Author: Jack

Yesterday was International Wombat Day.  That fact creates two questions:

1. What did you do to celebrate?
2. Who comes up with these sorts of ideas?

Starting in 2026, there will be another attempt to create a sustainable professional baseball league for women.  This has been tried at least twice in the past with the first entity – – the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) – – serving as the basis for the movie A League of Their Own.  That league existed in the 1940s and lasted until 1954.  Branch Rickey was part of the effort to found and run the league which had as many as 15 teams participating.  During the existence of the AAGPBL, there was a “rival women’s league” – – the National Girl’s Baseball League (NGPL)- – and those leagues had a modicum of popularity and visibility.  There was involvement of well-known sports figures in those leagues; Jimmy Foxx managed a team in the AAGPBL and Red Grange was the overseer for the NGPL for a while.

The rise of television and televised MLB games in the 1950s basically put the women’s leagues out of business, and women’s professional baseball was dormant until the 1980s.  In the late 80s, a small women’s league was formed – – the Ladies Professional Baseball League (LPBL) – – which was much closer to a barnstorming situation than a stable league organization.  It lasted about a year and went quietly into the night.

Next year, there will be another foray into the field of women’s professional baseball.  The Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) will field four teams next year (New York, Boston, LA and San Francisco).  That is a bold strategy in putting teams into places where there will be stiff competition for attention from well-established MLB franchises.  However, the previous “strategy” of fielding teams like the South Bend Blue Sox and/or the Rockford Peaches did not work.  The announcement that the league exists said that the league seeks an international footprint; that seemed like an over-reach to me until I learned that the league held tryouts over the summer here in the DC area and more than 600 women from ten countries were there to try out.  I must admit that I was unaware that women’s baseball was a big deal here in the US let alone in ten countries.

About ten years ago, Mo’ne Davis was the winning pitcher in a Little League World Series game against boys.  That was a first and that gave her plenty of notoriety at the time.  Mo’ne Davis (now 24 years old) is slated to be part of the WPBL next year.  It never hurts for a new league to have a recognizable figure or two as it launches.  The league will hold a draft next month and the league says it will have Spring Training, a regular season, an All-Star Game, and playoffs right out of the gate.

From the WPBL website, here is thumbnail sketch of Season One for the league:

• The inaugural season will be approximately 7 weeks in total: 4 weeks of regular season play, 1 week of all-star competition, and 2 weeks of playoffs.
• Games will be played from Thursday to Sunday with each team playing 2 games per week.
• The league will begin in May 2026. There will be a 4-day training period prior to the regular season; players are expected to get into regular season shape on their own prior to the season.

For new start-up leagues, there is always the question of financing.  So, here is some more info from the league organizers:

• Players will be paid per game at a rate determined by their selection order in the draft.
• Players will receive a portion of the revenue share from league sponsorship.  [Aside: I must admit that I do not understand what that means.]
• Housing will be provided for all players.
• Some players, with extra payment, will participate in grassroots efforts, clinics, media days, etc. on off days when there are no games scheduled.

This effort is a bold one.  Competing head-to-head with the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Giants, Dodgers and Angels for attention seems difficult to me.  However, the organizers seem to have a plan and a structure in mind that differentiates the WPBL from MLB in ways other than gender.  Maybe this one will work …

Finally, this thought from Jeff Bezos probably resonates with the founders and architects of the new WPBL:

“I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.”

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

 

 

I do not follow golf; it is not a sport that has ever captured my attention.  Nonetheless, when I see a headline with the name “Jack Nicklaus” in it, I pause to read it and the sub-head because Jack Nicklaus is a name I have recognized for about 60 years.  Yesterday I saw such a headline and when I read it and the sub-head, I was confused because I did not know the backstory.  It appears that Jack Nicklaus won a defamation of character lawsuit against Nicklaus Companies.  Say what …?

Let me do a quick reset here:

• When Jack Nicklaus retired as a pro golfer, he formed Nicklaus Companies as part of his efforts to design golf courses and to be part of various promotional efforts.  In 2007, he sold that company to “a billionaire banker” named Howard Milstein.
• Jack Nicklaus resigned from the company in 2017; sat through a 5-year “non-compete tenure” and resigned from the company’s Board of Directors in 2022.
• Nicklaus Companies sued Jack Nicklaus alleging “tortuous interference” by Jack Nicklaus by diverting business away from Nicklaus Companies to Nicklaus himself.  The case went to arbitration and Jack Nicklaus won the case.
• In this defamation claim by Jack Nicklaus, he alleged that Nicklaus Companies said falsely that he had considered becoming the face of LIV-Golf for a fee of $750M and then spread that falsehood around to media folks.

Jack Nicklaus won the case, and a jury awarded him $50M in the matter because it found that Nicklaus Companies and people associated with Nicklaus Companies “actively participated in the false publishing of facts” and that damaged the reputation and public image of Jack Nicklaus to the tune of $50M.

Moving on …  The college football coaching carousel began its spin early this season and two more seats on the ride have opened up recently.  The bigger news is that Florida fired coach Billy Napier and the unusual wrinkle here is that they fired him after he won the game prior to getting his pink slip; Florida beat Mississippi St. in Gainesville last weekend.

According to reports, Napier will get a buyout of $21M after posting a record of 22-23 at Florida (12-16 in SEC games).  So, is the Florida job a plum or a persimmon?

Well, Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer both proved that one can win big at Florida; the Gators are the only SEC school in the State of Florida and there is abundant football talent in Florida who should want to show their stuff at the SEC level.  That – – along with the fact that Florida was paying Napier $7.5M per year and must recognize that a new coach will cost a bit more than that – – means the Florida job could easily translate into generational wealth.  Those are very attractive aspects of the job.

The downside here is that the fanbase became accustomed to championships under Spurrier and Meyer even though the last championship was in 2008.  Since Urban Meyer left the school in 2010, Florida has run through four head coaches, and none have survived for more than four years.  The Gators have not been part of the CFP since it came into being; and in fact, they have only been to a New Years Day Bowl Game 4 times since 2010.  [Aside: Since 2010, Florida has had more losing seasons (5) than New Years Day Bowl games (4).]  And that is just not good enough for the fans and the alums.  So, maybe the job is one where you move to Gainesville, but you rent a place instead of buying one …

Another coach who was asked to turn in his whistle was at a school with no aspirations for the CFP or even to a New Year’s Day Bowl Game.  UAB fired Trent Dilfer as their head football coach.  Dilfer was the QB for the Ravens in 2001 when the Ravens won the Super Bowl and then had a long career as a TV talking head with stops at NFL Network, FOX and ESPN.

UAB competes in the American Athletic Conference (AAC); Dilfer’s teams posted a combined record of 9-21 at that level of competition.  Last weekend, UAB took the field with an interim head coach on the sideline and proceeded to beat the previously undefeated Memphis Tigers 31-24.  Dilfer brought playing experience to the job; not many college coaches can flash a Super Bowl ring unless they purchased one at an estate auction, but Dilfer’s coaching résumé was thin at best; he had been the coach of a small private high school in Tennessee for four seasons.  That’s it.

Compounding the problem, UAB football had been relatively successful at its level of competition in the years leading up to Dilfer’s hiring.  From 1999 through 2022, UAB was in C-USA, and it had been to minor bowl games in the 6 years prior to hiring Trent Dilfer.  Clearly that recent memory did not resonate with a composite record of 9-21.

Is UAB a good job?  Well reports say that the school paid Trent Dilfer $1.45M as the head coach; so, this is not a position that might create “generational wealth”.  Nonetheless, the fans there might be thrilled to get back to the level of minor bowl games just about every year; there are no CFP aspirations in Birmingham; such aspirations in the State of Alabama are reserved for the institution in Tuscaloosa.

Finally, having mentioned New Year’s Day Bowl Games, let me finish today with this from Lou Holtz whose team got pelted with oranges at the Orange Bowl Game:

“I’m glad we’re not playing in the Gator Bowl.”

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

 

 

The Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the World Series; they will face the winner of the Mariners/Blue Jays Game 7 tonight.  The win that advanced the Dodgers to the World Series featured a superhuman performance by Shoei Ohtani.  Perhaps the baseball gods presaged the miraculous performance with this amuse buche:

• Ohtani struck out the side in the top of the first inning.  Then …
• Ohtani hit a lead-off home run in the bottom of the first inning.

You don’t see that every day.

When he was relieved of his pitching duties, he left, allowing no runs and striking out 10 Milwaukee Brewers.  By game’s end, he had hit three home runs – – in three at bats – – and driven in 3 runs.  Other than serving as the stadium DJ playing walk-up music, it is difficult to identify anything else he might have done Friday night.  Many people have called this the greatest performance ever in the history of baseball.  If it is not, then it is certainly on the short list for that accolade.

Moving on … The NBA regular season is upon us; it all starts tomorrow night when the defending champions – – Oklahoma City Thunder – – tip off against the Houston Rockets at 7:30 PM ET.  Frankly, in most seasons, I do not give a fig about the NBA until at least late February when the playoff races begin to become interesting.  The thought of watching a Wizards/Blazers game in mid-November never crosses my cognitive space.  However, this year feels a bit different; there are a few issues/questions involved that might begin to be answered throughout the season.  For example:

• The Thunder are led by a trio of very young players.  Is this an emerging dynasty?  Was that championship run last season a “one-off”?
• The Celtics have dominated the Eastern Conference for the last 5 years or so, but Jason Tatum will miss most if not all of this season with a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the playoffs last season.  The Celtics also traded away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in the offseason and saw two key free agents sign elsewhere (Al Horford and Luke Kornet).  So, who will take over the mantle of “Beast of the East”?

I think those sorts of questions are far more interesting than ones involving LeBron James and his plans/desires for the upcoming season.  For the record, here are my current thoughts on those questions – – subject to review and revision as regular season evidence pours in:

• The Thunder ran away with the Western Conference regular season race last year.  Houston and Denver did some major overhauling of their rosters in the offseason and will probably provide the best challenge to the Thunder.  I do not think last year was a “one-off”; I think the Thunder will be a serious contender to repeat as champions because they were/are the best defensive team in the league last year and “defense travels”.
• If Jason Tatum cannot play at all in the regular season, I expect the Celtics to miss the playoffs.  Might they even be so bad this year that they join the “race to the bottom” in search of lots of ping-pong balls for the lottery?
• Who might replace the Celtics atop the East?  The Knicks and the Cavs look best positioned to me for that stature – – but if Joel Embiid can stay healthy and play 65 games or more, the Sixers might make things interesting in the East.  [Aside: Embiid missed two full seasons right after he was drafted; in the nine seasons he has been with the Sixers after that two-year rehab, Embiid has only played 65 games or more twice.  That could be a big ask for Sixers’ fans.]

Speaking of the NBA, the league has yet again decided to monkey with the format of their All-Star Game.  Let me be clear from the outset here; the NBA All-Star Game is not even worthy of being called a travesty; it is an embarrassment for the league.

Having stated my opinion, here is what the newest thinking on that subject is:

• There will be three teams – – two teams made up of US players and the other team made up of international players.  Those three teams will play a round-robin format to determine the champion.

Pardon me while I yawn …

Finally, these words from Frank Deford:

“You can stand at a bar and scream all you want about who was the greatest athlete and which was the greatest sports dynasty, and you can shout out your precious statistics, and maybe you’re right, and maybe the red-faced guy down the bar – the one with the foam on his beer and the fancy computer rankings – is right, but nobody really knows.”

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

 

 

Football Friday has come upon me again; it seems that the football gods are taking great pleasures this season with humiliating me and my “Betting Bundle” selections.  I take a small measure of solace in the words of Bill Vaughan:

“In the game of life, it’s a good idea to have a few early losses, which relieves you of the pressure of trying to maintain an undefeated season.”

I need not worry about an “undefeated season”, but I can be happy to note that I have had more than a few “early losses” – – and so I press on.  Here are last week’s not so good results:

• Spreads and Totals:  2-4-0
• Season To Date:        8-18-0

And …

• Money Line Parlays: 1-2       Loss = $48
• Season To Date:        5-10     Loss = $128

The Linfield University Wildcats stretched their season record in 2025 to 3-1 last week with a 23-6 win at home over Pacific University.  That win makes Linfield 2-0 in Northwest Conference games and the conference winner gets a slot in the Division III playoffs at the end of the season.  This week, the Whitworth Pirates come to McMinnville, OR for another conference game; this is an important matchup since Whitworth is also undefeated in conference games.  Go Wildcats!

My “sleeper team” for 2025 continues to do quite well.  The Georgia Tech Yellowjackets became bowl-eligible last weekend beating Va Tech 35-20 and extending their season record to 6-0.  This week, Tech goes on the road to Duke in an important ACC game.  More on that later…

 

College Football Commentary:

 

I mentioned that Georgia Tech is undefeated in 2025.  Looking around, I count eleven teams that have yet to suffer a loss this season.  But what about the football schlubs; what about the winless teams?  I believe there are only three in Division 1-A:

1. Oregon St.
2. Sam Houston
3. UMass

The presence of UMass on any list of futility in college football is no surprise, but I wondered how long ago it was that the Minutemen were even marginally competent at the game.  My “research” turned up some disturbing information.

• UMass football began in 1952; they competed in the Yankee Conference and from 1960 through 1980, UMass was the conference champion 12 times.
• In 1998, UMass was the Division 1-AA National Champion and from 1998 until 2011, UMass made the Division 1-AA football playoffs.
• Starting in 2012, UMass “stepped up” into Division 1-A and joined the MAC.  The MAC is hardly the Big-10 or the SEC; nonetheless, as MAC members or as independents in Division 1-A, UMass went 28-130 between 2012 and the start of this football season.
• In 2025, UMass is 0-6 but it gets worse.  They scheduled a Division 1-AA game this year and lost it.  In the five games against Division 1-A team, the cumulative score has been;
  • • Opponents:     194
    • UMass:            32

Last week, UMass lost to Kent St. by a score of 42-6.  The last time Kent St. scored 42 points or more was in September 2022 and the foe on that day was Long Island University.  To be honest, I did not know that Long Island University fielded a football team.  Kent St. is hardly a paragon of a football program and by comparison, UMass is several rungs below that.  Question:

• Does playing Division 1-A football bring in enough revenue to make a decade-long embarrassment worth it?

One of the other winless teams this year, Oregon St., fired its coach.  The Beavers are 0-7 this year and their record in the final 7 games of 2024 was 1-6.  Oregon St. has a home game against Division 1-AA Lafayette this week; the Leopards are going to travel about 2900 miles from Easton, PA to Corvallis, OR for this contest.

• If Oregon St. loses this one, it will be more than embarrassing.  However, it will set up a game on November 8^th when Sam Houston (the third winless team as of today) comes to Corvallis for what would be a bottom-feeder special.

One of the awards that Curmudgeon Central hands out every year is the Brothel Defense Award.  It goes to the team that allows the most points per game for the season; the name of the award alludes to how easy it is to score in a brothel and against that team’s defense.  As of today, here are the contenders for that Award:

• Air Force:        40.0 points per game
• Georgia St.:     41.2 points per game
• UAB:               41.3 points per game

Everyone here knows that I like to have fun with players’ names; just before March Madness every year, I do an entire rant on that topic.  My favorite player’s name from college football so far this year is a sophomore running back for Mississippi St.  Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you:

• Fluff Bothwell

Here are some comments on some of last week’s games; I’ll begin in the Big-10:

Indiana 30  Oregon 20:  Indiana beat a top-shelf team here; it’s time to recognize that Indiana has become a formidable football program. The Indiana defense won the game as much as the offense, Oregon is a very good rushing team, and Indiana held them to 81 yards on 30 carries.  And Indiana’s defense recorded 2 INTs as well.

Northwestern 22  Penn State 21:  The Lions’ defense could not get off the field; consider these stats from the game:

• First Downs:                Northwestern = 23      Penn St. = 13
• Offensive Plays:          Northwestern = 68      Penn St. = 51

In addition, Penn St. committed 6 penalties in the game and 5 of them resulted in a first down for Northwestern.  As you know, James Franklin is looking for work as a result of this debacle.

Iowa 37 Wisconsin 0:  The Total Line closed at 37.5 points.  No one betting that line expected it to be close with either team getting shut out.  Wisconsin was held to only 209 yards of offense.  The Badgers are 2-4 so far in 2025 and they still have Ohio St. Indiana and Oregon on the schedule.  These will be hard times in Madison, WI.

USC 31  Michigan 13:  Michigan is known for playing ‘bully-ball”.  Not in this game; USC ran for 224 yards and Michigan only gained 109 yards – – on 31 carries

UCLA 38  Michigan St. 13:  This makes two wins in a row for the Bruins – – and this one was on the road.  UCLA started the season 0-4 and was beaten badly then; they fired their coach and now they are 2-4 and are also 2-1 in conference play.

Moving on to the SEC:

Georgia 20  Auburn 10:   Auburn led 10-0 in the second quarter; then the Georgia defense asserted itself.  The Bulldogs iced the game in the 4^th quarter with a 16-play and 78-yard drive that took 8:45 off the clock in the fourth quarter and resulted in a TD.

Alabama 30  Mizzou 14:   The Alabama defense deserves kudos here.

• The defense had two INTs in the fourth quarter.
• Mizzou managed to convert only 1 of 10 third down tries in the game.

Ole Miss 24  Washington St.  21:  The spread here was more than 4 TDs not 3 Points.    The Rebels stayed unbeaten in 2025 but may have been looking past Washington St because the Rebels’ next two opponents will be:

• At Georgia
• At Oklahoma

Texas 23  Oklahoma 6:  The Texas defense had 3 INTs in the game and the Texas offense converted on 10 of 17 third down situations.  The Sooners led 6-3 at the half but here are the results of their second half possessions:

• PUNT
• INT
• PUNT
• DOWNS
• DOWNS

In other games …

Pitt 34  Florida St. 31:  That makes it three losses in a row for the Seminoles; this one probably erases completely the euphoria that pervaded Tallahassee after Week 1 when Florida State beat Alabama to open the season.  Not only have they lost three games in a row, but they have also lost three conference games in a row.

USF 63  North Texas 36:  North Texas was previously unbeaten and the Mean Green was at home.  That win should put a spotlight on USF as a potential entry in the CFP as the slot reserved for teams outside the Power 4.

Texas Tech 42  Kansas 17:  Texas Tech has a defense this year; that is highly unusual in Lubbock, TX.  The Red Raiders’ defense had 9 sacks in the game and recorded 12 tackles for a loss.  Tech looks like the class of the Big-12…

 

Games of Interest This Week:

 

(Fri Nite) UNC at Cal – 9 (47):  The Bill Belichick experiment heads west …

Buffalo – 17 at UMass (45):  That is the University of Buffalo and not the Buffalo Bills favored by 17 points on the road at UMass …

Old Dominion at James Madison – 1 (47.5):  ODU is rather feisty this year.  The Monarchs are 4-2 this year and one of those losses was to Indiana…

Temple – 12 at UNC-Charlotte (48.5):  It is not flattering to be the opponent when Temple is a 12-point favorite on the road…

Oklahoma – 5 at South Carolina (43):  The Gamecocks already have 3 SEC losses; they are out of that race.  The Sooners on the other hand have only 1 conference loss and this game means a lot to them.  South Carolina is traditionally a lot better at home and that is the venue for this game.

Georgia Tech at Duke – 2.5 (60):  Call this one the College Game of the Week because both teams are undefeated in ACC games.  The Blue Devils have a tough schedule ahead:

• Vs Georgia Tech – – ranked #12
• At Clemson – – never an easy place to play
• At UConn – – probably a tough scrimmage event
• Vs Virginia – – ranked #18 and also undefeated in ACC games as of today
• At UNC – – huge rivalry game
• Vs Wake Forest – – end of regular season

Michigan St. at Indiana – 27 (51):  The Spartans were roasted last week by UCLA and Indiana is better than UCLA …The Hoosiers are not known for taking their foot off the gas pedal, so I’ll take Indiana and lay the points even though I normally ignore games like this; put it in the “Betting Bundle”.

LSU at Vandy – 1.5 (48):  I double-checked this; LSU is an underdog to Vandy.  And the sun is coming up in the west tomorrow…

UNLV at Boise St. – 13.5 (61):  UNLV is one of the eleven teams that has not lost yet in 2025; that fact has not impressed the oddsmakers even a little bit.

Mississippi St. at Florida – 10 (51):  Good luck to Fluff Bothwell in the game …

Ole Miss at Georgia – 7 (57):  Ole Miss is undefeated; Georgia’s only loss is a conference loss.  This is a big-time game …

Penn St. at Iowa – 3 (40):  Nine teams in the Big-10 have only one conference loss and Iowa is one of them; so, perhaps this is a meaningful game for the Hawkeyes.  This game is either a wake-up call for the Lions or it will be a sleep-inducing performance.

Ohio St. – 25 at Wisconsin (40.5):  The Badgers were shut out by Iowa last week.  Ohio State allows the fewest points per game in the country (6.8 points per game).  This could get ugly …

USC at Notre Dame – 10 (60.5):  USC was impressive against Michigan last week (see above).  Is Notre Dame really that much better than Michigan?  This is a rivalry game with a long history, so I’ll take USC with those points; put that tin the “Betting Bundle”.

Tennessee at Alabama – 8 (59):  Both teams have one loss in 2025; the Vols’ loss is a conference loss while Alabama is undefeated in SEC games.

Florida St. – 18 at Stanford (54):  The Seminoles have lost 3 games in a row; if they lose this one there could be an insurgency at the airport when the team comes home.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

Football games rarely finish with a 25-24 score.  Nevertheless, the Bears have won two straight games with that identical score.   Strange?  Maybe even stranger is that the Bears have now won 3 games in a row and that has not happened in the last 14 NFL regular seasons.

When the Cowboys and the Packers made the “Micah Parsons Trade” just before the season began, it got a ton of attention – – as it should have.  However, with the regular season now in full bloom, there were other players who moved around during the offseason – – earlier than the “Parsons Trade” to be sure – – and three of them seem to be at least as meaningful as Micah Parsons is:

• Stefon Diggs:  He is averaging 5.4 receptions per game and seems to be QB Drake Maye’s preferred option.
• Daniel Jones:  Perhaps getting released by the Giants last year was a blessing.  Jones has played better in Indy in 6 games than he ever played in NY.  The Colts are 5-1-0 with Jones at QB and they are averaging 32.3 points per game.
• Josh Sweat:  In 6 games for the Cards, Sweat has 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 10 solo tackles.

            When the Browns and Bengals meet, they refer to the game as the “Battle of Ohio”.  Given the Browns misery this year and the Bengals having to negotiate most of the schedule without Joe burrow, I would like to propose a different slant on the “Battle of Ohio”:

• In the 2025 football season, which will be greater:
  • • Total wins by the Browns plus the Bengals – – OR – –
    • Total wins by Ohio State?

I think State is the right choice here…

I’m sure you have noticed the double-headers on Monday Night Football this year.  The Disney folks own ABC and ESPN so they have plenty of capacity to put on two weeknight games.  However, to attract maximum eyeballs, the “ratings nerds” seem not to be able to decide on the timing of the games.

• Option 1:  Start one game at 7:15 ET and the other at 8:15 ET.  Hope that fans will use the “Recall Buttons” on their remotes to go back and forth between the games and both will be over by midnight ET.
• Option 2:  Start one game at 7:15 ET and the other at 10:15 ET.  That will cost some viewers in the east who do not want to stay up until 1:30 AM but it will put NFL action squarely into primetime in the west.

My preference is Option 2 – – but I am usually up later than midnight anyhow.

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

Bears 25  Commanders 24:  The Commanders’ defenders are deficient tacklers; the reason is that too many of them try to level a “kill shot” on the opponent instead of wrapping up the ball carrier.  The narrative around here is that there is no time to “teach tackling” because there is not a lot of practice time available thanks to the CBA and so the team has to live with it.  How about teaching them not to go for “kill shots” by fining any defender who does that and misses getting the ball carrier on the ground?  Call this “Pecuniary Motivation”…

Broncos 13  Jets 11:  Notwithstanding this fetid example of NFL football, the folks in the UK will still allow another NFL game to be played on their soil this week.  It has to be better … no?

Colts 31  Cards 27:  Jacoby Brisset almost pulled this one out for the Cards; here is his stat line as the fill-in for injured QB Kyler Murray:

• 27 of 44 for 320 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT.

Steelers 23  Browns 9:  Dillon Gabriel has a lot of learning to do as an NFL QB …

Panthers 30  Cowboys 27:  Rico Dowdle said this game was personal for him playing against his former team.  Sorry, but I don’t get why he should be upset with the Cowboys:

• The Cowboys signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020
• He made the team and played there for 4 years
• At the end of that time, they released him and let him sign the best deal he could find with a team of his choice.
• And for that, you are angry with the Cowboys?

Chargers 29  Dolphins 27:  The Chargers tried to give this one away, but the Dolphins didn’t want to take it.

Rams 17  Ravens 3:   Total Offense by both teams combined was less than 550 yards; and yet, there were only 3 punts in the entire game.

Pats 25  Saints 19:  The Pats are in first place in the AFC East; can they stay there?  The Saints are in last place in the NFC South.  It looks like they belong there.

Raiders 20  Titans 10:  The Titans ran the ball only 15 times and threw it 38 times in the game.  Who thought that was a good idea?

Bucs 30  Niners 19:  Do not sleep on the Bucs; that is a good team that should get better as they get players back from injury.

Chiefs 30  Lions 17:  Rumors of the Chiefs’ demise seem to be premature…

Giants 34  Eagles 17:  Here is the question of the moment:

• Is Jaxson Dart this year’s incarnation of Jayden Daniels – – OR – –
• Is the Eagles’ defense not nearly as good as it was in 2024?
• Maybe both?

 

Games This Week:

 

We have two teams on their BYE Weeks – – and both teams need a week off badly:

1. Bills:  They have lost two in a row; they cannot stop the run; their OL is mediocre at best so they do not run the ball well either.
2. Ravens:  They are 1-5-0; they have multiple injuries including Lamar Jackson; the defense has been AWOL for the entire season to date.

(Sun 9:30 ET) Rams – 3 vs Jags (42.5) Game is in London:  The Total Line opened at 46.5 and has been dropping steadily all week.  The Jags’ OL gave up 7 sacks last week; they have to do better in this one.

Raiders at Chiefs – 12.5 (45.5):  I hate NFL games with double-digit spreads.  Even though I think the Chiefs are significantly better than the Raiders, I cannot take them at that number…

Dolphins at Browns – 2.5 (37.5):  This must be the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  If being an underdog to the Browns does not make the Dolphins mad enough to play seriously, then the team needs to find the latter-day Hercules and to task him to “clean out the stables” in Miami.  The weather forecast says there could be winds of 50 mph during the game.  With two bad teams on the field, that could make this an entertaining game to watch – – sort of like the Keystone Kops.  The big difference here is that the Dolphins’’ defense is poor and the Browns’ defense is very good.

Pats – 7 at Titans (42):  Here is a “revenge game” that might matter; Mike Vrabel left Tennessee under less-than-cordial circumstances.

Saints at Bears – 5 (46.5):  The Bears have a relatively soft spot in the schedule here and could extend their 3-game winning streak significantly:

• At Ravens
• At Bengals
• Vs Giants

The Bears are 3-2-0 today and just might be 7-2-0 on November 10^th …

Eagles – 2 at Vikes (44):   The Vikes had a BYE last week; maybe JJ McCarthy can play here – – maybe not?  It would be interesting to see the Eagles play against Carson Wentz just for old time’s sake.

Panthers – 1 at Jets (42.5):  This could have been the Dog-Breath Game of the Week; these are not good teams.  The Panthers are road favorites; I don’t know the last time that was the case, but it might be back when Cam Newton was their QB…  Just a flyer here but give me the UNDER in this one; put it in the “Betting Bundle”.

Colts at Chargers – 2 (48):  This is an important game for both teams; the Colts want to maintain control in their division; the Chargers recognize they have plenty of competition in their division and need to hold serve on home games.  I think the scoreboard operator will have his hands full here; give me the OVER; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Giants at Broncos – 7.5 (40.5):  The Giants have a logistical advantage even on the road:

• Giants have a mini-BYE after a Thursday night game
• Broncos had to play in London last week.

Commanders at Cowboys – 1 (53.5):  The spread opened with the Commanders as 2-point favorites but that was reversed by mid-week.  The Total Line here is interesting.  This game could easily go into the low 70s in Total Points; it could also wind up in the mid-40s.  I look for a game that resembles an NBA contest with points galore coming from every angle; give me the OVER here; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Packers – 7 at Cards (44.5):  Not sure if Jacoby Brisset or Kyler Murray will be the Cards’ QB here.

(Sun Nite) Falcons at Niners – 2 (47):  The Falcons are on a short week (Monday game last week) and have to travel a long way to the game.  Meanwhile, the Niners may or may not have Brock Purdy available for the game.

(Mon Nite 7:00 PM ET) Bucs at Lions – 5 (53):  Here is the Game of the Week.  Baker Mayfield has been magical this year but, in this game, he will be without the contributions of RB, Bucky Irving, WR, Chris Godwin and WR, Emeka Egbuka.  Moreover, Mikek Evans is only questionable to play here.  I think that is too much of an ask for Baker this week; give me the Lions to win and cover; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

(Mon Nite 10:00PM ET) Texans at Seahawks – 3 (41):  The Seahawks’ defense is tough; the Texans OL, is not tough.  That could be the deciding factor in the game.

So let me review the “Betting Bundle”:

• Indiana – 27 over Michigan St.
• USC +10 against Notre Dame
• Commanders/Cowboys OVER 53.5
• Lions – 5 over Bucs
• Colts/Chargers OVER 48
• Panthers/Jets UNDER 42.5

            And let us not forget three Money Line Parlays”

• Northwestern @ minus-150
• Michigan @ minus-200                       $100 wager to win $150

And …

• Pats @minus-300
• Packers @ minuis-320
• Lions @ minus-260                             $100 wager to win $142

And …

• Falcons @ minus-115
• Eagles @ minus-139                          $100 wager to win $231

Final ly these words from Bud Wilkinson:

“The man who tried his best and failed is superior to the man who never tired.”

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

 

 

I am tired of writing about fired football coaches; so, I’ll postpone comment on some other firings until later and check a few other items from my clipboard.  I will start with the New England Patriots who find themselves in first place in the AFC East this week with a record of 4-2-0.  Back in August, I thought the Pats would finish the season at 7-10-0; I said they would be significantly improved this year over last year, but I did not consider them “division winning material”.  I still do not think they will win the AFC East, but looking at the Pats’ schedule between now and December 14^th when they play the Bills again in Foxboro this time, they could be in solid playoff contention:

• At Titans:  Titans are 1-5-0 and Pats are 3-0-0 on the road this year.
• Vs Browns:  Browns are 1-5-0
• Vs Falcons:  Could be a tough home game for the Pats
• At Bucs:  This will be a stress test for the Pats
• Vs Jets:  Jets are the only winless team in the NFL now – – for good reason.
• At Bengals:  Without Joe Burrow, this team is beatable
• Vs Giants:  Is Jaxon Dart this year’s Jayden Daniels or not?
• BYE Week
• Dec 14, 2025:  The Bills come to Foxboro

The Pats could be 9-4-0 coming into that rematch with the Bills off a BYE Week to prepare.  That would be a significant surprise for this NFL season; the Pats won only 4 games in all of 2024.

I am not remotely trying to “write off” the Bills in the AFC East.  [Aside:  I am perfectly willing to write off the Dolphins and the Jets in that division … but not the Bills.]  The first month or so of this season showed that the Bills have flaws that opponents can exploit.  One glaring flaw is the Bills’ defense against the run; the Bills just do not stop the run.  So far in 2025, the Bills have given up more yards rushing that all but one other team.

• Rush yards allowed = 938 or 156.3 yards per game
• Rush yards allowed per attempt = 5.8 – – worst in the NFL.

The Bills’ inability to stop the run hurts the team along two dimensions:

1. It allows opponents to move the ball regularly and confidently.
2. It keeps the Bills’ All-World QB, Josh Allen, on the bench and not on the field.

Moving on …  The NFL regular season is about one-third over; there are some unusual numbers in the standings this morning that are probably more interesting than they are important.

• The Bucs are 5-1-0 for the season; no team has a better record today; nonetheless, the Bucs point differential is a measly +14.
• The Steelers are 4-1-0 for the season; the Steelers point differential is +12
• The Eagles are 4-2-0 for the season; the Eagles point differential is minus-1.
• The Niners are 4-2-0 for the season; the Niners point differential is minus-3
• The Chargers are 4-2-0 for the season; the Chargers point differential is +2
• The Bears are 3-2-0 for the season; the Bears point differential is minus-15.
• The Texans are 2-3-0 for the season; the Texans point differential is +47
• The Cards are 2-4-0 for the season; the Cards point differential is +3.

The best point differential in the NFL this morning is +78 and that stature belongs to the Indy Colts.  The worst point differential in the NFL this morning is minus-80 and that position of embarrassment belongs to the Cincy Bengals.  Lest you are wondering … the Bengals and the Colts do not play each other in this season…

Finally, this from Alfred North Whitehead:

“It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious.”

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

 

 

The Tennessee Titans were first out of the gate in the race to fire their head coach in the midst of the 2025 season; yesterday, the team announced that Brian Callahan was no longer welcome in their facilities.  In one sense, this was to be expected; Callahan had been on the job for one full season in 2024 and 6 games in the 2025 schedule.  His overall record there was 4-19-0 and those numbers are not usually associated with coaching job security.  But I think there is more to this situation than just the numbers.

Brian Callahan got the job in Tennessee based on his performance as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator from 2019 through 2024; he was seen as an innovative offensive mind there and indeed, the Bengals made it to the Super Bowl once during his tenure there.  However, he worked with Joe Burrow as his QB in Cincy; whether you believe that Callahan “developed” Burrow or that Burrow turned Callahan’s strategies into victories, I think it is important to recognize that Joe Burrow is an exceptional NFL QB.

So, Brian Callahan arrives in Tennessee and finds Will Levis and Malik Willis as the incumbent QBs.  Bearing exactly no malice toward either player, there is not an innate talent level equivalent to Joe Burrow in the house.  And suddenly, Brian Callahan’s concepts do not work nearly as well.

• Is he deficient in not altering his offensive construct to exploit better the talent that he does have at the position?  Possibly – – maybe even probably.
• But is less than a season and a half sufficient time for the folks upstairs in Tennessee to conclude that Brian Callahan is a bust as a head coach?

Let me examine that last angle.  The Titans’ owner is Amy Adams Strunk; the only thing I know about her background is that she is the daughter of the late Bud Adams who founded the team as the Houston Oilers in the old AFL back in the 1960s.  Based on reports of recent happenings involving the franchise, I am beginning to think that she has an itch in her trigger finger when I comes to firing people.

• Mike Vrabel was the head coach of the Titans from 2018 to 2023.  Vrabel’s teams made 3 playoff appearances and Vrabel was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021.  Mike Vrabel was fired after the 2023 season.
• The Titans hired Ran Carthon to be their GM in 2023; he was fired after the 2024 season.
• Brian Callahan lasted less than a season and a half as noted above.
• Hmmm …

With those events as a backdrop, I would hesitate to try to name Callahan’s successor in Tennessee starting in 2026.  Rather, let me speculate on the sort of coach/person who would seek that job.  Let me start with a premise that affects young coaches who are regarded as “the next big thing” in the coaching cosmos – – sort of like what people thought of Brian Callahan in 2024:

• Young coaches get two bites of the apple.  One of them needs to be an unvarnished success or their career aspirations need to be adjusted to “constant coordinator” and not “head coach”.

If that premise is close to correct, then there are some highly regarded coordinators in the NFL now who have already taken “one bite of the apple” and would need to look carefully at the situation in Tennessee to see if that is where they want to take that “second bite.”  Coaches who fall into that category include:

• Brian Flores
• Kliff Kingsbury
• Adam Nagy
• Arthur Smith
• Robert Saleh

There are always a few “greybeards” available to take coaching positions in the NFL.  Coaches in this category are “out of work” at the moment, but they have credentials in the past that make them alluring.  Jon Gruden and Mike McCarthy fit that description now.  However, there is a real gamble in going down that road:

• Maybe you find someone like Dick Vermeil whose “second tour” in the NFL was more successful than his first. – – OR – –
• Maybe you find Joe Gibbs 2.0 who produced a losing record in his second stint on the sidelines as compared to 3 Super Bowl wins in his first.

And of course, there are always folks out there who will take a job as a head coach to collect the generous salary that such a position commands.  Owners who get the reputation as “mercurial” often wind up with coaches in this category.  [Aside: I wonder if some of the coaches hired by Danny Boy Snyder knew from the start that it would not work out well – – but they would have checks to cash no matter what.]

The Tennessee Titans are not a good football team in October 2025.  They have the overall #1 pick from last year’s draft at QB, and he has not exactly taken the league by storm.  In 6 games in 2025, Cam Ward has amassed a total of 1101 yards passing; he has thrown 3 TDs, and he has thrown 4 INTs.

So, what is the “ambience” of the job in Tennessee?

• Is the QB merely suffering growing pains – – or is he never going to be top-shelf?
• Is the owner “mercurial” – – or have these recent hirings/firings been unfortunate occurrences?

And overlaying all the above, this is one of only 32 such positions in the known universe.  That alone makes it a desirable situation.

Finally, I’ll close today with this from Sir Winston Churchill:

“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”

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

 

 

Back in August, I did a College Football Pre-Season “analysis” rant and put there six coaches at major college football programs who might be on a hot seat for this season.  James Franklin at Penn State was not on that list; and truth be told, his name never entered my mind as being even slightly in danger of being canned.

There was a “negative narrative” out there about Franklin and his teams.  They were always good enough to set up a late season “big game” that might lead to a championship game or something like that; they were normally not good enough to win that “big game” so the season ended on a downer even if the overall record was something like 12-2.  The Penn State fan base is an avid one but they never crossed the line into being delusional to the point where they thought playing for the national championship 3 years out of every 5 years was a birthright – – as is the case with some other schools I won’t mention here.  That “negative narrative” did not appear threatening to me.

However, after losing to Oregon at home on “White-Out Night” (not desirable but acceptable since Oregon seemed to be a rival contender for Big-10 Championship Game participation) and then losing at UCLA despite being a 24-point favorite, there was unrest among the common folk in Happy Valley.  Not to worry, Northwestern was coming to State College the next weekend and that would make things right with the Nittany Lions’ universe.

Not so.  Northwestern kicked off as a 21-point underdog and won the game outright in State College in front of more than 100,000 eye witnesses.  And in the paroxysms anger, frustration and rage, Penn State fired James Franklin.

If I understand the reports I have read about his contract, it cost the university $48M to fire Franklin for something other than “cause” as outlined in the contract.  His deal was for $8M per year with a “retention bonus” for each season that he was the head coach there through the end of the 2031 season.  So, before I go even one word further, do not worry for James Franklin’s family and their ability to keep food on the table.

In case you do not recall how Franklin wound up at Penn State in the first place, here is the Cliff Notes version:

• Vandy hired Franklin after the 2010 season.  At that time, Vandy had had one winning season and one bowl appearance between 1983 and 2010.  Vandy was an SEC punching bag.
• Franklin was at Vandy for 3 seasons; his Vandy teams went to bowl games in each of those three seasons and won two of those bowl games.  At the end of the 2013 season, James Franklin was a hot commodity and was seen as someone who could “turn things around” in a football program.
• At the end of the 2013 season, Penn State football was in tatters.  Bill O’Brien had been the head coach there for two seasons after the Jerry Sandusky scandal that unseated Joe Paterno as the eternal coach at the school.  Football fortunes were stagnant in Happy Valley, and the school signed Franklin to put the team back on a course of “national relevance”.
• From 2014 through 2024, Penn State had gone 102-42; it had been in bowl games every season except for the foreshortened one in 2020.

And here we are in 2025 …  The Nittany Lions began the season beating up on three cupcakes by a combined margin of 121 points.  Then came that “White Out” night encounter with Oregon and here we are two weeks after that “big game loss”.  And the schedule does not look good from here on out.

The Lions’ offense had been powered by Drew Allar at QB; he suffered an injury in the Northwestern game that will have him out for the rest of the season.  And here is the upcoming schedule:

• At Iowa:  The Hawkeyes just pitched a shut-out against Wisconsin
• At Ohio St.:  The Buckeyes would have been favored even if Allar was playing.
• Vs. Indiana:  The Hoosiers just beat Oregon last weekend.
• At Michigan St.:  That game still looks winnable.
• Vs. Nebraska:  My “sleeper team” from last year is ranked in the Top 25 this year.
• At Rutgers:  Losing to Rutgers would be full-scale ignominy for the Penn State faithful.

            Terry Smith will be the interim head coach for the Nittany Lions.  He is a former Penn State player and has been an assistant coach there for more than 10 years.  The program is in disarray, but the program is a prestigious one; so, the Athletic Director has time to sift through the possibilities to find someone who has shown the ability to “turn things around” for a football program.  Someone like James Franklin was back in 2014 …

Finally, since today has been about a beginning and an end, let me close with this observation by comedian George Burns:

“The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, then having the two as close together as possible.”

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

 

 

My long-suffering wife said this morning that I am a creature of habit.  I told her that I did not have time to discuss that with her because it was Friday morning and I needed to get busy writing this week’s Football Friday.  So, I will begin – as usual – with a review of last week’s wagering predictions.

• Spreads and Totals:  2-3-0    Not good.
• Season To Date:        6-14-0  Yuck!

And …

• Money Line Parlays: 0-2       Loss = $200
• Season To Date:        4-8       Loss = $86

The Linfield University Wildcats opened the conference portion of their season with a 35-17 win over Geroge Fox University; that puts the Wildcats at 2-1-0 for the season as they try to keep alive their streak of winning football seasons that goes all the way back to 1956.  This week is Homecoming in McMinnville, OR and Linfield will host Pacific University who will arrive with a record of 1-3-0 for the season.  Go Wildcats!

My sleeper team for 2025 – – Georgia Tech – – had last week off and will put their undefeated season on the line tomorrow against Virginia Tech.

 

College Football Commentary:

 

With the college season nearing the halfway mark and since I mentioned Georgia Tech’s undefeated status above, let me note here that there is a total of 15 Division 1-A college football teams that are unbeaten as of this morning.  Of course, here in Curmudgeon Central, we always need to look at the other end of the spectrum so let me also note that as of this morning, here are the schools who are winless in 2025:

1. Oregon St.      0-6-0    PAC-12 “remnants”
2. Sam Houston  0-6-0    C-USA
3. UMass             0-5-0    MAC

That’s it; that’s the list …

I have often pointed out the folly of putting any significant measure of credence in pre-season polls for football or basketball but the results this year are stunningly bad.  Most polls had Texas at #1 and Penn State at #2 in the pre-season polling.  We are still 3 weeks shy of Halloween and both Texas and Penn State have lost two games.

In the case of Penn State, lots of the “blame” has been heaped on Coach James Franklin using the narrative that his teams can never win a big game.  That is what the record says, but I think that is a tad more simplistic than it needs to be.  Nonetheless, fans of the Lions have called for heads to roll in “Happy Valley” which is an interesting contradiction.

Looking at Texas, lots of people are happy to point the finger at Arch Manning saying that he is not nearly as good as the reputation that he has simply by dint of his surname.  Trust me; I am not about to try to argue that he has been wonderful and that his team has lost despite his greatness.  I read a report that said Manning averaged 3.5 seconds to throw the ball against Florida last week; that is way too long and that needs to be corrected.  However, consider also the following data:

• Florida recorded 5 sacks against Texas last week.  That is on the OL.
• Florida pressured Manning on 58% of pass plays.  That is on the OL.
• Texas RBs gained a total of 15 yards on 11 carries against Florida; Manning gained 37 yards on his scrambles.  [Aside: It was not just last week against Florida; Arch Manning is Texas’ leading rusher for the season.]

If the preseason teams ranked #1 and #2 are to have a shot at the CFP in December, they will both need to win out from here.  It could happen – – but not if Texas and Penn State play the way they did last week.

I mentioned about a week ago that the NCAA had proposed changes to “The Portal” and that the proposed changes needed the blessing of the NCAA Division 1 Administrative Committee.  Well, that august body has convened and has announced changes to the ways that players may transfer from school to school.  Here is the Cliff Notes version.

• One transfer portal window from Jan 2-Jan 16, 2026, for football players.
• Players with CFP games after Jan 16 can choose to enter “the Portal” within 5 days after their final CFP game.
• Also, a portal window will open for players on teams with fired coaches or newly hired coaches.  They can enter “the Portal” within a 15-day period beginning five days after a coach was fired or a new coach was hired.

It looks as if sanity prevailed on that issue.  Let us all give thanks for that…

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

Navy 34  Air Force 31:  I said last week that a double-digit spread on a game between two of the service academies was very unusual.

Clemson 38  UNC 10:  I got a note from #2 son earlier this week with the following comment about Bill Belichick and his foray into college coaching:

• “He’s finding out it is more difficult to coach college age kids than it is to date them.”

Arizona 41  Oklahoma St. 13:  The Cowboys are 0-2 and have been outscored 86-50 in the “post-Mike Gundy Era”.  Maybe he was not the entirety of the problem there?

UVa 30  Louisville 27 (OT):  The Cavaliers are 5-1 on the season; I did not see that coming…

Alabama 30  Vandy 14:  Vandy is 5-1 on the season.

Texas Tech 35  Houston 11:  The Red Raiders are 5-0 in 2025 and they have a good defense for once.  They rank 9^th in the country in Total Defense giving up only 244.4 yards per game.

UNLV 31  Wyoming 17:  UNLV is 5-0 in 2025.

Memphis 45  Tulsa 7:  Memphis is 6-0 so far in 2025.

Texas A&M 31  Mississippi St. 9:  The Aggies are 5-0 for the season.

BYU 38  West Virginia 24:  BYU is 5-0 this year.

Washington 24  Maryland 20:  Maryland led 20-3 at the start of the fourth quarter at home and coughed up a hairball here.

Miami 28  Florida St. 22:  Miami led 28-3 at the start of the fourth quarter and held on to win this one.

Ohio St. 42  Minnesota 3:  This was total domination by the Buckeyes:

• Ohio St. Total Offense = 474 yards
• Minnesota Total Offense = 162 yards
• Ohio St. Third Down Conversions = 7 of 10
• Minnesota Third Down Conversions = 1 of 11

 

NCAA Games of Interest This Week:

 

Looking at the sportsbooks around the world, here is the only outrageous spread – – defined as 5 TDs or more – – for the week:

• Cornell at Harvard – 37.5 (58.5)

[Aside:  Betting on Ivy League football?  Who does that?  Really?]

UMass at Kent St. – 3 (51):  This could well be a preview game for the SHOE Tournament in December.  UMass is winless.  Kent St. has one win over a Division 1-AA team by 4 points.  Against Division 1-A opponents Kent St. has been outscored 203-52.  And Kent St. is the favorite in the game …

Navy – 10 at Temple (52):  Interesting matchup here …  Navy leads the nation in rushing offense.  Temple ranks 99^th in the nation in rushing defense.

Northwestern at Penn St. – 21.5 (48):  Two weeks ago, Northwestern beat UCLA; last week, UCLA beat Penn State; now Northwestern comes State College, PA to play Penn State.  If the Lions lose this game at home …

Va Tech at Ga Tech – 15 (54.5):  Georgia Tech seeks to maintain its unbeaten status for the season.  The Hokies have been playing much better with their interim coach recently.

Iowa – 3 at Wisconsin (38):  I think there will be a lot of punting in this game…  Iowa ranks 115^th in the nation in Total Offense; Wisconsin ranks 126^th in Total Offense.  Wisconsin has lost 3 games in a row and has only scored a total of 34 points in those three losses.  Iowa has a tough defense.  I know Wisconsin is a tough environment for visitors, but I think this game sets up for Iowa; I’ll take the Hawkeyes to win and cover on the road; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Alabama – 3 at Missouri (51):  Mizzou is undefeated for the season; both teams are undefeated in SEC games.  This is an important matchup.

Michigan at USC – 2.5 (56):  Both teams are 4-1 on the season and both teams are football blue bloods.  So, why is there no energy around this game?  Michigan’s schedule from here on out looks soft to me; they could easily be in the top echelon of the Big-10 in December.

Oklahoma vs. Texas “pick ‘em” (44.5):  This is a huge rivalry game; this is a conference game; the Sooners are undefeated, and the Longhorns need to win out if they want to be in the CFP conversation.  And yet, this is not my Game of the Week …

Indiana at Oregon – 7 (54):  This is my College Game of the Week.  Both teams are undefeated.  Both teams have blown the doors off opponents.  Both teams aspire to the Big 10 Championship Game.  Both teams aspire to the CFP.  Oregon QB, Dante Moore, is completing 75% of his passes and has thrown 14 TDs so far this season.  Indiana’s defense looks good statistically, but I don’t think any of their opponents so far has the firepower of Oregon.  I like Oregon at home to win and cover; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Florida at Texas A&M – 7.5 (47):  Apparently, the Gators’ win over Texas last week was not impressive to the oddsmakers.

Georgia – 3.5 at Auburn (47):  Auburn at home is a different team from Auburn on the road.

Air Force at UNLV – 6.5 (64.5):  I think this is a letdown game for Air Force after losing to Navy last week.  UNLV is an undefeated team that has been under the radar so far in 2025.  I like UNLV here to win and cover; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

The NY Jets are 0-5-0; they are the only winless team in the NFL today.  The anticipated revitalization of the Jets under new head coach Aaron Glenn is going to be a long-term process and not instant gratification for Jets’ fans.  With Glenn starting out his head coaching stint with the Jets at 0-5, he joins three other Jets’ coaches who began seasons with 0-5 records:

• Walt Michaels (1980) – – The Jets wound up 4-12-0 that season
• Rich Kotite (1996) – – The Jets wound up 1-15-0 that season
• Adam Gase (2020) – – The Jets wound up 2-14-0 that season.
• Aaron Glenn (2025) – – The Jets wound up …???

Aaron Glenn may turn out to be an outstanding head coach in the NFL when his career is over.  Having said that, this is not a list that he would want his name to be on.  The Jets are in London this week against the Broncos and that looks like another “L” in the standings.  However, when the Jets get back home their schedule hits a soft spot:

• Vs. Panthers
• At Bengals
• BYE Week
• Vs. Browns

Yes, I know that the Ravens’ defense has had injuries and should improve once those players are back in the game.  Nonetheless, the fall off in defensive performance for the Ravens has been outrageous.  In their 4 losses so far in 2025, the Ravens have given up 160 points; you do not need a calculator to see that is 40 points per game!  The Ravens are last in the NFL in Points Allowed and they lead the next worst defense by more than 20 points.  Not that this is likely to be meaningful, but here is an OVER/UNDER proposition to consider:

• Date when Ravens’ Defensive Coordinator is fired
  • • OVER/UNDER – – Halloween

Why do I think a firing is coming?  Last week, the Ravens lost 44-10 against the Texans.  The Texans had scored a total of 6 TDs in their first four games in 2025 and then came into Baltimore and scored 5 TDs on that defense.  I don’t know that a firing of a Defensive Coordinator will right the ship, but something needs to be done to get that unit back to some semblance of a recognizable Ravens’ defense.

Let me take a moment here to point out a statistical anomaly.  The Atlanta Falcons currently lead the NFL in Total Defense; the Falcons only allow 244 yards per game.  The median NFL defense – – Seahawks – – gives up 322.8 yards per game.  Nonetheless, the Falcons record so far is only 2-2-0 and they have been outscored by 10 points in those games.

The Total Defense stats here are misleading.  In 4 games, the Falcons have faced JJ McCarthy who has been underwhelming at best, Marcus Mariota and Bryce Young.  That is not a QB list that will keep Defensive Coordinators up at night.

When the Raiders signed Pete Carroll as the coach and then traded to acquire Geno Smith who had played respectably under Carroll in Seattle, it looked as if the Raiders were finally going to have some adult supervision in 2025.  Not yet this season…  The Raiders are 1-4-0 and the Carroll/Smith tandem has not produced much in the way of consistency.  One of the sports radio guys here in DC called Geno Smith “The Turnover Machine” and that is not exactly slanderous if you focus only on 2025; he has thrown 9 INTs in 5 games.  On the plus side, he has not lost a fumble this season – – but those 9 INTs are awful.

I assert that the Raiders needed to make that trade for Smith because they had to get an upgrade at the position from 2024 when the starters were:

• Gardner Minshew – – 9 games
• Aidan O’Connell – – 7 games
• Desmond Ridder – – 1 game

However, I think the Raiders showed “irrational exuberance” [Hat Tip to Alan Greenspan here.] lavishing a 2-year and $75M contract extension on Smith meaning he is under contract with them until after the 2027 season.  The backup in Las Vegas is Kenny Pickett, which is not a comforting thought for Raiders’ fans – – but he will become inevitable if Smith continues on the performance trajectory to date this year.

Here are some brief comments from some of last week’s games:

Jags 31  Chiefs 28:  The Jags’ defense is for real.

Vikes 21  Browns 17:  Carson Wentz led a come-from-behind game winning drive against the Browns’ defense.  Surprise …!

Broncos 21  Eagles 17:  Broncos scored 18 unanswered points in the 4^th quarter for the win.

Cowboys 37  Jets 22:  This game was never really in doubt.  It was 23-3 at halftime and 30-6 after three quarters …

Texans 44  Ravens 10:  The Texans’ offense had been anemic for the first 4 games and then they racked up 44 points and 417 yards of offense here.

Colts 40  Raiders 6:  It may not have been as close as that…

Panthers 27  Dolphins 24:  Rico Dowdle gained 206 yards rushing and on 23 carries to lead the Panthers to this win.  The Dolphins led 17-0 at one point in this game.

Saints 26  Giants 14:  The Giants turned the ball over on 5 consecutive possessions here.

Bucs 38  Seahawks 35:  The Bucs reached into their pockets for a pinch of pixie dust once again in this win.  They were down 7 points with 3 minutes to play and pulled out another nailbiter.

Titans 22  Cards 21:  This game was a gift given to the Titans for the Holidays – – except it came early.

Lions 37  Bengals 24:  This game looks closer than it really was; the Lions led 28-3 at the start of the 4^th quarter.  Those Bengals’ scores were not meaningful.

Commanders 27  Chargers 10:  The Commanders looked very good in this one and the Chargers just gave up the ghost going scoreless after the first quarter.

Pats 23  Bills 20:  This was one of the most entertaining games I’ve seen this year.

Niners 26  Rams 23 (OT):  The Rams outgained the Niners by 50 yards – – and lost.

 

NFL Games This Week:

 

We have 2 teams on their BYE Week:

1. Texans:  This is introspection week in Houston.  If the offense really came to life last week, the team can reasonably expect to make a run in the AFC South even though the Colts and the Jags look better this year than in recent years.
2. Vikes:  They have been in Europe for two weeks; they need to reintroduce themselves to their kids.

In last night’s Giants win over the Eagles there was an important question posed for NFL fans:

• Are Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo as good as they showed last night such that the Giants are resurgent – – OR – –
• Are the Eagles not nearly as good as they were last season?

Broncos – 7 vs. Jets (43.5) Game is in London:  Not only are the Jets bad (see above) it is their defense that has been surprisingly bad.  This could well be a jump-start game for Bo Nix and the Broncos’ offense.

Browns at Steelers – 5 (38):  The Browns played “on the road” last week in London and now they go on the road again to Pittsburgh.  That could be tough for a good team and the Browns are not a good team.

Cards at Colts – 7 (47):  The spread opened at 3.5 points and ballooned when Kyler Murray did not practice Wednesday.  Cards’ coach, Jonathan Gannon, is a defense guy but his pass defense this year has been miserable ranking 28^th in passing yards allowed per game.  Why is that miserable?  Here are the QBs that have tested the Cards pass defense so far in 2025:

• Sam Darnold
• Mac Jones
• Spencer Rattler
• Cam Ward
• Bryce Young

I don’t see lots of All-Pro contenders there…  I don’t want to imply that Daniel Jones is an All-Pro contender this week, but he is better than many of the ones listed above.  I’ll take the Colts to win and cover at home; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Rams – 7.5 at Ravens (44.5):  The Rams’ defense played poorly last week, and the Ravens’ defense has played poorly for the entire season.

Seahawks at Jags – 1 (45):  Two sportsbooks have this game as “pick ‘em”.  The Jags’ defense has been most opportunistic.

• Jags have 10 INTs in 5 games
• Jags have recovered 4 fumbles in 5 games
• Jags have given up only 20 points per game

Cowboys – 3 at Panthers (49.5):  The Cowboys’ offense is hitting on all cylinders and that ought to continue to be the case this week.  The question has to do with the Cowboys’ defense, which is not very good and its matchup with the Panthers’ offense which is also not very good.

Chargers – 3.5 at Dolphins (43.5):  The Chargers started the season 3-0 and have now lost two games in a row.  The Dolphins just stink; their win was against the winless Jets.  I am tempted to take the Chargers but not with a transcontinental trip to make.  One of these two fanbases will be in full panic mode come Sunday night.

Niners at Bucs – 2 (47):  Both teams are 4-1; both teams lead their divisions; both teams need a win to maintain control there.  Therefore, this is the Game of the Week.  Who has the advantage here?  The Bucs are at home and the Niners cross 3 time zones to play the game.  The Niners had a mini-BYE week since they played on Thursday night last week.  You make the call.

Titans at Raiders – 5 (41.5):  This is the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  Both teams are already irrelevant in 2025 and the only potentially interesting thing for this game has to do with Ashton Jeanty.  The Titans’ run defense is awful; they give up 147 yards per game.  Running Jeanty as the feature back and not asking Geno Smith to throw the ball too often looks like an interesting gambit.  Will Pete Carroll do that?

Pats – 4 at Saints (46):  Both teams are coming off a win last week.  The Saints should not count on getting 5 turnovers on consecutive possessions again this week.  I lean toward the Pats here, but I am not yet to the point where I trust them…

Bengals at Packers – 15.5 (45):  Hard to imagine how the Bengals might win this game – – but a 15.5 point spread in an NFL game is not anything I want to deal with.  FYI, if you like the Bengals to win outright, the Money Line on the Bengals is +835.

(Sun Nite) Lions at Chiefs – 2.5 (52.5):  Last year, the Chiefs won 11 one-score games; this year the Chiefs are 0-3 in one-score games.  These are both good teams and the Chiefs certainly need the game much more than the Lions do – – but I like the Lions here to win outright.  So, give me those points and put it in the “Betting Bundle.”

(Mon Nite 7:15 PM ET) Bills – 4 at Falcons (50):  I think Josh Allen and the Bills will want to get the taste of defeat out of their mouths here and as noted above, the Falcons’ defensive stats for this season are as much a mirage as substance.  I think both teams will move the ball and score points, so I like the game to go OVER; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

(Mon Nite 8 :15 PM ET) Bears at Commanders – 4.5 (50):  It was about this point in the 2024 season where the Commanders beat the Bears on a Hail Mary pass as time expired.  That sent the Commanders on a run to the playoffs; that sent the Bears into a tailspin and a last place finish in their division.  Can history repeat itself?

Let me review the “Betting Bundle”:

1. Oregon – 7 over Indiana
2. Iowa – 3 over Wisconsin
3. UNLV – 6.5 over Air Force
4. Lions + 2.5 against Chiefs
5. Colts – 7 over Cards
6. Bills/Falcons OVER 50

And here are three Money Line Parlays for your reading pleasure:

• Georgia @ minus-170
• Iowa @ minus-160                 $100 wager to win $158

And …

• Lions @ +115
• Cowboys @ minus-160        $100 wager to win $249

And …

• Niners @ +140
• Commanders @ minus-220 $100 Wager to win $249.

Finally, let’s hear from Mike Ditka:

“If God had wanted man to play soccer, he wouldn’t have given us arms.”

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

 

 

My long-suffering wife and I are at our weekend home in Central Pennsylvania and when we arose this morning the temperature was 38 degrees Fahrenheit; summer is over around here and as I looked at the MLB Playoff results from yesterday it once again struck me that baseball is intended to be a “summer sport” and not one played in frigid conditions.  Nonetheless, the teams still alive in the playoffs continue to soldier on…

And there is a mirror image situation to the “baseball-in-October/November” condition, and it should become very apparent next summer.  In the summer of 2026, the FIFA World Cup will be hosted in North America by Canada, Mexico and the US.  A report by an independent body found that 10 of the 16 venues for that World Cup tournament “are at very high risk of experiencing extreme heat stress conditions.”

I have no interest in launching into a discussion of “global warming” nor “climate change” other than to say that NASA data taken from space proves conclusively that the planet is getting warmer and that the cause(s) for that warming trend are not nearly as conclusively proven.  But the planet is getting hotter and that means the weather in summertime is also getting hotter on average.

Back in 2022, the World Cup was assigned to Qatar where summer temperatures were so extreme that FIFA moved the entire tournament from the traditional May/June/July timeframe to November/December 2022.  The 2026 games should not need such a drastic measure, but FIFA has already awarded the 2030 and 2034 tournaments to:

• Morocco/Spain/Portugal in 2030
• Saudi Arabia in 2034.

FIFA has an established rule that determines when game conditions require a stoppage for player hydration breaks; based on last summer’s experience with the Club World Cup events held in North America, there is a high likelihood that such hydration breaks will be needed in most of the venues for next year’s World Cup games.  And given the warming trend for the planet, the games in 2030 and again in 2034 will be no better.

In Qatar the weather was hot and humid; in North America in the summer, the weather can also be hot and humid PLUS in some areas there can be violent thunderstorms and windy conditions.  Even if you ignore the potential effects on games by wind and rain in the summer, look to the mandatory hydration break threshold as a warning sign.

• According to the independent report, “Temperatures in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami and Monterrey exceeded that mark for two months or more.”
• Should a major heat event hit Mexico City on a game day, there would be the added stress on players of heat plus playing at elevation exceeding 7,000 feet.

It may be time for FIFA and the various major soccer leagues around the world to figure out how to play the FIFA World Cup tournaments in the cooler months of the year depending on where the games are assigned.

• If Finland were the host nation, summer games would probably be OK.
• If Nigeria were the host nation, summer games would not be a good idea.

Moving on …  The timing of some events just cannot be established with certainty; the chicken/egg conundrum immediately comes to mind.  However, some are sufficiently independent of each other, leading to the case where either one could come first or last.  Now consider the situation where Mark Sanchez is recovering from his stabbing and facing felony charges for the fight leading to the stabbing while Sanchez was reportedly “intoxicated”.  So, which comes first:

• FOX fires Sanchez as a color analyst – – OR – –
• Sanchez announces that he is going into alcohol rehab?

And then you can add an OVER/ UNDER element to that question and determine when the first of those two actions takes place.

• I’ll set the OVER/UNDER date at Halloween …

Finally, having spent time on the World Cup today, let me close with this from Pele:

“When you play against dirty players or very tough players, it’s easy to escape because you know what they’re going to do. But when the player is tough but intelligent, it’s much more difficult.”

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