United States in 1890

Now with the regular season at an end, it is time to award the Brothel Defense Award for 2025.  Drum roll please:

• UMass wins the award giving up 38.6 points per game in 2025.

            The Brothel Defense Award came into being in 2020; so, this is the 6^th time it has been given to a college football team.  Of those 6 times, UMass has been the “winner” of the award 3 times now (2021, 2023 and now again in 2025).  Amazing …

Next on the agenda is the seeding for the SHOE Tournament.  Remember the format here; it is an eight-team field.  The teams play one another, and the losing team must play on until there is an ultimate loser which is the SHOE Team of the season.  [SHOE is an acronym for Steaming Heap Of Excrement.]

• #1 Seed:         UMass             0-12
• #2 Seed:          Charlotte         1-11
• #3 Seed:          Georgia St.      1-11
• #4 Seed:          Sam Houston  2-10
• #5 Seed           Colorado St.    2-10
• #6 Seed           BC                   2-10
• #7 Seed:          Purdue            2-10
• #8 Seed:          Oregon St.      2-10

Let the games begin …

 

NCAA Games of Interest this Week:

 

UNLV at Boise St. – 4.5 (58):  Boise St. is leaving the Mountain West for the reconstituted PAC-12; UNLV would probably like inherit the mantle as the big dog in the conference.  A win here would be a way to stake such a claim.

BYU at Texas Tech – 12.5 (50.5):  On November 8^th, Tech beat BYU 29-7 on this same field…  Both teams have strong defenses and neither team is an offensive juggernaut.  I like this game to stay UNDER; put it in the “Betting Bundle”.

Georgia – 2.5 at Alabama (48):  On September 27^th, “Bama beat Georgia 24-21 at Georgia …  This is the fifth time these two teams have met in the SEC Championship Game and Alabama has won all the previous encounters.  If you believe in trends …  I am going to buck that trend and take Georgia to win and cover even in Tuscaloosa; put that in the ‘Betting Bundle”.

Duke at Virginia – 4.5 (56.5):  On November 15^th, Virginia beat Duke 34-17 at Duke …  In that game, the Cavs led by 4 TDs and took their foot off the gas.  If Duke stays in the game into the third quarter, that will mean the game is going to light up the scoreboard.  I think Duke can do that and so I’ll take this game to go OVER; put it in the “Betting Bundle”.

Indiana at Ohio St. – 3.5 (48.5):  Meaning no disrespect to any of the other conference Championship games, this is the College Game of the Week.  The winner will be the overall #1 seed in the CFP.  Ohio St. brings a defense to this game which has not given up more than 16 points in any game this season.  Indiana has posted some big numbers against lesser competition, but I wonder if they can get to 20 on this defense.  I like Ohio St. to win and cover, and I like the game to stay UNDER; put those two selections in the “Betting Bundle”.

 

 

NFL Commentary:

 

There is still a month’s worth of NFL football in the 2025 regular season, and you will need to pay close attention because playoff standings and playoff races are likely to change week by week.  Particularly in the NFC:

• In the NFC Central the Bears lead the Packers by half a game
• In the NFC South, the Bucs lead the Panthers by half a game
• In the NFC West, the Rams/Seahawks are tied with the Niners half a game behind.

By comparison, the AFC is buttoned down – – but not really:

• In the AFC North the Ravens and Steelers are tied for the lead.
• In the AFC South, the Colts/Jags are tied for the lead with the Texans 1 game behind.

In the race to the bottom, five teams have already been eliminated from the playoffs this season:

1. Cards                3-9-0
2. Giants              2-11-0
3. Raiders            2-10-0
4. Titans               1-11-0
5. Saints               2-10-0

[Aside: Is it a “race to the bottom” or a “freefall to the bottom?  Just wondering …]

Two years ago, the Eagles ran off to a 10-1 record and then the wheels came off as they lost 5 of their last 6 regular season games and made an early playoff exit.  Eagles’ fans will not be happy about this, but I get the same sort of feeling about this year’s team; there is no energy and there is no emotion surrounding the 2025 team.  As of today, the Eagles are 8-4-0; they are a short favorite on the road this week against the Chargers and should be about a touchdown favorite next week against the Raiders.  They have two games against the Commanders – – usually hard-fought affairs – – and a game against the Bills.  Theoretically, the Eagles could go 13-4-0 for the season; I will not be shocked if they go 10-7-0.

Here are comments on some of last week’s games:

Pats 33  Giants 15:  The symmetry of the universe was conserved in this matchup.  The Pats were 10-2-0 going in and the Giants were 2-10-0 going in.  The mirror image of those two team records was preserved in this game.

Bucs 20  Cards 17:  How many more one-score games can the Cards lose this year?  If I have counted correctly, they have lost seven one-score games so far with five games left to play.

Jets 27  Falcons 24:  The Jets are 3-9-0 which is not a good record by any measure – – but even after they traded away two of their best defensive players – – Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner – – the team defense keeps them in most games.  Can it be that the Jets are poised to ”emerge” as a solid football organization/team?  The Falcons just stink…

Texans 20  Colts 16:  Do not sleep on the Texans.  If that offense can just find ways not to blow games into oblivion, this team can get it done.  The Texans’ defense is absolutely for real.

Jags 25  Titans 3:  The Jags aspire to be a playoff team.  Playoff teams dispatch inferior teams handily – – just as the Jags did here.

Panthers 31  Rams 28:  This result made the races in the AFC South and in the NFC West much more interesting.

Niners 26  Browns 8:  Shedeur Sanders got a win in his first NFL start two weeks ago.  The message to him in this game was “Welcome to the NFL, Shedeur!”

Dolphins 21  Saints 17:  This was the third straight win for the Dolphins.  The Saints have the worst point differential in the NFC at minus-113 points.

Seahawks 26  Vikes 0:  Here is the Bottom Line:

• The Vikes have a serious QB problem.  JJ McCarthy is nowhere near ready to be a starting QB in the NFL and his backups are UFL-level QBs.
• The Vikes won 14 regular season games last year.  The Vikes will struggle to win even half of that number in 2025.

Bills 26  Steelers 7:  The Steelers too have a major QB problem.  Aaron Rodgers has broken bones in his left hand/arm that limits the sorts of things he can do on handoffs and pitchouts.  Mason Rudolph cannot be counted on to make the offense ambulatory let alone efficient and effective.

Broncos 27  Commanders 26:  The football gods have smiled on the Broncos from the outset this season.  The Commanders are experiencing what it was like to be an opponent of the Commanders in 2024 when the Commanders pulled rabbits out of hats to win games week after week.

Chargers 31  Raiders 14:  The Chargers keep their playoff hopes alive with wins like this.  The Raiders are simply on a lower level of existence for now.

Bears 24  Eagles 15:  If someone described the Eagles’ offense in this game as “somnambulant”, that would be heaping undeserved praise on that unit.  The Bears now have the overall #1 spot in the NFC and I certainly did not have that on my 2025 NFL BINGO Card back in August 2025.

Packers 31  Lions 24:  The Lions’ record in 2025 is not nearly what the Lions’ record was in 2024.  The reason is that the Lions’ OL is not nearly what the Lions’ OL was in 2024 in terms of offensive dominance.

Cowboys 31  Chiefs 28:  To be sure of a playoff slot in the AFC, the Chiefs need to win out – – and that is not likely to happen.  Meanwhile, the Cowboys have won 3 games in a row and much of the reason for that is their upgraded defense.

Bengals 32  Ravens 14:  The Ravens look almost as out-of-sync/ discombobulated as do the Eagles.  They should win the AFC North but keep finding ways to thwart that outcome. Oh, and just for the record, the Bengals are not yet eliminated from the AFC playoffs as the division winner or as a wildcard.

 

NFL Games This Week:

 

This will be the final weekend with teams on BYE Weeks for the 2025 NFL season:

• Giants 2-11-0:  Fans in NYC are probably coming up with scenarios where the Giants manage to lose while on a BYE Week.
• Niners 9-4-0:  Despite injuries galore – – particularly on the defense – – the Niners continue to hang in the NFC West race where they trail the Rams and the Seahawks by only half a game.
• Panthers 7-6-0:  The Panthers can do two things that winning football teams tend to do:
  • • They run the ball well
    • They stop the run well.
• Pats 11-2-0:  Undoubtedly, this is the biggest surprise team of the year; the Pats are likely to win their division and might be the overall #1 seed in the playoffs after winning exactly 4 games in 2024 and being outscored then by a total of 128 points.

            In last night’s game, the Lions shredded the Cowboys’ defense and cruised to a two-touchdown win.  That loss significantly damages the Cowboys’ momentum toward a playoff slot this season; the Cowboys had been playing well behind a much-improved defense – – until last night.  Jahmyr Gibbs scored 3TDs and Jared Goff threw for more than 300 yards against that defense and made it look easy while doing it.  That game was not a “playoff game” in the sense that the Cowboys can go home and plan for next season, but it was an important result for both teams.

Just a foreshadowing here; this will be the largest “Betting Bundle” of the season to date.

Commanders at Vikes – 2 (42.5):  I thought about this as the Dog-Breath Game for just a moment.  How can the Vikes be favored over another pro team after scoring zero TDs in the last 8 quarters?  The Commanders are a hollow shell, but they are better than a JJ McCarthy led offense; the wrong team is favored here.  I like the Commanders to win straight up here so I’ll take them plus the points; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Dolphins – 3.5 at Jets (41.5):  This game also attracted some Dog-Breath thinking.  I don’t know if the Dolphins’ 3 game win streak here is enough to save Coach Mike McDaniel’s job and I also doubt that a minor uptick in interest for either franchise here is materially important.  Historically, the Dolphins do not play well in cold weather games; the forecast for the weekend in NYC is for temps around 40 degrees which is on the cusp of “cold weather”.

Titans at Browns – 3.5 (34):  This one here is the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  I doubt that I need to explain that label any further.  Just look at that Total Line …

Steelers at Ravens – 5.5 (43.5):  The Steelers have been up and down all season; the Ravens likewise.  What surprises me the most is the sloppiness of the Ravens; that is not the hallmark of John Harbaugh-coached teams.  I think this will be a game of mistakes; the team that makes the fewest will win.  Because I think that is the way the game will unfold, I chose not to call this the Game of the Week even though the two teams are tied for the lead in the AFC North.  The Ravens stunk out the joint at home last week; are they going to do that two weeks in a row?

Seahawks – 7 at Falcons (44.5):  The Falcons are a mess; the Seahawks can be very good or they can be mediocre.  I think the Falcons’ offense will have significant difficulty moving the ball and scoring on the Seahawks’ defense – – even though this is a body-clock game for the Seahawks.

Colts – 1.5 at Jags (47):  This was a candidate for Game of the Week; the two teams are tied atop the AFC South.  Here are some stats to consider if you are thinking about a wager here:

• Colts have lost 3 of their last 4 games.
• Colts have not won in Jax since 2014.  [Really!]
• Jags lead the NFL in rushing defense; Colts are 6^th in the NFL in rushing offense
• Colts score 29.8 points per game; Jags allow 21.1 points per game.

Bears at Packers – 6.5 (44.5):  This is the Game of the Week.  The Bears have the best NFC record as of this morning and have won 5 in a row.  The Packers are a half-game behind the Bears and have won 3 in a row.  Hope this game is on in your viewing area; it should be a good one.

Saints at Bucs – 8.5 (42):  The Bucs are in a race for a playoff spot; suffice it to say that the Saints have no similar motivation here.

Broncos – 7.5 at Raiders (40.5):  The Broncos have a stranglehold on the AFC West race; the only “stranglehold” Raiders’ fans might be interested in would be one applied to the roster constructors for this year’s squad.  The Broncos’ front seven on defense against the Raiders’ OL are a mismatch.

Rams – 7.5 at Cards (48):  Here is yet another game between a team pushing for the playoffs and a team whose playoff hopes vanished about a month ago.  As noted above, the Cards have lost 7 one-score games this year; I suspect this will be a two-score game or worse; give me the Rams to win and cover; put it in the “Betting Bundle”.

Bengals at Bills – 5.5 (53.5):  The Bengals are still mathematically alive in the playoff race, and the Bills have not played well for about a month now.

(Sun Nite) Texans at Chiefs – 3.5 (42):  This could be the coup de grace for the Chiefs in 2025.  A loss for the Texans would be similarly disastrous.  I think the Texans are on a roll, so I’ll take them here plus the points; put it in the “Betting Bundle”.

(Mon Nite) Eagles – 2 at Chargers (41):  On the assumption that the Broncos take care of business against the Raiders on Sunday, this game is important to the Chargers because they would trail those Broncos by 3 games with a loss here.  This is a big game for the Eagles too as they try to find a way to rid themselves of a malaise that has settled over the team.

So, let me review this week’s eight-item “Betting Bundle”:

1. Ohio St. – 3.5 over Indiana
2. Ohio St./Indiana UNDER 48.5
3. Georgia – 2.5 over Alabama
4. BYU/Texas Tech UNDER 50.5
5. Duke/Virginia OVER 57.5
6. Commanders +2 against Vikes
7. Rams – 7.5 over Cards
8. Texans +3.5 against Chiefs

            As if that were not enough, here are two Money Line Parlays:

• Browns @ minus-200
• Seahawks @ minus-330
• Rams @ minus-410                           $100 wager to win $143

And …

• Texans @ +165
• Broncos @ minus-400                      $100 wager to win $231

Finally, let’s hear from Bill Parcells:

“Never discount stupidity as being a factor, because it’s always in there somewhere.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Finally, after weeks of backing-and-forthing and rumors/counter-rumors and various declarations of inside intrigue, Lane Kiffin will become the head football coach at LSU.  Fans in the SEC can now sit back and resume their focus on their favorite team and leave the coaching intrigues alone until sometime next year when it will blossom one more time.

Lane Kiffin is – to say the least – a polarizing figure.  He has been a successful coach but not all of his relationships with the organizations that had hired him were harmonious.  He has been referred to as a diva coach and as having a “scratchy” personality/nature.  After Kiffin and USC “chose to go in different directions” in 2013, Kiffin was not highly sought after for head coaching vacancies; he took the job as offensive coordinator for Nick Saban at Alabama and had to wait four years before he got a head coaching offer – – at Florida Atlantic which is a step down from the likes of the SEC and/or USC.  But he did well at FAU and got the job at Ole Miss in 2020.

Ole Miss was not an SEC powerhouse, but Kiffin made them more than merely respectable; they were competitive with the rest of the conference on a routine basis.  He went to Oxford, MS with a rehabbed reputation and delivered on field success there.  That made him a desirable commodity for a school that aspired to national attention/prominence and LSU fits that description to a tee.  Some folks think Kiffin’s departure now with his Ole Miss team sure to be in the CFP and with an outside shot at a national championship just proves that he is a flawed human being with no loyalty in his core.

Maybe that is the case; I don’t have any way to know that.  However, I do recognize that he did for Ole Miss what they wanted him to do and made Ole Miss relevant in college football.  Having delivered on that aspect of his employment there, what is wrong with him seeking an opportunity that he considers more beneficial for him and his family?  It seems to me that too many people looked at the LSU/Ole Miss/Florida coaching triangle and thought with their glands instead of their brains.  Take the emotion out of the situation and it would not have been more than a bit of nothing instead of a month-long soap opera situation.

Moving on … but staying with college football coaching.  James Franklin was hired by Va Tech after he was fired by Penn State and according to reports yesterday and today, he has taken with him a dozen of the top recruits he had lured to Penn State with him on a journey to Blacksburg, VA.  One report I read said that “Penn State is in a free fall,” and that they will not be able to recruit well because they don’t have a coach and just got turned down by one they were pursuing.

Here is another glandular thinking situation.  The sky is not falling; in fact, what Penn State fans need to do is to inoculate themselves to irrational exuberance when the new coach arrives and sets sail for the 2026 college football season.  The Penn St. schedule next year is not a killer by any means; the new coach might show up and win 9 games and be thought of as a “football genius”.  Take a look at that schedule and assess its degree of difficulty:

• Out of conference games are Marshall, Temple and Buffalo – – all in “Happy Valley”.
• Big-10 games do NOT include Ohio St., Indiana or Oregon.
• Big-10 road games are at Northwestern Maryland, Michigan and Washington.
• Big-10 home games are against Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers, USC and Wisconsin.

On a scale of 1 to 5 where 5 is horrendously difficult, I would put that schedule on the scale at 2.0.  In fact, if all the handwringing and gnashing of teeth continue to expand, I might make Penn State my “sleeper team” for 2026.

Finally, here is a line I heard from a stand-up comedienne over the weekend:

“I am still trying to get my head around the fact that ‘Take Out’ can mean food, dating, – – or murder.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports ………

 

 

Back in the early days of Saturday Night Live, Chevy Chase was part of the mock news segment of the show.  After the real news media had been reporting for months that Generalissimo Francisco Franco of Spain was on his deathbed, Franco actually died.  Chevy Case for weeks after that event “reported” that “Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.”

We may have had the obverse of that situation over the weekend.  The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the one of the Hall members – – Lem Barney – – had died.  Then there were reports from Barney’s family that Lem Barney was still alive and the Hall of Fame retracted its announcement.  Perhaps on the mock news segment next week for Saturday Night Live they can report that “Lem Barney is still alive.”

And if they want to take it up a notch [Hat Tip to Emeril Lagasse], they can have the band playing the Bee Gees old hit, Stayin’ Alive in the background.

Moving on …  Recall those arrests and charges against two NBA players and NBA coach Chauncy Billups regarding gambling and rigged poker games to fleece wealthy gamblers, those actions have been moving along quietly:

• Damon Jones has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.  Jones stands accused of giving insider information to a “co-conspirator” who then used that information to place winning bets on NBA games.  Jones is also accused of luring victims to the alleged fixed poker games.
• Terry Rozier has not yet had a court date to enter his plea, but I suspect he too will enter a plea of not guilty.  Rozier is charged with participating in a scheme to cash proposition bets on his performance in game against the New Orleans Pelicans in 2023 where he took himself out of the game early on with a supposed foot injury.
• Chauncey Billups entered his not guilty plea last week; he is accused of luring people to the rigged poker games run by organized crime, and he might also be involved in the business of sharing inside information with bettors as a coach in the league and not as a player.

It is to be expected that Billups’ lawyer would assert that the charges against his client are ridiculous and unfounded; I suspect that criminal defense attorneys have an encyclopedia full of such statements that they draw on when needed.  Here is the one used by Billups’ representative:

“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom.  He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.

“Furthermore, Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to.”

In terms of “reputation” and “legacy”, these three men have already placed those things in jeopardy in the court of public opinion.  The Feds are not nearly perfect in terms of charging people with crimes and then proving that they committed those crimes – – but where there is smoke there is fire and this case has already involved more than 30 arrests and charges.  It is difficult to believe that so many allegations against so many people are nothing more than happenstance or some sort of humongous misunderstanding of a set of events.

Switching gears but staying with the NBA …  Did you realize that the regular season is almost 25% over?  Teams have played about 20 games for the 25/26 regular season.  There are some positive and negative findings in the standings this morning.  Here are some of the positive ones:

1. The Pistons have the best record in the East at 16-4.
2. The rebuilding Celtics are 11-9.
3. The Thunder lead in the West at 20-1 – – having won 12 games in a row.
4. The Lakers are 15-4 – despite only having Lebron James play in 4 games.

And here are some of the negative ones:

1. The Clippers are 5-15 – – despite having Kawai Leonard for half of their games
2. The injured Pacers are only 4-16.
3. The Wizards are 2-16 – – how did they win twice already?

Finally, this from H. L. Mencken:

“One smart reader is worth a thousand boneheads.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

            The rhythm of Football Friday becomes highly internalized by this point in the football season; so, it feels very strange to do a Football Friday on a Wednesday.  All the data are not in; I have not made up my mind on what to do or say about football matters; I want more time.  But time is not going to be available this week so mark this down as Football Friday on a Wednesday.

[Aside: With just a quick glance at the calendar, I note that both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day will fall on Thursdays this year and that means there will be more Wednesday offerings of this type.  C’est la vie …]

Starting off on a positive note, last week’s “Betting Bundle” turned out well:

• Spreads and Totals:              4-1-0                Good!
• Season to Date:                     21-35-2            Not Good!

And …

• Money Line Parlays:             2-1                   Profit = $258                Good
• Season to Date:                     12-17               Profit = $227                Okay

            The Linfield University Wildcats did not receive an at-large invitation to the Division III college football playoffs this year; they finished second in the Northwest Conference and only the conference winner is guaranteed a playoff slot.  Nonetheless, the Wildcats finished the season with a record of 7-2 which keep alive the school’s streak of winning seasons in football that began in 1956.  Congratulations, Wildcats!

My college football “sleeper team” did not do well last week; Georgia Tech took on Pitt in an important ACC game; Here is the result:

Pitt 42  Ga Tech 28:  Early in the second quarter of this one, Pitt led 28-0; there are no moral victories in top-shelf college football, but at least the Yellowjackets did not curl up in a ball and take a beating.  This was the second conference loss for Tech this year and it leaves them behind Virginia, Pitt and SMU all of which only have 1 conference loss in 2025.  It looks as if Tech will not be part of the ACC Championship Game and/or the CFP, but their record so far in 2025 is 9-2 and they should get an upscale bowl invitation.

 

College Football Commentary:

 

The TV show, Cops, had a theme song that ran:

“Bad boys, bad boys…

Whatcha want, whatcha want”

Whatcha gonna do

When Sheriff John Brown come for you?

Well, “Sheriff John Brown” was busy with the college football world over the past several days.  Let me start with the Georgia Bulldogs where offensive lineman Nyier Daniels was dismissed from the team after he was arrested last Sunday on “multiple felony and misdemeanor charges” related to an incident where he fled from the authorities.  Adding to the excitement here, Daniels’ mother was also arrested, and she was charged with one felony and five misdemeanors related to the same incident.  According to the police report on this “incident” obtained by ESPN:

“… an officer stopped [Daniels’ mother] for running a stop sign and that Daniels then passed the officer at more than 100 mph in a 25-mph zone. The officer left [Daniels’ mother] to pursue Daniels, and [Daniels’ mother] allegedly used her vehicle to block the officer’s supervisor from joining in the chase.”

And that “incident” is the mild one from last weekend …  UAB was to take on USF last weekend; it would be a game for UAB in a frustrating season that had them with a record of 3-7 with no hope of bowl eligibility.  Not to worry, the Blazers found themselves a way to inject excitement into the certainty of a down season of football.  From a report at The Athletic:

“UAB defensive lineman Daniel Mincey faces two criminal complaints after being arrested Saturday on suspicion of stabbing two teammates, according to court records.

“Mincey, 20, is accused of stabbing fellow defensive linemen JaSire Peterson and Joshua Underwood with a knife, according to complaints filed Sunday in the district court of Jefferson County, Ala. He faces one complaint of attempted murder and another of first-degree assault. His bond was set at $90,000.”

The school had no comment on the matter except to say that the two victims were in stable condition in a hospital.  Most of the UAB players voted to play the game which was to honor the graduating seniors in the program; as expected, UAB was not of the same caliber of USF and lost the game 48-18.

• Bad boys, bad boys,
• Whatcha gonna do
• When they come for you?

There was another college football incident over the weekend that did not involve the police in any way but sure seems to indicate that frustration with a losing season can certainly manifest itself in despicable behaviors.  Here is a headline from CBSSports.com over the weekend:

“Colorado State suspends quarterback, lineman for spitting on Boise State players”

Colorado St. is 2-9 this year and has been on my radar screen for the SHOE Tournament.  The Rams played Boise St. last Saturday and lost 49-21.  Their freshman QB and a senior offensive guard have been removed from the team after both spit on opposing players during that shellacking.  Colorado St. has one game left to play this season this weekend against Air Force; it is a rivalry game with the schools about an hour’s drive from each other on I-25.

On a much more positive/optimistic note, I went through the conference standings looking for notable college football teams that have 5 wins on the books for the season and 1 game left to play.  Those teams have a chance to make it to a minor bowl game with a win and there is only one straw left to grasp.  If I have counted correctly there are 11 teams that fit my description:

1. Auburn
2. Baylor
3. Florida St.
4. Kansas
5. Kansas St.
6. Kentucky
7. Mississippi St.
8. Penn St.
9. Rutgers
10. UCF
11. Washington St.

And just to add some spice to the schedule, Penn St. visits Rutgers for the final game of this season for both teams.  The winner will be bowl eligible; the loser will not; that is the finality of the regular season schedule for those two Big-10 teams.

Here are comments on some of last week’s games starting in the Big-10:

Northwestern 38  Minnesota 35:  Northwestern is bowl eligible.

Oregon 42  USC 27:  The Ducks are 10-1 and should be guaranteed a CFP slot; USC had an outside shot at the CFP had they won this game, but this is the Trojans’ third loss of the year…

Penn St. 37  Nebraska 10:  As noted above, the Nittany Lions are now 5-6 and could get a bowl invite with one more win.

Here are some ACC contests:

NC St. 21  Florida St. 11:  The Seminoles need to win this week to get a bowl invitation.  The Wolfpack is now bowl eligible with this win.  For those of you who are into numerology, this final score – – 21-11 – – happened on 11/21.

Stanford 31  Cal 10:  At least the Cardinal won “The Game” …

Duke 32 UNC 25:  No bowl game this year for the Tar Heels; however, this win made the Blue Devils bowl eligible.  The margin of victory came about on a trick play.   With Duke trailing 25-24, Duke lined up a 45-yard field goal to take the lead – except the holder took the snap and flipped it to the kicker who ran the ball all the way to the UNC 1 yardline.  That led to the deciding TD and a 2-point conversion for the Blue Devils in the game.

Notre Dame 70  Syracuse 7:  The score was 49-0 at halftime …

Now for the SEC …

Oklahoma 17  Mizzou 6:  Mizzou outgained the Sooners slightly here, but this was a defensive game from the start.  Oklahoma punted 9 times in the game; Mizzou punted 7 times and ended two other drives by throwing an INT.  Oh yeah, Oklahoma blocked a field goal try too.

Texas 52  Arkansas 37:  The good news for Arkansas here is they didn’t lose a heartbreaker of a game; Texas dominated this one from start to finish.

Tennessee 31  Florida 11:  Florida is 3-8 this year and is hoping to find a savior as its new head football coach.  This was the first win for Tennessee in Gainesville since 2003; that was in the first term of George W. Bush.

Vandy 45  Kentucky 17:  Vandy is now 9-2 for the season.  The last time Vandy won 9 games in a season was in … wait for it … 1915.  Woodrow Wilson was in his first term as US President in 1915.

Moving to the Big-12:

Utah 51  K-State 47:  The Utes are lurking in the conference standings with 2 conference losses; BYU and Texas Tech lead the conference with one conference loss each.  K-State rushed for 472 yards in the game and still lost.  The two teams combined for 764 yards rushing in the game.

UCF 17  Oklahoma St. 14:  The Cowboys led 14-0 at halftime; it looked as if they would actually get a win over a Division 1-A team for the first time since 2023.  Not happening …

Arizona St. 42  Colorado 17:  The Sun Devils gained 588 yards on offense in this game.  Coach Prime needs to focus on getting some defenders from the portal next season.

BYU 26  Cincy 14:  This win keeps BYU in contention for the Big-12 Championship Game and this loss by Cincy takes them out of consideration for that game.

And in random games that interested me:

Old Dominion 45  Georgia Southern 10:  ODU is now 8-3 and has a big win over VA Tech this season.  They should get a nice bowl invitation.

James Madison 24  Washington St.:  JMU is now 9-1 and I think they should get more attention from the CFP Selectors.

San Diego St. 25  San Jose St. 3:  The Aztecs are the only Mountain West team with only 1 conference loss

Boise St. 49  Colorado St. 21:  Over and above the “spitting incidents” here (see above), this win keeps Boise St with only 2 conference losses in MWC play.

UNLV 38  Hawaii 10:  UNLV is also a team with only 2 conference losses in the MWC – – and this loss dropped Hawaii from championship possibilities since it was their third conference loss.

UConn 48  FAU 45:  The Huskies led 24-3 at the end of the first quarter and held on to win their 9^th game of the year.

Nevada 13  Wyoming 7:  With this win, Nevada avoids the SHOE Tournament.

New Mexico St. 34  UTEP 31:  This was a strange game.  UTEP led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.  At halftime the score was tied 21-21.  UTEP led 31-27 with less than a minute to play – – and lost the game.  The two teams combined for almost 900 yards on offense.

Middle Tennessee 31  Sam Houston 17:  Might this be a SHOE Tournament preview?

Ohio 42  UMass 14:  UMass is still winless at 0-11 for the 2025 season.  The Minutemen were outgained in this game 391 yards to 215 yards.  Of Ohio’s 391 yards on offense, 363 of those yards came running the football 57 times for an average of 6.4 yards per carry.  In addition, three UMass turnovers did not help at all…

Here is the penultimate listing of teams in danger of being named to the SHOE Tournament:

• Air Force                     3-8
• Boston College           1-10
• Colorado St.                2-9
• Georgia St.                  1-10
• La-Monroe                   3-8
• Middle Tennessee       2-9
• Oklahoma St.              1-10
• Oregon St.                  2-9
• Sam Houston              2-9
• San Jose St.               3-8
• UNC Charlotte            1-10
• UMass                         0-11
• UTEP                          2-9

Note:  Air Force and Colorado St. play each other this weekend.  Could it be a “Lose-in Game” for the SHOE Tournament?

The race to avoid winning the Brothel Defense Award is in the deep stretch:

• UMass gives up 38.0 points per game
• Georgia St. gives up 38.8 points per game
• UAB gives up 39.5 points per game.

 

Games of Interest this Week:

 

(Fri) Ole Miss – 7 at Mississippi St. (62):  This rivalry game is known as the Egg Bowl and presumably after the game we will learn where Lane Kiffin will coach next year.  Will he stay at Ole Miss or will he go – – wherever?  I think there will be points aplenty in this one, so I’ll take the game to go OVER; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

(Fri) Iowa – 6 at Nebraska (38.5):  I suspect that this game will have all the artistry of the Visigoths sieging a castle fortress into starvation.  Points will be at a premium here …

(Fri) Utah – 12 at Kansas (60):  The Utes need a win here to maintain lurking status in the Big-12 standings; the Jayhawks need a win here to become bowl-eligible.

(Fri) Arizona – 1.5 at Arizona St. (48):  Both teams are 8-3 but Arizona St, has only 2 conference losses in the Big-12 while Arizona has 3 conference losses.  On top of that, this is a big rivalry game…

(Fri) Georgia – 13.5 at Georgia Tech (60):  Another big rivalry game here and the Bulldogs want to be sure that the CFP Selectors continue to view them favorably.  My “sleeper team” may be up against it this week.

(Fri) San Diego St. – 1.5 at New Mexico (41):  San Diego St. is 6-1 in conference and New Mexico is 5-2.  Lots at stake here …

(Fri) Texas A&M – 2 at Texas (51.5):  The Aggies are still undefeated in 2025; the Longhorns have lost 3 times this season after being ranked #1 in the pre-season polls.

Florida St. at Florida – 1 (50.5):  The Seminoles need to win to “go bowling”; that will not be happening for the Gators this year.

Texas Tech – 24 at West Virginia (54):  Tech is tied with BYU atop the Big-12 standings. They need to take care of business on the road here to assure themselves of a chance to be the Big-12 champions for 2025.

Vandy at Tennessee – 3 (63.5):  It wasn’t all that long ago when Tennessee would have been a 33-point favorite in this season-ending rivalry game…  I see both offenses dominating here so give me the OVER in the game; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Ohio St. – 10 at Michigan (44):  The Wolverines have won 5 in a row and would leapfrog Ohio St. in the Big-10 standings with a win here.  The Ohio St. defense is as good as any I have seen this year, and they only allow 7.6 points per game.  I think that line is too fat; I’ll take Michigan plus the points at home; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Miami – 7 at Pitt (50.5):  They do not have Miami eliminated from the ACC Championship Game, but I don’t see how the Hurricanes get there.  Pitt is still in the running but will be knocked out of that running with a loss here.

Penn St. – 12.5 at Rutgers (56):  The winner goes to a bowl game and the loser goes home…

BC – 3 at Syracuse (52):  BC has won only once this season and that win was a blowout over Division 1-AA Fordham.  As a reference, Fordham’s record in second-tier football this year is 1-11.  Nonetheless, in this game, BC is a road favorite.  Wow …

Va Tech at Virginia – 10 (53):  Big rivalry game here and an important one in ACC football since Virginia is one of the teams with only 1 conference loss in 2025.

Alabama – 5.5 at Auburn (46.5):  This is the annual Iron Bowl and Auburn needs a win to be bowl-eligible.  Auburn is only 1-6 in SEC games but will consider this a “good season” if they pull off a win here.

Oregon – 6.5 at Washington (51):  This is another huge rivalry game, and it could have meaning in the Big-10 standings should Ohio St. or Indiana stumble this week.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

The New York Football Giants achieved something last week in losing.  They are the first – – and currently the only – – team in the NFL that has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in 2025.  The Giants’ record is 2-10-0; they cannot possibly go better than 7-10-0 for the season.  Already in the NFC, there are 5 teams with 8 wins on the books and two teams with 7 wins will play each other this weekend.

Over in the AFC, the Titans’ record is even worse at 1-10-0.  However, in the AFC, there are only 3 teams with 8 wins or more meaning that there is still the mathematical possibility of a fairy-tale ending to the 2025 regular season for the Titans.  Don’t hold your breath …

The Giants seem to evade the scorn that some other bad NFL teams attract – – specifically the Giants’ crosstown rival Jets.  The Browns and the Raiders also get dismissive comments from many commentators on the league, but the Giants … not so much. In fact, the Giants have had double-digit losses in eight of the last nine seasons; I had not realized that until I went looking to find the Giant’s recent draft picks looking for busts there that might explain some of this.  In fact, the Giants first round picks have generally been good players and have stayed with the team over the past decade.  In any event, the Giants should be thankful that the Jets give them cover for ineptitude because the Giants have not been a successful franchise for quite a while now.

I ran across this statement relative to the Giants’ recent firing of their Defensive Coordinator, Shane Bowen:

“The 2025 Giants are the first team in NFL history to allow over 4,000 total yards and 300 points with six or fewer takeaways through the first 11 games of the season.”

In case those numbers – – which I have not and will not pretend that I have verified – – are confusing, let me do some math for you:

• 4000 yards in 11 games is 363.6 yards per game.  The Giants are over that number.
• 300 points in 11 games is 27.3 points per game.  The Giants are over that number.
• 6 takeaways in 11 games are one every 1.83 games.  The Giants are under that number.

That is quite the defensive trifecta …

Here is another historical fact about the NFL that is relative to this time of the year.  William Clay Ford Sr. bought a minority interest in the Detroit Lions in 1956; and he became the team president in 1961.  In 1963, Ford purchased the other outstanding shares in the team to become the sole owner and the closing date for that purchase was November 22, 1963 – – the date that President Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas.  He retained control of the Lions until his death in 2014.

Normally when discussing NFL owners and their loyalty to coaches or GMs, the first name to come up are the Rooneys – – the guys who have only had three head coaches in more than 50 years of NFL football.  Well, Ford Sr. deserves a seat at that “table of patience and loyalty” too.  In 1967, Ford hired Russ Thomas as the Lions’ GM and Thomas served in that role until 1989.  What emphasizes the degree of Ford’s patience and loyalty there is that during Thomas’ tenure in the job, the Lions only made it to the playoffs 3 times and won 0 playoff games.  In 15 of those 21 seasons, the Lions posted records of .500 or lower.

Here are comments on games from last week:

Chiefs 23  Colts 20 (OT):  The Colts led 20-9 as that fourth quarter began.  Here is a telling stat from the game; in the 4^th quarter plus overtime, the Chiefs created 236 yards of offense, and the Colts managed only 18 yards.  That is why the Chiefs came from behind to win a one-score game for the first time this year.

Pats 26  Bengals 20:  The Pats are the first team to “double-digit wins” in 2025.  The Bengals are now assured of a losing season in 2025.

Packers 23  Vikings 6:  Yes, the Packers’ defense played very well; and also yes, JJ McCarthy played very poorly.  McCarthy was 12-of-19 for 87 yards and two interceptions while also losing 35 yards on five sacks. The Vikes had only 52 yards in net passing offense; hence, the measly 6 points for the Vikes.

Lions 34  Giants 27 (OT):  The Giants lost yet another game where they led in the 4^th quarter.  The winning score on the first play of OT was 65-yard run by Jahmyr Gibbs where he was untouched by any defender.  After the game, the Giants fired their Defensive Coordinator, Shane Bowen.  If you think that will fix everything, please see stats cited above.

Bears 31  Steelers 28:  Caleb Williams led the way here with these stats for the day:

• 19 of 35 for 239 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs
• 4 rushes for 21 yards

Ravens 23  Jets 10:  The Jets led at the half – – so, there’s that…  Remember, when the Ravens were 3-5-0, I said they would win the AFC North.  I think they are on track to do exactly that. The Jets managed to keep their “streak” alive; this will be a 10^th year in a row with a losing record for the Jets.

Seahawks 30  Titans 24:  This game was surprisingly close on the stat sheet too.  The Titans possessed the ball for 37:25 in the game and ran 21 more offensive plays than the Seahawks – – and lost the game.

Browns 24  Raiders 10:  Geno Smith was sacked 10 times in this game – – three times by Myles Garrett who now has 18 sacks for the season.  [Aside: The all-time record for sacks in a season – – since the stat was made official in 1982- – is 23 (co-held by Michael Strahan and TJ Watt).]  The Raiders held the ball for 36:26 and ran 27 more offensive plays in the game  – – and still lost by 2 TDs.  Pete Carroll has now fired two of his coordinators – – people he hired within the last 12 months.  This was the 9^th loss of the year for the Raiders assuring them of a 4^th consecutive losing season and the 18th losing season for the franchise since 2002 when they won the Super Bowl.

Jags 27  Cards 24 (OT):  Jacoby Brisset had another really good game for the Cards despite losing both games.  Here is his stat line for the day:

• 33 of 49 for 317 yards and 1 TD with 0 INTs.

Since Week 3 of this season the Cards have been in 6 one-score games and lost them all.  I wonder if the Cards would start Kyler Murray if he came back from his injury given the way Brissett has played the last couple of weeks …

Cowboys 24  Eagles 21:  The Eagles dominated the first half 21-0; the Cowboys dominated the second half 24-0.  Simple as that …

Texans 23  Bills 19:  The Bills are a mess right now.  The defense is porous and the offensive line is not holding up.  They need a reboot – – quickly.  If the Texans’ defense can play that way in every game, they are going to be a handful for any and all opponents from here on out.

Rams 34  Bucs 7:  With Baker Mayfield on the sideline in the second half with his left arm in a sling, this was no contest.  The Rams are a complete team; the defense is very good; they passing game is surgical and they can run the ball well.

Falcons 24  Saints 10:  Welcome back to the winners’ circle, Kirk Cousins.  The Saints’ only TD for the day came on a Pick Six; let’s just say that the Saints’ offense was “less than efficient” managing only a field goal despite 293 yards on offense and running 23 more offensive plays than the Falcons.  Once they made it to the Red Zone, the Saints’ ineptitude emerged:

• The Saints ran 13 plays inside the Red Zone and lost 10 yards net.
• The Saints did not run well in the Red Zone, amassing only 11 yards on 9 carries.
• The Saints did not pass well in the Red Zone either.  In addition to an intentional grounding penalty, the Saints allowed two sacks on Red Zone pass attempts.

 

This Week’s Games:

 

None of the NFL teams have a BYE Week over this holiday weekend but there will be 4 BYEs next week to conclude that portion of the NFL schedule for 2025.

(Thurs 1:00 PM ET) Packers at Lions – 2 (48.5):   Right out of the gate, we have the Game of the Week.  Both teams are hot on the heels of the Bears for the top spot in the NFC North and both have their eyes on playoff games in January.  Neither team has been consistently sharp this season but neither team has played poorly.  Often, the early Thanksgiving Day game has been a yawner; not this year…  The Packers’ defense came to life last week; was that an actual awakening or merely a game against JJ McCarthy?  I think it was the opponent.  On the other hand, the Lions’ secondary is banged up and questionable.  I like this game to go OVER; put it in the “betting Bundle”.

(Thurs 4:30 PM ET) Chiefs – 3 at Cowboys (52):  The Chiefs’ playoff aspirations should be focused on the wildcard slots because they trail the Broncos by 3 games with only 6 games still to play.  The Cowboys can still make the playoffs this year, but a loss here will seriously damage those chances.  Both teams won important and impressive games last week.  It should be a great game…

(Thurs 8:20 PM ET) Bengals at Ravens – 7 (52):  As the turkey’s tryptophan settles in and your eyelids get heavy, realize that the NFL understands.  This is the least interesting game of the day; so, grab a few winks as your interest wanes.  Joe Burrow is supposed to play in this game meaning the Bengals’ offense should be better than in recent weeks.  The question here is really about the Ravens and their offense; even with Lamar Jackson back on the field, the Ravens’ offense has not been in sync.

(Fri 3:00 PM ET) Bears at Eagles – 7 (44): Yes, I know that this game pits two division leaders against each other.  Yes, I thought about this as the Game of the Week for a couple of moments and decided not to go there.  Given the way the Eagles’ offense has played for the last three weeks, I am not sure I would be confident laying 7 points against any team other than a complete bottom-feeder.  It will be interesting to see if the Eagles’ defense can fluster Caleb Williams here.

Texans at Colts – 4 (44):  This game also might be a Game of the Week candidate.  In the AFC South, the Colts lead the Texans by 2 games, and the two teams will meet twice over the rest of the regular season.  This is a must win for the Texans and an important win for the Colts.  Here is a potential angle on the game:

• Colts are 6-0-0 at home in 2025
• Texans are 2-3-0 on the road in 2025.

I like what I saw from the Texans last week particularly their defense; give me the Texans plus the points here; put it in the “Betting Bundle”.

Cards at Bucs – 3 (44.5):  This should be a Battle of the Backup QBs – – Jacoby Brissett versus Teddy Bridgewater.  Baker Mayfield’s injury status has him as “Questionable” today.  Really?  The Bucs need this game to stay ahead of the Panthers in the NFC South; the Cards’ season has been a tire fire since the beginning of October.

Jags – 6.5 at Titans (42):  The Jags still can map out a route to a playoff game; the Titans will need Divine intervention to make the playoffs.  This is a potential trap game for the Jags; they play the Colts next week in a game that could have significant AFC South importance and this week they draw the lowly Titans …

Rams – 10 at Panthers (45):  I think the Rams are playing the best football at this point.  If they stay healthy, I see them being favored in the NFC Championship Game.  The Panthers see a door open in front of them if the Bucs have to play without Baker Mayfield at least for this week.  Reports on his injury status are unclear as of this morning.

Saints at Dolphins – 6 (42): I actually flipped a coin to determine this week’s Dog-Breath Game of the Week, and this game lost the coin flip; so, it is merely going to be labeled as a game to avoid if possible.  Neither team is good and neither team is interesting.

Falcons – 2.5 at Jets (37):  Here we have the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  The teams bring a combined record of 6-16-0 to the kickoff and both will be using backup QBs limiting any anticipation of an artistic game.  In fact, this game may not be nearly as entertaining as a rock fight.  Will either team score 20 points?

Niners – 5 at Browns (36.5):  The Browns have won only 3 games this year, but 2 of those wins are at home; the Niners have yet to win a game this season against an AFC opponent.  The Browns are not going to make the playoffs; the Niners are seriously in contention there but a loss this week would be very damaging.  Browns’ fans should be boisterous here because this is Shedeur Sanders’ first home start and the fans there have been clamoring for that over the last month or so.

Vikes at Seahawks – 11.5 (41):  This spread is as high as 13.5 points at one sportsbook and as low as 10.5 points at another sportsbook.  Look for those lines to converge somewhere between today and Sunday morning.  Call this a “revenge game” for Sam Darnold if you want; I prefer to think of this QB pairing as a mistaken choice by the Vikes’ braintrust.

Bills – 3.5 at Steelers (47.5):  Both teams need this game badly.  The Bills have lost 3 of their last 5 games; they trail the Pats by 2.5 games today.  The Steelers have lost 4 of their last 6 games and are tied with the Ravens atop the AFC North.  Here are some key questions for this game:

• Can Aaron Rodgers play?  Mason Rudolph is a decent backup, but he is not Aaron Rodgers even in Rodgers’ end-of-career state.
• Can the Bills’ defense stop the Steelers on the ground?  The Bills give up 148.9 yards per game rushing ranking 30^th in the NFL.
• Can the Steelers’ defense stop the Bills passing game?  The Steelers give up 258.7 yards per game through the air ranking 31^st in the NFL

Raiders at Chargers – 9.5 (41):  The Chargers are injury-riddled resulting in very inconsistent endeavors from week to week.  The Raiders are consistently bad because their roster is sub-standard even if completely healthy.  The Chargers need the game to fend off the Chiefs in the AFC wildcard race.

(Sun Nite) Broncos – 6.5 at Commanders (43.5):  The Broncos are in control of the AFC West; the Commanders are in command of nothing.  Jayden Daniels is not supposed to play, and the Broncos’ defense should be suffocating for a mediocre Commanders’ offense.

(Mon Nite) Giants at Pats – 7 (46.5):  This might be a real test for Mike Vrabel and his staff in terms of motivation for the Pats.  They are comfortably in first place in the AFC East – – especially if the Bills lose to the Steelers on Sunday afternoon.  The Giants are in disarray – – again.  The game is at home in Foxboro.  The next two opponents are the Bills and the Ravens.  This is a classic letdown game…

So, let me review the “Betting Bundle” for this week:

• Michigan +10 against Ohio St.
• Ole Miss/Mississippi St. OVER 62
• Vandy/Tennessee OVER 63.5
• Lions/Packers OVER 48.5
• Texans +4 against Colts

And here are two Money Line Parlays for this week:

• Texans at +175
• Broncos @ minus-275                      $100 wager to win $275

And …

• Penn St. @ minus-505
• SMU @ minus-500
• Texas A&M at minus-130                  $100 wager to win $154

Finally, this from Red Blaik:

“The champion makes his own luck”.

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

I must have missed the memo.  I did not realize that last week in the NFL was “Accountability Week “and as a result two NFL teams stepped up and demonstrated their commitment to “Accountability” by firing a coordinator.  The Giants decided it was necessary to fire Shane Bowen – their Defensive Coordinator – after losing in OT to the Lions on Sunday.  Ironically, the person announcing the firing is an interim head coach, Mike Kafka, who is only in a position to have to do that because the Giants already fired their head coach this season.  Here is what Kafka had to say about the firing:

“These decisions aren’t easy, Shane’s a good person. He’s a good man; he’s a good coach. Just the results weren’t what we wanted them to be.”

Maybe there is a basis for thinking the Giants’ record of 2-10-0 might be pinned on the defensive coaching staff.  After all, the Giants have lost 5 games this year when the team had a double-digit lead at some point in the contest. However, if that is a defensive failure, why is it not a defensive accomplishment that it played well enough to create the opportunities for those double-digit leads?  Here is more from interim coach Mike Kafka about the now interim Defensive Coordinator, Charlie Bullen:

“I got a lot of faith in Charlie.  He’s going to step up for us and rally the group. The defensive staff will rally around Charlie and put together a great plan.”

• Memo to interim Head Coach Mike Kafka:
  • • Putting together a great plan is necessary but not sufficient.
    • The players need to carry out that “great plan” effectively.

But that’s not all.  As Sonny and Cher once sang, “And the beat goes on …”  The Raiders fired their Offensive Coordinator, Chip Kelly, this week too.  He is the second coordinator fired by the Raiders in the last two weeks; Tom McMahon was fired as the Special Teams Coordinator previously.  The Raiders’ record is 2-9-0 this season; and, in this case, the announcement of the firing comes from the incumbent head Coach, Pete Carroll:

“I spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release as offensive coordinator of the Raiders.  I would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.”

There is something missing from that statement.  It was only 9 months ago – – in February 2025 – – that Chip Kelly was hired as the Raiders’ Offensive Coordinator and was paid a record $6M per year to do that job by someone named Pete Carroll.  The Raiders’ offense has been a hot mess all season long, but before anyone jumps to the conclusion that it was the offensive play calling and offensive game plan that is the basis for that hot mess status, just look at one statistic from last week’s Raiders/Browns game:

• The Browns sacked QB Geno Smith 10 times in the game.

OK, so maybe the Offensive Coordinator should realize that his OL is overwhelmed by the DL, and he should stop calling pass plays; after all, you can’t sack a QB if he isn’t trying to throw the ball.  That logical conclusion leads to yet another blind alley; the Raiders can’t run the ball effectively because the OL gets beaten and the backs are hit behind the line of scrimmage far too often.

The Raiders’ offensive stats for 2025 are awful; there can be no debate on that:

1. Raiders rank 30^th in the NFL in Total Offense
2. Raiders rank 31^st in points scored for the 2025 season.
3. Raiders have given up 41 sacks in 2025 – – second most in the league.
4. Raiders’ QB, Geno Smith, is tied for most INTs thrown in 2025 with Tua Tagovailoa (13 INTs in 11 games).

To my eyes, the Raiders’ offensive problems begin and end with the OL; it is simply not on a par with opposing defenders week in and week out.  The Raiders drafted Ashton Jeanty at RB last Spring after Jeanty ran for more than 2500 yards at Boise St. last season.  Jeanty is averaging 3.6 yards per carry for the Raiders not because he is a sub-standard RB but because he is being hit at or behind the line of scrimmage far too often; the OL is opening no holes for him and is being pushed back into the offensive backfield far too often.  There is not much a play-caller can do about that reality; you can put all the make-up you want on a pig, but it is still a pig at the end of the day.

Here is a question for the Raiders’ Front Office and ownership team:

• When you folks hired Pete Carroll, you proclaimed that he would bring/create a “winning culture” to your organization.  Now, twelve weeks into the season, you and he have fired two coordinators and have a 2-9-0 record.
• Is that a “winning culture” and have you folks had any discussions with Pete Carroll on that topic?

Finally, somehow this morning I feel a resonance with this thought from Kurt Vonnegut:

“Of course it is exhausting, having to reason all the time in a universe which wasn’t meant to be reasonable.

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………