Even a cursory glance at the calendar is sufficient to tell me it is time for the next installment of Football Friday; so, let me start with a look back at a very successful Six-Pack from last week:
- Spreads & Totals: 5-1-0 Year to date: 6-3-0
- M/L Parlays: 1-1 Profit = $38 YTD: 1-3 Loss = $162
The Linfield University Wildcats had the week off last week; they will venture to Orange, CA to meet Chapman University this Saturday. That will be the last out-of-conference game for Linfield in 2026; after this, all the rest of their regular season games will be against Northwest Conference opponents. Go Wildcats!
My “Sleeper Team” for the year is the Florida Gators, and they won their second out of conference game last week beating Campbell 52-3. The Gators are 2-0 on the season but have yet to play a significant opponent. This week the Gators are on the road at Auburn starting a sequence of SEC opponents. Only after November 21st will the Gators see another out-of-conference team – – the Florida State Seminoles in what is always a huge rivalry game.
And this week’s fun name related to college football is:
- Godspower Nwawuihe – – RB – – Army
College Football Commentary:
Florida State fired its Athletic Director, Michael Alford, earlier this week; it was not “for cause” to the school owes him money. Alford was the AD who signed Mike Norvell to a contract that ties Norvell to the school through 2031 at a reported $10.3M per year; various sources say the remaining balance on that contract is $84M.
Mike Norvell was on a hot seat even going back to the end of last season and now the guy who hired him has been jettisoned. The only reason that connecting those two dots might not be as simple as using a pencil and a straight edge is that $84M buyout figure. One report said it would be due within 90 days of Norvell’s termination meaning some well-heeled alum or three will need to write some hefty checks to make that happen. The Seminoles are 1-1 so far in 2026; this week they are on the road at Alabama and are significant underdogs in the game.
I have long criticized college football powerhouses for scheduling Division 1-AA opponents and the like in what I call “Cupcake Games”. Now I have some company on my soapbox who has plenty of football cred. Marshall Faulk is the head coach at Southern University which plays in the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) against mainly other HBCU schools. Last week Southern participated in what Faulk calls a “Money Game”; they went to Houston and were humiliated 77-6. After the game Fauld said this was not a game and there was no way that Southern could compete on an equal footing with a program like Houston because of the different amounts of money available to the teams at the two schools. He said these sorts of game should not be scheduled and labeled as “football games” because they are put on only for the purpose of distributing some money to the “poor school” as they take an organized butt-kicking from the “richer school”.
According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, Southern got $450K for showing up and playing the game along with 125 pizzas as a post-game meal for the team and staff plus 400 complimentary tickets to the game. Somehow, I don’t think that the Southern coaches could have “scalped” those tix for very much on game day.
Having pointed out that someone else agrees with me that these scrimmages in disguise are abominable, let me offer some congratulations to the Blue Devils of Duke University for their selection of out-of-conference games. Duke is 2-0 this year and they have beaten Tulane and Illinois. That is a whole lot better competition as compared to the selected victims of my personal “Sleeper Team” – the Florida Gators who have annihilated FAU and then Campbell.
Kudos to Duke …
Last week was not a good one for the Big-10; it was embarrassing. Yes, I know that Michigan pulled off a solid upset of Oklahoma last week and I know that Penn State, Maryland, Washington and UCLA won last week against underwhelming opponents. The rest of the conference sucked wind including:
- Ohio St. lost to Texas
- Oregon lost to Oklahoma St. (more on that later)
- Minnesota lost at home to Mississippi St. (more on that later)
- Illinois lost to Duke
- Rutgers lost to BC
Lots of pundits rushed to report that Ohio St. still had a path to the CFP and of course that is correct since the season is still in mid-September. However, that “path to the CFP” is not a well-manicured byway; here are some of the interesting contests involving Ohio St. prior to the CFP selections:
- At Iowa
- At Indiana
- At USC
- Vs Oregon
- VS Michigan
This week Ohio St. will have a “Cupcake Game” against in-state “rival”. Kent St. I suspect this will be a one-sided ass-kicking from kickoff to final whistle… And while I am at it, Oregon will play Portland St. this week in another game that should never have been scheduled; the Ducks are currently a 57.5-point favorite in the game. The Vikings are going to take a licking tomorrow.
In terms of embarrassment to the Big-10, which was the unseemlier result:
- Oregon losing to Oklahoma St. – – OR – –
- Rutgers losing to UMass two weeks ago?
Before I get to comments on last week’s college games, let me ask for a show of hands here:
- I am tired of Desmond Howard on College Football Game Day; who is with me on that question?
Last Week’s College Games:
Michigan 17 Oklahoma 10: No controversial ending for Michigan this week. No one should be surprised that a Kyle Whittingham team is strong defensively; maybe Oklahoma was just a bit surprised…
Texas 24 Ohio St. 23: The Longhorns trailed 23-3 at the start of the fourth quarter; Texas scored 3 TDs in the 4th quarter while Ohio State missed a field goal there and only had the ball for less than 5 minutes in the quarter.
BC 28 Rutgers 21: It will be a long season in Piscataway this year…
Indiana 55 Howard 0: The spread was 56 points …
Mississippi St. 38 Minnesota 13: This is the first win for Miss St against a Big-10 opponent since 1980.
OK St. 39 Oregon 31: Oregon was a 23.5-point favorite at kickoff. The Cowboys were coming off a straight up loss to Tulsa last week. That Oregon win over Boise St. not looking nearly as potent for Boise St. now. This was the first win by Ok St. over a Division 1-A opponent since September 2024 and it was no fluke; Oklahoma State outgained Oregon 554 yards to 281.
UCLA 28 San Diego St. 10: This game was scoreless at halftime – – an unusual occurrence in major college football.
Iowa 16 Iowa St. 13: A big rivalry game that always takes place early in the season before conference play begins.
UNC 35 ETSU 3: Not surprised at who won the game but defense allowing no TDs might indicate that the UNC defense is strong. Bears watching…
Duke 31 Illinois 27: Duke held the Illini to a field goal in the second half.
K State 34 Washington St. 7: Washington St has not looked good in either of its losses this year. This game was not close:
- K-State total offense = 487 yards
- Wash St. offense = 166 yards
Alabama 45 Kentucky 17: Halftime score had Kentucky leading 17-13; then the roof caved in.
BYU 28 Arizona 17: Talk about the roof caving in, the score here was 17-14 with Arizona ahead at the half.
Ole Miss 41 UNC-Charlotte 9: Trinidad Chambliss looks like a for-real QB prospect to me; he only threw 3 incomplete passes for the entire game.
UMass 37 Sacred Heart 10: The Minutemen covered a 3 TD spread in the game which had to be an unfamiliar situation for them.
North Texas 44 UNLV 6: Forget UNLF as the Group of Six Rep in the CFP. N. Texas rolled up 444 yards of offense in this game.
North Dakota St 38 Air Force 32: N. Dak St. is 3-0 in their first season at the Division 1-A level with this win.
Fresno St. 49 Sacramento St. 3: Fresno St. scored 32 points in the second quarter of this game – – 4 TDs, 1 two-point conversion (not sure why) and a field goal all in 15 minutes of play. Yowza!
Boise St 38 Memphis 20: Memphis took a 20-17 lead into the locker room at halftime, but it was all Broncos in the final 30 minutes. In short, the Broncos ran all over the Tigers. Boise St. ran for 357 yards and averaged 7.6 yards per carry. It sure looks as if despite their loss to Oregon, the Broncos are a pretty good team.
This Week’s College Games:
(Fri Nite) Houston at Texas Tech – 8 (53): These look like two of the better teams in the Big-12; so, this early season game may have significant impact down the line.
Buffalo at Penn State – 41.5 (51): The parade of Cupcake Games makes an appearance at State College this week …
UNC at Clemson – 3 (43.5): Two coaches whose seats will get significantly warmer/hotter if they lose this game. I know it’s a small sample, but I think the Tar Heel’s defense has been very good so far in 2026. I’ll go with that sentiment and take UNC plus the points here; put it in the Six-Pack.
NC State at Vandy – 3 (50.5): Good out-of-conference scheduling for these teams too.
SMU at Louisville – 1 (60): This game could be very important later in the year when tie-breakers come into play in the ACC.
Florida St. at Alabama – 19 (49): Seminoles’ football is in turmoil (see above)…
Stanford at Duke – 10 (51): This game has the best SAT total score on the card for the weekend.
Mississippi St. at S. Carolina – 4 (58): Was that road win at Minnesota last week a fluke or are the Bulldogs a serious football team in 2026?
Florida – 2 at Auburn (53): This is the first real test for the Gators in 2026. Auburn is 2-0 with wins over Baylor and Southern Mississippi. I think this is how my 2026 “Sleeper Team” announces its presence; give me the Gators to win and cover here; put it in the Six-Pack.
Va Tech – 3 at Maryland (53): Tech coach James Franklin knows a thing or two about going to Maryland and coming home with a win.
New Mexico at Oklahoma – 21.5 (45.5): The Sooners were stymied last week by the Michigan defense; they are now facing a defense that bears no resemblance to the one in Ann Arbor. New Mexico should put some points on the scoreboard, so I think this game is set to go OVER; put that in the Six-Pack.
LSU – 2.5 at Ole Miss (57.5): This is clearly the College Game of the Week with all the drama surrounding the return of Lane Kiffin to Oxford, MS where he might lose an election for city council to the ghost of Jeffrey Dahmer. LSU has the better defense; Ole Miss has the better QB. Sit back and enjoy this one…
James Madison at San Diego St. – 2 (46): JMU will rack up the frequent flier miles for this one.
Duquesne at Washington St. – 37.5 (54): Based on its first two games, I would not be comfortable laying that many points with Wash St against any team not called Intensive Care University (ICU).
NFL Commentary:
Both the Giants and Jets won their opening games last week; both of them are tied for first place in their respective divisions as of this morning. The last time both the Giants and Jets won their games in Week 1 was back in 2009. If you believe in omens:
- In 2009, the NY Jets played in the AFC Conference Championship Game.
- In 2026 the NY Jets …?
Speaking of Week 1 results, three teams lost their starting QBs to injuries:
- Falcons saw both Tua and Michael Penix on the bench in street clothes
- Seahawks lost Sam Darnold at the end of the first offensive series
- Vikes lost Kyler Murray to a concussion in the first quarter
Another injury issue that could have significance this season is the news this week that DE Myles Garrett will have a “surgical procedure” on his sore knee and is on IL for at least 4 weeks. Garrett has made the Pro Bowl 7 times, has been All-Pro 5 times and Defensive Player of the Year 2 times in his career.
In college football, there are lots of good teams in the South every year. Not so in the NFL recently and last week the 8 teams in the NFC South and the AFC South combined to post a record of 1-7-0. Only the Jags came out on top in Week 1.
I want to extend sincere thanks to FOX and CBS and ESPN for presenting NFL football with a “clean screen”. The days of having a crawl at the bottom of the screen with fantasy stats and/or game summaries were distracting and annoying; They are blessedly gone in 2026; the distractions on the screen are small, inobtrusive and pertinent. Thank you to the folks at the networks who produce these games.
I want to say something here about post-game pressers; that is not a good time for the losing players or coaches, but they are required to do them by the league. There is a lot of pro forma in the Q&A there; so, if there is going to be any content emanating from those convocations, the audience needs to up its game.
The losing coach will universally say that he and his staff were outcoached by the other guys this week and he and his staff need to do a better job next week.
Here is a suggestion. The next question after such a cliché statement should be:
- “Exactly what did those other guys do better than you and how did you figure it out so quickly after the game such that you know what to do differently next week?”
It’s not going to happen, but I suspect the response from Losing Coach would something along the lines of “Hamina … Hamina … Hamina…” [Hat Tip to Jackie Gleason/Ralph Kramden]
Last Week’s Games:
Steelers 20 Falcons 13: This was not an aesthetic game by any means – – 16 penalties and 10 punts in the game. Neither team gained 275 yards on offense. Yawn …
Ravens 41 Colts 23: Lamar Jackson was en fuego throwing for 324 yards and Derrick Henry gained 144 yards on the ground while scoring 3 TDs.
Bills 36 Texans 31: There were NINE lead changes in the game; talk about an emotional roller coaster. This was Josh Allen’s first win ever in Houston. The Texans averaged only giving up 18 points per game last year; the Bills doubled that in this game.
Bears 59 Panthers 37: Last week I said the Panthers had a good defense, and the Bears had a good offense. Clearly the Bears’ offense prevailed. I also said that the Bears had a porous defense and the Panthers had an anemic offense; the Bears likely gave up more points to the Panthers in this game than the Panthers will score in any future game.
Jags 34 Browns 10: Deshaun Watson’s return to the starting QB role ended inauspiciously. The lone Browns’ TD came late in the 4th quarter; this game was never in doubt.
Lions 31 Saints 30: This was a “roller coaster game”:
- Lions took a 21-0 lead
- Saints rallied and forced OT at 24-24.
- Lions scored on their possession in the OT to lead 31-24
- Saints scored a TD and went for 2-poiint conversion. Not happening …
Jets 23 Titans 10: As noted above, the NY Jets are tied for first place in the AFC East this week. The Jets outgained the Titans 367 yards to 195 yards; it was a dominating performance by the Jets’ defense. The Jets did not intercept a pass in any games last season; they didn’t do that in this game either.
Bengals 33 Bucs 27: The Bengals dominated the stat sheet, and the Bucs lost 4 fumbles in the game – – so why was this a one-score game?
Cards 26 Chargers 14: Clearly, the upset of the day; the Chargers were the only team favored by more than a TD in Week 1. The Chargers invented ways to lose this game:
- Turned the ball over on downs inside the 5 yardline
- Had a punt blocked setting up a 3-yard TD drive for the Cards
- Turned the ball over twice
- Committed 7 penalties
- Failed on all three fourth down tries.
- Possessed the ball for fewer than 23 minutes in the game
Vikes 39 Packers 22: the Packers led 22-10 in this game and the Vikes then scored 29 unanswered points with Carson Wentz at the helm. The Packers outgained the Vikes 419 yards to 239 yards and still lost the game. Twelve penalties and 2 turnovers by the Packers did not help their cause. The Packers have now lost 9 games in a row since Micah Parsons was hurt last season.
Raiders 27 Dolphins 13: Kirk Cousins only threw for 168 yards in the game, but he also threw 3 TD passes. Tell me again why the Falcons released him and then signed Tua?
Eagles 24 Commanders 22: Last week I said one question for the Eagles was their passing game without AJ Brown. The answer is it was mediocre. I said the Commanders had to add speed on defense; they did; but not enough; they gave up too many chunk plays. [Aside: Sean Mannion was touted as a boy-genius as an Offensive Coordinator; it is a small sample size but count me as “unconvinced” as of now. The Eagles managed only 10 first downs in this game.]
Giants 28 Cowboys 20: Last week, I wondered if the Cowboys additions on defense would allow the secondary to “cover a corpse” this season. Based on one game of observation, the Cowboys’’ secondary would be challenged to cover the Easter Island statues. New York piled up 394 total yards, rushed for 165 and controlled the football for 36:40. So much for the revamped Cowboys’ defense.
Chiefs 31 Broncos 10: Patrick Mahomes looked like Patrick Mahomes here and Kenneth Walkeer III looked like Superman. All four starting DBs for the Chiefs were out of this game and it did not seem to make much of a difference.
This Week’s Games:
The Bills just hammered the Lions last night beating them 41-31. The game was not that close. The Lions had two starting offensive linemen on the bench and two CBs inactive for the game. That is no way to face a strong opponent like the Bills. Give the Lions credit though; they did not quit; they went down swinging.
Packers – 3 at Jets (44): The Jets’ defense was dominant last week (see above). The Packers present a much bigger threat to that Jets’ defense than the Titans did last week. On the flip side, the Packers blew a 10-point lead starting the 4th quarter and lost the game by 10 points. I cannot trust either side at this point in the season. I am also worried about my sanity in thinking the Jets are a “live underdog” against the Packers…
Vikes at Bears – 4.5 (48): I expect the Vikes’ defense to put up a lot more of a struggle this week than the Bears faced last week. Nevertheless, I think that Total Line is short so give me the game to go OVER; put that in the Six-Pack.
Steelers at Pats – 5 (41.5): I think the oddsmakers are right here; this game will be low-scoring, I am tempted to take the points and the Steelers but will resist that temptation.
Panthers – 2.5 at Falcons (44): The spread opened with the Falcons as a 1-point favorite. Neither team looked good in Week 1; I considered this one as the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.
Browns at Bucs – 7.5 (41.5): Both teams played badly last week; the Browns trailed at one point in their game 34-3; meanwhile Bucs’ QB Baker Mayfield lost three fumbles in his game. I like the Bucs to win the game – – and possibly to win it big. I have no reason to believe that Deshaun Watson will be competent in this game, and I do have reason to believe that Baker Mayfield would like to “stick it” to his former employer. I’ll take the Bucs to win and cover; put it in the Six-Pack.
Bengals at Texans – 2.5 (46): This game got consideration as the Game of the Week. The Texans’ defense gave up a lot of points to Josh Allen & Co. last week; now, they have to deal with Joe Burrow and his band of merry men. The real question here relates to the Bengals’ defense; it was opportunistic last week, but will the Texans provide 4 fumbles to be recovered this week?
Saints at Ravens – 9 (46.5): The Saints showed a ton of professional pride rallying from down 3 TDs against the Lions to force OT. So, I can buy the idea that they will move the ball and acquit themselves on offense here. Having said that, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry started the season spectacularly so there are too many question marks associated with the spread. So, give me the game to go OVER; put that in the Six-Pack.
Eagles – 7 at Titans (39): These lines opened with the Eagles 4.5-point favorites and the Total Line was at 42 points; that’s a lot of line movement. The Eagles are clearly the more talented team and could wind up blowing the Titans away by 3 TDs – – or they could play anemic offense and struggle to win by a field goal. Not a good betting proposition here,,,
Raiders at Chargers – 6.5 (33): This spread opened at 8.5 points and dropped below a TD’s worth of points rather quickly. The Chargers very much need this win given the schedule ahead of them. The Raiders looked efficient and effective last week, but those were the Dolphins on the other side of the ball.
Jags at Broncos – 3 (45.5): The Jags won in a walk last week while the Broncos laid a giant egg last week. This is a much more important game for the Broncos who do not want to open the season at 0-2.
Commanders at Cowboys – 4 (51.5): Another important game for two teams that lost their openers. The loser here will not only be 0-2; they will also have two division losses which could become very important when tie-breakers come into fashion. I expect a high scoring game because the Commanders’ defense should be overmatched against the Cowboys’ offense and the Cowboys’ defense just ain’t that good.
Seahawks – 4 at Cards (41): These numbers have shifted a lot; the spread opened at 10 points and the Total Line opened at 44.5. The Cards “shocked the world” [Hat Tip to Muhammad Ali] beating the Chargers last week; I don’t think they can do the same against the Seahawks even with Sam Darnold on the shelf and Drew Lock under center.
Dolphins at Niners – 13 (45): Here is my Dog-Breath Game of the Week. Just avert your eyes …
(Sun Nite) Colts at Chiefs – 6.5 (47): The Colts’ defense was run over by Derrick Henry last week; now, they need to deal with Kenneth Walker III.
(Mon Nite) Giants at Rams – 7 (48): This is my Game of the Week for several reasons:
The Giants looked great and dominated the Cowboys last week. Can they do that again against the Rams?
The Rams looked awful against the Niners last week in Australia. Was that a one-time event or are the Rams old and ripe for the picking?
So, let me review the Six-Pack:
- UNC +3 against Clemson
- New Mexico/Oklahoma OVER 45.5
- Gators -2 over Auburn
- Bears/Vikes OVER 48
- Ravens/Saints OVER 46.5
- Bucs – 7.5 over Browns
And just for fun, here are 2 Money Line Parlays:
- Commanders @ +170
- Giants @ +270 $50 wager to win $450
And …
- Eagles @ minus-310
- Seahawks @ minus-210 $100 wager to win $95
Finally, this from Hall of Fame coach, Bud Grant:
“If you have time to be with a dog, and the dog is smart, you come to understand the dog, and the dog understands you. They’re not hard to train. But they have to be smart, and you have to spend time with them. It’s like coaching. I was a better coach when I had smart players.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports……..