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:
- Oregon St.
- Sam Houston
- 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 8th 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 4th 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:
- 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.
- 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 10th …
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………