COLLEGE HOOPS BEST BETS FOR DECEMBER !
12/25/2024..............2 - 3 - 2..........................40.00%............- 6.50
12/23/2024...............7 - 4 - 0.........................63.63%............+ 13.00
12/22/2024.............17 - 26 - 1......................39.53%.............- 58.00
12/21/2024.............44 - 37 - 0.......................54.32%............+ 16.50
12/20/2024...............12 - 7 - 1.......................63.15%............+ 21.50
12/19/2024................9 - 9 - 2.........................50.00%............- 4.50
12/18/2024................25 - 21 - 1....................54.34%............+ 9.50
12/17/2024................13 - 16 - 0....................44.82%.............- 23.00
12/16/2024...................7 - 3 - 0.....................70.00%.............+ 18.50
12/15/2024.................12 - 16 - 0..................42.85%.............- 28.00
12/14/2024.................12 - 23 - 4..................34.28%..............- 66.50
12/13/2024.....................3 - 8 - 1...................27.27%..............- 29.00
12/12/2024.....................4 - 6 - 0...................40.00%..............- 13.00
12/11/2024...................12 - 8 - 1...................60.00%...............+ 16.00
12/10/2024...................10 - 15 - 0.................40.00%...............- 32.50
12/09/2024......................4 - 4 - 0.................50.00%................- 2.00
12/08/2024....................15 - 18 - 0................45.45%................- 24.00
12/07/2024...................43 - 21 - 1.................61.81%................+ 54.50
12/06/2024......................9 - 6 - 0.................60.00%................+ 12.00
12/05/2024......................5 - 5 - 1.................50.00%................- 5.00
12/04/2024...................19 - 20 - 1.................48.71%................- 15.00
12/03/2024...................20 - 19 - 0.................51.28%................- 4.50
12/02/2024......................2 - 8 - 0.................20.00%................- 34.00
12/01/2024..................... 4 - 6 - 0.................40.00%................- 13.00
TOTALS....................310 - 309 - 16.................50.08%................- 187.00
12/25/2024..............2 - 3 - 2..........................40.00%............- 6.50
12/23/2024...............7 - 4 - 0.........................63.63%............+ 13.00
12/22/2024.............17 - 26 - 1......................39.53%.............- 58.00
12/21/2024.............44 - 37 - 0.......................54.32%............+ 16.50
12/20/2024...............12 - 7 - 1.......................63.15%............+ 21.50
12/19/2024................9 - 9 - 2.........................50.00%............- 4.50
12/18/2024................25 - 21 - 1....................54.34%............+ 9.50
12/17/2024................13 - 16 - 0....................44.82%.............- 23.00
12/16/2024...................7 - 3 - 0.....................70.00%.............+ 18.50
12/15/2024.................12 - 16 - 0..................42.85%.............- 28.00
12/14/2024.................12 - 23 - 4..................34.28%..............- 66.50
12/13/2024.....................3 - 8 - 1...................27.27%..............- 29.00
12/12/2024.....................4 - 6 - 0...................40.00%..............- 13.00
12/11/2024...................12 - 8 - 1...................60.00%...............+ 16.00
12/10/2024...................10 - 15 - 0.................40.00%...............- 32.50
12/09/2024......................4 - 4 - 0.................50.00%................- 2.00
12/08/2024....................15 - 18 - 0................45.45%................- 24.00
12/07/2024...................43 - 21 - 1.................61.81%................+ 54.50
12/06/2024......................9 - 6 - 0.................60.00%................+ 12.00
12/05/2024......................5 - 5 - 1.................50.00%................- 5.00
12/04/2024...................19 - 20 - 1.................48.71%................- 15.00
12/03/2024...................20 - 19 - 0.................51.28%................- 4.50
12/02/2024......................2 - 8 - 0.................20.00%................- 34.00
12/01/2024..................... 4 - 6 - 0.................40.00%................- 13.00
TOTALS....................310 - 309 - 16.................50.08%................- 187.00
Thursday’s 6-pack:
Some teams getting highest %age of points on foul shots:
28.7% of points— Charlotte
26.7%— Rice
26.5%— Seattle
26.1%— NC-Wilmington
26.0%— Butler
25.9%— Cal-Davis
Quote of the Day
“That sucked, to be blunt.”
Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin, after their 29-10 loss to Kansas City.
Thursday’s quiz
Which three NFL teams has Pete Carroll coached?
Wednesday’s quiz
Mark Jackson was coach of the Golden State Warriors, before Steve Kerr.
Tuesday’s quiz
When Rickey Henderson got his 3,000th career hit, he was playing for the San Diego Padres.
***********************************
Right now, ESPN has 13 of 16 SEC teams getting into the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina is 9-3, #65 on kenpom.com they’re the lowest-rated SEC team.
John Calipari’s first Arkansas team is 10-2, but against #233.
Kentucky, in Mark Pope’s first season, is 10-2 against schedule #65.
Conference play hasn’t started yet, so once teams start losing, things will change, but right now, this is far and away the best league in the country.
— There are four unbeaten teams left: Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee from the SEC and Drake from the MVC.
Bracketology has Drake as an 11-seed, meaning they better win Arch Madness to get into the NCAA Tournament, but not bad for a team with four starters who were playing for a D-2 team last season.
— Big X
Arizona is 6-5; 0-5 vs top 100 teams, 6-0 vs everyone else; they’ve played schedule #53.
Bracketology has 8 of 16 teams in the Field of 68.
Cincinnati is 10-1, with the #5 eFG% defense, but against schedule #299.
Iowa State’s only loss was 83-81 to Auburn; they’re shooting 60.5% inside the arc.
— Big 18
UCLA and USC are in the same league as Rutgers and Maryland; the over-educated morons who run college sports have outdone themselves with all this shuffling.
Bracketology has 10 of 18 Big 18 teams getting in the NCAAs; KenPom has six of their teams in the top 25.
All 18 teams have played two conference games already; 12 of the 18 teams split their games. It isn’t obvious who the best teams are, unlike the SEC, where Auburn, Florida, Tennessee have stood out so far.
— Big East
Seton Hall, Villanova seem to be down; Georgetown is better. UConn, Marquette and St John’s look like the three best teams, at this early point in the season.
ESPN has only three Big East teams in the Tournament; they had only three in last year’s event, their lowest amount in the last 25 years.
— ACC
KenPom has ACC as the #5 conference; they haven’t finished higher than 5th since 2020.
There are 18 teams in ACC now, with Cal,Stanford, SMU joining; lot of long road trips.
North Carolina is off to a 7-5 start, 2-5 vs top 100 teams.
Duke is 10-2, losing to Kansas/Kentucky; their best player is a freshman.
Right now, ESPN has five teams in the field of 68.
— Mountain West
San Diego State is 8-2, Utah State 11-1; they appear to be the best teams so far.
Decent depth though; Boise State, New Mexico, UNLV and Colorado State are capable.
ESPN has only two Mountain West teams in the field of 68.
— Famous birthdays, December 26
Carlton Fisk, 77
Chris Chambliss, 76
Ozzie Smith, 70
Storm Davis, 63
Tim Legler, 58
Omar Infante, 43
Trevor Siemian, 33
Hogan Harris, 28
— West Coast
Addition of Oregon State/Washington State for this year/next year will help this league, then the bottom will fall out when Gonzaga bolts in two years, and Beavers/Coogs go back to the Pac-12.
This year, Gonzaga/Saint Mary’s are two best teams, with San Francisco, Oregon State, Santa Clara and Wazzu adding quality depth.
Bottom of the league isn’t so great right now; ESPN has Gonzaga/Saint Mary’s in the NCAA’s, but that could change.
— Atlantic 15
Dayton, VCU and St Bonaventure appear to be the best teams. Richmond/UMass are down, Loyola Chicago just had a rough 0-3 trip to Hawai’i.
Archie Miller has Rhode Island at 11-1, but they’ve played schedule #323.
A-15 could be a one-bid league for second time in three years; last time they had more than two teams in NCAAs was 2018.
— Charlotte 94, Murray State 90, 2OT
This game, played very late Monday night, ended around 12:45am Tuesday here in Las Vegas, which means if I was home, it would’ve been almost 4am, which is awesome, kind of like the old ESPN Basketball Marathon they used to have in November every year.
Two ordinary teams played their butts off for three hours; fun to watch
Charlotte was 34-36 on the foul line.
Murray State led by 10 with 6:19 left in regulation.
Five players fouled out.
— Missouri Valley
Only once since 2016 has the Valley not been a one-bid league; Arch Madness is what matters.
KenPom.com has #72 Bradley as the highest-ranked team right now.
That said, ESPN has two MVC teams in the field of 68 right now, because Drake is 11-0- they have Indiana State as the other team in right now.
It is still December; a lot will change between now and Selection Sunday.
— It needs to be said here that the transfer portal has made the sport more top-heavy; every kid at a mid-major who makes two layups in a row thinks he belongs in the NBA. The rich steal from the not-rich, just like baseball. Can’t be a lot of fun being a mid-major head coach.
— Big West
Cal-San Diego is 11-2, including beating three eastern mid-majors at a tournament in Florida; the Tritons are forcing turnovers 24.4% of the time, #4 in country.
Since 2014, Cal-Irvine is 140-41 in Big West games, but they’ve only made the NCAA’s twice during that time- they upset K-State in the first round in 2019. Anteaters always play good defense; success in the conference tournament has been more challenging.
— Southern
Furman is ranked #113 by KenPom; they’re highest-ranked team in SoCon right now, two years after upsetting Virginia in the NCAAs.
10-3 Samford seems like their biggest challenger right now; they’re shooting 39.6% on the arc (#18) getting 42% of their points on the arc (#8)
Some teams getting highest %age of points on foul shots:
28.7% of points— Charlotte
26.7%— Rice
26.5%— Seattle
26.1%— NC-Wilmington
26.0%— Butler
25.9%— Cal-Davis
Quote of the Day
“That sucked, to be blunt.”
Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin, after their 29-10 loss to Kansas City.
Thursday’s quiz
Which three NFL teams has Pete Carroll coached?
Wednesday’s quiz
Mark Jackson was coach of the Golden State Warriors, before Steve Kerr.
Tuesday’s quiz
When Rickey Henderson got his 3,000th career hit, he was playing for the San Diego Padres.
***********************************
Thursday’s Den: College Basketball thoughts, on a winter day
— SECRight now, ESPN has 13 of 16 SEC teams getting into the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina is 9-3, #65 on kenpom.com they’re the lowest-rated SEC team.
John Calipari’s first Arkansas team is 10-2, but against #233.
Kentucky, in Mark Pope’s first season, is 10-2 against schedule #65.
Conference play hasn’t started yet, so once teams start losing, things will change, but right now, this is far and away the best league in the country.
— There are four unbeaten teams left: Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee from the SEC and Drake from the MVC.
Bracketology has Drake as an 11-seed, meaning they better win Arch Madness to get into the NCAA Tournament, but not bad for a team with four starters who were playing for a D-2 team last season.
— Big X
Arizona is 6-5; 0-5 vs top 100 teams, 6-0 vs everyone else; they’ve played schedule #53.
Bracketology has 8 of 16 teams in the Field of 68.
Cincinnati is 10-1, with the #5 eFG% defense, but against schedule #299.
Iowa State’s only loss was 83-81 to Auburn; they’re shooting 60.5% inside the arc.
— Big 18
UCLA and USC are in the same league as Rutgers and Maryland; the over-educated morons who run college sports have outdone themselves with all this shuffling.
Bracketology has 10 of 18 Big 18 teams getting in the NCAAs; KenPom has six of their teams in the top 25.
All 18 teams have played two conference games already; 12 of the 18 teams split their games. It isn’t obvious who the best teams are, unlike the SEC, where Auburn, Florida, Tennessee have stood out so far.
— Big East
Seton Hall, Villanova seem to be down; Georgetown is better. UConn, Marquette and St John’s look like the three best teams, at this early point in the season.
ESPN has only three Big East teams in the Tournament; they had only three in last year’s event, their lowest amount in the last 25 years.
— ACC
KenPom has ACC as the #5 conference; they haven’t finished higher than 5th since 2020.
There are 18 teams in ACC now, with Cal,Stanford, SMU joining; lot of long road trips.
North Carolina is off to a 7-5 start, 2-5 vs top 100 teams.
Duke is 10-2, losing to Kansas/Kentucky; their best player is a freshman.
Right now, ESPN has five teams in the field of 68.
— Mountain West
San Diego State is 8-2, Utah State 11-1; they appear to be the best teams so far.
Decent depth though; Boise State, New Mexico, UNLV and Colorado State are capable.
ESPN has only two Mountain West teams in the field of 68.
— Famous birthdays, December 26
Carlton Fisk, 77
Chris Chambliss, 76
Ozzie Smith, 70
Storm Davis, 63
Tim Legler, 58
Omar Infante, 43
Trevor Siemian, 33
Hogan Harris, 28
— West Coast
Addition of Oregon State/Washington State for this year/next year will help this league, then the bottom will fall out when Gonzaga bolts in two years, and Beavers/Coogs go back to the Pac-12.
This year, Gonzaga/Saint Mary’s are two best teams, with San Francisco, Oregon State, Santa Clara and Wazzu adding quality depth.
Bottom of the league isn’t so great right now; ESPN has Gonzaga/Saint Mary’s in the NCAA’s, but that could change.
— Atlantic 15
Dayton, VCU and St Bonaventure appear to be the best teams. Richmond/UMass are down, Loyola Chicago just had a rough 0-3 trip to Hawai’i.
Archie Miller has Rhode Island at 11-1, but they’ve played schedule #323.
A-15 could be a one-bid league for second time in three years; last time they had more than two teams in NCAAs was 2018.
— Charlotte 94, Murray State 90, 2OT
This game, played very late Monday night, ended around 12:45am Tuesday here in Las Vegas, which means if I was home, it would’ve been almost 4am, which is awesome, kind of like the old ESPN Basketball Marathon they used to have in November every year.
Two ordinary teams played their butts off for three hours; fun to watch
Charlotte was 34-36 on the foul line.
Murray State led by 10 with 6:19 left in regulation.
Five players fouled out.
— Missouri Valley
Only once since 2016 has the Valley not been a one-bid league; Arch Madness is what matters.
KenPom.com has #72 Bradley as the highest-ranked team right now.
That said, ESPN has two MVC teams in the field of 68 right now, because Drake is 11-0- they have Indiana State as the other team in right now.
It is still December; a lot will change between now and Selection Sunday.
— It needs to be said here that the transfer portal has made the sport more top-heavy; every kid at a mid-major who makes two layups in a row thinks he belongs in the NBA. The rich steal from the not-rich, just like baseball. Can’t be a lot of fun being a mid-major head coach.
— Big West
Cal-San Diego is 11-2, including beating three eastern mid-majors at a tournament in Florida; the Tritons are forcing turnovers 24.4% of the time, #4 in country.
Since 2014, Cal-Irvine is 140-41 in Big West games, but they’ve only made the NCAA’s twice during that time- they upset K-State in the first round in 2019. Anteaters always play good defense; success in the conference tournament has been more challenging.
— Southern
Furman is ranked #113 by KenPom; they’re highest-ranked team in SoCon right now, two years after upsetting Virginia in the NCAAs.
10-3 Samford seems like their biggest challenger right now; they’re shooting 39.6% on the arc (#18) getting 42% of their points on the arc (#8)
Armadillo Sports
Friday’s 6-pack:
College hoop teams playing the fastest tempo:
— Cal Poly
— South Dakota
— North Carolina
— Fresno State
— Alabama
— New Mexico
Quote of the Day
“The opportunity to make money someplace else created a situation that you have to begin to ask yourself as a coach what is this all about. And the answer is it’s become professional.”
Former Miami coach Jim Larrañaga
Friday’s quiz
NFL QB’s Tony Romo, Sean Payton and Jimmy Garropolo all played college football at the same school; which one?
Thursday’s quiz
Pete Carroll has coached the Jets, Patriots and Seahawks.
Wednesday’s quiz
Mark Jackson was coach of the Golden State Warriors, before Steve Kerr.
******************************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here……..
Seahawks 6, Bears 3
This was the worst NFL game I’ve ever seen. Ever.
Total yardage: Seattle 265, Chicago 179
Seahawks kicked a FG on their first drive.
After the first drive, they ran 41 plays for 180 yards.
Seattle gained less than 300 yards in five or last seven games.
Bears are 0-10 SU/3-7 ATS in their last ten games.
Bears averaged 2.2 yards/pass attempt; Williams was sacked 7 times.
Chicago has scored 45 points in four games since Eberflus got fired.
Bears are 0-10 when they score less than 24 points,
Under is 7-3 in Chicago’s last ten games.
Chiefs 29, Steelers 10
Chiefs won their last six games, covered last three.
Chiefs’ first two drives: 15 plays, 121 yards, 13 points.
Last three games, Kansas City is +10 in turnovers.
Mahomes threw for 320 yards, three TD’s.
Win clinches the #1 seed in AFC for Kansas City.
Steelers ran for 202 yards, but were minus-2 in turnovers.
Pittsburgh was 8-16 on third down, Chiefs 3-10.
Steelers averaged only 3.9 yards/pass attempt.
Steelers lost their last three games, after a 7-1 run.
Last three games, Pittsburgh allowed 402.7 yards/game.
Ravens 31, Texans 2
Baltimore won its two post-bye games, scoring 35-34-31 points.
Ravens’ first two drives: 15 plays, 111 yards, 10 points.
Baltimore is 11-0 if they score 27+ points, 0-5 if they score less than 27
QB Jackson put game out of reach with a 48-yard TD run.
Ravens are 6-2 ATS as a road favorite this year.
Ravens outgained Houston, 432-211
Texans had only ten first downs the whole game.
Houston is 2-7 when it gives up more than 20 points.
Under is 7-1 in Texans home games.
This was first-ever NFL game with a halftime score of 17-2.
— Toledo 48, Pittsburgh 46 OT
Toledo kicked a 51-yard FG with 1:45 left to force OT
Rockets scored two TD’s in a 0:14 span in the second quarter.
Toledo led 20-12 at halftime.
Pitt ran ball 66 times for 301 yards, but lost.
This game had six overtime innings, the longest bowl game ever.
— Kansas State 44, Rutgers 41
Rutgers led 27-17 at halftime, 34-17 with 6:00 left in 3rd quarter.
Dylan Edwards ran 18 times for 196 yards and two TD’s.
K-State ran ball 42 times for 347 yards (8.3 yards/carry).
Rutgers gained 319 yards in first half, only 82 after halftime.
— Arkansas State 38, Bowling Green 31
Ark State took a 10-0 lead on a 60-yard punt return for a TD.
Then, Falcons’ #3 QB threw a 43-yard TD pass on a fake punt.
Bowling Green outgained Ark State, 479-360
Ark State QB Raynor threw for 221 yards and two TD’s.
— South Florida 41, San Jose State 39 OT
USF led 21-7 after a 93-yard kick return in second quarter.
Bulls kicked a 41-yard FG with 0:02 left in regulation to force OT.
San Jose outgained South Florida, 441-291.
— Famous birthdays, December 27:
Tovah Feldshuh, 72
Mark Budaska, 72
Craig Reynolds, 72
Kent Benson, 70
Donald Igwebuike, 64
Eva LaRue, 58
Kevin Ollie, 52
Carson Palmer, 45
Cole Hamels, 41
Greg Zuerlein, 37
Jordan Montgomery, 32
Brock Purdy, 25
— 75-year old Jim Larrañaga is no longer Miami’s basketball coach; whether he got fired or quit isn’t relevant (no one quits those jobs unless it is health-related).
Larrañaga won 744 games as a college coach; he had Miami in the freakin’ Final Four two years ago, but the Hurricanes are 4-8 this season, after ending last year on an 0-10 skid. Our society has become very fickle, especially towards older people, so Larrañaga is gone now.
— Speaking of which, there are murmurs that 73-year old Pete Carroll has interest in being the next coach of the Chicago Bears, who need all the coaching they can get.
Carroll has a 181-131-1 record as an NFL head coach, winning a Super Bowl with Seattle; he was also 97-19 as USC’s coach.
— Teddy Bridgewater was an NFL QB for nine years, for six different teams; he was Detroit’s backup QB last year, then retired so he could coach high school ball at Miami Northwestern HS, his alma mater. Miami Northwestern won a state title this past season and now Bridgewater has un-retired, to go back to the Lions as a backup.
— Nebraska 78, Oregon State 66
Cornhuskers win the Diamond Head Classic; they’re 10-2 this season.
Nebraska was 38-44 on the foul line in the 3-game tournament.
Cornhuskers are forcing turnovers 21% of time (#49)
— The fiercest game in those 8-team tournaments is the 7th place game, when two teams that are 0-2 in the event fight like hell not to go home to the mainland 0-3.
Murray State beat Loyola Chi 71-68 in the 7th place game at Diamond Head; Racers were 22-33 on the foul line, Loyola 14-21. Ramblers led by 11 early in second half, but went home 0-3.
— QB Fernando Mendoza has transferred from the Cal Bears to Indiana; he threw for 3,004 yards this year, with 16 TD passes, six INT’s.
— QB Darian Mensah bolted from Tulane to Duke after leading the Green Wave to a 9-4 regular season record. Word came out on the Interweb this week that Mensah signed a 2-year deal worth $8M to play for Duke!!!! 4 million freakin’ dollars a year!!!!
By way of comparison, Jimmy Garropolo is the Rams’ backup QB, in the NFL. He’s making $3,044,305 this season.
Go figure.
Friday’s 6-pack:
College hoop teams playing the fastest tempo:
— Cal Poly
— South Dakota
— North Carolina
— Fresno State
— Alabama
— New Mexico
Quote of the Day
“The opportunity to make money someplace else created a situation that you have to begin to ask yourself as a coach what is this all about. And the answer is it’s become professional.”
Former Miami coach Jim Larrañaga
Friday’s quiz
NFL QB’s Tony Romo, Sean Payton and Jimmy Garropolo all played college football at the same school; which one?
Thursday’s quiz
Pete Carroll has coached the Jets, Patriots and Seahawks.
Wednesday’s quiz
Mark Jackson was coach of the Golden State Warriors, before Steve Kerr.
******************************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here……..
Seahawks 6, Bears 3
This was the worst NFL game I’ve ever seen. Ever.
Total yardage: Seattle 265, Chicago 179
Seahawks kicked a FG on their first drive.
After the first drive, they ran 41 plays for 180 yards.
Seattle gained less than 300 yards in five or last seven games.
Bears are 0-10 SU/3-7 ATS in their last ten games.
Bears averaged 2.2 yards/pass attempt; Williams was sacked 7 times.
Chicago has scored 45 points in four games since Eberflus got fired.
Bears are 0-10 when they score less than 24 points,
Under is 7-3 in Chicago’s last ten games.
Chiefs 29, Steelers 10
Chiefs won their last six games, covered last three.
Chiefs’ first two drives: 15 plays, 121 yards, 13 points.
Last three games, Kansas City is +10 in turnovers.
Mahomes threw for 320 yards, three TD’s.
Win clinches the #1 seed in AFC for Kansas City.
Steelers ran for 202 yards, but were minus-2 in turnovers.
Pittsburgh was 8-16 on third down, Chiefs 3-10.
Steelers averaged only 3.9 yards/pass attempt.
Steelers lost their last three games, after a 7-1 run.
Last three games, Pittsburgh allowed 402.7 yards/game.
Ravens 31, Texans 2
Baltimore won its two post-bye games, scoring 35-34-31 points.
Ravens’ first two drives: 15 plays, 111 yards, 10 points.
Baltimore is 11-0 if they score 27+ points, 0-5 if they score less than 27
QB Jackson put game out of reach with a 48-yard TD run.
Ravens are 6-2 ATS as a road favorite this year.
Ravens outgained Houston, 432-211
Texans had only ten first downs the whole game.
Houston is 2-7 when it gives up more than 20 points.
Under is 7-1 in Texans home games.
This was first-ever NFL game with a halftime score of 17-2.
— Toledo 48, Pittsburgh 46 OT
Toledo kicked a 51-yard FG with 1:45 left to force OT
Rockets scored two TD’s in a 0:14 span in the second quarter.
Toledo led 20-12 at halftime.
Pitt ran ball 66 times for 301 yards, but lost.
This game had six overtime innings, the longest bowl game ever.
— Kansas State 44, Rutgers 41
Rutgers led 27-17 at halftime, 34-17 with 6:00 left in 3rd quarter.
Dylan Edwards ran 18 times for 196 yards and two TD’s.
K-State ran ball 42 times for 347 yards (8.3 yards/carry).
Rutgers gained 319 yards in first half, only 82 after halftime.
— Arkansas State 38, Bowling Green 31
Ark State took a 10-0 lead on a 60-yard punt return for a TD.
Then, Falcons’ #3 QB threw a 43-yard TD pass on a fake punt.
Bowling Green outgained Ark State, 479-360
Ark State QB Raynor threw for 221 yards and two TD’s.
— South Florida 41, San Jose State 39 OT
USF led 21-7 after a 93-yard kick return in second quarter.
Bulls kicked a 41-yard FG with 0:02 left in regulation to force OT.
San Jose outgained South Florida, 441-291.
— Famous birthdays, December 27:
Tovah Feldshuh, 72
Mark Budaska, 72
Craig Reynolds, 72
Kent Benson, 70
Donald Igwebuike, 64
Eva LaRue, 58
Kevin Ollie, 52
Carson Palmer, 45
Cole Hamels, 41
Greg Zuerlein, 37
Jordan Montgomery, 32
Brock Purdy, 25
— 75-year old Jim Larrañaga is no longer Miami’s basketball coach; whether he got fired or quit isn’t relevant (no one quits those jobs unless it is health-related).
Larrañaga won 744 games as a college coach; he had Miami in the freakin’ Final Four two years ago, but the Hurricanes are 4-8 this season, after ending last year on an 0-10 skid. Our society has become very fickle, especially towards older people, so Larrañaga is gone now.
— Speaking of which, there are murmurs that 73-year old Pete Carroll has interest in being the next coach of the Chicago Bears, who need all the coaching they can get.
Carroll has a 181-131-1 record as an NFL head coach, winning a Super Bowl with Seattle; he was also 97-19 as USC’s coach.
— Teddy Bridgewater was an NFL QB for nine years, for six different teams; he was Detroit’s backup QB last year, then retired so he could coach high school ball at Miami Northwestern HS, his alma mater. Miami Northwestern won a state title this past season and now Bridgewater has un-retired, to go back to the Lions as a backup.
— Nebraska 78, Oregon State 66
Cornhuskers win the Diamond Head Classic; they’re 10-2 this season.
Nebraska was 38-44 on the foul line in the 3-game tournament.
Cornhuskers are forcing turnovers 21% of time (#49)
— The fiercest game in those 8-team tournaments is the 7th place game, when two teams that are 0-2 in the event fight like hell not to go home to the mainland 0-3.
Murray State beat Loyola Chi 71-68 in the 7th place game at Diamond Head; Racers were 22-33 on the foul line, Loyola 14-21. Ramblers led by 11 early in second half, but went home 0-3.
— QB Fernando Mendoza has transferred from the Cal Bears to Indiana; he threw for 3,004 yards this year, with 16 TD passes, six INT’s.
— QB Darian Mensah bolted from Tulane to Duke after leading the Green Wave to a 9-4 regular season record. Word came out on the Interweb this week that Mensah signed a 2-year deal worth $8M to play for Duke!!!! 4 million freakin’ dollars a year!!!!
By way of comparison, Jimmy Garropolo is the Rams’ backup QB, in the NFL. He’s making $3,044,305 this season.
Go figure.
Armadillo Sports
Saturday’s 6-pack:
College hoop teams doing the best ATS:
11-1— St Bonaventure
10-1— Oregon State
9-2— Auburn
9-2— Tennessee
9-3— Vanderbilt
Teams doing the worst:
2-9— Saint Louis
2-9— Grand Canyon
2-9— Richmond
3-10— Wake Forest
1-9-2— Minnesota
Quote of the Day
“Greg was a highly accomplished and pioneering figure in sports broadcasting who brought instant credibility to ESPN in the early years of the network as both a SportsCenter anchor and as a key on-air contributor to our initial NBA coverage in the 1980s.”
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, talking about the late Greg Gumbel
Saturday’s quiz
Which two NFL teams has UConn coach Jim Mora Jr coached?
Friday’s quiz
NFL QB’s Tony Romo, Sean Payton and Jimmy Garoppolo all played college football at the same school; Eastern Illinois.
Thursday’s quiz
Pete Carroll has coached the Jets, Patriots and Seahawks.
******************************************************
Saturday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy Friday…….
— Arizona Diamondbacks made some noise late Friday night, signed P Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210M contract. Burnes is 60-36, 3.19 in 138 career starts; he was 15-9, 2.92 in 32 starts for the Orioles last year.
— Detroit Tigers signed IF Gleyber Torres for one year, $15M; Torres hit 15 homers for Bronx LY, after hitting a combined 49 taters the previous two seasons.
Torres is expected to play 2B in Detroit, with Colt Keith moving to first base.
— OF Teoscar Hernandez re-signed with the Dodgers for three years, $66M; he hit 33 HR’s, knocked in 99 runs for the World Champs last year, going 7-20 in the World Series.
— Seahawks beat the Bears 6-3 Thursday; there was a 120-1 prop bet that there wouldn’t be any touchdowns in the game. Circa Casino said they sold eight “no TD” tickets.
— RIP to Greg Gumbel, who passed away from cancer at age 78; he spent 50+ years in sports broadcasting. He was really good at his job, no matter what sport he worked.
In an industry that is increasingly being filled with arrogant jerks, Gumbel seemed like a really good guy, in addition to being excellent at his job, and reactions to his passing have confirmed that.
RIP, sir.
— Famous birthdays, December 28:
Ray Knight, 72
Denzel Washington, 70
James Brooks, 66
Keith Lee, 62
Mel Stottlemyre, Jr, 61
Seth Meyers, 51
John Henson, 34
Dylan Cease, 29
— Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has concussion issues, isn’t expected to play against the Cowboys Sunday. Backup QB Kenny Pickett has a 14-10 record as an NFL starter.
— North Carolina has a bowl game in Fenway Park today, but Bill Belichick isn’t supposed to be there; am guessing he’ll do a TV segment during the game, for recruiting and all.
— Boise State hasn’t had a losing football season since 1997.
— Navy 21, Oklahoma 20
Down 20-14, Sooners scored TD with 0:06 left; they went for 2 points but failed.
Oklahoma led 14-0 with 5:00 left before halftime.
Navy QB Horvath tied game 14-14 with a 95-yard TD run.
— USC 35, Texas A&M 31
Trojans drove 80 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:05 left.
Aggies led 24-7 with 4:00 left in third quarter.
USC WR Lane caught seven passes for 127 yards, three TD’s.
— Vanderbilt 35, Georgia Tech 27
Tech outgained Vandy 394-306, but they were minus-2 in turnovers.
QB Pavia threw for 160 yards, 3 TD’s, ran for 84 yards, 2 more TD’s.
This is Vandy’s bowl win since 2013.
— Arkansas 39, Texas Tech 26
QB Green was 11-21 passing, for a whopping 341 yards (31 yards/completion)
Total yardage: Arkansas 559, Tech 497
Razorbacks led 24-19 at halftime.
— Syracuse 52, Washington State 35
Wazzu is decimated; their coach/QB both bolted to greener pa$ture$.
That said, Coogs fought hard; it was 35-28 with 2:00 left in third quarter.
Syracuse QB McCord threw for 453 yards and five TD’s.
— Conference bowl records (SU/ATS)
AAC 4-1 SU/4-1 ATS
ACC 1-5 SU/1-5 ATS
Big 18 3-2 SU/4-1 ATS
Big X 1-2 SU/0-3 ATS
C-USA 1-2 SU/1-2 ATS
MAC 3-2 SU/3-1-1 ATS
M West 1-2 SU/1-2 ATS
SEC 4-3 SU/4-3 ATS
Sun Belt 3-2 SU/2-2-1 ATS
Favorites: 10-11-1 ATS
Totals: over 14-8
Saturday’s 6-pack:
College hoop teams doing the best ATS:
11-1— St Bonaventure
10-1— Oregon State
9-2— Auburn
9-2— Tennessee
9-3— Vanderbilt
Teams doing the worst:
2-9— Saint Louis
2-9— Grand Canyon
2-9— Richmond
3-10— Wake Forest
1-9-2— Minnesota
Quote of the Day
“Greg was a highly accomplished and pioneering figure in sports broadcasting who brought instant credibility to ESPN in the early years of the network as both a SportsCenter anchor and as a key on-air contributor to our initial NBA coverage in the 1980s.”
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, talking about the late Greg Gumbel
Saturday’s quiz
Which two NFL teams has UConn coach Jim Mora Jr coached?
Friday’s quiz
NFL QB’s Tony Romo, Sean Payton and Jimmy Garoppolo all played college football at the same school; Eastern Illinois.
Thursday’s quiz
Pete Carroll has coached the Jets, Patriots and Seahawks.
******************************************************
Saturday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy Friday…….
— Arizona Diamondbacks made some noise late Friday night, signed P Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210M contract. Burnes is 60-36, 3.19 in 138 career starts; he was 15-9, 2.92 in 32 starts for the Orioles last year.
— Detroit Tigers signed IF Gleyber Torres for one year, $15M; Torres hit 15 homers for Bronx LY, after hitting a combined 49 taters the previous two seasons.
Torres is expected to play 2B in Detroit, with Colt Keith moving to first base.
— OF Teoscar Hernandez re-signed with the Dodgers for three years, $66M; he hit 33 HR’s, knocked in 99 runs for the World Champs last year, going 7-20 in the World Series.
— Seahawks beat the Bears 6-3 Thursday; there was a 120-1 prop bet that there wouldn’t be any touchdowns in the game. Circa Casino said they sold eight “no TD” tickets.
— RIP to Greg Gumbel, who passed away from cancer at age 78; he spent 50+ years in sports broadcasting. He was really good at his job, no matter what sport he worked.
In an industry that is increasingly being filled with arrogant jerks, Gumbel seemed like a really good guy, in addition to being excellent at his job, and reactions to his passing have confirmed that.
RIP, sir.
— Famous birthdays, December 28:
Ray Knight, 72
Denzel Washington, 70
James Brooks, 66
Keith Lee, 62
Mel Stottlemyre, Jr, 61
Seth Meyers, 51
John Henson, 34
Dylan Cease, 29
— Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has concussion issues, isn’t expected to play against the Cowboys Sunday. Backup QB Kenny Pickett has a 14-10 record as an NFL starter.
— North Carolina has a bowl game in Fenway Park today, but Bill Belichick isn’t supposed to be there; am guessing he’ll do a TV segment during the game, for recruiting and all.
— Boise State hasn’t had a losing football season since 1997.
— Navy 21, Oklahoma 20
Down 20-14, Sooners scored TD with 0:06 left; they went for 2 points but failed.
Oklahoma led 14-0 with 5:00 left before halftime.
Navy QB Horvath tied game 14-14 with a 95-yard TD run.
— USC 35, Texas A&M 31
Trojans drove 80 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:05 left.
Aggies led 24-7 with 4:00 left in third quarter.
USC WR Lane caught seven passes for 127 yards, three TD’s.
— Vanderbilt 35, Georgia Tech 27
Tech outgained Vandy 394-306, but they were minus-2 in turnovers.
QB Pavia threw for 160 yards, 3 TD’s, ran for 84 yards, 2 more TD’s.
This is Vandy’s bowl win since 2013.
— Arkansas 39, Texas Tech 26
QB Green was 11-21 passing, for a whopping 341 yards (31 yards/completion)
Total yardage: Arkansas 559, Tech 497
Razorbacks led 24-19 at halftime.
— Syracuse 52, Washington State 35
Wazzu is decimated; their coach/QB both bolted to greener pa$ture$.
That said, Coogs fought hard; it was 35-28 with 2:00 left in third quarter.
Syracuse QB McCord threw for 453 yards and five TD’s.
— Conference bowl records (SU/ATS)
AAC 4-1 SU/4-1 ATS
ACC 1-5 SU/1-5 ATS
Big 18 3-2 SU/4-1 ATS
Big X 1-2 SU/0-3 ATS
C-USA 1-2 SU/1-2 ATS
MAC 3-2 SU/3-1-1 ATS
M West 1-2 SU/1-2 ATS
SEC 4-3 SU/4-3 ATS
Sun Belt 3-2 SU/2-2-1 ATS
Favorites: 10-11-1 ATS
Totals: over 14-8
NCAAB
Saturday, December 28
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Trend Report
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Saturday, December 28
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Trend Report
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28
| Game | Time(ET) | Pick | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMES at MD | 12:00 PM | UMES +43.0 O 150.5 | +500 +500 |
| EKY at LOU | 12:00 PM | EKY +21.0 U 156.5 | +500 +500 |
| COPP at GTWN | 12:00 PM | GTWN -30.0 U 139.0 | +500 +500 |
| DSU at JOES | 01:00 PM | JOES -20.0 U 149.5 | +500 +500 |
| MER at GAST | 02:00 PM | MER +1.5 U 155.5 | +500 +500 |
| MISS at MEM | 02:00 PM | MISS +1.0 O 152.5 | +500 +500 |
| EMU at DAV | 02:00 PM | DAV -15.0 U 144.0 | +500 +500 |
| MSM at GMU | 02:00 PM | MSM +15.5 O 139.0 | +500 +500 |
| NCCU at NCAT | 02:00 PM | NCAT +1.0 O 156.5 | +500 +500 |
| AAMU at GT | 02:00 PM | GT -21.5 U 152.5 | +500 +500 |
| L-MD at DEP | 02:00 PM | L-MD +20.5 O 145.0 | +500 +500 |
| BUCK at SYR | 02:00 PM | SYR -12.0 U 146.0 | +500 +500 |
| UNM at CSU | 03:00 PM | UNM -1.0 U 152.0 | +500 +500 |
| FAIR at CLMB | 04:00 PM | CLMB -9.5 O 153.0 | +500 +500 |
| NEV at WYO | 04:00 PM | WYO +7.0 U 137.5 | +500 +500 |
| AC at TAM | 04:00 PM | TAM -23.5 O 141.0 | +500 +500 |
| GONZ at UCLA | 04:00 PM | GONZ -4.0 U 147.5 | +500 +500 |
| FDU at BC | 04:00 PM | FDU +16.0 O 149.0 | +500 +500 |
| HOW at HAMP | 04:00 PM | HAMP -4.5 U 144.5 | +500 +500 |
| BSU at SJSU | 05:00 PM | SJSU +9.5 O 145.0 | +500 +500 |
| UNO at MCNS | 05:00 PM | UNO +23.5 O 144.5 | +500 +500 |
| DEL at SJU | 06:00 PM | SJU -24.5 U 159.0 | +500 +500 |
| USU at SDSU | 06:00 PM | SDSU -4.0 U 145.0 | +500 +500 |
| FGCU at RICH | 06:00 PM | FGCU +3.5 O 137.5 | +500 +500 |
| USD at GC | 06:30 PM | USD +16.5 O 148.0 | +500 +500 |
| MRSH at ELON | 07:00 PM | ELON -5.0 U 145.5 | +500 +500 |
| PEPP at SCU | 07:00 PM | SCU -16.0 U 150.5 | +500 +500 |
| PAC at SMC | 08:00 PM | PAC +22.0 O 138.0 | +500 +500 |
| WSU at PORT | 08:00 PM | WSU -13.0 U 151.5 | +500 +500 |
| JKST at CBU | 08:00 PM | CBU -14.0 O 141.5 | +500 +500 |
| LMU at SF | 10:00 PM | SF -10.5 U 141.0 | +500 +500 |
| FRES at UNLV | 10:00 PM | UNLV -16.5 U 145.0 | +500 +500 |
COLLEGE HOOPS BEST BETS FOR DECEMBER !
12/28/2024..............18 - 8 - 1........................69.23%............+ 46.00
12/25/2024..............2 - 3 - 2..........................40.00%............- 6.50
12/23/2024...............7 - 4 - 0.........................63.63%............+ 13.00
12/22/2024.............17 - 26 - 1......................39.53%.............- 58.00
12/21/2024.............44 - 37 - 0.......................54.32%............+ 16.50
12/20/2024...............12 - 7 - 1.......................63.15%............+ 21.50
12/19/2024................9 - 9 - 2.........................50.00%............- 4.50
12/18/2024................25 - 21 - 1....................54.34%............+ 9.50
12/17/2024................13 - 16 - 0....................44.82%.............- 23.00
12/16/2024...................7 - 3 - 0.....................70.00%.............+ 18.50
12/15/2024.................12 - 16 - 0..................42.85%.............- 28.00
12/14/2024.................12 - 23 - 4..................34.28%..............- 66.50
12/13/2024.....................3 - 8 - 1...................27.27%..............- 29.00
12/12/2024.....................4 - 6 - 0...................40.00%..............- 13.00
12/11/2024...................12 - 8 - 1...................60.00%...............+ 16.00
12/10/2024...................10 - 15 - 0.................40.00%...............- 32.50
12/09/2024......................4 - 4 - 0.................50.00%................- 2.00
12/08/2024....................15 - 18 - 0................45.45%................- 24.00
12/07/2024...................43 - 21 - 1.................61.81%................+ 54.50
12/06/2024......................9 - 6 - 0.................60.00%................+ 12.00
12/05/2024......................5 - 5 - 1.................50.00%................- 5.00
12/04/2024...................19 - 20 - 1.................48.71%................- 15.00
12/03/2024...................20 - 19 - 0.................51.28%................- 4.50
12/02/2024......................2 - 8 - 0.................20.00%................- 34.00
12/01/2024..................... 4 - 6 - 0.................40.00%................- 13.00
TOTALS....................328 - 317 - 16.................50.85%................- 141.00
12/28/2024..............18 - 8 - 1........................69.23%............+ 46.00
12/25/2024..............2 - 3 - 2..........................40.00%............- 6.50
12/23/2024...............7 - 4 - 0.........................63.63%............+ 13.00
12/22/2024.............17 - 26 - 1......................39.53%.............- 58.00
12/21/2024.............44 - 37 - 0.......................54.32%............+ 16.50
12/20/2024...............12 - 7 - 1.......................63.15%............+ 21.50
12/19/2024................9 - 9 - 2.........................50.00%............- 4.50
12/18/2024................25 - 21 - 1....................54.34%............+ 9.50
12/17/2024................13 - 16 - 0....................44.82%.............- 23.00
12/16/2024...................7 - 3 - 0.....................70.00%.............+ 18.50
12/15/2024.................12 - 16 - 0..................42.85%.............- 28.00
12/14/2024.................12 - 23 - 4..................34.28%..............- 66.50
12/13/2024.....................3 - 8 - 1...................27.27%..............- 29.00
12/12/2024.....................4 - 6 - 0...................40.00%..............- 13.00
12/11/2024...................12 - 8 - 1...................60.00%...............+ 16.00
12/10/2024...................10 - 15 - 0.................40.00%...............- 32.50
12/09/2024......................4 - 4 - 0.................50.00%................- 2.00
12/08/2024....................15 - 18 - 0................45.45%................- 24.00
12/07/2024...................43 - 21 - 1.................61.81%................+ 54.50
12/06/2024......................9 - 6 - 0.................60.00%................+ 12.00
12/05/2024......................5 - 5 - 1.................50.00%................- 5.00
12/04/2024...................19 - 20 - 1.................48.71%................- 15.00
12/03/2024...................20 - 19 - 0.................51.28%................- 4.50
12/02/2024......................2 - 8 - 0.................20.00%................- 34.00
12/01/2024..................... 4 - 6 - 0.................40.00%................- 13.00
TOTALS....................328 - 317 - 16.................50.85%................- 141.00
Sunday’s 6-pack:
Interesting NFL spreads for today’s games:
— Jets @ Buffalo (-10)
— Raiders (-2) @ New Orleans
— Cowboys @ Philadelphia (-7.5)
— Dolphins (-3) @ Cleveland
— Packers @ Minnesota (-1)
— Falcons @ Washington (-3.5)
Quote of the Day
“I appreciate that Cam Ward, in this day and age in CFB, played at all. But I just can’t imagine starting any game with teammates, especially as a quarterback, and electing to pull myself out while my teammates are still trying to finish the job in a back-and-forth battle.
I’m a realist. I know the climate. I’m not even knocking Cam here. It’s just different.”
ESPN’s Todd McShay
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Star is Born, what state is Bradley Cooper’s character from?
Saturday’s quiz
UConn coach Jim Mora Jr coached the Falcons and Seahawks.
Friday’s quiz
NFL QB’s Tony Romo, Sean Payton and Jimmy Garoppolo all played college football at the same school; Eastern Illinois.
*********************************************
Ahkello Witherspoon picked off a pass in end zone with 0:37 left.
Arizona outgained the Rams, 396-257.
McBride caught 12 passes for 123 yards and a TD.
Arizona is 1-5 since its bye; they lost five of last six on road.
Arizona is 6-2 scoring 24+ points, 1-7 scoring less than 24.
Rams have won five in a row, last three by 12-6/19-9/13-9 scores.
Nucua caught 10 passes for 129 yards.
Rams blocked the PAT after the Cardinals’ only TD.
Rams are 8-12 ATS in their last 20 games as a home favorite.
Rams won nine of their last eleven games, after a 1-4 start.
Chargers 40, Patriots 7
Chargers clinched their 4th playoff spot in last 15 years.
QB Herbert threw for 281 yards, 3 TD’s.
LA is 7-0 scoring 24+ points, 3-6 scoring 23 or fewer points.
Chargers are 5-1 ATS this season as road favorites.
Bolts outgained new England, 428-181.
Patriots are 0-6 SU/2-4 ATS in last five games.
Chargers were 10-17 on third down, Patriots 2-10.
NE is 12-24-1 ATS in last 37 games as an underdog.
Patriots are 32-52 SU since Tom Brady left town.
New England is 1-12 SU when it allows more than 10 points.
Bengals 30, Broncos 24 OT
Denver forced OT on a 25-yard TD pass to Mims with 0:08 left.
Bengals scored TD with 1:08 left in OT to keep their season alive.
Broncos could’ve clinched a playoff spot with a tie.
Cincinnati missed a 33-yard FG in the overtime.
Broncos are 1-6 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
QB Burrow threw for 412 yards, three TD’s.
Higgins caught 11 passes for 131 yards, three TD’s.
Bengals’ first two drives: 28 plays, 116 yards, lost ball twice on downs
Bengals’ next three drives: 29 plays, 194 yards, 17 points.
Cincinnati was 7-13 on third down, Broncos 4-12.
— UCLA 65, Gonzaga 62
Zags led by 4 with 7:27 left to play.
Gonzaga was 7-24 on arc, UCLA 12-24
Zags are 1-4 in last five games vs top 100 teams.
— Utah State 67, San Diego State 66
Aztecs led by 18 in first half, by 7 with 1:56 left in game.
Utah State shot 63.6% inside the arc.
Utah State is 12-1, 2-0 in Mountain West games.
— Boise State 73, Fresno State 71
Spartans led by 11 early in second half.
Boise State shot 57.9% inside the arc.
6-8 senior Degenhart had 26 points, 7 rebounds.
— Famous birthdays, December 29:
Ted Danson, 77
Sean Payton, 61
Chad Dukes, 53
Richie Sexson, 50
Kate Moennig, 47
Clint Stoerner, 47
Jack Wilson, 47
Dustin Fowler, 30
Julio Rodriguez, 24
— Iowa State 42, Miami FL 41
Cyclones scored game-winning TD with 0:56 left.
Miami QB Ward declined to play in the second half, after he set the record for most career TD passes, previously held by Case Keenum.
Miami lost its sixth straight bowl game.
Miami ran 39 times for 308 yards, but was minus-3 in turnovers.
— East Carolina 26, NC State 21
RB Harris ran 86 yards for a TD with 1:33 left for the winning score.
ECU led 20-7 after three quarters; NC State scored two TD’s in 3:15 span to take 21-20 lead.
ECU finishes season 8-5, after a 2-4 start.
Eight players were ejected after a fight late in the game.
— UConn 27, North Carolina 14
This is UConn’s first bowl win since 2010.
Huskies were 8-16 on third down, Carolina 0-9.
UConn outgained the Tar Heels, 361-206
UNC’s first touchdown was a 95-yard kickoff return.
— Nebraska 20, Boston College 15
Cornhuskers get their first bowl win since 2015.
Nebraska led 20-2 after three quarters, held on for dear life.
BC ran ball 26 times for only 47 yards.
ACC teams are 1-9 in bowl games this month; no bueno.
— BYU 36, Colorado 14
BYU ran ball 42 times for 180 yards; Colorado 19 times for 2 yards.
Cougars led 20-0 at half-time.
BYU was 8-14 on third down, Colorado 3-9.
WR Hunter caught four passes for 106 yards for Colorado.
— TCU 34, Louisiana 3
QB Hoover passed for 252 yards, four TD’s.
TCU’s first four drives: 40 plays, 228 yards, 20 points.
Louisiana in first half: 22 plays, 43 yards, no points.
— Miami OH 43, Colorado State 17
Miami’s lead was only 9-3 at halftime.
Rams outgained Miami 462-401, but turned ball over four times.
Miami ran ball 34 times for 217 yards (6.4 yards/carry)
— Army 27, Louisiana Tech 6
QB Daily scored three TD’s, breaking I-A record for TD’s in a season by a QB.
Army ran ball 64 times for 321 yards (5 yards/carry)
Army outgained Tech 386-216; they finish an excellent season 12-2.
— Conference bowl records (SU/ATS)
AAC 6-1 SU/6-1 ATS
ACC 1-9 SU/1-9 ATS
Big 18 4-2 SU/5-1 ATS
Big X 3-2 SU/2-3 ATS
C-USA 1-3 SU/1-3 ATS
MAC 4-2 SU/4-1-1 ATS
M West 1-3 SU/1-3 ATS
SEC 4-3 SU/4-3 ATS
Sun Belt 3-3 SU/2-3-1 ATS
Favorites: 14-15-1 ATS
Totals: over 16-14 (under 6-2 Saturday)
Interesting NFL spreads for today’s games:
— Jets @ Buffalo (-10)
— Raiders (-2) @ New Orleans
— Cowboys @ Philadelphia (-7.5)
— Dolphins (-3) @ Cleveland
— Packers @ Minnesota (-1)
— Falcons @ Washington (-3.5)
Quote of the Day
“I appreciate that Cam Ward, in this day and age in CFB, played at all. But I just can’t imagine starting any game with teammates, especially as a quarterback, and electing to pull myself out while my teammates are still trying to finish the job in a back-and-forth battle.
I’m a realist. I know the climate. I’m not even knocking Cam here. It’s just different.”
ESPN’s Todd McShay
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Star is Born, what state is Bradley Cooper’s character from?
Saturday’s quiz
UConn coach Jim Mora Jr coached the Falcons and Seahawks.
Friday’s quiz
NFL QB’s Tony Romo, Sean Payton and Jimmy Garoppolo all played college football at the same school; Eastern Illinois.
*********************************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday…….
Rams 13, Cardinals 9Ahkello Witherspoon picked off a pass in end zone with 0:37 left.
Arizona outgained the Rams, 396-257.
McBride caught 12 passes for 123 yards and a TD.
Arizona is 1-5 since its bye; they lost five of last six on road.
Arizona is 6-2 scoring 24+ points, 1-7 scoring less than 24.
Rams have won five in a row, last three by 12-6/19-9/13-9 scores.
Nucua caught 10 passes for 129 yards.
Rams blocked the PAT after the Cardinals’ only TD.
Rams are 8-12 ATS in their last 20 games as a home favorite.
Rams won nine of their last eleven games, after a 1-4 start.
Chargers 40, Patriots 7
Chargers clinched their 4th playoff spot in last 15 years.
QB Herbert threw for 281 yards, 3 TD’s.
LA is 7-0 scoring 24+ points, 3-6 scoring 23 or fewer points.
Chargers are 5-1 ATS this season as road favorites.
Bolts outgained new England, 428-181.
Patriots are 0-6 SU/2-4 ATS in last five games.
Chargers were 10-17 on third down, Patriots 2-10.
NE is 12-24-1 ATS in last 37 games as an underdog.
Patriots are 32-52 SU since Tom Brady left town.
New England is 1-12 SU when it allows more than 10 points.
Bengals 30, Broncos 24 OT
Denver forced OT on a 25-yard TD pass to Mims with 0:08 left.
Bengals scored TD with 1:08 left in OT to keep their season alive.
Broncos could’ve clinched a playoff spot with a tie.
Cincinnati missed a 33-yard FG in the overtime.
Broncos are 1-6 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
QB Burrow threw for 412 yards, three TD’s.
Higgins caught 11 passes for 131 yards, three TD’s.
Bengals’ first two drives: 28 plays, 116 yards, lost ball twice on downs
Bengals’ next three drives: 29 plays, 194 yards, 17 points.
Cincinnati was 7-13 on third down, Broncos 4-12.
— UCLA 65, Gonzaga 62
Zags led by 4 with 7:27 left to play.
Gonzaga was 7-24 on arc, UCLA 12-24
Zags are 1-4 in last five games vs top 100 teams.
— Utah State 67, San Diego State 66
Aztecs led by 18 in first half, by 7 with 1:56 left in game.
Utah State shot 63.6% inside the arc.
Utah State is 12-1, 2-0 in Mountain West games.
— Boise State 73, Fresno State 71
Spartans led by 11 early in second half.
Boise State shot 57.9% inside the arc.
6-8 senior Degenhart had 26 points, 7 rebounds.
— Famous birthdays, December 29:
Ted Danson, 77
Sean Payton, 61
Chad Dukes, 53
Richie Sexson, 50
Kate Moennig, 47
Clint Stoerner, 47
Jack Wilson, 47
Dustin Fowler, 30
Julio Rodriguez, 24
— Iowa State 42, Miami FL 41
Cyclones scored game-winning TD with 0:56 left.
Miami QB Ward declined to play in the second half, after he set the record for most career TD passes, previously held by Case Keenum.
Miami lost its sixth straight bowl game.
Miami ran 39 times for 308 yards, but was minus-3 in turnovers.
— East Carolina 26, NC State 21
RB Harris ran 86 yards for a TD with 1:33 left for the winning score.
ECU led 20-7 after three quarters; NC State scored two TD’s in 3:15 span to take 21-20 lead.
ECU finishes season 8-5, after a 2-4 start.
Eight players were ejected after a fight late in the game.
— UConn 27, North Carolina 14
This is UConn’s first bowl win since 2010.
Huskies were 8-16 on third down, Carolina 0-9.
UConn outgained the Tar Heels, 361-206
UNC’s first touchdown was a 95-yard kickoff return.
— Nebraska 20, Boston College 15
Cornhuskers get their first bowl win since 2015.
Nebraska led 20-2 after three quarters, held on for dear life.
BC ran ball 26 times for only 47 yards.
ACC teams are 1-9 in bowl games this month; no bueno.
— BYU 36, Colorado 14
BYU ran ball 42 times for 180 yards; Colorado 19 times for 2 yards.
Cougars led 20-0 at half-time.
BYU was 8-14 on third down, Colorado 3-9.
WR Hunter caught four passes for 106 yards for Colorado.
— TCU 34, Louisiana 3
QB Hoover passed for 252 yards, four TD’s.
TCU’s first four drives: 40 plays, 228 yards, 20 points.
Louisiana in first half: 22 plays, 43 yards, no points.
— Miami OH 43, Colorado State 17
Miami’s lead was only 9-3 at halftime.
Rams outgained Miami 462-401, but turned ball over four times.
Miami ran ball 34 times for 217 yards (6.4 yards/carry)
— Army 27, Louisiana Tech 6
QB Daily scored three TD’s, breaking I-A record for TD’s in a season by a QB.
Army ran ball 64 times for 321 yards (5 yards/carry)
Army outgained Tech 386-216; they finish an excellent season 12-2.
— Conference bowl records (SU/ATS)
AAC 6-1 SU/6-1 ATS
ACC 1-9 SU/1-9 ATS
Big 18 4-2 SU/5-1 ATS
Big X 3-2 SU/2-3 ATS
C-USA 1-3 SU/1-3 ATS
MAC 4-2 SU/4-1-1 ATS
M West 1-3 SU/1-3 ATS
SEC 4-3 SU/4-3 ATS
Sun Belt 3-3 SU/2-3-1 ATS
Favorites: 14-15-1 ATS
Totals: over 16-14 (under 6-2 Saturday)
NCAAB
Sunday, December 29
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Trend Report
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Sunday, December 29
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Trend Report
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29
| Game | Time(ET) | Pick | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| INST at OSU | 12:00 PM | INST +18.0 O 159.5 | +500 +500 |
| NWST at TEX | 12:00 PM | TEX -26.0 U 139.0 | +500 +500 |
| HOF at QUIN | 01:00 PM | QUIN +1.0 O 139.5 | +500 +500 |
| STET at AFA | 01:00 PM | U 159.5 | +500 |
| STONE at LAF | 01:00 PM | STONE +5.0 O 135.0 | +500 +500 |
| HARV at IONA | 01:00 PM | IONA -5.0 O 139.5 | +500 +500 |
| NAVY at WM | 01:00 PM | NAVY +8.5 O 160.0 | +500 +500 |
| PENN at PSU | 01:00 PM | PSU -25.0 U 151.5 | +500 +500 |
| NE at NW | 01:30 PM | NW -14.5 U 135.0 | +500 +500 |
| SCST at UGA | 02:00 PM | SCST +25.0 O 142.5 | +500 +500 |
| BING at MRST | 02:00 PM | MRST -7.5 U 132.0 | +500 +500 |
| BU at ME | 02:00 PM | BU +3.5 O 132.0 | +500 +500 |
| DET at YSU | 02:00 PM | YSU -14.5 U 137.0 | +500 +500 |
| NKU at RMU | 02:00 PM | NKU -1.0 U 134.5 | +500 +500 |
| CHS at ILL | 02:00 PM | ILL -39.0 U 150.5 | +500 +500 |
| IPFW at GB | 02:00 PM | IPFW -8.5 U 158.0 | +500 +500 |
| MORG at MINN | 02:00 PM | MINN -23.0 U 144.5 | +500 +500 |
| STON at ALBY | 02:00 PM | ALBY -9.0 U 149.5 | +500 +500 |
| NORF at HP | 02:00 PM | HP -8.5 U 145.5 | +500 +500 |
| PV at OKLA | 02:00 PM | OKLA -29.5 U 161.0 | +500 +500 |
| LONG at SMU | 02:00 PM | LONG +19.5 O 154.5 | +500 +500 |
| SIU at UNI | 02:00 PM | UNI -10.5 U 145.5 | +500 +500 |
| WRST at CLEV | 03:00 PM | CLEV -2.0 U 144.0 | +500 +500 |
| BEL at DRKE | 03:00 PM | DRKE -8.5 U 143.0 | +500 +500 |
| SDST at ALA | 03:00 PM | ALA -22.5 O 167.5 | +500 +500 |
| BUFF at TEM | 03:00 PM | BUFF +14.0 O 150.5 | +500 +500 |
| NJIT at WASH | 03:00 PM | NJIT +23.5 O 138.0 | +500 +500 |
| UTSA at ARMY | 03:00 PM | UTSA -3.5 U 155.0 | +500 +500 |
| MOSU at EVAN | 04:00 PM | MOSU -4.5 U 135.0 | +500 +500 |
| UMBC at AMER | 04:00 PM | UMBC +3.0 O 148.5 | +500 +500 |
| VALP at BRAD | 04:00 PM | BRAD -13.5 U 151.0 | +500 +500 |
| WIN at IND | 04:00 PM | IND -17.5 U 162.5 | +500 +500 |
| UTA at TXST | 05:00 PM | TXST -7.5 U 148.5 | +500 +500 |
| UIC at ILST | 05:00 PM | ILST -5.5 U 144.0 | +500 +500 |
| WEB at ORE | 05:00 PM | WEB +21.0 O 143.5 | +500 +500 |
| STT at UCRV | 05:00 PM | STT -1.0 U 150.0 | +500 +500 |
| FAMU at TST | 05:00 PM | TST -10.5 U 133.5 | +500 +500 |
| TOL at PUR | 06:00 PM | PUR -21.0 U 155.5 | +500 +500 |
| MVSU at LSU | 07:00 PM | LSU -41.5 O 143.0 | +500 +500 |
| CAMP at UNC | 08:00 PM | UNC -28.5 U 155.5 | +500 +500 |
| WKU at MICH | 08:00 PM | WKU +21.0 O 159.5 | +500 +500 |
COLLEGE HOOPS BEST BETS FOR DECEMBER !
12/29/2024............26 - 24 - 1.......................52.00%............- 2.00
12/28/2024..............18 - 8 - 1........................69.23%............+ 46.00
12/25/2024..............2 - 3 - 2..........................40.00%............- 6.50
12/23/2024...............7 - 4 - 0.........................63.63%............+ 13.00
12/22/2024.............17 - 26 - 1......................39.53%.............- 58.00
12/21/2024.............44 - 37 - 0.......................54.32%............+ 16.50
12/20/2024...............12 - 7 - 1.......................63.15%............+ 21.50
12/19/2024................9 - 9 - 2.........................50.00%............- 4.50
12/18/2024................25 - 21 - 1....................54.34%............+ 9.50
12/17/2024................13 - 16 - 0....................44.82%.............- 23.00
12/16/2024...................7 - 3 - 0.....................70.00%.............+ 18.50
12/15/2024.................12 - 16 - 0..................42.85%.............- 28.00
12/14/2024.................12 - 23 - 4..................34.28%..............- 66.50
12/13/2024.....................3 - 8 - 1...................27.27%..............- 29.00
12/12/2024.....................4 - 6 - 0...................40.00%..............- 13.00
12/11/2024...................12 - 8 - 1...................60.00%...............+ 16.00
12/10/2024...................10 - 15 - 0.................40.00%...............- 32.50
12/09/2024......................4 - 4 - 0.................50.00%................- 2.00
12/08/2024....................15 - 18 - 0................45.45%................- 24.00
12/07/2024...................43 - 21 - 1.................61.81%................+ 54.50
12/06/2024......................9 - 6 - 0.................60.00%................+ 12.00
12/05/2024......................5 - 5 - 1.................50.00%................- 5.00
12/04/2024...................19 - 20 - 1.................48.71%................- 15.00
12/03/2024...................20 - 19 - 0.................51.28%................- 4.50
12/02/2024......................2 - 8 - 0.................20.00%................- 34.00
12/01/2024..................... 4 - 6 - 0.................40.00%................- 13.00
TOTALS....................354 - 341 - 16.................50.93%................- 143.00
12/29/2024............26 - 24 - 1.......................52.00%............- 2.00
12/28/2024..............18 - 8 - 1........................69.23%............+ 46.00
12/25/2024..............2 - 3 - 2..........................40.00%............- 6.50
12/23/2024...............7 - 4 - 0.........................63.63%............+ 13.00
12/22/2024.............17 - 26 - 1......................39.53%.............- 58.00
12/21/2024.............44 - 37 - 0.......................54.32%............+ 16.50
12/20/2024...............12 - 7 - 1.......................63.15%............+ 21.50
12/19/2024................9 - 9 - 2.........................50.00%............- 4.50
12/18/2024................25 - 21 - 1....................54.34%............+ 9.50
12/17/2024................13 - 16 - 0....................44.82%.............- 23.00
12/16/2024...................7 - 3 - 0.....................70.00%.............+ 18.50
12/15/2024.................12 - 16 - 0..................42.85%.............- 28.00
12/14/2024.................12 - 23 - 4..................34.28%..............- 66.50
12/13/2024.....................3 - 8 - 1...................27.27%..............- 29.00
12/12/2024.....................4 - 6 - 0...................40.00%..............- 13.00
12/11/2024...................12 - 8 - 1...................60.00%...............+ 16.00
12/10/2024...................10 - 15 - 0.................40.00%...............- 32.50
12/09/2024......................4 - 4 - 0.................50.00%................- 2.00
12/08/2024....................15 - 18 - 0................45.45%................- 24.00
12/07/2024...................43 - 21 - 1.................61.81%................+ 54.50
12/06/2024......................9 - 6 - 0.................60.00%................+ 12.00
12/05/2024......................5 - 5 - 1.................50.00%................- 5.00
12/04/2024...................19 - 20 - 1.................48.71%................- 15.00
12/03/2024...................20 - 19 - 0.................51.28%................- 4.50
12/02/2024......................2 - 8 - 0.................20.00%................- 34.00
12/01/2024..................... 4 - 6 - 0.................40.00%................- 13.00
TOTALS....................354 - 341 - 16.................50.93%................- 143.00
Monday’s 6-pack:
Interesting NFL spreads for Week 18:
— Bengals (-3) @ Pittsburgh
— Panthers @ Atlanta (-8.5)
— Giants @ Philadelphia (-3.5)
— Dolphins (-2.5) @ Jets
— Chargers (-5.5) @ Las Vegas
— Vikings @ Detroit (-3)
Quote of the Day
“You want to be in these moments. Him getting hit and making big plays, his confidence, his demeanor never changes. You know that he (Jayden Daniels) knows he’s going to make a play, and everybody on the sideline and on the field believes he’s going to make a play.”
Commanders’ LB Bobby Wagner
Monday’s quiz
Which former Raiders’ QB was the first quarterback to pass for 400+ yards in a playoff game?
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Star is Born, Bradley Cooper’s character is from Arizona.
Saturday’s quiz
UConn coach Jim Mora Jr coached the Falcons and Seahawks.
****************************************************
Washington drove 75 yards; TE Ertz caught game-winning TD in OT
Atlanta tied game on a 4th-and-13 TD pass with 1:19 left in regulation.
Commanders are in playoffs for first time since 2020.
Tampa Bay now leads NFC South by a game over Atlanta.
Falcons led game 17-7 at halftime.
Washington’s first drive in 3rd quarter: 15 plays, 69 yards, 7:47, TD
Washington’s second drive in 3rd quarter: 14 plays, 70 yards, 7:03, TD
Commanders won last three games, scoring 42-20-36-30 points.
QB Daniels threw for 227 yards, 3 TDs, also ran for 127 yards.
Penalties: Atlanta 4-25 yards, Washington 13-108.
— I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Washington’s win clinched the NFC West title for the Rams.
Vikings 27, Packers 25
QB Darnold threw for 377 yards, three TD’s.
Vikings led 27-10 after third quarter, hung on for the win.
Minnesota won last nine games, scoring 29.8 ppg in last six.
Minnesota is 7-1 SU/6-2 ATS at home this season.
Vikings are 9-1 in games decided by 8 or fewer points.
Packers lost twice to Minnesota TY, 31-29/27-25.
Green Bay’s first 6 drives: 30 plays, 131 yards, 3 points.
Green Bay’s lsst 4 drives: 28 plays, 143 yards, 22 points.
Minnesota outgained the Packers, 441-271
Vikings @ Lions next week will decide #1 seed in NFC
Giants 45, Colts 33
So much for the Giants getting first pick in the ’25 Draft.
Giants snapped 10-game losing skid, won at home for first time TY.
WR Nabers caught 7 passes for 171 yards and two TD’s.
Giants’ first four drives: 20 plays, 205 yards, 21 points.
Giants were +3 in turnovers, their first ’24 game with positive TO ratio.
With loss, Colts were eliminated from the playoff race.
RB Taylor carried ball 32 times for 125 yards, two TD’s.
QB Flacco threw for 330 yards, two TDs and two INTs.
Over is 6-1 in Colts last seven games.
Colts are 0-3 ATS as a road favorite TY.
— If the 2025 Draft were held today, New England would have the #1 pick.
Raiders 25, Saints 10
Raiders won second game in row; they’re now #9 in the draft order.
Ameer Abdullah ran for 115 yards, his first 100-yard game in a 10-year career.
Daniel Carlson kicked four field goals, including a 54-yarder.
Las Vegas was 10-18 on third down, Saints 1-8.
Raiders didn’t get to their New Orleans hotel until less than 12 hours before kickoff.
Raiders led 13-10 at halftime.
Saints in second half: 33 plays, 68 yards, no points.
New Orleans is 2-11 when it scores less than 35 points.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
Las Vegas outgained the Saints, 388-269.
Jaguars 20, Titans 13
Titans lost last five games, giving up 29.4 ppg.
Titans are 2-7 SU/ATS on the road this year.
Tennessee is minus-16 in turnovers this season.
Right now, Tennessee would have the #3 pick in the ’25 Draft.
Titans are 2-14 ATS this year, first team in Super Bowl era to fail to cover the spread 14 games in a season.
WR Thomas caught seven passes for 91 yards and a TD.
Jacksonville is 6-3 ATS in its last nine games.
Four of their last five games stayed under the total.
Jaguars are 2-0 vs Tennessee this year, 2-12 vs everyone else.
This is only 4th time in 30 years Jaguars swept season series vs Titans.
Bills 40, Jets 14
Jets are 2-10 SU/3-9 ATS in last 12 games.
Jets are 0-8 scoring less than 21 points.
Jets were outgained 348-281, were minus-3 in turnovers.
Jets are 11-21 ATS last 32 games as a road underdog.
Jets are 2-9 SU/3-8 ATS since their coaching change.
Bills clinched #2 seed in AFC with this win.
Bills won ten of their last eleven games (8-3 ATS)
Buffalo is +24 in turnovers, +9 in last five games.
Team total: over 13-3
Jets are 0-5 SU/0-4-1 ATS in last five visits to Buffalo.
Buccaneers 48, Panthers 14
Bucs now lead NFC South by a game; they host the Saints next week.
Tampa Bay outgained Panthers, 551-204.
Bucs were 10-14 on third down, Carolina 2-9.
Bucs are 5-1 since their bye, scoring 32.5 ppg.
Mayfield threw for 359 yards, five TD’s.
Tampa Bay led 27-14 at halftime.
Panthers in second half: 24 plays, 43 yards, no points.
Carolina lost five of last six games, is 6-2 ATS in last eight.
Carolina is 10-20-1 ATS last 31 games as a road underdog
Over is 12-4 in Carolina games this year.
Eagles 41, Cowboys 7
Eagles are 11-1 SU/8-4 ATS in their last dozen games.
Backup QB Pickett was 10-15/143 passing; he broke some ribs.
RB Barkley ran for 167 yards, went over 2,000 yards for season.
Last six weeks, Eagles ran ball for 201.3 yards/game.
Cowboys are 1-5 SU/ATS in last six visits to Philly.
Dallas drove 70 yards for a TD on its second drive.
After that, Dallas ran 42 plays for 158 yards, 3 turnovers.
Cowboys are 2-9 when they allow more than 20 points.
Opponents’ team total: over 8-3 last eleven games
Eagles beat Dallas twice this year, by a combined 75-13.
Dolphins 20, Browns 3
Dolphins (7-8)
Backup QB Huntley was 22-26/225 passing, with no turnovers.
Dolphins are 6-2 in their last eight games.
Miami is 1-7 when it gives up 20+ points, 6-2 if they allow less than 20.
Under is 7-1 in their road games this year.
To make playoffs, Miami needs to beat Jets next week, have Chiefs win in Denver
Browns lost seven of last eight games, giving up 26.8 ppg
#3 QB Thompson-Robinson is 1-3 as an NFL starter
Cleveland is 1-12 when they score less than 24 points.
Browns’ last seven losses were all by 9+ points.
Browns are minus-15 in turnovers the last six games.
— Famous birthdays, December 30:
Sandy Koufax, 89
Tracey Ullman, 65
Kerry Collins, 52
A.J. Pierzynski, 48
Grant Balfour, 47
Kenyon Martin, 47
Lebron James, 40
Tyler Anderson, 35
Carson Wentz, 32
Drew Waters, 26
— Buffalo QB Josh Allen has started the Bills’ last 114 games; during that same time, their division rival Jets have started nine different quarterbacks.
— Former NFL QB Ryan Leaf worked 13 football games for ESPN this year; he posted online how much he got paid for each game.
Turns out, less than I thought— 13 games, for a total of $45,250.
— Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is an impressive 26-9 in one-score games.
— 1B Josh Bell signed a one-year deal for $6M with Washington, his old team.
Bell played for the Nationals in 2021-22; he hit .249 for Miami/Arizona last year, with 19 HR’s, 71 RBI and a .729 OPS.
— Conference bowl records (SU/ATS)
AAC 6-1 SU/6-1 ATS
ACC 1-9 SU/1-9 ATS
Big 18 4-2 SU/5-1 ATS
Big X 3-2 SU/2-3 ATS
C-USA 1-3 SU/1-3 ATS
MAC 4-2 SU/4-1-1 ATS
M West 1-3 SU/1-3 ATS
SEC 4-3 SU/4-3 ATS
Sun Belt 3-3 SU/2-3-1 ATS
Favorites: 14-15-1 ATS
Totals: over 16-14 (under 6-2 Saturday)
Interesting NFL spreads for Week 18:
— Bengals (-3) @ Pittsburgh
— Panthers @ Atlanta (-8.5)
— Giants @ Philadelphia (-3.5)
— Dolphins (-2.5) @ Jets
— Chargers (-5.5) @ Las Vegas
— Vikings @ Detroit (-3)
Quote of the Day
“You want to be in these moments. Him getting hit and making big plays, his confidence, his demeanor never changes. You know that he (Jayden Daniels) knows he’s going to make a play, and everybody on the sideline and on the field believes he’s going to make a play.”
Commanders’ LB Bobby Wagner
Monday’s quiz
Which former Raiders’ QB was the first quarterback to pass for 400+ yards in a playoff game?
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Star is Born, Bradley Cooper’s character is from Arizona.
Saturday’s quiz
UConn coach Jim Mora Jr coached the Falcons and Seahawks.
****************************************************
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday…….
Commanders 30, Falcons 24 OTWashington drove 75 yards; TE Ertz caught game-winning TD in OT
Atlanta tied game on a 4th-and-13 TD pass with 1:19 left in regulation.
Commanders are in playoffs for first time since 2020.
Tampa Bay now leads NFC South by a game over Atlanta.
Falcons led game 17-7 at halftime.
Washington’s first drive in 3rd quarter: 15 plays, 69 yards, 7:47, TD
Washington’s second drive in 3rd quarter: 14 plays, 70 yards, 7:03, TD
Commanders won last three games, scoring 42-20-36-30 points.
QB Daniels threw for 227 yards, 3 TDs, also ran for 127 yards.
Penalties: Atlanta 4-25 yards, Washington 13-108.
— I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Washington’s win clinched the NFC West title for the Rams.
Vikings 27, Packers 25
QB Darnold threw for 377 yards, three TD’s.
Vikings led 27-10 after third quarter, hung on for the win.
Minnesota won last nine games, scoring 29.8 ppg in last six.
Minnesota is 7-1 SU/6-2 ATS at home this season.
Vikings are 9-1 in games decided by 8 or fewer points.
Packers lost twice to Minnesota TY, 31-29/27-25.
Green Bay’s first 6 drives: 30 plays, 131 yards, 3 points.
Green Bay’s lsst 4 drives: 28 plays, 143 yards, 22 points.
Minnesota outgained the Packers, 441-271
Vikings @ Lions next week will decide #1 seed in NFC
Giants 45, Colts 33
So much for the Giants getting first pick in the ’25 Draft.
Giants snapped 10-game losing skid, won at home for first time TY.
WR Nabers caught 7 passes for 171 yards and two TD’s.
Giants’ first four drives: 20 plays, 205 yards, 21 points.
Giants were +3 in turnovers, their first ’24 game with positive TO ratio.
With loss, Colts were eliminated from the playoff race.
RB Taylor carried ball 32 times for 125 yards, two TD’s.
QB Flacco threw for 330 yards, two TDs and two INTs.
Over is 6-1 in Colts last seven games.
Colts are 0-3 ATS as a road favorite TY.
— If the 2025 Draft were held today, New England would have the #1 pick.
Raiders 25, Saints 10
Raiders won second game in row; they’re now #9 in the draft order.
Ameer Abdullah ran for 115 yards, his first 100-yard game in a 10-year career.
Daniel Carlson kicked four field goals, including a 54-yarder.
Las Vegas was 10-18 on third down, Saints 1-8.
Raiders didn’t get to their New Orleans hotel until less than 12 hours before kickoff.
Raiders led 13-10 at halftime.
Saints in second half: 33 plays, 68 yards, no points.
New Orleans is 2-11 when it scores less than 35 points.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
Las Vegas outgained the Saints, 388-269.
Jaguars 20, Titans 13
Titans lost last five games, giving up 29.4 ppg.
Titans are 2-7 SU/ATS on the road this year.
Tennessee is minus-16 in turnovers this season.
Right now, Tennessee would have the #3 pick in the ’25 Draft.
Titans are 2-14 ATS this year, first team in Super Bowl era to fail to cover the spread 14 games in a season.
WR Thomas caught seven passes for 91 yards and a TD.
Jacksonville is 6-3 ATS in its last nine games.
Four of their last five games stayed under the total.
Jaguars are 2-0 vs Tennessee this year, 2-12 vs everyone else.
This is only 4th time in 30 years Jaguars swept season series vs Titans.
Bills 40, Jets 14
Jets are 2-10 SU/3-9 ATS in last 12 games.
Jets are 0-8 scoring less than 21 points.
Jets were outgained 348-281, were minus-3 in turnovers.
Jets are 11-21 ATS last 32 games as a road underdog.
Jets are 2-9 SU/3-8 ATS since their coaching change.
Bills clinched #2 seed in AFC with this win.
Bills won ten of their last eleven games (8-3 ATS)
Buffalo is +24 in turnovers, +9 in last five games.
Team total: over 13-3
Jets are 0-5 SU/0-4-1 ATS in last five visits to Buffalo.
Buccaneers 48, Panthers 14
Bucs now lead NFC South by a game; they host the Saints next week.
Tampa Bay outgained Panthers, 551-204.
Bucs were 10-14 on third down, Carolina 2-9.
Bucs are 5-1 since their bye, scoring 32.5 ppg.
Mayfield threw for 359 yards, five TD’s.
Tampa Bay led 27-14 at halftime.
Panthers in second half: 24 plays, 43 yards, no points.
Carolina lost five of last six games, is 6-2 ATS in last eight.
Carolina is 10-20-1 ATS last 31 games as a road underdog
Over is 12-4 in Carolina games this year.
Eagles 41, Cowboys 7
Eagles are 11-1 SU/8-4 ATS in their last dozen games.
Backup QB Pickett was 10-15/143 passing; he broke some ribs.
RB Barkley ran for 167 yards, went over 2,000 yards for season.
Last six weeks, Eagles ran ball for 201.3 yards/game.
Cowboys are 1-5 SU/ATS in last six visits to Philly.
Dallas drove 70 yards for a TD on its second drive.
After that, Dallas ran 42 plays for 158 yards, 3 turnovers.
Cowboys are 2-9 when they allow more than 20 points.
Opponents’ team total: over 8-3 last eleven games
Eagles beat Dallas twice this year, by a combined 75-13.
Dolphins 20, Browns 3
Dolphins (7-8)
Backup QB Huntley was 22-26/225 passing, with no turnovers.
Dolphins are 6-2 in their last eight games.
Miami is 1-7 when it gives up 20+ points, 6-2 if they allow less than 20.
Under is 7-1 in their road games this year.
To make playoffs, Miami needs to beat Jets next week, have Chiefs win in Denver
Browns lost seven of last eight games, giving up 26.8 ppg
#3 QB Thompson-Robinson is 1-3 as an NFL starter
Cleveland is 1-12 when they score less than 24 points.
Browns’ last seven losses were all by 9+ points.
Browns are minus-15 in turnovers the last six games.
— Famous birthdays, December 30:
Sandy Koufax, 89
Tracey Ullman, 65
Kerry Collins, 52
A.J. Pierzynski, 48
Grant Balfour, 47
Kenyon Martin, 47
Lebron James, 40
Tyler Anderson, 35
Carson Wentz, 32
Drew Waters, 26
— Buffalo QB Josh Allen has started the Bills’ last 114 games; during that same time, their division rival Jets have started nine different quarterbacks.
— Former NFL QB Ryan Leaf worked 13 football games for ESPN this year; he posted online how much he got paid for each game.
Turns out, less than I thought— 13 games, for a total of $45,250.
— Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is an impressive 26-9 in one-score games.
— 1B Josh Bell signed a one-year deal for $6M with Washington, his old team.
Bell played for the Nationals in 2021-22; he hit .249 for Miami/Arizona last year, with 19 HR’s, 71 RBI and a .729 OPS.
— Conference bowl records (SU/ATS)
AAC 6-1 SU/6-1 ATS
ACC 1-9 SU/1-9 ATS
Big 18 4-2 SU/5-1 ATS
Big X 3-2 SU/2-3 ATS
C-USA 1-3 SU/1-3 ATS
MAC 4-2 SU/4-1-1 ATS
M West 1-3 SU/1-3 ATS
SEC 4-3 SU/4-3 ATS
Sun Belt 3-3 SU/2-3-1 ATS
Favorites: 14-15-1 ATS
Totals: over 16-14 (under 6-2 Saturday)
NCAAB
Monday, December 30
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Trend Report
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Monday, December 30
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Trend Report
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 30
| Game | Time(ET) | Pick | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSU at FIU | 12:00 PM | FIU -5.5 U 148.0 | +500 +500 |
| AKR at PRIN | 01:00 PM | PRIN -5.5 U 154.5 | +500 +500 |
| WMU at MSU | 03:00 PM | WMU +27.0 O 147.0 | +500 +500 |
| SIE at COR | 04:00 PM | COR -12.0 O 147.5 | +500 +500 |
| CLMB at RUTG | 05:00 PM | CLMB +11.5 O 155.0 | +500 +500 |
| MONM at AUB | 06:30 PM | AUB -35.5 O 153.5 | +500 +500 |
| CIN at KSU | 07:00 PM | CIN -3.0 U 141.0 | +500 +500 |
| PRE at SCAR | 07:00 PM | SCAR -19.0 O 138.5 | +500 +500 |
| UNH at IOWA | 07:00 PM | UNH +34.0 U 158.5 | +500 +500 |
| SELA at MCNS | 07:00 PM | MCNS -15.5 U 135.0 | +500 +500 |
| ALST at MIZZ | 07:30 PM | MIZZ -25.0 U 154.5 | +500 +500 |
| TCU at ARIZ | 08:00 PM | TCU +15.0 U 146.5 | +500 +500 |
| HOU at OKST | 08:00 PM | OKST +12.0 O 137.0 | +500 +500 |
| OAK at ARK | 08:00 PM | ARK -18.5 U 143.5 | +500 +500 |
| UNO at VAN | 08:00 PM | VAN -31.0 U 157.5 | +500 +500 |
| BRY at GC | 08:00 PM | BRY +12.5 O 158.5 | +500 +500 |
| ISU at COLO | 09:00 PM | ISU -10.5 U 147.5 | +500 +500 |
| COOK at MSST | 09:00 PM | COOK +29.5 O 146.0 | +500 +500 |
| SOU at NEB | 09:00 PM | NEB -22.0 U 142.0 | +500 +500 |
| LMU at WSU | 09:30 PM | WSU -8.5 U 150.5 | +500 +500 |
| PORT at ORST | 09:30 PM | ORST -18.5 U 141.5 | +500 +500 |
| UCI at CBU | 10:00 PM | UCI -4.0 U 143.0 | +500 +500 |
| PAC at USD | 10:00 PM | PAC +1.0 O 144.0 | +500 +500 |
| GONZ at PEPP | 10:00 PM | PEPP +22.0 O 158.0 | +500 +500 |
| SCU at SF | 10:00 PM | SCU +4.0 O 146.0 | +500 +500 |
| NICH at SEA | 10:00 PM | NICH +8.5 O 147.0 | +500 +500 |
