NCAAFB BEST BETS OCTOBER !
10/23/2024............................2 - 2 - 0...............................50.00%..........................- 1.00
10/22/2024............................2 - 2 - 0...............................50.00%..........................- 1.00
10/15/2024............................3 - 1 - 0...............................75.00%..........................+ 9.50
10/12/2024............................4 - 10 - 0.............................28.57%..........................- 35.00
10/11/2024..............................3 - 2 - 0.............................60.00%...........................+ 4.00
10/10/2024..............................2 - 2 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 1.00
10/09/2024..............................1 - 1 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 0.50
10/08/2024..............................1 - 1 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 0.50
10/05/2024...........................14 - 18 - 1...........................43.75%............................- 29.00
10/04/2024................................5 - 2 - 0...........................71.42%............................+ 19.50
10/03/2024.,..............................3 - 1 - 0...........................75.00%............................+ 9.50
TOTALS..................................40 - 42 - 1............................48.78%............................ - 25.50
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
10/23/2024............................2 - 2 - 0...............................50.00%..........................- 1.00
10/22/2024............................2 - 2 - 0...............................50.00%..........................- 1.00
10/15/2024............................3 - 1 - 0...............................75.00%..........................+ 9.50
10/12/2024............................4 - 10 - 0.............................28.57%..........................- 35.00
10/11/2024..............................3 - 2 - 0.............................60.00%...........................+ 4.00
10/10/2024..............................2 - 2 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 1.00
10/09/2024..............................1 - 1 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 0.50
10/08/2024..............................1 - 1 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 0.50
10/05/2024...........................14 - 18 - 1...........................43.75%............................- 29.00
10/04/2024................................5 - 2 - 0...........................71.42%............................+ 19.50
10/03/2024.,..............................3 - 1 - 0...........................75.00%............................+ 9.50
TOTALS..................................40 - 42 - 1............................48.78%............................ - 25.50
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
Thursday’s 6-pack:
— Kennesaw State 27, Liberty 24- Liberty was favored by 27.5 points.
— Jacksonville State 42, MTSU 20- Gamecocks outscored MT 21-3 in 3rd quarter.
— Suns 116, Clippers 113 OT- Suns were +14 in 24:00 Royce O’Neale played.
— Grizzlies 126, Jazz 124- Ja Morant had 22 points,, ten assists.
— Pacers 115, Pistons 109- Indiana outscored Pistons 33-19 in 4th quarter.
— Hawks 120, Nets 116- Onyeka Okongwu scored a career-high 28 points.
Quote of the Day
“We are not making any changes.”
New Jersey Giants owner John Mara
Thursday’s quiz
In the old TV show Magnum PI, what holiday did Magnum always spend by himself?
Wednesday’s quiz
Last two times the New York Knicks won the NBA title, they beat the Lakers in the Finals both times.
Tuesday’s quiz
Arizona Cardinals have played in one Super Bowl; Hall of Famer Kurt Warner was their QB in that game.
******************************************
— UConn won the last two national titles; last team to win three in a row was UCLA, way back from 1971-73. Last spring, Danny Hurley turned down a chance to coach the Lakers; he lost four starters from last year, but his Huskies are still a preseason top 10 team.
— TV/radio personality Doug Gottlieb is the new coach at Green Bay; he’s making $215,000 this year coaching, as well as continuing as host of his national radio show during the week. He was a really good TV analyst on game broadcasts.
Gottlieb played point guard at Notre Dame/Oklahoma State; his late father was a coach, and his brother is still coaching. This should be interesting to follow.
— 6-3 guard PJ Haggerty scored 21.2 ppg last year for Tulsa, more than any freshman in the country; he then bolted to Memphi$, because that’s what happens in college sports now. Rooting for smaller college teams is like rooting for the A’s or the Pirates- your best players are bolting for $$$.
— No Pac-12 this year; it’ll be back down the road, but there is one less automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament this year, and one more at-large bid. Oregon State, Washington State are playing in the WCC this year, Gonzaga’s league.
— 15 of the 18 ACC teams will be in the ACC Tournament……10 of the 13 teams in the MAAC will be in their tournament. In the past, the whole league played in their conference tournaments.
— Since 2015, six ACC teams have made it to a Final Four:
Duke, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia
— College sports has gone mad; realignment of leagues has been to maximize $$$ from football, and basketball (and other sports) are suffering as a result.
Stanford/Cal are in the ATLANTIC Coast Conference; they’ll take two-game road trips this winter. January 15, 18th Stanford plays at Wake Forest/North Carolina; this makes no sense, and must cost schools a ton of dollar$.
— Famous birthdays, October 24th:
Kevin Kline, 77
Chester Marcol, 75
Omar Moreno, 72
Jay Novacek, 62
Corey Dillon, 50
Eric Hosmer, 35
Jalen Ramsey, 30
Rafael Devers, 28
Jaylen Brown, 28
Amon-Ra St. Brown, 25
— David Patrick is a coach who has now quit as a head coach twice, to become an assistant coach somewhere else, an unusual career move.
From 2018-20, Patrick was coach at Cal-Riverside; they went 10-23/17-15 at UCR, improving from 4-12 to 7-9 in the Big West in his second year, but then he bolted to Arkansas, where he was an assistant for Eric Musselman.
The last two years, Patrick was an assistant at Sacramento State in the Big Sky, where he went 14-18/10-24 in two years. Last spring, Patrick moved on and is now an assistant at LSU.
— Only three Big East teams made the NCAA Tournament last year, the fewest amount of teams since the league re-booted in 2014. One of those teams won the national title, but St John’s and Seton Hall getting squeezed out of at-large bids was surprising.
— Eric Musselman is going to win big (eventually) at USC; he’s added 10 transfers this season, eight of them seniors. There is only one kid on USC’s team who was a Trojan last year, and he only scored 2.3 ppg last year.
— Last seven years, seven different teams have won the C0nference USA conference tournament; last 11 years, eight different teams have won the Big West tournament.
— Steve Lutz is the new coach at Oklahoma State; he was 22-12 in his one year at Western Kentucky last year, after he was 47-23, 21-11 in two years at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Oklahoma State was 21-9 in the one year Cade Cunningham played for them, but in the three years since, Cowboys went 8-10, 4-14. 4-14 in Big X games.
— Utah State is on its sixth head coach in 11 years, which is weird because during that time, they’ve had only one losing season.
— Since 2010, Ivy League teams are a surprisingly good 8-14 in the NCAA Tournament.
— Coaching carousel was in full gear this past spring:
Rob Lanier went from SMU to Rice
Andy Enfield went from USC to SMU
Eric Musselman went from Arkansas to USC
John Calipari went from Kentucky to Arkansas
Mark Pope went from BYU to Kentucky.
Kyle Smith went from Washington State to Stanford
Danny Sprinkle went from Utah State to Washington
Dusty May went from Florida Atlantic to Michigan
Pat Kelsey went from Charleston to Louisville
Former Louisville coach Chris Mack went to Charleston.
Should be a very interesting season; enjoy!!!
— Kennesaw State 27, Liberty 24- Liberty was favored by 27.5 points.
— Jacksonville State 42, MTSU 20- Gamecocks outscored MT 21-3 in 3rd quarter.
— Suns 116, Clippers 113 OT- Suns were +14 in 24:00 Royce O’Neale played.
— Grizzlies 126, Jazz 124- Ja Morant had 22 points,, ten assists.
— Pacers 115, Pistons 109- Indiana outscored Pistons 33-19 in 4th quarter.
— Hawks 120, Nets 116- Onyeka Okongwu scored a career-high 28 points.
Quote of the Day
“We are not making any changes.”
New Jersey Giants owner John Mara
Thursday’s quiz
In the old TV show Magnum PI, what holiday did Magnum always spend by himself?
Wednesday’s quiz
Last two times the New York Knicks won the NBA title, they beat the Lakers in the Finals both times.
Tuesday’s quiz
Arizona Cardinals have played in one Super Bowl; Hall of Famer Kurt Warner was their QB in that game.
******************************************
Thursday’s Den: Very early college basketball information…….
College basketball starts in 10 days…..some stuff to think about— UConn won the last two national titles; last team to win three in a row was UCLA, way back from 1971-73. Last spring, Danny Hurley turned down a chance to coach the Lakers; he lost four starters from last year, but his Huskies are still a preseason top 10 team.
— TV/radio personality Doug Gottlieb is the new coach at Green Bay; he’s making $215,000 this year coaching, as well as continuing as host of his national radio show during the week. He was a really good TV analyst on game broadcasts.
Gottlieb played point guard at Notre Dame/Oklahoma State; his late father was a coach, and his brother is still coaching. This should be interesting to follow.
— 6-3 guard PJ Haggerty scored 21.2 ppg last year for Tulsa, more than any freshman in the country; he then bolted to Memphi$, because that’s what happens in college sports now. Rooting for smaller college teams is like rooting for the A’s or the Pirates- your best players are bolting for $$$.
— No Pac-12 this year; it’ll be back down the road, but there is one less automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament this year, and one more at-large bid. Oregon State, Washington State are playing in the WCC this year, Gonzaga’s league.
— 15 of the 18 ACC teams will be in the ACC Tournament……10 of the 13 teams in the MAAC will be in their tournament. In the past, the whole league played in their conference tournaments.
— Since 2015, six ACC teams have made it to a Final Four:
Duke, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia
— College sports has gone mad; realignment of leagues has been to maximize $$$ from football, and basketball (and other sports) are suffering as a result.
Stanford/Cal are in the ATLANTIC Coast Conference; they’ll take two-game road trips this winter. January 15, 18th Stanford plays at Wake Forest/North Carolina; this makes no sense, and must cost schools a ton of dollar$.
— Famous birthdays, October 24th:
Kevin Kline, 77
Chester Marcol, 75
Omar Moreno, 72
Jay Novacek, 62
Corey Dillon, 50
Eric Hosmer, 35
Jalen Ramsey, 30
Rafael Devers, 28
Jaylen Brown, 28
Amon-Ra St. Brown, 25
— David Patrick is a coach who has now quit as a head coach twice, to become an assistant coach somewhere else, an unusual career move.
From 2018-20, Patrick was coach at Cal-Riverside; they went 10-23/17-15 at UCR, improving from 4-12 to 7-9 in the Big West in his second year, but then he bolted to Arkansas, where he was an assistant for Eric Musselman.
The last two years, Patrick was an assistant at Sacramento State in the Big Sky, where he went 14-18/10-24 in two years. Last spring, Patrick moved on and is now an assistant at LSU.
— Only three Big East teams made the NCAA Tournament last year, the fewest amount of teams since the league re-booted in 2014. One of those teams won the national title, but St John’s and Seton Hall getting squeezed out of at-large bids was surprising.
— Eric Musselman is going to win big (eventually) at USC; he’s added 10 transfers this season, eight of them seniors. There is only one kid on USC’s team who was a Trojan last year, and he only scored 2.3 ppg last year.
— Last seven years, seven different teams have won the C0nference USA conference tournament; last 11 years, eight different teams have won the Big West tournament.
— Steve Lutz is the new coach at Oklahoma State; he was 22-12 in his one year at Western Kentucky last year, after he was 47-23, 21-11 in two years at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Oklahoma State was 21-9 in the one year Cade Cunningham played for them, but in the three years since, Cowboys went 8-10, 4-14. 4-14 in Big X games.
— Utah State is on its sixth head coach in 11 years, which is weird because during that time, they’ve had only one losing season.
— Since 2010, Ivy League teams are a surprisingly good 8-14 in the NCAA Tournament.
— Coaching carousel was in full gear this past spring:
Rob Lanier went from SMU to Rice
Andy Enfield went from USC to SMU
Eric Musselman went from Arkansas to USC
John Calipari went from Kentucky to Arkansas
Mark Pope went from BYU to Kentucky.
Kyle Smith went from Washington State to Stanford
Danny Sprinkle went from Utah State to Washington
Dusty May went from Florida Atlantic to Michigan
Pat Kelsey went from Charleston to Louisville
Former Louisville coach Chris Mack went to Charleston.
Should be a very interesting season; enjoy!!!
NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 9
Thursday’s games
Georgia Southern @ Old Dominion (-2)
Georgia Southern (5-2, 3-0)
Eagles are 3-0 in Sun Belt, scoring 38-24-28 points.
GSU gave up 56-52 points in losses to Boise State, Ole Miss
GSU has 5 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Eagles have 50 returning starts on offensive line.
Soph QB/new starter French threw only 16 passes LY.
Under Helton, GSU is 4-8 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Helton is 6-17 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Helton is 33-36-1 ATS in conference games.
Eagles are 13-8-1 ATS in last 22 games coming off a win.
Under is 4-1 in their last five games.
Old Dominion (3-4, 2-1)
Old Dominion won 3 of last 4 games, after an 0-3 start.
Monarchs have run ball for 198 yards/game in Sun Belt tilts.
ODU has 6 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Monarchs have 33 returning starts on offensive line.
Frosh QB Joseph is 58-106/571 passing (4 TD’s, 2 INTs)
Last 2+ years, Old Dominion is 0-5 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Rahne, ODU is 10-10 ATS in home games.
Monarchs are 8-3 ATS in last 11 Sun Belt games. .
Monarchs are 10-8 ATS in last 18 games coming off a win.
ODU is 3-1 when it scored 21+ points, 0-3 when it doesn’t.
Road team team won last two meetings (underdogs 2-0 ATS)
Both games stayed under the total.
Sun Belt home favorites are 7-5 ATS in league games.
Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (-6)
Syracuse (5-1, 2-1)
Syracuse won its last three games, scoring 42-44-24 points.
Orange threw for 339+ yards in all five of its I-A games.
Syracuse has 10 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Orangemen have 77 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB McCord started 12 games at Ohio State last year.
Syracuse won both its road games (44-41 UNLV, 24-17 NC State).
Last 2+ years, Syracuse is 2-6 ATS as a road underdog.
Average total in their I-A games is 59.0.
Syracuse is 7-12 ATS in last 19 conference games.
Orange is 14-7-1 ATS in last 22 games coming off a win.
Under is 3-1 in their last four games.
Pittsburgh (6-0, 2-0)
Pitt is 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS in its first five I-A games.
Panthers threw for 300+ yards in five of six games.
Panthers have 9 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Panthers have 58 returning starts on the offensive line.
Frosh QB Holstein is 126-199/1,700 passing, with 15 TD’s, 5 INTs.
Under Narduzzi, Pitt is 16-24-3 ATS as a home favorite.
Panthers allowed 24+ points in four of their five I-A games.
Pitt is 6-7 ATS in its last 13 ACC home games.
Last 2+ years, Panthers are 8-10 ATS in ACC games overall.
Panthers are 6-9 ATS in last 15 games coming off a win.
Under is 3-1 in their last four I-A games.
Pitt has won 19 of its last 23 games vs Syracuse.
Syracuse is 0-10 SU/3-7 ATS in last 10 visits to Pittsburgh.
Under is 9-3 in last 12 series games.
ACC home favorites are 9-10 ATS in conference play.
Friday’s games
Louisville (-7.5) @ Boston College
Louisville (4-3, 2-2)
Louisville allowed 31-34-52 points in its three losses.
Cardinals gave up 20 or fewer points in their wins.
Cardinals have 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Louisville has 172 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Though has started at Oregon, Texas Tech
Louisville lost three of its last four games (0-4 ATS)
In his career, Brohm is 10-13 ATS as a road favorite.
Since 2020, Cardinals are 2-6 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Brohm, Louisville is 1-4 ATS coming off a loss.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
Boston College (4-3, 1-2)
BC won both I-A home games, over Michigan St, Western Kentucky
Eagles lost last two games (24-14 @ Virginia, 42-21 @ Va Tech)
Eagles have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Eagles have 115 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Castellanos started 12 games LY.
Boston College is 15-7-1 ATS last 23 games as a home dog.
In his college career, O’Brien is 7-5 ATS as an underdog.
Eagles are 11-16 ATS in last 27 ACC games.
BC gave up 368 rushing yards in LW’s 42-21 at Virginia Tech.
Under is 5-1 in their I-A games.
Home side won last six series games.
Louisville is 0-3 SU/ATS in last three visits to Boston.
Over is 6-2 in last eight meetings.
Boise State (-3.5) @ UNLV
Boise State (5-1, 2-0)
Broncos won last three I-A games, scoring 45-62-28 points.
Boise has run for 279.4 yards/game in its I-A games.
Boise has 6 starters back on offense, all 11 on defense.
Broncos have 66 starts returning on the offensive line.
Soph QB Madsen (132 pass attempts LY) is the ‘QB.
Boise’s only loss: 37-34 (+17) @ Oregon last month.
Broncos are 3-5-2 ATS in last ten games as a road favorite.
Over is 4-1 in their I-A games.
Broncos are 12-6-2 ATS in last 20 conference games.
Boise is 12-22-2 ATS in last 36 games coming off a win.
UNLV (6-1, 2-0)
Rebels are 6-1, have a +12 turnover ratio.
UNLV scored 45.8 ppg in its last four games.
UNLV has 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Rebels have 79 starts returning on offensive line.
Senior QB Williams started 40 games at I-AA Campbell.
Under Odom, UNLV is 14-6 against the spread.
In his career, Odom is 4-3 ATS as a home underdog.
UNLV’s only loss: 44-41 at home to Syracuse.
Under Odom, UNLV is 7-4 ATS in conference games.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
Boise State is 6-0 SU/3-3 ATS in last six meetings.
Broncos won/covered their last three visits to UNLV.
Over is 4-2 in last six series games.
Rutgers @ USC (-13.5)
Rutgers (4-3, 1-3)
Rutgers lost its last three games, giving up 30.3 ppg.
Scarlet Knights were held under 300 yards in 3 of last 4 games.
Scarlet Knights have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
Rutgers has 123 starts back on offensive line.
Soph QB Kaliakmanis started 12 games at Minnesota.
Scarlet Knights are 12-5-1 ATS last 18 games as road underdogs.
In his college career, Schiano is 34-21-3 ATS as road underdog.
Last 3+ years, Rutgers is 11-17-3 ATS in conference games.
Rutgers is 2-8 ATS in last ten games coming off a loss.
Over is 4-2 in their I-A games.
USC (3-4, 1-4)
Trojans lost four of their first five Big 18 games.
USC’s losses are by 1-3-3-7 points.
USC has 5 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Trojans have 72 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Moss won his only start 42-28 LY (bowl game).
USC is 9-5 ATS in last 14 games as a home favorite.
In his career, Riley is 27-19 ATS as a home favorite.
Trojans are 11-22 ATS in last 33 conference games.
In his career, Riley is 33-38-1 ATS in conference games.
In his career, Riley is 6-9 ATS coming off a loss.
Over is 3-1-1 in their last five games.
These teams haven’t met in last 20 years. .
Big 14 home favorites are 9-10 ATS in league games.
Saturday’s best 13 games
Notre Dame (-13) vs Navy (@ Meadowlands)
Notre Dame (6-1)
Notre Dame won its last five games, scoring 41 ppg.
Notre Dame’s only loss was 16-14 at home to Northern Illinois.
Irish have 6 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Notre Dame has 34 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Leonard started 21 games at Duke.
Notre Dame held six of seven opponents to 13 or fewer points.
Since 2017, Notre Dame is 17-7-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Freeman, Notre Dame is 5-2 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Freeman, Notre Dame is 8-3 ATS in all road games.
Under Freeman, Notre Dame is 13-8-1 ATS coming off a win
Navy (6-0)
Navy is 6-0, with all six wins by 12+ points.
Middies have run ball for 279 yards/games vs I-A opponents.
Navy has 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Middies have 51 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Horvath has run ball for 621 yards, thrown for 888.
Navy is 15-8 ATS in last 23 games as an underdog.
Middies are 5-0 ATS vs I-A teams this year.
Navy is 11-3 ATS in last 14 games coming off a win.
Navy has thrown for 100+ yards in every game this year.
Navy has a +12 turnover ratio, in six games.
Notre Dame is 11-1 SU/6-6 ATS in last 12 series games.
Over is 9-4 in last thirteen meetings.
Washington @ Indiana (-6.5)
Washington (4-3, 2-2)
Washington was held to 19-18-16 in losses, scored 30-24-27 in I-A wins.
Huskies are 0-2 on road: 21-18 at Rutgers, 40-16 at Iowa.
Huskies have 2 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Huskies have 36 returning starts on offensive line, none of them here.
Senior QB Rogers started 40 games at Mississippi State.
Since 2014, Washington is 8-7 ATS as a road underdog.
Since 2018, Huskies are 20-35 ATS in conference games (2-2 TY).
In his career, Fisch is 8-7 ATS as a road underdog.
Washington is 4-7 ATS in last 11 games coming off a loss.
Under is 4-2 in their I-A games this season.
Indiana (6-0, 3-0)
Senior QB Rourke (thumb) is out for this game.
Hoosiers are 4-0 in league games, scoring 42-42-41-56 points.
Last four games, Indiana gained 510-510-529-495 yards.
Hoosiers have 10 starters back on offense, 11 on defense.
Hoosiers have 119 returning starts on the offensive line.
Indiana is 16-7 ATS last 23 games as a home favorite.
In his career, Cignetti is 10-6 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, Cignetti is 15-5 ATS in conference games.
Indiana is 15-9 ATS in its last 24 games coming off a win.
Indiana’s last five games went over the total.
These teams haven’t met since 2003.
Arkansas (-6.5) @ Mississippi State
Arkansas (4-3, 2-2)
Arkansas was held to 17-19-10 points in its last three games.
Razorbacks were minus-8 in turnovers in their losses (+3 in wins).
Razorbacks have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Razorbacks have 67 returning starts on the offensive line;
Junior QB Green started 22 games at Boise State.
Last 11 years, Arkansas is 1-6-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Pittman, Arkansas is 6-12-1 ATS as a favorite.
Arkansas is 21-14-2 ATS in SEC games.
Under Pittman, Razorbacks are 14-11 ATS coming off a loss.
Arkansas’ last four games stayed under the total.
Mississippi State (1-6, 0-4)
Miss State is 0-6 in I-A games, giving up 37.7 ppg.
Miss State gave up 415+ TY in five of six I-A games.
Bulldogs have 5 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Bulldogs have 67 returning starts on the offensive line.
Frosh QB Van Buren is 61-114/792 passing (6 TD’s, 2 INTs)
Since 2019, MSU is 2-11-1 ATS as a home underdog.
MSU is 7-12-1 ATS in its last 20 SEC games (3-0 last three).
Bulldogs are 5-9-1 ATS in last 15 games coming off a loss.
Jeff Lebby is Miss State’s 5th head coach the last eight seasons.
Over is 4-1 in Miss State’s last five games.
Miss State won nine of last 12 meetings.
Arkansas is 2-4 SU/3-3 ATS last six visits to Starkville.
Over is 6-3 in last nine series games.
Illinois @ Oregon (-21.5)
Illinois (6-1, 3-1)
Illinois is 3-1 in Big 18 games, losing 21-7 at Penn State.
Illini has a +7 turnover ratio, minus-1 in league games.
Illinois has 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Illini has 77 returning starts on OL.
Junior QB Altmyer has 10 career starts.
Under Bielema, Illinois is 11-3 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Bielema is 26-16-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Bielema, Illinois is 18-13 ATS in conference games.
Illinois is 10-12 ATS last 22 games coming off a win.
Under is 4-2 in Illinois’ I-A games.
Oregon (7-0, 4-0)
Oregon scored 37-49-34-31-32-35 points in its I-A wins.
Last five games, Ducks gained 546-431-477-496-421 TY.
Oregon has 8 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Ducks have 144 returning starts on the offensive line.
Ducks poached senior QB Gabriel (49 starts at UCF/Oklahoma).
Under Lanning, Oregon is 10-5 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Lanning, Ducks are 19-8 ATS as a favorite.
Under Lanning, Oregon is 15-7 ATS in conference games.
Under Lanning, Oregon is 18-8 ATS coming off a win.
Under is 3-1 in their last four games.
These teams haven’t met in the last 20 years.
Maryland @ Minnesota (-4)
Maryland (4-3, 1-3)
Terps are 1-3 in conference games, giving up 33.5 ppg
Maryland is 4-1 when it scores 27+ points.
Maryland has 4 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Terps have 21 returning starts on OL.
Junior QB Edwards is 195-278/2,113 passing (13 TDs, 4 INT).
Under Locksley, Maryland is 6-12 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Locksley is 11-20 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Locksley, Terps are 20-31 ATS in conference games.
Terps were minus-5 in turnovers last 2 games (+11 in first five games).
Over is 4-1-1 in their I-A games.
Minnesota (4-3, 2-2)
Minnesota beat USC/UCLA last two games, after a 2-3 start.
Gophers allowed 8.5 ppg in wins, 19-31-27 points in losses.
Gophers have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Minnesota has 70 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Brosmer started 36 games at I-AA New Hampshire.
Minnesota is 8-5 ATS last 13 games as a home favorite.
In his career, Fleck is 24-21 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Fleck, Minnesota is 32-31-2 ATS in conference games.
Minnesota is +11 in turnovers in wins, minus-3 in losses.
Gophers were held under 100 YR in all three losses.
These teams haven’t met since 2021.
Terps lost last two visits to Minnesota, 34-16/52-10
Over is 4-1 in last five series games.
Oklahoma State @ Baylor (-7)
Oklahoma State (3-4, 0-4)
OSU lost its three Big X games, 22-19/42-20/38-14/38-35.
Cowboys gave up 232+ rushing yards in 5 of 6 I-A games.
Cowboys have 10 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Cowboys have 214 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Bowman is in his 7th college season (13 starts LY)
OSU is 4-5 ATS in last nine games as a road underdog.
Oklahoma State is 19-13 ATS in its last 32 Big X games.
Cowboys are 18-11-1 ATS in last 30 games coming off a loss.
Oklahoma State gave up 456-559-558-473 yards in its Big X games.
Cowboys scored 39-45 points in their two I-A wins.
Baylor (3-4, 1-4)
Baylor is 1-4 in Big X, giving up 37.5 ppg in last four games.
Bears scored 31-59 points in their two I-A wins.
Baylor has 10 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Bears have 97 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Robertson started four games last year.
Under Aranda, Baylor is 9-7 ATS as home favorites.
Under Aranda, Bears are 13-11 ATS coming off a win.
Under Aranda, Baylor is 20-22 ATS in conference games.
Last 2+ years, Baylor is +3 in turnovers (+31 from 2019-21)
Baylor’s last four games went over the total.
Oklahoma State won three of last four series games.
Cowboys won last two visits to Waco, 36-25/42-3
Under is 3-1 in last four meetings.
Texas Tech @ TCU (-6.5)
Texas Tech (5-2, 3-1)
Texas Tech is 3-1 in Big X games (average total, 70.3)
Tech gave up 37-59 points in their two losses.
Red Raiders have 8 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Red Raiders have 125 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Morton started 12 games LY (17 TDs/3 INTs this year)
Under McGuire, Texas Tech is 3-5 ATS as a road underdog.
Under McGuire, Red Raiders are 11-10-1 ATS in Big X games.
Last three games, Tech gave up 502 yards/game.
Tech is 31-35-1 ATS in its last 67 Big X games.
Four of Tech’s five wins were by 8 or fewer points.
TCU (4-3, 2-2)
TCU gave up 35-66-30 points in their three losses.
TCU gave up 289-238-207 rushing yards in those games.
TCU has 7 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Horned Frogs have 77 returning starts on the offensive line.
Soph QB Hoover started six games last year.
Under Dykes, TCU is 7-6 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, Dykes is 28-23 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Dykes, TCU is 12-10-1 ATS in Big X games.
Last four games (2-2), Frogs are minus-12 in turnovers.
Over is 4-2 in their I-A games this season.
TCU won four of last five series games (favorites 4-0 ATS last four)
Tech lost 34-24/34-18 in last two visits to Fort Worth.
Under is 5-3 in last eight meetings.
West Virginia @ Arizona (-3.5)
West Virginia (3-4, 2-2)
WVU allowed 36.3 ppg in its four losses, 28-14 in I-A wins.
West Virginia has a minus-7 turnover ratio.
Mountaineers have 8 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Mountaineers have 113 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Greene has 14 career starts.
Under Brown, WVU is 10-12 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Brown is 19-14 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Brown, WVU is 22-26 ATS in Big X games.
Under Brown, Mountaineers are 18-13 ATS in games coming off a loss.
West Virginia gave up 14-28-14 points in its wins.
Arizona (3-4, 1-4)
Arizona is 1-4 in Big X games, giving up 31-28-41-34 points in losses.
Wildcats scored 61-23 points in I-A wins, 7-22-19-7 in losses.
Arizona has 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
Wildcats have 86 starts back on offensive line.
Soph QB Fifita started nine games last year.
Arizona is 4-9 ATS last 13 games as a home favorite.
In his career, Brennan is 11-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Wildcats are 8-6 ATS in their last 14 conference games.
In his career, Brennan is 33-26-1 ATS in conference games.
Arizona is 8-5 ATS in last 13 games coming off a loss.
These teams haven’t met in the last 20 years.
Penn State (-6.5) @ Wisconsin
Penn State (6-0, 3-0)
Penn State is 3-0 in Big 18; 21-7 (Illinois), 37-11 (UCLA), 33-30 (USC).
Nittany Lions are 2-0 on road: 34-12 at West Virginia, 33-30 at USC.
Nittany Lions have 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Penn State has 45 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Allar started 13 games last year.
Under Franklin, Penn State is 53-38-3 ATS as a favorite.
Under Franklin, Penn State is 20-13 ATS as a road favorite.
Nittany Lions are 3-0 SU/0-3 ATS in conference games TY.
PSU held four of six opponents to 260 or fewer total yards.
Four of their six games stayed under the total.
Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1)
Wisconsin won last three games, by a combined 117-16.
Wisconsin gave up 42-38 points in its losses (Alabama, USC).
Badgers have 7 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Badgers have 102 returning starts on offensive line.
Soph QB Locke started three games last year.
Since 2014, Badgers are 2-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2017, Badgers are 3-6 ATS as an underdog anywhere.
In his career, Fickell is 16-10 ATS as an underdog.
Since 2014, Badgers are 25-19 ATS in conference games.
Over is 4-1 in their last five games.
Penn State won/covered last five meetings.
Nittany Lions won/covered three of last four visits to Madison.
Over is 4-3 in last seven series games.
LSU @ Texas A&M (-2.5)
LSU (6-1, 3-0)
LSU won its last six games, after a 27-20 loss to USC.
LSU is 2-0 in true road games, 36-33 Ole Miss, 34-10 Arkansas.
Tigers have 6 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Tigers have 111 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Nussmeier is completing 64% of passes (18 TD’s, 6 INTs)
Under Kelly, Tigers are 3-1 ATS as an underdog.
In his career, Kelly is 20-12-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Kelly, LSU is 10-9-1 ATS in SEC games.
Since 2017, LSU is 38-23-2 ATS in SEC games.
LSU’s last four games stayed under the total.
Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0)
A&M won last five I-A games, after a 23-13 loss to Notre Dame.
Aggies scored 33+ points in three of four SEC games.
Aggies have 9 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
A&M has 112 returning starts on offensive line.
Soph QB Weigman has 8 career starts.
A&M ran ball for 204 yards/game in its SEC tilts.
Aggies are 1-3 ATS as a home favorite this year.
A&M is 7-10-3 ATS in its last 20 SEC games.
In his career, new HC Elko is 8-5 ATS as a home favorite.
Aggies are 5-8-3 ATS in last 16 games coming off a win.
Home team won last seven meetings.
LSU is 0-3 SU/2-1 ATS in last three visits to College Station.
Over is 6-2 in last eight series games.
Auburn @ Kentucky (-2.5)
Auburn (2-5, 0-4)
Auburn is 0-4 in SEC, losing by 10-6-18-4 points.
Auburn has had three straight losing years (6-7/5-7/5-7).
Tigers have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Tigers have 87 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Thorpe has 37 career starts.
Last 3+ years, Auburn is 6-6-1 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Freeze is 18-9 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Freeze, Auburn is 6-6 ATS in SEC games.
In his career, Freeze is 28-23 ATS coming off a loss.
Auburn is minus-10 in turnovers this season.
Under is 3-1 in their last four games.
Kentucky (3-4, 1-4)
Kentucky scored 31-41-20 points in wins, 6-12-13-20 in losses.
Kentucky is 0-3 when it gives up more than 17 points.
Wildcats have 8 starters back on offense, 10 on defense.
Wildcats have 156 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Vandagriff was a backup at Georgia.
Kentucky is 17-11 ATS last 28 games as a home favorite.
Wildcats held 5 of 7 opponents to 288 or fewer total yards.
Kentucky is 15-14 ATS in last 28 SEC games.
Wildcats are 8-5 ATS last 12 games coming off a loss.
Under is 5-2 in Kentucky games this season.
These teams haven’t met since 2020.
Auburn won five of last six meetings.
Over is 4-2 in last six meetings.
Kansas @ Kansas State (-10.5)
Kansas (2-5, 1-3)
Kansas is 1-5 in I-A games, with four losses by 6 or fewer points.
Last three games, Kansas is +8 in turnovers.
Jayhawks have 7 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Kansas has 130 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Daniels has 20 career starts.
In his career, Leipold is 11-21-1 ATS as road underdog.
Under Leipold, Kansas is 5-11 ATS as a road underdog..
Under Leipold, Kansas is 14-16-1 ATS in Big X games.
Under Leipold, Kansas is 9-7-1 ATS coming off a win.
Last four Kansas games went over the total.
Kansas State (6-1, 4-1)
K-State scored 31+ points in its wins, lost 38-9 at BYU.
Wildcats scored 42-31-45 points in their last three games.
Wildcats have 4 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Wildcats have 73 returning starts on OL, only 36 at I-A level.
Frosh QB Johnson threw for 1,405 yards, ran for 306 more in five games.
K-State is 13-2 ATS last 15 games as a home favorite.
Under Klieman, Wildcats are 23-14 ATS as a favorite.
Under Klieman, K-State is 33-18 ATS in Big X games.
Under Klieman, Wildcats are 25-19 ATS coming off a win.
Last three K-State games went over the total.
K-State is 15-0 SU/11-4 ATS in last fifteen series games.
Jayhawks are 0-6 SU/2-4 ATS in last six visits to Manhattan.
Over is 3-1 in last four meetings.
Cincinnati @ Colorado (-5.5)
Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1)
Cincinnati’s two losses were 28-27 to Pitt, 44-41 at Texas Tech.
Bearcats gave up 20 or fewer points in their wins.
Bearcats have 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Bearcats have 91 returning starts on offensive line.
Soph QB Sorsby started 7 games at Indiana last year.
Under Satterfield, Cincinnati is 3-2-1 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Satterfield is 12-15-3 ATS as a road underdog.
Last 2+ years, Cincinnati is 6-13-2 ATS in conference games.
Bearcats are 5-10-1 ATS in last 16 games coming off a win.
Under is 5-1 in Cincinnati’s I-A games this year.
Colorado (5-2, 3-1)
Colorado won four of its last five games.
Colorado scored 31+ points in four of its five wins.
Tigers have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Tigers have 100 returning starts on offensive line, and a new OL coach.
QB Sanders started 11 games LY, after playing multiple years at I-AA Jackson State.
Sanders is 3-3 ATS as a favorite with Colorado, 2-2 at home.
Colorado is 7-11 ATS last 18 games as a home favorite.
Under Sanders, Buffs are 9-4 ATS in conference games.
Under Sanders, Colorado is 4-4 ATS coming off a win.
Three of Colorado’s last four games went over the total.
These teams haven’t met in the last 20 years.
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 9
Thursday’s games
Georgia Southern @ Old Dominion (-2)
Georgia Southern (5-2, 3-0)
Eagles are 3-0 in Sun Belt, scoring 38-24-28 points.
GSU gave up 56-52 points in losses to Boise State, Ole Miss
GSU has 5 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Eagles have 50 returning starts on offensive line.
Soph QB/new starter French threw only 16 passes LY.
Under Helton, GSU is 4-8 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Helton is 6-17 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Helton is 33-36-1 ATS in conference games.
Eagles are 13-8-1 ATS in last 22 games coming off a win.
Under is 4-1 in their last five games.
Old Dominion (3-4, 2-1)
Old Dominion won 3 of last 4 games, after an 0-3 start.
Monarchs have run ball for 198 yards/game in Sun Belt tilts.
ODU has 6 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Monarchs have 33 returning starts on offensive line.
Frosh QB Joseph is 58-106/571 passing (4 TD’s, 2 INTs)
Last 2+ years, Old Dominion is 0-5 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Rahne, ODU is 10-10 ATS in home games.
Monarchs are 8-3 ATS in last 11 Sun Belt games. .
Monarchs are 10-8 ATS in last 18 games coming off a win.
ODU is 3-1 when it scored 21+ points, 0-3 when it doesn’t.
Road team team won last two meetings (underdogs 2-0 ATS)
Both games stayed under the total.
Sun Belt home favorites are 7-5 ATS in league games.
Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (-6)
Syracuse (5-1, 2-1)
Syracuse won its last three games, scoring 42-44-24 points.
Orange threw for 339+ yards in all five of its I-A games.
Syracuse has 10 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Orangemen have 77 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB McCord started 12 games at Ohio State last year.
Syracuse won both its road games (44-41 UNLV, 24-17 NC State).
Last 2+ years, Syracuse is 2-6 ATS as a road underdog.
Average total in their I-A games is 59.0.
Syracuse is 7-12 ATS in last 19 conference games.
Orange is 14-7-1 ATS in last 22 games coming off a win.
Under is 3-1 in their last four games.
Pittsburgh (6-0, 2-0)
Pitt is 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS in its first five I-A games.
Panthers threw for 300+ yards in five of six games.
Panthers have 9 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Panthers have 58 returning starts on the offensive line.
Frosh QB Holstein is 126-199/1,700 passing, with 15 TD’s, 5 INTs.
Under Narduzzi, Pitt is 16-24-3 ATS as a home favorite.
Panthers allowed 24+ points in four of their five I-A games.
Pitt is 6-7 ATS in its last 13 ACC home games.
Last 2+ years, Panthers are 8-10 ATS in ACC games overall.
Panthers are 6-9 ATS in last 15 games coming off a win.
Under is 3-1 in their last four I-A games.
Pitt has won 19 of its last 23 games vs Syracuse.
Syracuse is 0-10 SU/3-7 ATS in last 10 visits to Pittsburgh.
Under is 9-3 in last 12 series games.
ACC home favorites are 9-10 ATS in conference play.
Friday’s games
Louisville (-7.5) @ Boston College
Louisville (4-3, 2-2)
Louisville allowed 31-34-52 points in its three losses.
Cardinals gave up 20 or fewer points in their wins.
Cardinals have 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Louisville has 172 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Though has started at Oregon, Texas Tech
Louisville lost three of its last four games (0-4 ATS)
In his career, Brohm is 10-13 ATS as a road favorite.
Since 2020, Cardinals are 2-6 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Brohm, Louisville is 1-4 ATS coming off a loss.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
Boston College (4-3, 1-2)
BC won both I-A home games, over Michigan St, Western Kentucky
Eagles lost last two games (24-14 @ Virginia, 42-21 @ Va Tech)
Eagles have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Eagles have 115 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Castellanos started 12 games LY.
Boston College is 15-7-1 ATS last 23 games as a home dog.
In his college career, O’Brien is 7-5 ATS as an underdog.
Eagles are 11-16 ATS in last 27 ACC games.
BC gave up 368 rushing yards in LW’s 42-21 at Virginia Tech.
Under is 5-1 in their I-A games.
Home side won last six series games.
Louisville is 0-3 SU/ATS in last three visits to Boston.
Over is 6-2 in last eight meetings.
Boise State (-3.5) @ UNLV
Boise State (5-1, 2-0)
Broncos won last three I-A games, scoring 45-62-28 points.
Boise has run for 279.4 yards/game in its I-A games.
Boise has 6 starters back on offense, all 11 on defense.
Broncos have 66 starts returning on the offensive line.
Soph QB Madsen (132 pass attempts LY) is the ‘QB.
Boise’s only loss: 37-34 (+17) @ Oregon last month.
Broncos are 3-5-2 ATS in last ten games as a road favorite.
Over is 4-1 in their I-A games.
Broncos are 12-6-2 ATS in last 20 conference games.
Boise is 12-22-2 ATS in last 36 games coming off a win.
UNLV (6-1, 2-0)
Rebels are 6-1, have a +12 turnover ratio.
UNLV scored 45.8 ppg in its last four games.
UNLV has 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Rebels have 79 starts returning on offensive line.
Senior QB Williams started 40 games at I-AA Campbell.
Under Odom, UNLV is 14-6 against the spread.
In his career, Odom is 4-3 ATS as a home underdog.
UNLV’s only loss: 44-41 at home to Syracuse.
Under Odom, UNLV is 7-4 ATS in conference games.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
Boise State is 6-0 SU/3-3 ATS in last six meetings.
Broncos won/covered their last three visits to UNLV.
Over is 4-2 in last six series games.
Rutgers @ USC (-13.5)
Rutgers (4-3, 1-3)
Rutgers lost its last three games, giving up 30.3 ppg.
Scarlet Knights were held under 300 yards in 3 of last 4 games.
Scarlet Knights have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
Rutgers has 123 starts back on offensive line.
Soph QB Kaliakmanis started 12 games at Minnesota.
Scarlet Knights are 12-5-1 ATS last 18 games as road underdogs.
In his college career, Schiano is 34-21-3 ATS as road underdog.
Last 3+ years, Rutgers is 11-17-3 ATS in conference games.
Rutgers is 2-8 ATS in last ten games coming off a loss.
Over is 4-2 in their I-A games.
USC (3-4, 1-4)
Trojans lost four of their first five Big 18 games.
USC’s losses are by 1-3-3-7 points.
USC has 5 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Trojans have 72 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Moss won his only start 42-28 LY (bowl game).
USC is 9-5 ATS in last 14 games as a home favorite.
In his career, Riley is 27-19 ATS as a home favorite.
Trojans are 11-22 ATS in last 33 conference games.
In his career, Riley is 33-38-1 ATS in conference games.
In his career, Riley is 6-9 ATS coming off a loss.
Over is 3-1-1 in their last five games.
These teams haven’t met in last 20 years. .
Big 14 home favorites are 9-10 ATS in league games.
Saturday’s best 13 games
Notre Dame (-13) vs Navy (@ Meadowlands)
Notre Dame (6-1)
Notre Dame won its last five games, scoring 41 ppg.
Notre Dame’s only loss was 16-14 at home to Northern Illinois.
Irish have 6 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Notre Dame has 34 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Leonard started 21 games at Duke.
Notre Dame held six of seven opponents to 13 or fewer points.
Since 2017, Notre Dame is 17-7-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Freeman, Notre Dame is 5-2 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Freeman, Notre Dame is 8-3 ATS in all road games.
Under Freeman, Notre Dame is 13-8-1 ATS coming off a win
Navy (6-0)
Navy is 6-0, with all six wins by 12+ points.
Middies have run ball for 279 yards/games vs I-A opponents.
Navy has 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Middies have 51 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Horvath has run ball for 621 yards, thrown for 888.
Navy is 15-8 ATS in last 23 games as an underdog.
Middies are 5-0 ATS vs I-A teams this year.
Navy is 11-3 ATS in last 14 games coming off a win.
Navy has thrown for 100+ yards in every game this year.
Navy has a +12 turnover ratio, in six games.
Notre Dame is 11-1 SU/6-6 ATS in last 12 series games.
Over is 9-4 in last thirteen meetings.
Washington @ Indiana (-6.5)
Washington (4-3, 2-2)
Washington was held to 19-18-16 in losses, scored 30-24-27 in I-A wins.
Huskies are 0-2 on road: 21-18 at Rutgers, 40-16 at Iowa.
Huskies have 2 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Huskies have 36 returning starts on offensive line, none of them here.
Senior QB Rogers started 40 games at Mississippi State.
Since 2014, Washington is 8-7 ATS as a road underdog.
Since 2018, Huskies are 20-35 ATS in conference games (2-2 TY).
In his career, Fisch is 8-7 ATS as a road underdog.
Washington is 4-7 ATS in last 11 games coming off a loss.
Under is 4-2 in their I-A games this season.
Indiana (6-0, 3-0)
Senior QB Rourke (thumb) is out for this game.
Hoosiers are 4-0 in league games, scoring 42-42-41-56 points.
Last four games, Indiana gained 510-510-529-495 yards.
Hoosiers have 10 starters back on offense, 11 on defense.
Hoosiers have 119 returning starts on the offensive line.
Indiana is 16-7 ATS last 23 games as a home favorite.
In his career, Cignetti is 10-6 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, Cignetti is 15-5 ATS in conference games.
Indiana is 15-9 ATS in its last 24 games coming off a win.
Indiana’s last five games went over the total.
These teams haven’t met since 2003.
Arkansas (-6.5) @ Mississippi State
Arkansas (4-3, 2-2)
Arkansas was held to 17-19-10 points in its last three games.
Razorbacks were minus-8 in turnovers in their losses (+3 in wins).
Razorbacks have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Razorbacks have 67 returning starts on the offensive line;
Junior QB Green started 22 games at Boise State.
Last 11 years, Arkansas is 1-6-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Pittman, Arkansas is 6-12-1 ATS as a favorite.
Arkansas is 21-14-2 ATS in SEC games.
Under Pittman, Razorbacks are 14-11 ATS coming off a loss.
Arkansas’ last four games stayed under the total.
Mississippi State (1-6, 0-4)
Miss State is 0-6 in I-A games, giving up 37.7 ppg.
Miss State gave up 415+ TY in five of six I-A games.
Bulldogs have 5 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Bulldogs have 67 returning starts on the offensive line.
Frosh QB Van Buren is 61-114/792 passing (6 TD’s, 2 INTs)
Since 2019, MSU is 2-11-1 ATS as a home underdog.
MSU is 7-12-1 ATS in its last 20 SEC games (3-0 last three).
Bulldogs are 5-9-1 ATS in last 15 games coming off a loss.
Jeff Lebby is Miss State’s 5th head coach the last eight seasons.
Over is 4-1 in Miss State’s last five games.
Miss State won nine of last 12 meetings.
Arkansas is 2-4 SU/3-3 ATS last six visits to Starkville.
Over is 6-3 in last nine series games.
Illinois @ Oregon (-21.5)
Illinois (6-1, 3-1)
Illinois is 3-1 in Big 18 games, losing 21-7 at Penn State.
Illini has a +7 turnover ratio, minus-1 in league games.
Illinois has 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Illini has 77 returning starts on OL.
Junior QB Altmyer has 10 career starts.
Under Bielema, Illinois is 11-3 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Bielema is 26-16-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Bielema, Illinois is 18-13 ATS in conference games.
Illinois is 10-12 ATS last 22 games coming off a win.
Under is 4-2 in Illinois’ I-A games.
Oregon (7-0, 4-0)
Oregon scored 37-49-34-31-32-35 points in its I-A wins.
Last five games, Ducks gained 546-431-477-496-421 TY.
Oregon has 8 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Ducks have 144 returning starts on the offensive line.
Ducks poached senior QB Gabriel (49 starts at UCF/Oklahoma).
Under Lanning, Oregon is 10-5 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Lanning, Ducks are 19-8 ATS as a favorite.
Under Lanning, Oregon is 15-7 ATS in conference games.
Under Lanning, Oregon is 18-8 ATS coming off a win.
Under is 3-1 in their last four games.
These teams haven’t met in the last 20 years.
Maryland @ Minnesota (-4)
Maryland (4-3, 1-3)
Terps are 1-3 in conference games, giving up 33.5 ppg
Maryland is 4-1 when it scores 27+ points.
Maryland has 4 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Terps have 21 returning starts on OL.
Junior QB Edwards is 195-278/2,113 passing (13 TDs, 4 INT).
Under Locksley, Maryland is 6-12 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Locksley is 11-20 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Locksley, Terps are 20-31 ATS in conference games.
Terps were minus-5 in turnovers last 2 games (+11 in first five games).
Over is 4-1-1 in their I-A games.
Minnesota (4-3, 2-2)
Minnesota beat USC/UCLA last two games, after a 2-3 start.
Gophers allowed 8.5 ppg in wins, 19-31-27 points in losses.
Gophers have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Minnesota has 70 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Brosmer started 36 games at I-AA New Hampshire.
Minnesota is 8-5 ATS last 13 games as a home favorite.
In his career, Fleck is 24-21 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Fleck, Minnesota is 32-31-2 ATS in conference games.
Minnesota is +11 in turnovers in wins, minus-3 in losses.
Gophers were held under 100 YR in all three losses.
These teams haven’t met since 2021.
Terps lost last two visits to Minnesota, 34-16/52-10
Over is 4-1 in last five series games.
Oklahoma State @ Baylor (-7)
Oklahoma State (3-4, 0-4)
OSU lost its three Big X games, 22-19/42-20/38-14/38-35.
Cowboys gave up 232+ rushing yards in 5 of 6 I-A games.
Cowboys have 10 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Cowboys have 214 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Bowman is in his 7th college season (13 starts LY)
OSU is 4-5 ATS in last nine games as a road underdog.
Oklahoma State is 19-13 ATS in its last 32 Big X games.
Cowboys are 18-11-1 ATS in last 30 games coming off a loss.
Oklahoma State gave up 456-559-558-473 yards in its Big X games.
Cowboys scored 39-45 points in their two I-A wins.
Baylor (3-4, 1-4)
Baylor is 1-4 in Big X, giving up 37.5 ppg in last four games.
Bears scored 31-59 points in their two I-A wins.
Baylor has 10 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Bears have 97 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Robertson started four games last year.
Under Aranda, Baylor is 9-7 ATS as home favorites.
Under Aranda, Bears are 13-11 ATS coming off a win.
Under Aranda, Baylor is 20-22 ATS in conference games.
Last 2+ years, Baylor is +3 in turnovers (+31 from 2019-21)
Baylor’s last four games went over the total.
Oklahoma State won three of last four series games.
Cowboys won last two visits to Waco, 36-25/42-3
Under is 3-1 in last four meetings.
Texas Tech @ TCU (-6.5)
Texas Tech (5-2, 3-1)
Texas Tech is 3-1 in Big X games (average total, 70.3)
Tech gave up 37-59 points in their two losses.
Red Raiders have 8 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Red Raiders have 125 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Morton started 12 games LY (17 TDs/3 INTs this year)
Under McGuire, Texas Tech is 3-5 ATS as a road underdog.
Under McGuire, Red Raiders are 11-10-1 ATS in Big X games.
Last three games, Tech gave up 502 yards/game.
Tech is 31-35-1 ATS in its last 67 Big X games.
Four of Tech’s five wins were by 8 or fewer points.
TCU (4-3, 2-2)
TCU gave up 35-66-30 points in their three losses.
TCU gave up 289-238-207 rushing yards in those games.
TCU has 7 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Horned Frogs have 77 returning starts on the offensive line.
Soph QB Hoover started six games last year.
Under Dykes, TCU is 7-6 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, Dykes is 28-23 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Dykes, TCU is 12-10-1 ATS in Big X games.
Last four games (2-2), Frogs are minus-12 in turnovers.
Over is 4-2 in their I-A games this season.
TCU won four of last five series games (favorites 4-0 ATS last four)
Tech lost 34-24/34-18 in last two visits to Fort Worth.
Under is 5-3 in last eight meetings.
West Virginia @ Arizona (-3.5)
West Virginia (3-4, 2-2)
WVU allowed 36.3 ppg in its four losses, 28-14 in I-A wins.
West Virginia has a minus-7 turnover ratio.
Mountaineers have 8 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Mountaineers have 113 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Greene has 14 career starts.
Under Brown, WVU is 10-12 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Brown is 19-14 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Brown, WVU is 22-26 ATS in Big X games.
Under Brown, Mountaineers are 18-13 ATS in games coming off a loss.
West Virginia gave up 14-28-14 points in its wins.
Arizona (3-4, 1-4)
Arizona is 1-4 in Big X games, giving up 31-28-41-34 points in losses.
Wildcats scored 61-23 points in I-A wins, 7-22-19-7 in losses.
Arizona has 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
Wildcats have 86 starts back on offensive line.
Soph QB Fifita started nine games last year.
Arizona is 4-9 ATS last 13 games as a home favorite.
In his career, Brennan is 11-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Wildcats are 8-6 ATS in their last 14 conference games.
In his career, Brennan is 33-26-1 ATS in conference games.
Arizona is 8-5 ATS in last 13 games coming off a loss.
These teams haven’t met in the last 20 years.
Penn State (-6.5) @ Wisconsin
Penn State (6-0, 3-0)
Penn State is 3-0 in Big 18; 21-7 (Illinois), 37-11 (UCLA), 33-30 (USC).
Nittany Lions are 2-0 on road: 34-12 at West Virginia, 33-30 at USC.
Nittany Lions have 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Penn State has 45 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Allar started 13 games last year.
Under Franklin, Penn State is 53-38-3 ATS as a favorite.
Under Franklin, Penn State is 20-13 ATS as a road favorite.
Nittany Lions are 3-0 SU/0-3 ATS in conference games TY.
PSU held four of six opponents to 260 or fewer total yards.
Four of their six games stayed under the total.
Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1)
Wisconsin won last three games, by a combined 117-16.
Wisconsin gave up 42-38 points in its losses (Alabama, USC).
Badgers have 7 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Badgers have 102 returning starts on offensive line.
Soph QB Locke started three games last year.
Since 2014, Badgers are 2-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2017, Badgers are 3-6 ATS as an underdog anywhere.
In his career, Fickell is 16-10 ATS as an underdog.
Since 2014, Badgers are 25-19 ATS in conference games.
Over is 4-1 in their last five games.
Penn State won/covered last five meetings.
Nittany Lions won/covered three of last four visits to Madison.
Over is 4-3 in last seven series games.
LSU @ Texas A&M (-2.5)
LSU (6-1, 3-0)
LSU won its last six games, after a 27-20 loss to USC.
LSU is 2-0 in true road games, 36-33 Ole Miss, 34-10 Arkansas.
Tigers have 6 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Tigers have 111 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Nussmeier is completing 64% of passes (18 TD’s, 6 INTs)
Under Kelly, Tigers are 3-1 ATS as an underdog.
In his career, Kelly is 20-12-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Kelly, LSU is 10-9-1 ATS in SEC games.
Since 2017, LSU is 38-23-2 ATS in SEC games.
LSU’s last four games stayed under the total.
Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0)
A&M won last five I-A games, after a 23-13 loss to Notre Dame.
Aggies scored 33+ points in three of four SEC games.
Aggies have 9 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
A&M has 112 returning starts on offensive line.
Soph QB Weigman has 8 career starts.
A&M ran ball for 204 yards/game in its SEC tilts.
Aggies are 1-3 ATS as a home favorite this year.
A&M is 7-10-3 ATS in its last 20 SEC games.
In his career, new HC Elko is 8-5 ATS as a home favorite.
Aggies are 5-8-3 ATS in last 16 games coming off a win.
Home team won last seven meetings.
LSU is 0-3 SU/2-1 ATS in last three visits to College Station.
Over is 6-2 in last eight series games.
Auburn @ Kentucky (-2.5)
Auburn (2-5, 0-4)
Auburn is 0-4 in SEC, losing by 10-6-18-4 points.
Auburn has had three straight losing years (6-7/5-7/5-7).
Tigers have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Tigers have 87 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Thorpe has 37 career starts.
Last 3+ years, Auburn is 6-6-1 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Freeze is 18-9 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Freeze, Auburn is 6-6 ATS in SEC games.
In his career, Freeze is 28-23 ATS coming off a loss.
Auburn is minus-10 in turnovers this season.
Under is 3-1 in their last four games.
Kentucky (3-4, 1-4)
Kentucky scored 31-41-20 points in wins, 6-12-13-20 in losses.
Kentucky is 0-3 when it gives up more than 17 points.
Wildcats have 8 starters back on offense, 10 on defense.
Wildcats have 156 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Vandagriff was a backup at Georgia.
Kentucky is 17-11 ATS last 28 games as a home favorite.
Wildcats held 5 of 7 opponents to 288 or fewer total yards.
Kentucky is 15-14 ATS in last 28 SEC games.
Wildcats are 8-5 ATS last 12 games coming off a loss.
Under is 5-2 in Kentucky games this season.
These teams haven’t met since 2020.
Auburn won five of last six meetings.
Over is 4-2 in last six meetings.
Kansas @ Kansas State (-10.5)
Kansas (2-5, 1-3)
Kansas is 1-5 in I-A games, with four losses by 6 or fewer points.
Last three games, Kansas is +8 in turnovers.
Jayhawks have 7 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Kansas has 130 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Daniels has 20 career starts.
In his career, Leipold is 11-21-1 ATS as road underdog.
Under Leipold, Kansas is 5-11 ATS as a road underdog..
Under Leipold, Kansas is 14-16-1 ATS in Big X games.
Under Leipold, Kansas is 9-7-1 ATS coming off a win.
Last four Kansas games went over the total.
Kansas State (6-1, 4-1)
K-State scored 31+ points in its wins, lost 38-9 at BYU.
Wildcats scored 42-31-45 points in their last three games.
Wildcats have 4 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Wildcats have 73 returning starts on OL, only 36 at I-A level.
Frosh QB Johnson threw for 1,405 yards, ran for 306 more in five games.
K-State is 13-2 ATS last 15 games as a home favorite.
Under Klieman, Wildcats are 23-14 ATS as a favorite.
Under Klieman, K-State is 33-18 ATS in Big X games.
Under Klieman, Wildcats are 25-19 ATS coming off a win.
Last three K-State games went over the total.
K-State is 15-0 SU/11-4 ATS in last fifteen series games.
Jayhawks are 0-6 SU/2-4 ATS in last six visits to Manhattan.
Over is 3-1 in last four meetings.
Cincinnati @ Colorado (-5.5)
Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1)
Cincinnati’s two losses were 28-27 to Pitt, 44-41 at Texas Tech.
Bearcats gave up 20 or fewer points in their wins.
Bearcats have 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Bearcats have 91 returning starts on offensive line.
Soph QB Sorsby started 7 games at Indiana last year.
Under Satterfield, Cincinnati is 3-2-1 ATS as a road underdog.
In his career, Satterfield is 12-15-3 ATS as a road underdog.
Last 2+ years, Cincinnati is 6-13-2 ATS in conference games.
Bearcats are 5-10-1 ATS in last 16 games coming off a win.
Under is 5-1 in Cincinnati’s I-A games this year.
Colorado (5-2, 3-1)
Colorado won four of its last five games.
Colorado scored 31+ points in four of its five wins.
Tigers have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Tigers have 100 returning starts on offensive line, and a new OL coach.
QB Sanders started 11 games LY, after playing multiple years at I-AA Jackson State.
Sanders is 3-3 ATS as a favorite with Colorado, 2-2 at home.
Colorado is 7-11 ATS last 18 games as a home favorite.
Under Sanders, Buffs are 9-4 ATS in conference games.
Under Sanders, Colorado is 4-4 ATS coming off a win.
Three of Colorado’s last four games went over the total.
These teams haven’t met in the last 20 years.
NCAAFB BEST BETS OCTOBER !
10/24/2024............................1 - 3 - 0...............................25.00%.........................- 11.50
10/23/2024............................2 - 2 - 0...............................50.00%..........................- 1.00
10/22/2024............................2 - 2 - 0...............................50.00%..........................- 1.00
10/15/2024............................3 - 1 - 0...............................75.00%..........................+ 9.50
10/12/2024............................4 - 10 - 0.............................28.57%..........................- 35.00
10/11/2024..............................3 - 2 - 0.............................60.00%...........................+ 4.00
10/10/2024..............................2 - 2 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 1.00
10/09/2024..............................1 - 1 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 0.50
10/08/2024..............................1 - 1 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 0.50
10/05/2024...........................14 - 18 - 1...........................43.75%............................- 29.00
10/04/2024................................5 - 2 - 0...........................71.42%............................+ 19.50
10/03/2024.,..............................3 - 1 - 0...........................75.00%............................+ 9.50
TOTALS..................................41 - 45 - 1............................47.67%............................ - 37.00
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
10/24/2024............................1 - 3 - 0...............................25.00%.........................- 11.50
10/23/2024............................2 - 2 - 0...............................50.00%..........................- 1.00
10/22/2024............................2 - 2 - 0...............................50.00%..........................- 1.00
10/15/2024............................3 - 1 - 0...............................75.00%..........................+ 9.50
10/12/2024............................4 - 10 - 0.............................28.57%..........................- 35.00
10/11/2024..............................3 - 2 - 0.............................60.00%...........................+ 4.00
10/10/2024..............................2 - 2 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 1.00
10/09/2024..............................1 - 1 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 0.50
10/08/2024..............................1 - 1 - 0.............................50.00%...........................- 0.50
10/05/2024...........................14 - 18 - 1...........................43.75%............................- 29.00
10/04/2024................................5 - 2 - 0...........................71.42%............................+ 19.50
10/03/2024.,..............................3 - 1 - 0...........................75.00%............................+ 9.50
TOTALS..................................41 - 45 - 1............................47.67%............................ - 37.00
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
Friday’s 6-pack:
Best ERA’s for starting pitchers with 20+ career playoff starts:
2.51— Jon Lester (22 starts)
2.67— John Smoltz (27)
2.71— Whitey Ford (22)
2.98— Gerrit Cole (20)
3.27— Greg Maddux (30)
3.30— Tom Glavine (35)
Quote of the Day
“All of these kids that move around in the portal, none of them are pros. There are no pros in the portal. If they were pros, they wouldn’t be in the portal. They’re all college guys looking to improve.”
Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson
Friday’s quiz
Oklahoma City Thunder starting playing in Oklahoma in 2008-09; before that, where did the team call home?
Thursday’s quiz
In the old TV show Magnum PI, Magnum always spent the 4th of July by himself; that was the day his father passed away, when Magnum was five years old.
Wednesday’s quiz
Last two times the New York Knicks won the NBA title, they beat the Lakers in the Finals both times.
*****************************************
Riley is 1,381-805 as an NBA coach, winning five NBA titles (4 with Lakers, one with the Heat, in 2006). He also led the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1994.
Miami has won two NBA titles with Riley as team president and Erik Spoelstra as coach; Riley was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Coach Riley is from Schenectady, NY; he went to Linton High School, in 1992, Linton merged with Mont Pleasant HS to form Schenectady High School, which is located in the former Linton facility. Coach Riley gave the school a lot of money to help refurbish the gym/locker room. The gym at Schenectady is named after him.
Long time ago (1993-2001), I spent eight years as an assistant basketball coach at Schenectady High; I was the analytics/numbers guy, the geeky coach/scout. This was the most interesting thing I’ve ever done in my life, and one of the most fun.
I was lucky to work for great people and we had really, really good players; we won state titles in 1998 and 2001. When we won the state titles, coach Riley sent us all gifts to commemorate our efforts- I’m looking at them in my living room as I type this.
Congratulations to you Coach Riley, on one of the best careers anyone has ever had. It was an honor to spend eight years working in your gym.
— Rams 30, Vikings 20
Stafford was 25-34/279 passing, with four TD’s. (helps to have Kupp/Nacua healthy)
Rams outgained Minnesota, 386-276.
LA was 4-10 on third down, Vikings 2-7.
Rams scored 27-20-30 points in their wins, 20-10-18-19 in losses.
Rams are 6-3-1 ATS last ten games as a home underdog.
Vikings’ first two drives: 18 plays, 140 yards, 14 points.
Vikings’ last six drives: 30 plays, 125 yards, 2 FGs and a safety
Minnesota ran for only 64 yards; they were 2-7 on 3rd down.
WR Jefferson caught eight passes for 115 yards.
Minnesota is 4-8-1 ATS in last 13 games coming off a loss.
— Pitt 41, Syracuse 13
Panthers are 7-0 for the first time since 1982.
Pitt scored three defensive TD’s in the first half, led 31-0 at halftime.
Syracuse ran ball for only six yards on 29 carries; they threw 5 INTs in all.
— Old Dominion 47, Georgia Southern 19
Monarchs led 30-7 at half; QB Jospeh threw 4 first half TD passes.
ODU outgained Georgia Southern, 560-416.
Monarchs ran ball 41 times for 256 yards.
— Kennesaw State 27, Liberty 24
1-6 Owls were a 27-point underdog; Liberty came into the game 5-0.
This is Kennesaw State’s first-ever win as a I-A program.
Liberty had nine penalties for 100 yards.
— Jacksonville State 42, Middle Tennessee 20
QB Huff threw for 137 yards and TD, ran for 151 yards and 2 TD’s.
Gamecocks have won four games in a row for first time since 2020.
Jax State outgained the Blue Raiders, 577-365
— There was very sad news Thursday; South Florida basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim passed away at age 43.
Abdur-Rahim was undergoing a medical procedure at a Tampa-area hospital when he died due to complications that arose during the procedure. He is survived by his wife and three children.
Abdur-Rahim was a rising star in coaching; he built the Kennesaw State program from the ground up, going 26-9 two years ago, making the NCAAs as a 14-seed.
He then moved on to South Florida last year, went 25-8, 16-2 in the AAC.
Very sad news. RIP, sir.
— Famous birthdays, October 25:
Dan Issel, 76
Dave Cowens, 76
Gifford Nielsen, 70
Mark Vlasic, 61
Pat Swilling, 60
Mike Harkey, 58
Terrell Lowery, 54
Pedro Martinez, 53
Juan Soto, 26
— Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey missed practice Wednesday for jury duty; he got a letter from the court and was selected as a juror for a felony case. In order to be removed from the jury, both sides and the judge would have to sign off and install an alternate juror.
Cowboys travel to San Francisco Saturday afternoon for their game against the 49ers; they return to Dallas early Monday morning.
— NBA has an in-season tournament starting November 12, kind of an admission that interest in the league is weak before Christmas.
Last year, the Lakers won the tournament; they raised a banner in their arena, but showed their true colors when they fired coach Davin Ham after a 47-35 season and a first-round exit from the playoffs.
If the in-season tournament had any meaning at all, no way does the coach get fired.
— Speaking of the Lakers, the G-League starts November 8; hopefully they’ll send Bronny James to play there, so the young man can play a lot and get the experience he needs.
Lebron/Bronny played a few minutes together the other night, becoming the first father/son to play on same team, but Bronny only played one year at USC— he isn’t as good as his dad, and likely never will be (who is???). He needs to play a lot to progress into an NBA-level player.
— Watching the Phoenix Suns should be fun this winter; 22 of their first 32 shots the other night were 3-pointers. Coach Mike Budenholzer likes a wide-open style, for to watch.
— Congrats to Atlanta Hawks radio announcer Steve Holman, who recently broadcast his 3,000th consecutive game for the Hawks.
— NC State QB Grayson McCall is retiring from football, after he had a concussion in a game earlier this month. He is 23 years old, played six years of college football. We wish him well.
— Carolina Panthers’ QB Andy Dalton got banged up in a car accident this week; he won’t start this week, when the 1-6 Panthers visit Denver.
2nd-year QB Bryce Young will start this week; Carolina lost 47-10/26-3 in the two games he started earlier this season, in Weeks 1-2.
— There are 134 I-A college football teams; Florida State is the only one that hasn’t scored more than 21 points in a game this season.
Best ERA’s for starting pitchers with 20+ career playoff starts:
2.51— Jon Lester (22 starts)
2.67— John Smoltz (27)
2.71— Whitey Ford (22)
2.98— Gerrit Cole (20)
3.27— Greg Maddux (30)
3.30— Tom Glavine (35)
Quote of the Day
“All of these kids that move around in the portal, none of them are pros. There are no pros in the portal. If they were pros, they wouldn’t be in the portal. They’re all college guys looking to improve.”
Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson
Friday’s quiz
Oklahoma City Thunder starting playing in Oklahoma in 2008-09; before that, where did the team call home?
Thursday’s quiz
In the old TV show Magnum PI, Magnum always spent the 4th of July by himself; that was the day his father passed away, when Magnum was five years old.
Wednesday’s quiz
Last two times the New York Knicks won the NBA title, they beat the Lakers in the Finals both times.
*****************************************
Friday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud…….
— Wednesday night, Miami Heat named their home court after longtime coach/team president Pat Riley; this is his 30th year with the Miami franchise.Riley is 1,381-805 as an NBA coach, winning five NBA titles (4 with Lakers, one with the Heat, in 2006). He also led the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1994.
Miami has won two NBA titles with Riley as team president and Erik Spoelstra as coach; Riley was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Coach Riley is from Schenectady, NY; he went to Linton High School, in 1992, Linton merged with Mont Pleasant HS to form Schenectady High School, which is located in the former Linton facility. Coach Riley gave the school a lot of money to help refurbish the gym/locker room. The gym at Schenectady is named after him.
Long time ago (1993-2001), I spent eight years as an assistant basketball coach at Schenectady High; I was the analytics/numbers guy, the geeky coach/scout. This was the most interesting thing I’ve ever done in my life, and one of the most fun.
I was lucky to work for great people and we had really, really good players; we won state titles in 1998 and 2001. When we won the state titles, coach Riley sent us all gifts to commemorate our efforts- I’m looking at them in my living room as I type this.
Congratulations to you Coach Riley, on one of the best careers anyone has ever had. It was an honor to spend eight years working in your gym.
— Rams 30, Vikings 20
Stafford was 25-34/279 passing, with four TD’s. (helps to have Kupp/Nacua healthy)
Rams outgained Minnesota, 386-276.
LA was 4-10 on third down, Vikings 2-7.
Rams scored 27-20-30 points in their wins, 20-10-18-19 in losses.
Rams are 6-3-1 ATS last ten games as a home underdog.
Vikings’ first two drives: 18 plays, 140 yards, 14 points.
Vikings’ last six drives: 30 plays, 125 yards, 2 FGs and a safety
Minnesota ran for only 64 yards; they were 2-7 on 3rd down.
WR Jefferson caught eight passes for 115 yards.
Minnesota is 4-8-1 ATS in last 13 games coming off a loss.
— Pitt 41, Syracuse 13
Panthers are 7-0 for the first time since 1982.
Pitt scored three defensive TD’s in the first half, led 31-0 at halftime.
Syracuse ran ball for only six yards on 29 carries; they threw 5 INTs in all.
— Old Dominion 47, Georgia Southern 19
Monarchs led 30-7 at half; QB Jospeh threw 4 first half TD passes.
ODU outgained Georgia Southern, 560-416.
Monarchs ran ball 41 times for 256 yards.
— Kennesaw State 27, Liberty 24
1-6 Owls were a 27-point underdog; Liberty came into the game 5-0.
This is Kennesaw State’s first-ever win as a I-A program.
Liberty had nine penalties for 100 yards.
— Jacksonville State 42, Middle Tennessee 20
QB Huff threw for 137 yards and TD, ran for 151 yards and 2 TD’s.
Gamecocks have won four games in a row for first time since 2020.
Jax State outgained the Blue Raiders, 577-365
— There was very sad news Thursday; South Florida basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim passed away at age 43.
Abdur-Rahim was undergoing a medical procedure at a Tampa-area hospital when he died due to complications that arose during the procedure. He is survived by his wife and three children.
Abdur-Rahim was a rising star in coaching; he built the Kennesaw State program from the ground up, going 26-9 two years ago, making the NCAAs as a 14-seed.
He then moved on to South Florida last year, went 25-8, 16-2 in the AAC.
Very sad news. RIP, sir.
— Famous birthdays, October 25:
Dan Issel, 76
Dave Cowens, 76
Gifford Nielsen, 70
Mark Vlasic, 61
Pat Swilling, 60
Mike Harkey, 58
Terrell Lowery, 54
Pedro Martinez, 53
Juan Soto, 26
— Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey missed practice Wednesday for jury duty; he got a letter from the court and was selected as a juror for a felony case. In order to be removed from the jury, both sides and the judge would have to sign off and install an alternate juror.
Cowboys travel to San Francisco Saturday afternoon for their game against the 49ers; they return to Dallas early Monday morning.
— NBA has an in-season tournament starting November 12, kind of an admission that interest in the league is weak before Christmas.
Last year, the Lakers won the tournament; they raised a banner in their arena, but showed their true colors when they fired coach Davin Ham after a 47-35 season and a first-round exit from the playoffs.
If the in-season tournament had any meaning at all, no way does the coach get fired.
— Speaking of the Lakers, the G-League starts November 8; hopefully they’ll send Bronny James to play there, so the young man can play a lot and get the experience he needs.
Lebron/Bronny played a few minutes together the other night, becoming the first father/son to play on same team, but Bronny only played one year at USC— he isn’t as good as his dad, and likely never will be (who is???). He needs to play a lot to progress into an NBA-level player.
— Watching the Phoenix Suns should be fun this winter; 22 of their first 32 shots the other night were 3-pointers. Coach Mike Budenholzer likes a wide-open style, for to watch.
— Congrats to Atlanta Hawks radio announcer Steve Holman, who recently broadcast his 3,000th consecutive game for the Hawks.
— NC State QB Grayson McCall is retiring from football, after he had a concussion in a game earlier this month. He is 23 years old, played six years of college football. We wish him well.
— Carolina Panthers’ QB Andy Dalton got banged up in a car accident this week; he won’t start this week, when the 1-6 Panthers visit Denver.
2nd-year QB Bryce Young will start this week; Carolina lost 47-10/26-3 in the two games he started earlier this season, in Weeks 1-2.
— There are 134 I-A college football teams; Florida State is the only one that hasn’t scored more than 21 points in a game this season.
