NCAAF
Week 12
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Trend Report
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Week 12
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Trend Report
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Tuesday’s 6-pack:
— Cavaliers 119, Bulls 113- Cleveland starters were minus-30, their subs +60.
— Rockets 107, Wizards 92- Alperen Sengun scored 27 points, had 17 rebounds.
— Nets 107, Pelicans 105- Ben Simmons had 12 assists, 5 rebounds in 22:00
— Thunder 134, Clippers 128- Gilgeous-Alexander scored career-high 45 points.
— Spurs 116, Kings 96- San Antonio made 22 of 46 shots behind the arc.
— Alabama 72, McNeese State 64- Alabama was 11-34 on arc, 11-16 inside arc.
Quote of the Day
“It’s great to be part of history. I never want to take those things for granted along the road when we’re doing it in various ways. We’re doing it in ways where we are blowing out teams. We’re winning from behind. We’re winning close games. And it’s somebody different every night leading the charge. It’s always a group effort.”
Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell
Tuesday’s quiz
Los Angeles Clippers have existed since 1970, but they’ve played home games in two other cities. Where did the Clippers call home their first eight years in the NBA?
Monday’s quiz
Oakland A’s drafted Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray with the 9th pick in the 2018 draft.
Sunday’s quiz
Oregon was the last Pac-12 team to win the Rose Bowl.
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Dolphins scored a TD on their first drive of each half.
Their six drives in between TD’s: 25 plays, 41 yards, 2 turnovers.
Miami was 6-13 on third down, Rams 3-12.
Miami allowed 17-10-15 points in wins, 31-24-16-31-28-30 in losses.
QB Tagovailoa is 34-23 as an NFL starter.
Rams’ first five drives: 17 plays, 27 yards, two turnovers.
Rams rest of game: 57 plays, 268 yards, 5-6 on field goals.
LA outgained Miami, 327-238, but didn’t score a touchdown.
Rams are 1-5 scoring less than 26 points.
LA is 4-9-1 ATS in last 14 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
— RIP to the great football coach John Robinson, who passed away at age 89.
Coach Robinson was 104-35-4 coaching USC, going 8-1 in bowl games; he was 79-75 coaching the Rams, making the playoffs in six of his nine seasons. He was also UNLV’s coach for six years, winning the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl.
— July 1986, I went to Rams’ training camp at Cal-State Fullerton; coach Robinson was on the field at the end of practice, watching kicker Mike Lansford practice.
There was almost no security there; I figure what the hell, I stepped over the security rope and walked on the field and talked to coach Robinson for a few minutes, wished him well.
He should’ve thrown my butt out of there but he didn’t; he was cordial for a couple minutes and I scooted over to where players were signing autographs. Was always appreciative of that.
John Robinson led the Rams during the Eric Dickerson/Jim Everett era; he was an excellent coach who thrived at his teams running the ball.
RIP, sir.
— NFL divisional trends (non-division games):
NFC East home teams are 3-9 ATS.
NFC North home teams are 11-4 ATS
NFC South home teams are 4-9 ATS
NFC West teams are 11-15-1 ATS
AFC East underdogs are 5-9-1 ATS
AFC North road teams are 11-4 ATS
AFC South road underdogs are 3-9 ATS
AFC West favorites are 10-4 ATS
— Dallas Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott is off to New York City for a second opinion on a serious hamstring injury, which probably requires season-ending surgery.
— Nebraska fired their offensive coordinator, brought in former Houston/West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen to be the OC for the rest of this season.
Nebraska is 5-4, needs one more win to be bowl eligible for first time since 2016.
— Florida State is 1-9, losing their last three games by 20+ points each; they fired both their coordinators and another assistant this weekend- this is going to be the Seminoles’ worst year since 1974, when they went 1-10, two years before Bobby Bowden got to Tallahassee.
Head coach Mike Norvell has a contract that pays him $84M thru 2031. Whoops.
Famous birthdays, November 12th:
Neil Young, 79
Cliff Harris, 76
Steve Bartkowski, 72
Jody Davis, 68
Sammy Sosa, 56
Ryan Gosling, 44
Anne Hathaway, 42
Charlie Morton, 41
Russell Westbrook, 36
Marcell Ozuna, 34
Trey Burke, 32
Paolo Banchero, 22
— Miami Marlins named Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough their new manager; he spent the past four years on the Dodgers’ coaching staff. He managed in the Blue Jays’ minor league system from 2007-13, so he has experience. McCullough will be the Marlins’ 17th manager in their 32-year history.
Marlins, by the way, used 45 pitchers this season, the most ever by a team in one year.
— Don Mattingly’s son Preston was promoted to general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies; he figures to learn under the tutelage of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski for three years. Dombrowski is 68 years old, has three years left on his contract.
Former big leaugue OF Sam Fuld has been the Phillies’ GM since December 2020, but he is going back to college to get his Master of Business Administration and will become the team’s president of business operations when he gets his degree in 2026.
— Random fact: Winner of the Boston Marathon gets $150,000; winners of the marathons in New York City and Chicago get $100,000 each,
— NBA’s in-season tournament starts tonight; it is a tournament that begins with group play followed by single elimination knockout rounds. It is designed to increase interest in early season NBA season games, which haven’t always been that popular.
Last year was the first in-season tournament; Lakers won it, then finished the season 47-35 but fired their coach, which makes you believe the Lakers’ owners didn’t care that much about it.
— Cleveland Cavaliers have started this season 12-0, the best start for any team since Golden State nine years ago. Cavaliers are the 8th NBA team to start a season 12-0.
— Winnipeg Jets are the first NHL team ever to start a season 14-1; their only loss was 6-4 at home to Toronto October 28th. In their last three games, Jets have allowed only one goal.
— High school QB Cole Leinart, son of former USC star and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, committed to play college ball at Southern Methodist in the ACC.
— Cavaliers 119, Bulls 113- Cleveland starters were minus-30, their subs +60.
— Rockets 107, Wizards 92- Alperen Sengun scored 27 points, had 17 rebounds.
— Nets 107, Pelicans 105- Ben Simmons had 12 assists, 5 rebounds in 22:00
— Thunder 134, Clippers 128- Gilgeous-Alexander scored career-high 45 points.
— Spurs 116, Kings 96- San Antonio made 22 of 46 shots behind the arc.
— Alabama 72, McNeese State 64- Alabama was 11-34 on arc, 11-16 inside arc.
Quote of the Day
“It’s great to be part of history. I never want to take those things for granted along the road when we’re doing it in various ways. We’re doing it in ways where we are blowing out teams. We’re winning from behind. We’re winning close games. And it’s somebody different every night leading the charge. It’s always a group effort.”
Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell
Tuesday’s quiz
Los Angeles Clippers have existed since 1970, but they’ve played home games in two other cities. Where did the Clippers call home their first eight years in the NBA?
Monday’s quiz
Oakland A’s drafted Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray with the 9th pick in the 2018 draft.
Sunday’s quiz
Oregon was the last Pac-12 team to win the Rose Bowl.
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Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but…….
Dolphins 23, Rams 15Dolphins scored a TD on their first drive of each half.
Their six drives in between TD’s: 25 plays, 41 yards, 2 turnovers.
Miami was 6-13 on third down, Rams 3-12.
Miami allowed 17-10-15 points in wins, 31-24-16-31-28-30 in losses.
QB Tagovailoa is 34-23 as an NFL starter.
Rams’ first five drives: 17 plays, 27 yards, two turnovers.
Rams rest of game: 57 plays, 268 yards, 5-6 on field goals.
LA outgained Miami, 327-238, but didn’t score a touchdown.
Rams are 1-5 scoring less than 26 points.
LA is 4-9-1 ATS in last 14 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
— RIP to the great football coach John Robinson, who passed away at age 89.
Coach Robinson was 104-35-4 coaching USC, going 8-1 in bowl games; he was 79-75 coaching the Rams, making the playoffs in six of his nine seasons. He was also UNLV’s coach for six years, winning the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl.
— July 1986, I went to Rams’ training camp at Cal-State Fullerton; coach Robinson was on the field at the end of practice, watching kicker Mike Lansford practice.
There was almost no security there; I figure what the hell, I stepped over the security rope and walked on the field and talked to coach Robinson for a few minutes, wished him well.
He should’ve thrown my butt out of there but he didn’t; he was cordial for a couple minutes and I scooted over to where players were signing autographs. Was always appreciative of that.
John Robinson led the Rams during the Eric Dickerson/Jim Everett era; he was an excellent coach who thrived at his teams running the ball.
RIP, sir.
— NFL divisional trends (non-division games):
NFC East home teams are 3-9 ATS.
NFC North home teams are 11-4 ATS
NFC South home teams are 4-9 ATS
NFC West teams are 11-15-1 ATS
AFC East underdogs are 5-9-1 ATS
AFC North road teams are 11-4 ATS
AFC South road underdogs are 3-9 ATS
AFC West favorites are 10-4 ATS
— Dallas Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott is off to New York City for a second opinion on a serious hamstring injury, which probably requires season-ending surgery.
— Nebraska fired their offensive coordinator, brought in former Houston/West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen to be the OC for the rest of this season.
Nebraska is 5-4, needs one more win to be bowl eligible for first time since 2016.
— Florida State is 1-9, losing their last three games by 20+ points each; they fired both their coordinators and another assistant this weekend- this is going to be the Seminoles’ worst year since 1974, when they went 1-10, two years before Bobby Bowden got to Tallahassee.
Head coach Mike Norvell has a contract that pays him $84M thru 2031. Whoops.
Famous birthdays, November 12th:
Neil Young, 79
Cliff Harris, 76
Steve Bartkowski, 72
Jody Davis, 68
Sammy Sosa, 56
Ryan Gosling, 44
Anne Hathaway, 42
Charlie Morton, 41
Russell Westbrook, 36
Marcell Ozuna, 34
Trey Burke, 32
Paolo Banchero, 22
— Miami Marlins named Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough their new manager; he spent the past four years on the Dodgers’ coaching staff. He managed in the Blue Jays’ minor league system from 2007-13, so he has experience. McCullough will be the Marlins’ 17th manager in their 32-year history.
Marlins, by the way, used 45 pitchers this season, the most ever by a team in one year.
— Don Mattingly’s son Preston was promoted to general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies; he figures to learn under the tutelage of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski for three years. Dombrowski is 68 years old, has three years left on his contract.
Former big leaugue OF Sam Fuld has been the Phillies’ GM since December 2020, but he is going back to college to get his Master of Business Administration and will become the team’s president of business operations when he gets his degree in 2026.
— Random fact: Winner of the Boston Marathon gets $150,000; winners of the marathons in New York City and Chicago get $100,000 each,
— NBA’s in-season tournament starts tonight; it is a tournament that begins with group play followed by single elimination knockout rounds. It is designed to increase interest in early season NBA season games, which haven’t always been that popular.
Last year was the first in-season tournament; Lakers won it, then finished the season 47-35 but fired their coach, which makes you believe the Lakers’ owners didn’t care that much about it.
— Cleveland Cavaliers have started this season 12-0, the best start for any team since Golden State nine years ago. Cavaliers are the 8th NBA team to start a season 12-0.
— Winnipeg Jets are the first NHL team ever to start a season 14-1; their only loss was 6-4 at home to Toronto October 28th. In their last three games, Jets have allowed only one goal.
— High school QB Cole Leinart, son of former USC star and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, committed to play college ball at Southern Methodist in the ACC.
NCAAF
Weather Report
Tuesday, November 12
NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 12
Tuesday’s games
Ball State @ Buffalo (-4.5)
Ball State (3-6, 2-3)
Ball State’s two I-A wins were both by 2 points (37-35/25-23)
Five of their last seven games were decided by 6 or less points.
Cardinals have 8 starters back on offense, only one on defense.
Cardinals have 81 returning starts on offensive line.
Freshman QB Semonza started three games last year.
Ball State is 4-6-1 ATS last 11 games as a road underdog (2-3 TY).
Cardinals are 11-6-1 ATS last 17 games coming off a loss.
Cardinals are 15-6 ATS in last 21 MAC games.
Ball State allowed 420+ TY in five of seven I-A games.
Over is 6-1-1 in their I-A games this year.
Buffalo (5-4, 3-2)
Buffalo gave up 38+ points in all four losses.
Bulls allowed 489-489-452 yards in last three games.
Bulls have 3 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Buffalo has 69 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Ogbonna has 1,527 PY (10 TDs’, 2 INTs)
Buffalo is 3-8 ATS last 11 games as a home underdog (1-0 TY).
Bulls are 2-5 ATS in last seven games coming off a win.
Bulls are 11-17-1 ATS in last 29 MAC games.
Buffalo is 1-3 when it scores fewer than 30 points.
Over is 5-0 in their last five games.
These teams haven’t met since 2021.
Ball State won nine of last 11 series games.
Cardinals are 4-0 SU/2-2 ATS in last four visits to Buffalo
Over is 3-2 in last five meetings.
MAC home favorites are 8-5 ATS in conference games.
Western Michigan @ Bowling Green (-8.5)
Western Michigan (5-4, 4-1)
WMU is 4-1 SU/2-2-1 ATS in MAC, scoring 41.6 points/game.
Broncos were held to 14-0-20-28 points in their losses.
Broncos have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
WMU has 92 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Wolff started five games last year.
Under Taylor, WMU is 4-5 ATS as a MAC road underdog.
Last three games, Broncos ran ball for 209-358-211 yards.
WMU allowed 31+ points in five of last seven games.
Last five games, WMU is +7 in turnovers.
Over is 5-0 in WMU’s last five games.
Bowling Green (5-4, 4-1)
Falcons won last three games, by 21-15-10 points.
Bowling Green is 1-3 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Falcons have 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Falcons have 123 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Bazelak has 40 career starts.
Bowling Green is 2-7 ATS last 10 games as a home favorite (0-3 TY).
Falcons are 0-5 ATS as a favorite this season.
Under Loeffler, Falcons are 16-26 ATS in MAC games.
BG won last two weeks 27-6/41-20/23-13 (+6 in turnovers)
Under is 4-1 in their last four games.
Bowling Green won last two series games, 34-10/13-9.
Broncos won three of last four visits to Bowling Green SU.
Under is 8-2 in last ten meetings.
MAC home favorites are 8-5 ATS in conference games.
Central Michigan @ Toledo (-14.5)
Central Michigan (3-6, 1-4)
CMU lost its last four games, by 2-4-39-10 points.
Chippewas two I-A wins were by 1-3 points.
Chippewas have 7 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Chippewas have 73 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Labas was at Iowa the last two years.
Under McElwain, CMU is 12-8 ATS as a road underdog.
Four of their last six games were decided by 4 or fewer points.
Chippewas are 5-16 ATS in last 21 MAC games.
Last two weeks, CMU was held to 168-250 total yards.
Over is 4-2 in their last six games.
Toledo (6-3, 3-2)
Toledo split its last six games, after a 3-0 start.
Rockets’ MAC wins were by 10-1-7 points.
Toledo has 4 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Rockets had no returning starts on OL (added 3 transfers).
Junior QB Gleason started two games LY.
Toledo is 9-14 ATS last 23 games as a home favorite.
Rockets are 8-16 ATS last 24 games coming off a win.
Rockets are 10-13 ATS in last 23 MAC games.
Last six games, Toledo is minus-7 in turnovers.
Over is 6-2 in their I-A games.
Bowling Green won three of last four meetings.
This is first time since 2004 that BG is favored over the Chippewas.
Under is 5-2 in last seven series games.
MAC home favorites are 8-5 ATS in conference games.
Weather Report
Tuesday, November 12
NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 12
Tuesday’s games
Ball State @ Buffalo (-4.5)
Ball State (3-6, 2-3)
Ball State’s two I-A wins were both by 2 points (37-35/25-23)
Five of their last seven games were decided by 6 or less points.
Cardinals have 8 starters back on offense, only one on defense.
Cardinals have 81 returning starts on offensive line.
Freshman QB Semonza started three games last year.
Ball State is 4-6-1 ATS last 11 games as a road underdog (2-3 TY).
Cardinals are 11-6-1 ATS last 17 games coming off a loss.
Cardinals are 15-6 ATS in last 21 MAC games.
Ball State allowed 420+ TY in five of seven I-A games.
Over is 6-1-1 in their I-A games this year.
Buffalo (5-4, 3-2)
Buffalo gave up 38+ points in all four losses.
Bulls allowed 489-489-452 yards in last three games.
Bulls have 3 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Buffalo has 69 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Ogbonna has 1,527 PY (10 TDs’, 2 INTs)
Buffalo is 3-8 ATS last 11 games as a home underdog (1-0 TY).
Bulls are 2-5 ATS in last seven games coming off a win.
Bulls are 11-17-1 ATS in last 29 MAC games.
Buffalo is 1-3 when it scores fewer than 30 points.
Over is 5-0 in their last five games.
These teams haven’t met since 2021.
Ball State won nine of last 11 series games.
Cardinals are 4-0 SU/2-2 ATS in last four visits to Buffalo
Over is 3-2 in last five meetings.
MAC home favorites are 8-5 ATS in conference games.
Western Michigan @ Bowling Green (-8.5)
Western Michigan (5-4, 4-1)
WMU is 4-1 SU/2-2-1 ATS in MAC, scoring 41.6 points/game.
Broncos were held to 14-0-20-28 points in their losses.
Broncos have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
WMU has 92 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Wolff started five games last year.
Under Taylor, WMU is 4-5 ATS as a MAC road underdog.
Last three games, Broncos ran ball for 209-358-211 yards.
WMU allowed 31+ points in five of last seven games.
Last five games, WMU is +7 in turnovers.
Over is 5-0 in WMU’s last five games.
Bowling Green (5-4, 4-1)
Falcons won last three games, by 21-15-10 points.
Bowling Green is 1-3 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Falcons have 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Falcons have 123 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Bazelak has 40 career starts.
Bowling Green is 2-7 ATS last 10 games as a home favorite (0-3 TY).
Falcons are 0-5 ATS as a favorite this season.
Under Loeffler, Falcons are 16-26 ATS in MAC games.
BG won last two weeks 27-6/41-20/23-13 (+6 in turnovers)
Under is 4-1 in their last four games.
Bowling Green won last two series games, 34-10/13-9.
Broncos won three of last four visits to Bowling Green SU.
Under is 8-2 in last ten meetings.
MAC home favorites are 8-5 ATS in conference games.
Central Michigan @ Toledo (-14.5)
Central Michigan (3-6, 1-4)
CMU lost its last four games, by 2-4-39-10 points.
Chippewas two I-A wins were by 1-3 points.
Chippewas have 7 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Chippewas have 73 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Labas was at Iowa the last two years.
Under McElwain, CMU is 12-8 ATS as a road underdog.
Four of their last six games were decided by 4 or fewer points.
Chippewas are 5-16 ATS in last 21 MAC games.
Last two weeks, CMU was held to 168-250 total yards.
Over is 4-2 in their last six games.
Toledo (6-3, 3-2)
Toledo split its last six games, after a 3-0 start.
Rockets’ MAC wins were by 10-1-7 points.
Toledo has 4 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Rockets had no returning starts on OL (added 3 transfers).
Junior QB Gleason started two games LY.
Toledo is 9-14 ATS last 23 games as a home favorite.
Rockets are 8-16 ATS last 24 games coming off a win.
Rockets are 10-13 ATS in last 23 MAC games.
Last six games, Toledo is minus-7 in turnovers.
Over is 6-2 in their I-A games.
Bowling Green won three of last four meetings.
This is first time since 2004 that BG is favored over the Chippewas.
Under is 5-2 in last seven series games.
MAC home favorites are 8-5 ATS in conference games.
NCAAFB BEST BETS NOVEMBER !
11/12/2024......................2 - 2 - 0.....................50.00%..................- 1.00
11/09/2024....................20 - 15 - 0..................57.14%...................+ 17.50
11/08/2024.......................2 - 3 - 0..................40.00%...................- 6.50
11/07/2024.......................1 - 3 - 0..................25.00%...................- 11.50
11/06/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/05/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/02/2024.....................9 - 10 - 0..................47.36%....................- 10.00
11/01/2024.......................1 - 5 - 0..................16.67%...................- 22.50
TOTALS.........................41 - 40 - 0..................50.61%....................- 15.00
*************************************************************************************
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
OCTOBER TOTALS................61 - 64 - 3..........................48.80%............................- 42.00
11/12/2024......................2 - 2 - 0.....................50.00%..................- 1.00
11/09/2024....................20 - 15 - 0..................57.14%...................+ 17.50
11/08/2024.......................2 - 3 - 0..................40.00%...................- 6.50
11/07/2024.......................1 - 3 - 0..................25.00%...................- 11.50
11/06/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/05/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/02/2024.....................9 - 10 - 0..................47.36%....................- 10.00
11/01/2024.......................1 - 5 - 0..................16.67%...................- 22.50
TOTALS.........................41 - 40 - 0..................50.61%....................- 15.00
*************************************************************************************
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
OCTOBER TOTALS................61 - 64 - 3..........................48.80%............................- 42.00
Wednesday’s 6-pack:
Six most experienced college basketball teams (team continuity in parenthesis):
— Ole Miss (127)
— Kansas (104)
— Xavier (219)
— Nevada (111)
— Kentucky (349)
— Memphis (317)
Teams with the high continuity #’s are poaching lot of transfers.
Quote of the Day
“He’s like the random older dude that pulls up to the court and you’re kind of like, ‘alright he’s whatever,’ and then you pick him up and he’s making the craziest passes. Not moving too much, not doing the most. But he’s just got the OG game like he’s been playing forever.”
Photographer Xavier Luggage, talking about actor Adam Sandler playing pick-up basketball
Wednesday’s quiz
Where did Klay Thompson play his college basketball?
Tuesday’s quiz
Los Angeles Clippers have existed since 1970, but they’ve played home games in two other cities. Their first eight years in the NBA, the Clippers were the Buffalo Braves, before they moved to San Diego and became the Clippers.
Monday’s quiz
Oakland A’s drafted Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray with the 9th pick in the 2018 draft.
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So began all 114 episodes of The Odd Couple, one of the funniest TV shows ever; spent ton of time in my high school/college years watching Odd Couple re-runs.
Jack Klugman/Tony Randall were a great team, playing totally opposite roommates who were both divorced. Episodes are on Paramount these days: I recommend the episode where they own a greyhound racing dog and another episode where Oscar dates a princess.
Happy Felix Unger Day!!!
— Kansas 77, Michigan State 69
Teams combined to shoot 8-41 on the arc; a brickfest.
Kansas already has wins over North Carolina and the Spartans.
Modern college basketball; one of Michigan State’s starters is Frankie Fidler, who played three years for a Nebraska-Omaha squad that went 15-37 in the Summit League those three years. Lat year, Summit League was the 23rd-ranked league in the country.
— Kentucky 77, Duke 72
Kentucky’s youngest starter is older than Duke’s oldest starter, but Kentucky is also in the bottom 15 in the country in continuity- will take them some time to develop their chemistry- this is a great win for them.
Duke led this game 46-37 at halftime.
Kentucky’s subs outscored Duke’s bench, 25-6.
Modern college basketball, part 2:
Kerr Kriisa plays for Kentucky; he’ll be 24 on January 2nd.
2020-23- He played in 76 games over three seasons for Arizona.
2023-24- He played in 23 games for West Virginia.
2024-25- He is part of the total rebuild that is this year’s Kentucky team.
— There were seven college basketball referees who worked the first seven days of the season; college refs make a boatload of $$$, some of them traveling all over the country.
— Will be interesting to follow Rick Pitino’s St John’s squad this year; Red Storm hasn’t been in the NCAA’s since 2019, hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000.
— Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren hurt his hip, is out 8-10 weeks; he was scoring 16.4 ppg, grabbing 8.7 rebounds/game in his second NBA season— actually his third year, he didn’t play his first year.
— LA Clippers have a brand-new arena that is supposed to be awesome; every player’s locker has room for 32 pairs of sneakers (64 sneakers!!!)
— Famous birthdays, November 13
Joe Mantegna, 77
Chris Noth, 70
Whoopi Goldberg, 68
Vinny Testaverde, 61
Kevin Gamble, 59
Jimmy Kimmel, 57
Steve Christie, 57
Gerard Butler 54
Wade Miley, 38
Brett Baty, 25
— Chicago Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron less than 10 months after he got the job. Bears are 4-5, losing their last three games while scoring a total of 27 points- they don’t have a touchdown on their last 23 drives.
Ummmm……starting a rookie QB can be dicey, no matter how good they are. Payton Manning, Troy Aikman both sucked as rookies; they’re both in the Hall of Fame. Patrick Mahomes didn’t start until the last game of his rookie year, which seems like a better way to go, but the Bears are force-feeding rookie QB Caleb Williams, and it cost Waldron his job.
— Catcher Travis d’Arnaud signed a 2-year, $12M deal with the Los Angeles Angels; d’Arnaud hit .225/.238 the last two years as a part-time player.
— USC is changing QB’s this week; starter Miller Moss is getting benched, former UNLV QB Jayden Maiava will get his first USC start against Nebraska, fueling rumors that Miller will be packing his bags and transferring for his final year of college eligibility.
— Hawks 117, Celtics 116- Dyson Daniels scored a career-high 28 points as Atlanta won as an underdog of 15.5 points.
— Pistons 123, Heat 121 OT- Miami called a timeout they didn’t have with 0:01.1 left, and Detroit hit the game-winning foul shot, after blowing a 9-point 4th quarter lead. Tyler Herro scored 40 points for the Heat, making 10-17 shots on the arc.
— Knicks 111, 76ers 99- OG Anunoby scored 24 points as New York spoiled Joel Embiid’s debut this season. Embiid scored 13 points in 26:00 for the struggling 76ers, who are 2-8.
— Suns 120, Jazz 112- Devin Booker scored 31 points for Phoenix, which made 18-39 shots on the arc. Suns are off to a 9-2 start this season.
Six most experienced college basketball teams (team continuity in parenthesis):
— Ole Miss (127)
— Kansas (104)
— Xavier (219)
— Nevada (111)
— Kentucky (349)
— Memphis (317)
Teams with the high continuity #’s are poaching lot of transfers.
Quote of the Day
“He’s like the random older dude that pulls up to the court and you’re kind of like, ‘alright he’s whatever,’ and then you pick him up and he’s making the craziest passes. Not moving too much, not doing the most. But he’s just got the OG game like he’s been playing forever.”
Photographer Xavier Luggage, talking about actor Adam Sandler playing pick-up basketball
Wednesday’s quiz
Where did Klay Thompson play his college basketball?
Tuesday’s quiz
Los Angeles Clippers have existed since 1970, but they’ve played home games in two other cities. Their first eight years in the NBA, the Clippers were the Buffalo Braves, before they moved to San Diego and became the Clippers.
Monday’s quiz
Oakland A’s drafted Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray with the 9th pick in the 2018 draft.
*************************************************
Wednesday’s Den: Happy Felix Unger Day!!!!
“On November 13, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence. That request came from his wife…….”So began all 114 episodes of The Odd Couple, one of the funniest TV shows ever; spent ton of time in my high school/college years watching Odd Couple re-runs.
Jack Klugman/Tony Randall were a great team, playing totally opposite roommates who were both divorced. Episodes are on Paramount these days: I recommend the episode where they own a greyhound racing dog and another episode where Oscar dates a princess.
Happy Felix Unger Day!!!
— Kansas 77, Michigan State 69
Teams combined to shoot 8-41 on the arc; a brickfest.
Kansas already has wins over North Carolina and the Spartans.
Modern college basketball; one of Michigan State’s starters is Frankie Fidler, who played three years for a Nebraska-Omaha squad that went 15-37 in the Summit League those three years. Lat year, Summit League was the 23rd-ranked league in the country.
— Kentucky 77, Duke 72
Kentucky’s youngest starter is older than Duke’s oldest starter, but Kentucky is also in the bottom 15 in the country in continuity- will take them some time to develop their chemistry- this is a great win for them.
Duke led this game 46-37 at halftime.
Kentucky’s subs outscored Duke’s bench, 25-6.
Modern college basketball, part 2:
Kerr Kriisa plays for Kentucky; he’ll be 24 on January 2nd.
2020-23- He played in 76 games over three seasons for Arizona.
2023-24- He played in 23 games for West Virginia.
2024-25- He is part of the total rebuild that is this year’s Kentucky team.
— There were seven college basketball referees who worked the first seven days of the season; college refs make a boatload of $$$, some of them traveling all over the country.
— Will be interesting to follow Rick Pitino’s St John’s squad this year; Red Storm hasn’t been in the NCAA’s since 2019, hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000.
— Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren hurt his hip, is out 8-10 weeks; he was scoring 16.4 ppg, grabbing 8.7 rebounds/game in his second NBA season— actually his third year, he didn’t play his first year.
— LA Clippers have a brand-new arena that is supposed to be awesome; every player’s locker has room for 32 pairs of sneakers (64 sneakers!!!)
— Famous birthdays, November 13
Joe Mantegna, 77
Chris Noth, 70
Whoopi Goldberg, 68
Vinny Testaverde, 61
Kevin Gamble, 59
Jimmy Kimmel, 57
Steve Christie, 57
Gerard Butler 54
Wade Miley, 38
Brett Baty, 25
— Chicago Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron less than 10 months after he got the job. Bears are 4-5, losing their last three games while scoring a total of 27 points- they don’t have a touchdown on their last 23 drives.
Ummmm……starting a rookie QB can be dicey, no matter how good they are. Payton Manning, Troy Aikman both sucked as rookies; they’re both in the Hall of Fame. Patrick Mahomes didn’t start until the last game of his rookie year, which seems like a better way to go, but the Bears are force-feeding rookie QB Caleb Williams, and it cost Waldron his job.
— Catcher Travis d’Arnaud signed a 2-year, $12M deal with the Los Angeles Angels; d’Arnaud hit .225/.238 the last two years as a part-time player.
— USC is changing QB’s this week; starter Miller Moss is getting benched, former UNLV QB Jayden Maiava will get his first USC start against Nebraska, fueling rumors that Miller will be packing his bags and transferring for his final year of college eligibility.
— Hawks 117, Celtics 116- Dyson Daniels scored a career-high 28 points as Atlanta won as an underdog of 15.5 points.
— Pistons 123, Heat 121 OT- Miami called a timeout they didn’t have with 0:01.1 left, and Detroit hit the game-winning foul shot, after blowing a 9-point 4th quarter lead. Tyler Herro scored 40 points for the Heat, making 10-17 shots on the arc.
— Knicks 111, 76ers 99- OG Anunoby scored 24 points as New York spoiled Joel Embiid’s debut this season. Embiid scored 13 points in 26:00 for the struggling 76ers, who are 2-8.
— Suns 120, Jazz 112- Devin Booker scored 31 points for Phoenix, which made 18-39 shots on the arc. Suns are off to a 9-2 start this season.
NCAAF
Weather Report
Wednesday, November 13
NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 12
Wednesday’s games
Kent State @ Miami (-30.5)
Kent State (0-9, 0-5)
Kent is 0-5 SU/2-3 ATS in MAC, losing by 19-2-21-31-41 points.
Flashes are minus-11 in turnovers in its MAC games.
Flashes have 9 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Flashes have 75 returning starts on offensive line.
Frosh QB Tomlinson was 8-18/62 passing in his first start LW.
Under Burns, Kent is 2-9-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Kent averaged 9.0 ppg in their last three games.
Flashes are 5-15-1 ATS in last 21 MAC games.
Kent gave up 400+ total yards in every game this year.
Over is 5-3 in their I-A games.
Miami (5-4, 4-1)
Redhawks won last four games, scoring 38-30-46-27 points.
Miami is 0-4 when it scores fewer than 23 points.
Redhawks have 6 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Miami has 100 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Gabbert has 37 career starts.
Miami is 6-1 ATS last seven games as a home favorite.
Redhawks are 10-3 ATS in last 13 MAC games.
You’re reading armadillosports.com
Favorites are 6-3 ATS in their games this season.
Last five games, Miami is +6 in turnovers.
Over is 4-0-1 in Miami’s MAC games.
Miami won/covered four of last five meetings.
Kent State is 0-4 SU/ATS in last four visits to Miami.
Under is 9-1 in last ten series games.
Akron @ Northern Illinois (-15.5)
Akron (2-7, 1-4)
Akron is 2-5 ATS when it allows less than 30 points.
Last three games, Akron is minus-8 in turnovers.
Zips have 3 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Zips have 68 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Finley started 2 games each at NC State, Cal
Under Moorhead, Zips are 9-10 ATS as a road dog (1-4 ATS).
Akron is 14-19 ATS last 33 games as a road underdog.
Under Moorhead, Zips are 11-9-1 ATS in MAC games.
Akron’s MAC losses are by 20-7-10-11 points.
Over is 5-3 in their I-A games.
Northern Illinois (5-4, 2-3)
NIU is 1-4 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Huskies are 1-3 if they allow more than 20 points.
Huskies have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Huskies have 113 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Hampton has thrown for 1,256 yards (11 TD’s, 5 INTs)
Under Hammock, Huskies are 8-21-1 ATS as a favorite.
Under Hammock, NIU is 4-14-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Hammock, NIU is 20-24 ATS in MAC games.
Underdogs are 6-1-1 ATS in their I-A games.
NIU’s last two games went over the total.
NIU is 7-1 SU/6-2 ATS in last eight meetings.
Zips are 1-4 SU/2-3 ATS in last five visits to DeKalb.
Over is 4-0 in last four series games.
Eastern Michigan @ Ohio U (-11)
Eastern Michigan (5-4, 2-3)
Eagles lost their last two games, by 1-4 points.
EMU is 1-4 when to scores 28 or fewer points.
Eagles have 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Eagles have 28 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Snyder 25 games at Buffalo/Rutgers.
Under Creighton, EMU is 35-16-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Eagles are 21-14 ATS in last 35 MAC games.
EMU is 29-15-1 ATS in last 45 games coming off a loss.
Last three weeks, Eagles allowed 224 rushing yards/game.
Over is 4-1 in their last five games.
Ohio U (6-3, 4-1)
Bobcats allowed 30-38-41 points in losses, 25 or fewer points in wins.
Ohio U is 4-1 in MAC, with wins by 20-2-31-41 points.
Bobcats have 2 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Bobcats have 57 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Navarro has thrown for 1,359 yards (7 TD’s, 7 INTs)
Under Albin, Ohio U is 6-5 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Albin, Ohio U is 12-9 ATS as a favorite.
Under Albin, Bobcats are 20-10 ATS in MAC games.
Ohio is 6-3 SU, despite being minus-7 in turnovers.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
Ohio U won eight of last nine meetings.
Eagles are 1-4 SU/ATS in last five visits to Ohio U
Under is 3-0 in last three series games.
Weather Report
Wednesday, November 13
NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 12
Wednesday’s games
Kent State @ Miami (-30.5)
Kent State (0-9, 0-5)
Kent is 0-5 SU/2-3 ATS in MAC, losing by 19-2-21-31-41 points.
Flashes are minus-11 in turnovers in its MAC games.
Flashes have 9 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Flashes have 75 returning starts on offensive line.
Frosh QB Tomlinson was 8-18/62 passing in his first start LW.
Under Burns, Kent is 2-9-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Kent averaged 9.0 ppg in their last three games.
Flashes are 5-15-1 ATS in last 21 MAC games.
Kent gave up 400+ total yards in every game this year.
Over is 5-3 in their I-A games.
Miami (5-4, 4-1)
Redhawks won last four games, scoring 38-30-46-27 points.
Miami is 0-4 when it scores fewer than 23 points.
Redhawks have 6 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Miami has 100 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Gabbert has 37 career starts.
Miami is 6-1 ATS last seven games as a home favorite.
Redhawks are 10-3 ATS in last 13 MAC games.
You’re reading armadillosports.com
Favorites are 6-3 ATS in their games this season.
Last five games, Miami is +6 in turnovers.
Over is 4-0-1 in Miami’s MAC games.
Miami won/covered four of last five meetings.
Kent State is 0-4 SU/ATS in last four visits to Miami.
Under is 9-1 in last ten series games.
Akron @ Northern Illinois (-15.5)
Akron (2-7, 1-4)
Akron is 2-5 ATS when it allows less than 30 points.
Last three games, Akron is minus-8 in turnovers.
Zips have 3 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Zips have 68 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Finley started 2 games each at NC State, Cal
Under Moorhead, Zips are 9-10 ATS as a road dog (1-4 ATS).
Akron is 14-19 ATS last 33 games as a road underdog.
Under Moorhead, Zips are 11-9-1 ATS in MAC games.
Akron’s MAC losses are by 20-7-10-11 points.
Over is 5-3 in their I-A games.
Northern Illinois (5-4, 2-3)
NIU is 1-4 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Huskies are 1-3 if they allow more than 20 points.
Huskies have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Huskies have 113 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Hampton has thrown for 1,256 yards (11 TD’s, 5 INTs)
Under Hammock, Huskies are 8-21-1 ATS as a favorite.
Under Hammock, NIU is 4-14-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Hammock, NIU is 20-24 ATS in MAC games.
Underdogs are 6-1-1 ATS in their I-A games.
NIU’s last two games went over the total.
NIU is 7-1 SU/6-2 ATS in last eight meetings.
Zips are 1-4 SU/2-3 ATS in last five visits to DeKalb.
Over is 4-0 in last four series games.
Eastern Michigan @ Ohio U (-11)
Eastern Michigan (5-4, 2-3)
Eagles lost their last two games, by 1-4 points.
EMU is 1-4 when to scores 28 or fewer points.
Eagles have 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Eagles have 28 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB Snyder 25 games at Buffalo/Rutgers.
Under Creighton, EMU is 35-16-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Eagles are 21-14 ATS in last 35 MAC games.
EMU is 29-15-1 ATS in last 45 games coming off a loss.
Last three weeks, Eagles allowed 224 rushing yards/game.
Over is 4-1 in their last five games.
Ohio U (6-3, 4-1)
Bobcats allowed 30-38-41 points in losses, 25 or fewer points in wins.
Ohio U is 4-1 in MAC, with wins by 20-2-31-41 points.
Bobcats have 2 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Bobcats have 57 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Navarro has thrown for 1,359 yards (7 TD’s, 7 INTs)
Under Albin, Ohio U is 6-5 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Albin, Ohio U is 12-9 ATS as a favorite.
Under Albin, Bobcats are 20-10 ATS in MAC games.
Ohio is 6-3 SU, despite being minus-7 in turnovers.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
Ohio U won eight of last nine meetings.
Eagles are 1-4 SU/ATS in last five visits to Ohio U
Under is 3-0 in last three series games.
NCAAFB BEST BETS NOVEMBER !
11/13/2024......................4 - 2 - 0...................66.66%..................+ 9.00
11/12/2024......................2 - 2 - 0...................50.00%..................- 1.00
11/09/2024....................20 - 15 - 0..................57.14%...................+ 17.50
11/08/2024.......................2 - 3 - 0..................40.00%...................- 6.50
11/07/2024.......................1 - 3 - 0..................25.00%...................- 11.50
11/06/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/05/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/02/2024.....................9 - 10 - 0..................47.36%....................- 10.00
11/01/2024.......................1 - 5 - 0..................16.67%...................- 22.50
TOTALS.........................45 - 42 - 0..................51.72%....................- 6.00
*************************************************************************************
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
OCTOBER TOTALS................61 - 64 - 3..........................48.80%............................- 42.00
11/13/2024......................4 - 2 - 0...................66.66%..................+ 9.00
11/12/2024......................2 - 2 - 0...................50.00%..................- 1.00
11/09/2024....................20 - 15 - 0..................57.14%...................+ 17.50
11/08/2024.......................2 - 3 - 0..................40.00%...................- 6.50
11/07/2024.......................1 - 3 - 0..................25.00%...................- 11.50
11/06/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/05/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/02/2024.....................9 - 10 - 0..................47.36%....................- 10.00
11/01/2024.......................1 - 5 - 0..................16.67%...................- 22.50
TOTALS.........................45 - 42 - 0..................51.72%....................- 6.00
*************************************************************************************
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
OCTOBER TOTALS................61 - 64 - 3..........................48.80%............................- 42.00
Thursday’s 6-pack:
Six college basketball teams with least continuity in country:
— DePaul
— Iona
— Missouri State
— Niagara
— Tennessee-Martin
— West Virginia
These teams started the season with zero continuity, totally new teams.
Quote of the Day
“I was ready to leave the G League, maybe go overseas. I talked to my dad about that. He thought maybe if it doesn’t work out I’ll have to go overseas and try to do it over there, but I kind of just thugged it out and stayed and believed in my NBA dreams and I got the call.”
Scotty Pippen Jr, who is making a name for himself with the Memphis Grizzlies
Thursday’s quiz
Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels played college football for which two schools?
Wednesday’s quiz
Klay Thompson played his college basketball at Washington State
Tuesday’s quiz
Los Angeles Clippers have existed since 1970, but they’ve played home games in two other cities. Their first eight years in the NBA, the Clippers were the Buffalo Braves, before they moved to San Diego and became the Clippers.
************************************
Get well soon, coach.
— There are 1,271 regular season games in an NBA season; every once in a while you see one with a little extra intensity. Tuesday night in San Francisco, Klay Thompson returned to the Bay Area with his new team, the Dallas Mavericks, after playing 11 years with Golden State, helping the Warriors win four championships.
Golden State won the game 120-117; Thompson scored 22 points, but Steph Curry scored 37 for the 9-2 Warriors. This was basketball at its highest level, a very entertaining game.
— Hofstra 49, Seton Hall 48
Pirates lost last two games, to Fordham/Hofstra, both by a point. Not good.
Seton Hall is scoring 53.7 ppg, shooting 37.6% inside the arc.
— St Joe’s 83, Villanova 76
Hawks beat Villanova for second year in a row; going back to last year, Wildcats are 9-13 in their last 22 games. Villanova made the NCAAs the last nine years Jay Wright was coaching; this would be the third year in a row they miss the NCAA’s, bad news for the current coach.
— Cal-Santa Barbara 91, Fresno State 86
Fresno has a new coach and only two players back from last year; they were 16-24 on the foul line in this game. UCSB G Turner was 15-16 on the line, all by himself.
There are a lot of college teams that are total rebuilds; they’re learning on the go. Guys who were junior college coaches have an advantage now; they’ve done all this before.
— Oregon 80, Portland 70 OT
Ducks were down 13 with 8:11 left in game, but they fought back, forced overtime and escaped with a win to improve to 3-0. Portland had lost its previous game by 41 points to UCSB.
— North Dakota State 88, Santa Clara 80 OT
Santa Clara led 37-18 early; they led by 5 with 0:14 left in regulation, Ugly loss for a team that starts four seniors and is #11 in country in continuity. North Dakota State had lost its first two D-I games, but they made 15-32 on the arc in this game.
— Famous birthdays, November 14th:
Mike Livingston, 79
Jack Sikma, 69
Curt Schilling, 58
Lionel Simmons, 56
Josh Duhamel, 52
Kyle Orton, 42
TY Hilton, 35
Francisco Lindor, 31
DeVonta Smith, 26
Mid-week college football
— Buffalo 51, Ball State 48 OT
Ball State led 45-31 with 6:00 left in game.
Bulls tied game on a 33-yard TD pass with 1:49 left.
Cardinals outgained 6-4 Buffalo 520-470.
— Bowling Green 31, Western Michigan 13
Falcons ran ball for 226 yards (6.8 yards/carry)
Western Michigan was 4-15 on 3rd down, 5-6 on 4th down.
Bowling Green is 6-4, and bowl eligible.
— Toledo 37, Central Michigan 10
Rockets had 5 takeaways, including a 45-yard pick-6.
Toledo led 27-3 at halftime.
Chippewas have lost five games in a row.
— Miami OH 34, Kent State 7
Kent State scored a TD 1:20 into the game; that was it for them.
Miami outgained the Golden Flashes, 477-178.
Redhawks ran ball for 275 yards; they’re bowl eligible now.
— Northern Illinois 29, Akron 16
Huskies had two guys run ball for 100+ yards.
NIU outgained Akron 439-255; they led 23-16 at halftime.
Akron scored a touchdown on a blocked punt.
— Ohio U 35, Eastern Michigan 10
Ohio QB Navarro threw for 277 yards, ran for 106 more.
Bobcats led 14-7 at halftime.
Ohio outgained Eastern Michigan, 433-266.
— Movie of the Day: He Got Game (1998)- The best high school basketball player in the country has to choose what college to go to; his father, who is in prison, will get his sentence shortened if the son goes to the college where the warden of the prison wants him to.
Denzel Washington is the father, Ray Allen is the son, Ned Beatty is the warden, Jim Brown is a probation officer. A mostly sad movie, but it is well done.
— Cincinnati Reds hired Brad Mills as Terry Francona’s bench coach; Mills has been one of Francona’s coaches in 17 of his 22 major league seasons- he also managed Houston from 2010-12.
— Tropicana Field in St Petersburg isn’t going to be ready for the 2025 season; they think it’ll be ready for 2026, but next season is only 20 or so weeks away and the Rays have a new stadium opening in 2028, so will they spend $55M to fix this ballpark?
Speculation is that the Phillies’ spring training ballpark in Clearwater is the favorite to be used by the Rays for the 2025 season.
— Red Sox P Nick Pivetta got a qualifying offer for $21.05M for next year; he is expected to turn it down, even though he was 6-12, 4.14 in 26 starts last year. Word has it that Pivetta wants a 3-year deal; he’s going to be 32 on Valentine’s Day, so three years should be the ceiling on any kind of deal he gets.
— Indianapolis Colts are going back to 2nd year QB Anthony Richardson this week for their game with the Jets. Richardson has completed only 44.4% of his passes but has run for 242 yards. Colts have split his six starts; they’re 1-3 when 39-year old Joe Flacco starts.
— Vikings’ rookie QB JJ McCarthy underwent a second surgery earlier this week on his right knee as he continues to recover from a torn meniscus; it is not good when you’ve had two surgeries on the same knee, before you’ve played in a game.
McCarthy is still expected to be ready to play next season; the question is, if Sam Darnold keeps winning games, will the Vikings need McCarthy to play?
— Slugger Mark McGwire got his first major league hit in 1986 off of Tommy John, who was in his 23rd major league season at the time.
Tommy John’s dentist back then was………Mark McGwire’s father.
Six college basketball teams with least continuity in country:
— DePaul
— Iona
— Missouri State
— Niagara
— Tennessee-Martin
— West Virginia
These teams started the season with zero continuity, totally new teams.
Quote of the Day
“I was ready to leave the G League, maybe go overseas. I talked to my dad about that. He thought maybe if it doesn’t work out I’ll have to go overseas and try to do it over there, but I kind of just thugged it out and stayed and believed in my NBA dreams and I got the call.”
Scotty Pippen Jr, who is making a name for himself with the Memphis Grizzlies
Thursday’s quiz
Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels played college football for which two schools?
Wednesday’s quiz
Klay Thompson played his college basketball at Washington State
Tuesday’s quiz
Los Angeles Clippers have existed since 1970, but they’ve played home games in two other cities. Their first eight years in the NBA, the Clippers were the Buffalo Braves, before they moved to San Diego and became the Clippers.
************************************
Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud…….
— First things first……best wishes to Spurs coach Greg Popovich, who suffered a mild stroke on November 2nd. 75-year old Popovich has missed the Spurs’ past seven games; he’s started a rehabilitation program and is expected to make a full recovery. Popovich is the oldest coach in NBA history; he has 1,560 wins, winning five championships.Get well soon, coach.
— There are 1,271 regular season games in an NBA season; every once in a while you see one with a little extra intensity. Tuesday night in San Francisco, Klay Thompson returned to the Bay Area with his new team, the Dallas Mavericks, after playing 11 years with Golden State, helping the Warriors win four championships.
Golden State won the game 120-117; Thompson scored 22 points, but Steph Curry scored 37 for the 9-2 Warriors. This was basketball at its highest level, a very entertaining game.
— Hofstra 49, Seton Hall 48
Pirates lost last two games, to Fordham/Hofstra, both by a point. Not good.
Seton Hall is scoring 53.7 ppg, shooting 37.6% inside the arc.
— St Joe’s 83, Villanova 76
Hawks beat Villanova for second year in a row; going back to last year, Wildcats are 9-13 in their last 22 games. Villanova made the NCAAs the last nine years Jay Wright was coaching; this would be the third year in a row they miss the NCAA’s, bad news for the current coach.
— Cal-Santa Barbara 91, Fresno State 86
Fresno has a new coach and only two players back from last year; they were 16-24 on the foul line in this game. UCSB G Turner was 15-16 on the line, all by himself.
There are a lot of college teams that are total rebuilds; they’re learning on the go. Guys who were junior college coaches have an advantage now; they’ve done all this before.
— Oregon 80, Portland 70 OT
Ducks were down 13 with 8:11 left in game, but they fought back, forced overtime and escaped with a win to improve to 3-0. Portland had lost its previous game by 41 points to UCSB.
— North Dakota State 88, Santa Clara 80 OT
Santa Clara led 37-18 early; they led by 5 with 0:14 left in regulation, Ugly loss for a team that starts four seniors and is #11 in country in continuity. North Dakota State had lost its first two D-I games, but they made 15-32 on the arc in this game.
— Famous birthdays, November 14th:
Mike Livingston, 79
Jack Sikma, 69
Curt Schilling, 58
Lionel Simmons, 56
Josh Duhamel, 52
Kyle Orton, 42
TY Hilton, 35
Francisco Lindor, 31
DeVonta Smith, 26
Mid-week college football
— Buffalo 51, Ball State 48 OT
Ball State led 45-31 with 6:00 left in game.
Bulls tied game on a 33-yard TD pass with 1:49 left.
Cardinals outgained 6-4 Buffalo 520-470.
— Bowling Green 31, Western Michigan 13
Falcons ran ball for 226 yards (6.8 yards/carry)
Western Michigan was 4-15 on 3rd down, 5-6 on 4th down.
Bowling Green is 6-4, and bowl eligible.
— Toledo 37, Central Michigan 10
Rockets had 5 takeaways, including a 45-yard pick-6.
Toledo led 27-3 at halftime.
Chippewas have lost five games in a row.
— Miami OH 34, Kent State 7
Kent State scored a TD 1:20 into the game; that was it for them.
Miami outgained the Golden Flashes, 477-178.
Redhawks ran ball for 275 yards; they’re bowl eligible now.
— Northern Illinois 29, Akron 16
Huskies had two guys run ball for 100+ yards.
NIU outgained Akron 439-255; they led 23-16 at halftime.
Akron scored a touchdown on a blocked punt.
— Ohio U 35, Eastern Michigan 10
Ohio QB Navarro threw for 277 yards, ran for 106 more.
Bobcats led 14-7 at halftime.
Ohio outgained Eastern Michigan, 433-266.
— Movie of the Day: He Got Game (1998)- The best high school basketball player in the country has to choose what college to go to; his father, who is in prison, will get his sentence shortened if the son goes to the college where the warden of the prison wants him to.
Denzel Washington is the father, Ray Allen is the son, Ned Beatty is the warden, Jim Brown is a probation officer. A mostly sad movie, but it is well done.
— Cincinnati Reds hired Brad Mills as Terry Francona’s bench coach; Mills has been one of Francona’s coaches in 17 of his 22 major league seasons- he also managed Houston from 2010-12.
— Tropicana Field in St Petersburg isn’t going to be ready for the 2025 season; they think it’ll be ready for 2026, but next season is only 20 or so weeks away and the Rays have a new stadium opening in 2028, so will they spend $55M to fix this ballpark?
Speculation is that the Phillies’ spring training ballpark in Clearwater is the favorite to be used by the Rays for the 2025 season.
— Red Sox P Nick Pivetta got a qualifying offer for $21.05M for next year; he is expected to turn it down, even though he was 6-12, 4.14 in 26 starts last year. Word has it that Pivetta wants a 3-year deal; he’s going to be 32 on Valentine’s Day, so three years should be the ceiling on any kind of deal he gets.
— Indianapolis Colts are going back to 2nd year QB Anthony Richardson this week for their game with the Jets. Richardson has completed only 44.4% of his passes but has run for 242 yards. Colts have split his six starts; they’re 1-3 when 39-year old Joe Flacco starts.
— Vikings’ rookie QB JJ McCarthy underwent a second surgery earlier this week on his right knee as he continues to recover from a torn meniscus; it is not good when you’ve had two surgeries on the same knee, before you’ve played in a game.
McCarthy is still expected to be ready to play next season; the question is, if Sam Darnold keeps winning games, will the Vikings need McCarthy to play?
— Slugger Mark McGwire got his first major league hit in 1986 off of Tommy John, who was in his 23rd major league season at the time.
Tommy John’s dentist back then was………Mark McGwire’s father.
NCAAF
Weather Report
Thursday, November 14
NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 12
Thursday’s game
East Carolina (-15) @ Tulsa
East Carolina (5-4, 3-2)
ECU scored 56-49 points in their last two games.
Pirates are 1-3 when they score fewer than 30 points.
ECU has 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Pirates have 61 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Garcia played in 9 games for Miami.
Last seven games, ECU gave up 399+ yards in every game.
Under coach Houston, FAU is 2-4 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Houston, Pirates are 25-21 ATS in conference games.
ECU is 5-1 when it allows less than 35 points.
Over is 5-1 in their last six games.
Tulsa (3-6, 1-4)
Tulsa gave up 45+ points in four of five AAC games.
Tulsa’s only AAC win: 46-45 over Tex-San Antonio
Tulsa has 8 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Hurricane has 36 returning starts on offensive line.
Frosh QB Francis started 2 games last year.
Tulsa is 2-6 ATS last eight games as a home underdog.
Under coach Wilson, Tulsa is 6-8-2 ATS as an underdog.
Under Wilson, Tulsa is 4-8-1 ATS in conference games.
Last two games, Hurricane gave up 546-537 yards.
Over is 4-1 in their last five games.
Tulsa is 4-0 SU/3-1 ATS in last four series games.
Underdogs are 4-1 ATS in last five meetings played here.
Over is 7-2 in last nine meetings.
Weather Report
Thursday, November 14
NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 12
Thursday’s game
East Carolina (-15) @ Tulsa
East Carolina (5-4, 3-2)
ECU scored 56-49 points in their last two games.
Pirates are 1-3 when they score fewer than 30 points.
ECU has 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Pirates have 61 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Garcia played in 9 games for Miami.
Last seven games, ECU gave up 399+ yards in every game.
Under coach Houston, FAU is 2-4 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Houston, Pirates are 25-21 ATS in conference games.
ECU is 5-1 when it allows less than 35 points.
Over is 5-1 in their last six games.
Tulsa (3-6, 1-4)
Tulsa gave up 45+ points in four of five AAC games.
Tulsa’s only AAC win: 46-45 over Tex-San Antonio
Tulsa has 8 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Hurricane has 36 returning starts on offensive line.
Frosh QB Francis started 2 games last year.
Tulsa is 2-6 ATS last eight games as a home underdog.
Under coach Wilson, Tulsa is 6-8-2 ATS as an underdog.
Under Wilson, Tulsa is 4-8-1 ATS in conference games.
Last two games, Hurricane gave up 546-537 yards.
Over is 4-1 in their last five games.
Tulsa is 4-0 SU/3-1 ATS in last four series games.
Underdogs are 4-1 ATS in last five meetings played here.
Over is 7-2 in last nine meetings.
NCAAFB BEST BETS NOVEMBER !
11/14/2024......................1 - 1 - 0...................50.00%..................- 0.50
11/13/2024......................4 - 2 - 0...................66.66%..................+ 9.00
11/12/2024......................2 - 2 - 0...................50.00%..................- 1.00
11/09/2024....................20 - 15 - 0..................57.14%...................+ 17.50
11/08/2024.......................2 - 3 - 0..................40.00%...................- 6.50
11/07/2024.......................1 - 3 - 0..................25.00%...................- 11.50
11/06/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/05/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/02/2024.....................9 - 10 - 0..................47.36%....................- 10.00
11/01/2024.......................1 - 5 - 0..................16.67%...................- 22.50
TOTALS.........................46 - 43 - 0..................51.68%....................- 6.50
*************************************************************************************
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
OCTOBER TOTALS................61 - 64 - 3..........................48.80%............................- 42.00
11/14/2024......................1 - 1 - 0...................50.00%..................- 0.50
11/13/2024......................4 - 2 - 0...................66.66%..................+ 9.00
11/12/2024......................2 - 2 - 0...................50.00%..................- 1.00
11/09/2024....................20 - 15 - 0..................57.14%...................+ 17.50
11/08/2024.......................2 - 3 - 0..................40.00%...................- 6.50
11/07/2024.......................1 - 3 - 0..................25.00%...................- 11.50
11/06/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/05/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/02/2024.....................9 - 10 - 0..................47.36%....................- 10.00
11/01/2024.......................1 - 5 - 0..................16.67%...................- 22.50
TOTALS.........................46 - 43 - 0..................51.68%....................- 6.50
*************************************************************************************
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
OCTOBER TOTALS................61 - 64 - 3..........................48.80%............................- 42.00
Friday’s 6-pack:
Six college basketball teams with most experience in country:
1- Ole Miss
2- Kansas
3- Xavier
4- Kentucky
5- Nevada
6- Memphis
Quote of the Day
“I’m kind of an asshole when I’m bored. I don’t have enough hobbies. I just think I can be irritable. … For me, I don’t know how I’d be not having a team, not having a purpose for a year. And if there’s a couple opportunities, or an opportunity that kind of grabs my heart, then I need to take advantage of that.”
DePaul basketball coach Chris Holtmann, on why he took over a struggling program
Friday’s quiz
Who was head coach of the Washington Redskins/Commanders last time they won a playoff game?
Thursday’s quiz
Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels played college football for Arizona State and LSU.
Wednesday’s quiz
Klay Thompson played his college basketball at Washington State
******************************************
— Connecticut
UConn won last two national titles, winning title games by 17-15 points.
Huskies were first team since Florida (2006/2007) to win consecutive titles.
Last team to win 3+ consecutive national titles? UCLA, from 1967-73
UConn lost four starters from LY; they’re #199 in experience this year.
— Arkansas
Hard to process, but John Calipari is now the Arkansas coach.
Arkansas was in 3 of last 4 NCAA’s, making two Elite 8’s and a Sweet 16 under Eric Musselman.
Calipari hasn’t made the Sweet 16 since 2019.
Hogs are #232 in experience, #327 in continuity; Calipari is used to that.
— USC
Speaking of Musselman, he is now the Trojans’ coach, as they join the Big 18.
This year’s Trojans are #31 in experience, #349 in continuity; 10 transfers.
USC is 3-0; they struggled to beat Texas-Arlington 98-95 Wednesday.
— Southern Methodist
Andy Enfield bolted USC for SMU and ACC; Dallas is nowhere near the Atlantic Ocean.
Mustangs are #29 in experience, #209 in continuity; Enfield’s teams usually defend well.
So far, SMU scored 93 ppg in beating three stiffs (schedule #331)
— Whats left of the Pac-12? (they’re playing in WCC this year)
Oregon State went 11-49 in Pac-12 the last three years, after an Elite 8 in 2021.
Seven players bolted the Beavers’ program after last season.
This year, OSU is 3-0 vs schedule #322; they’ve continuity team #260.
Washington State
New league, new coach, new players after Coogs went 25-10 last year.
David Riley is the new coach; he went 31-5 in the Big Sky last two years.
Wazzu has only one guy back from LY; they’ve scored 97 ppg in a 3-0 start.
— Villanova
Wildcats made Final Four three years ago, then Jay Wright abruptly retired.
Since then, Villanova is 37-35, 20-20 in conference games, 0-0 in NCAA’s.
This year, Villanova is #34 in experience, #261 in continuity; lot of transfers.
Wildcats are 2-2 this year, with losses to Columbia/St Joe’s. No bueno.
— Famous birthdays, November 15th:
Sam Waterston, 84
Bob Dandridge, 77
Greg Anthony, 57
Sasha Pavlovic, 41
Asia Kate Dillon, 40
Trevor Story, 32
Karl-Anthony Towns, 29
Wyatt Langford, 23
— Fresno State
68-year old Vance Walberg is the coach; he coached Pepperdine (2006-08), was an NBA assistant for four years, was a high school coach the last eight years, at a school five miles from the Fresno State campus.
Fresno hasn’t been in NCAAs since 2016; they’ve got only two players back from last year, but Walberg recruiting last year’s junior college player of the year, so they’ve got talent. Bulldogs lost an 82-possession game 91-86 in Santa Barbara Wednesday. Walberg’s teams play fast.
— Seton Hall
Shaheen Holloway led Saint Peter’s to the Elite 8 three years ago; his 2nd Seton Hall team was 25-12 last year, 13-7 in Big East but they didn’t make the NCAA’s.
So far this year, Seton Hall has scored only 53.7 ppg in a 1-2 start, losing to Fordham/Hofstra. Pirates are experience team #88, continuity team #240; they’ve got three top 100 games before Big East play starts December 17.
— Louisville
Pat Kelsey is Louisville’s 5th coach in nine years; they went 11-49 in the ACC the last three years and haven’t made the NCAA’s since 2019. Kelsey’s teams have been in three of last four NCAA tournaments, at Winthrop/Charleston— his teams play fast.
This year’s Cardinals are experience team #9, continuity team #350— Kelsey pounded the transfer portal. Louisville split its first two games, forcing turnovers 28.9% of the time. Won’t be long before Louisville is back in the field of 68.
— St John’s
Rick Pitino was Louisville’s coach the last time they won an NCAA game, in 2017.
St John’s hasn’t won an NCAA game since 2000; this year’s Red Storm is experience team #91, continuity team #264- they’ve beaten three stiffs, by 32-23-21 points.
Pitin0 is a great coach; he plays his son’s New Mexico team Sunday, then has three more top 100 games before Big East games start. Chances are St John’s will be in March Madness for the first time since 2019.
— Richard Pitino’s New Mexico Lobos are playing the fastest tempo in America so far this year; Lobos are 3-0 with a win over UCLA- they’ve forced turnovers 24.6% of time (#30). Lobos were in NCAA’s last year for first time since 2014.
— Siena had its first losing season in six years last year, but they fired the coach anyway and hired Syracuse assistant Gerry McNamara- the rumor was he could add some boosters to help Siena’s NIL situation, which wasn’t good.
McNamara’s best recruit might be special assistant Brian Beaury, who won 654 games at St Rose, a Division II team in Albany (the school went out of business LY). Beaury is a great coach who will help a rookie head coach.
Siena is off to a 3-0 start, beating Brown/Bryant in overtime; they’re #19 in country on offensive boards, #301 on the defensive end. Saints are #349 in experience, #331 in continuity.
— Steve Alford’s Nevada Wolf Pack is #5 in experience, #107 in continuity; they’ve scored 80.7 ppg in their 3-0 start, making 49.1% of their 3’s, best in the country so far. Nevada was 25-11 in the Mountain West the last two years and figure to contend there again this year.
Six college basketball teams with most experience in country:
1- Ole Miss
2- Kansas
3- Xavier
4- Kentucky
5- Nevada
6- Memphis
Quote of the Day
“I’m kind of an asshole when I’m bored. I don’t have enough hobbies. I just think I can be irritable. … For me, I don’t know how I’d be not having a team, not having a purpose for a year. And if there’s a couple opportunities, or an opportunity that kind of grabs my heart, then I need to take advantage of that.”
DePaul basketball coach Chris Holtmann, on why he took over a struggling program
Friday’s quiz
Who was head coach of the Washington Redskins/Commanders last time they won a playoff game?
Thursday’s quiz
Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels played college football for Arizona State and LSU.
Wednesday’s quiz
Klay Thompson played his college basketball at Washington State
******************************************
Friday’s Den: College basketball knowledge.…….
College basketball teams that will be interesting to follow this year…….— Connecticut
UConn won last two national titles, winning title games by 17-15 points.
Huskies were first team since Florida (2006/2007) to win consecutive titles.
Last team to win 3+ consecutive national titles? UCLA, from 1967-73
UConn lost four starters from LY; they’re #199 in experience this year.
— Arkansas
Hard to process, but John Calipari is now the Arkansas coach.
Arkansas was in 3 of last 4 NCAA’s, making two Elite 8’s and a Sweet 16 under Eric Musselman.
Calipari hasn’t made the Sweet 16 since 2019.
Hogs are #232 in experience, #327 in continuity; Calipari is used to that.
— USC
Speaking of Musselman, he is now the Trojans’ coach, as they join the Big 18.
This year’s Trojans are #31 in experience, #349 in continuity; 10 transfers.
USC is 3-0; they struggled to beat Texas-Arlington 98-95 Wednesday.
— Southern Methodist
Andy Enfield bolted USC for SMU and ACC; Dallas is nowhere near the Atlantic Ocean.
Mustangs are #29 in experience, #209 in continuity; Enfield’s teams usually defend well.
So far, SMU scored 93 ppg in beating three stiffs (schedule #331)
— Whats left of the Pac-12? (they’re playing in WCC this year)
Oregon State went 11-49 in Pac-12 the last three years, after an Elite 8 in 2021.
Seven players bolted the Beavers’ program after last season.
This year, OSU is 3-0 vs schedule #322; they’ve continuity team #260.
Washington State
New league, new coach, new players after Coogs went 25-10 last year.
David Riley is the new coach; he went 31-5 in the Big Sky last two years.
Wazzu has only one guy back from LY; they’ve scored 97 ppg in a 3-0 start.
— Villanova
Wildcats made Final Four three years ago, then Jay Wright abruptly retired.
Since then, Villanova is 37-35, 20-20 in conference games, 0-0 in NCAA’s.
This year, Villanova is #34 in experience, #261 in continuity; lot of transfers.
Wildcats are 2-2 this year, with losses to Columbia/St Joe’s. No bueno.
— Famous birthdays, November 15th:
Sam Waterston, 84
Bob Dandridge, 77
Greg Anthony, 57
Sasha Pavlovic, 41
Asia Kate Dillon, 40
Trevor Story, 32
Karl-Anthony Towns, 29
Wyatt Langford, 23
— Fresno State
68-year old Vance Walberg is the coach; he coached Pepperdine (2006-08), was an NBA assistant for four years, was a high school coach the last eight years, at a school five miles from the Fresno State campus.
Fresno hasn’t been in NCAAs since 2016; they’ve got only two players back from last year, but Walberg recruiting last year’s junior college player of the year, so they’ve got talent. Bulldogs lost an 82-possession game 91-86 in Santa Barbara Wednesday. Walberg’s teams play fast.
— Seton Hall
Shaheen Holloway led Saint Peter’s to the Elite 8 three years ago; his 2nd Seton Hall team was 25-12 last year, 13-7 in Big East but they didn’t make the NCAA’s.
So far this year, Seton Hall has scored only 53.7 ppg in a 1-2 start, losing to Fordham/Hofstra. Pirates are experience team #88, continuity team #240; they’ve got three top 100 games before Big East play starts December 17.
— Louisville
Pat Kelsey is Louisville’s 5th coach in nine years; they went 11-49 in the ACC the last three years and haven’t made the NCAA’s since 2019. Kelsey’s teams have been in three of last four NCAA tournaments, at Winthrop/Charleston— his teams play fast.
This year’s Cardinals are experience team #9, continuity team #350— Kelsey pounded the transfer portal. Louisville split its first two games, forcing turnovers 28.9% of the time. Won’t be long before Louisville is back in the field of 68.
— St John’s
Rick Pitino was Louisville’s coach the last time they won an NCAA game, in 2017.
St John’s hasn’t won an NCAA game since 2000; this year’s Red Storm is experience team #91, continuity team #264- they’ve beaten three stiffs, by 32-23-21 points.
Pitin0 is a great coach; he plays his son’s New Mexico team Sunday, then has three more top 100 games before Big East games start. Chances are St John’s will be in March Madness for the first time since 2019.
— Richard Pitino’s New Mexico Lobos are playing the fastest tempo in America so far this year; Lobos are 3-0 with a win over UCLA- they’ve forced turnovers 24.6% of time (#30). Lobos were in NCAA’s last year for first time since 2014.
— Siena had its first losing season in six years last year, but they fired the coach anyway and hired Syracuse assistant Gerry McNamara- the rumor was he could add some boosters to help Siena’s NIL situation, which wasn’t good.
McNamara’s best recruit might be special assistant Brian Beaury, who won 654 games at St Rose, a Division II team in Albany (the school went out of business LY). Beaury is a great coach who will help a rookie head coach.
Siena is off to a 3-0 start, beating Brown/Bryant in overtime; they’re #19 in country on offensive boards, #301 on the defensive end. Saints are #349 in experience, #331 in continuity.
— Steve Alford’s Nevada Wolf Pack is #5 in experience, #107 in continuity; they’ve scored 80.7 ppg in their 3-0 start, making 49.1% of their 3’s, best in the country so far. Nevada was 25-11 in the Mountain West the last two years and figure to contend there again this year.
NCAAF
Weather Report
Friday, November 15
NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 12
Friday’s games
Wyoming @ Colorado State (-9.5)
Wyoming (2-7, 2-3)
Wyoming scored 31-49 points in wins, 25 or less in losses.
Last two games, Cowboys ran ball for 276-262 yards.
Cowboys have 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Wyoming has 68 starts returning on offensive line.
Junior QB started one game last year, was 23-38 passing for season.
Wyoming won 49-45 LW, but New Mexico ran for 412 yards.
Since 2018, Wyoming is 10-14 ATS as a road underdog.
Cowboys are 9-4 ATS in last 14 Mountain West games.
Wyoming is 11-10-1 ATS in last 21 games coming off a win.
Over is 6-2 in their I-A games.
Colorado State (6-3, 4-0)
Rams won last four games, giving up 16 ppg.
CSU gave up 52-28-39 points in their losses.
Rams have 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
CSU has 94 starts returning on the offensive line.
Rams’ soph QB has 11 starts; he threw 22 TD’s, 16 INT’s last year.
Rams are 3-0 ATS as home favorites TY (2-7 from 2021-23)
CSU covered their last six games overall.
In his career, Norvell is 15-12 ATS as a home favorite.
CSU allowed 441+ total yards in three of last four games.
Under is 6-2 in their I-A games.
Wyoming won seven of last eight series games.
Cowboys are 5-2 SU/4-3 ATS in last seven visits to Fort Collins.
Over is 7-5 in last ten meetings.
North Texas (-1) @ Texas-San Antonio
North Texas (5-4, 2-3)
UNT lost last three games, giving up 37 ppg.
Mean Green scored 35+ points in seven of nine games.
Mean Green has 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
North Texas has 72 starts returning on offensive line.
Junior QB Morris started nine games at TCU.
UNT is 0-3 vs I-A teams when they score less than 41 points.
Last three weeks, UNT gave up 265.7 rushing yards/game.
Under Morris, North Texas is 8-5 ATS in AAC games.
UNT is 13-9 ATS in last 22 games coming off a loss.
Over is 7-1 in their I-A games.
Texas-San Antonio (4-5, 2-3)
UTSA is 1-5 giving up more than 24 points.
Last two games, UTSA gave up 370-454 passing yards.
Roadrunners have 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
UTSA has 106 starts returning on the offensive line.
Roadrunners’ soph QB McCown has thrown 20 TD’s, 4 INT’s this year.
UTSA is 5-4 ATS in its last nine home games.
Last three games, Roadrunners scored 38-45-44 points.
Under Traylor, UTSA is 16-14 ATS at home.
Roadrunners are 10-12 ATS in last 22 games coming off a win.
Over is 4-0 in their last four games.
UTSA won last three series games, scoring 48-31-37 points,
North Texas is 1-5 SU/ATS in last six visits to San Antonio.
Under is 6-2 in last eight meetings.
UCLA @ Washington (-4)
UCLA (3-5, 2-4)
UCLA won its last three games, by 3-7-3 points.
Bruins are 1-5 when they score less than 20 points.
UCLA has 7 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Bruins have 101 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Garbers started 6 games last year.
UCLA is 4-0 ATS as a road underdog this year. .
Bruins covered six of last seven games overall.
UCLA is 8-11 ATS last 19 games coming off a win.
Last three games, Bruins are +2 in turnovers (minus-7 in first six)
Under is 5-2 in UCLA’s last seven games.
Washington (5-5, 3-4)
Washington was held to 19-18-16-17-6 in losses (scored 30-24-27-26 in wins).
Huskies are 1-5 when they allow more than 17 points.
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.
Washington is 4-6-1 ATS last 11 games as a home favorite.
Since 2018, Huskies are 21-37 ATS in conference games (3-4 TY).
In his career, Fisch is 7-8 ATS as a favorite.
Washington is 5-8 ATS in last 13 games coming off a loss.
Under is 7-2 in their I-A games this season.
UCLA won 12 of last 16 series games.
Bruins are 5-3 SU/ATS in last eight visits to Seattle.
Over is 5-1 in last six meetings.
Houston @ Arizona (-1.5)
Houston (4-5, 3-3)
Houston won three of its last four games, after a 1-4 start.
Cougars are minus-12 in turnovers in losses, +8 in wins.
Houston has 5 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Cougars have 118 returning starts on OL, only 30 of them at Houston.
Senior QB Smith has 20 career starts.
Houston is 11-8-1 ATS in last 20 games as a road underdog.
Houston is 9-13-1 ATS in its last 23 conference games.
In his career, Fritz is 26-23-1 ATS as an underdog
Cougars are 5-9 ATS in last 14 games coming off a win.
Under is 8-1 in their games this season.
Arizona (3-6, 1-6)
Arizona is 1-6 in Big X games, giving up 31.7 ppg in losses.
Wildcats scored 61-23 points in I-A wins, 7-22-19-7-26-12 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 4-10 ATS last 14 games as a home favorite.
Arizona is 0-5 ATS in its last five games overall.
Wildcats are 1-6 ATS in their conference games TY.
In his career, Brennan is 33-28-1 ATS in conference games.
Arizona is 8-7 ATS in last 15 games coming off a loss.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
These teams haven’t met since 2018.
Weather Report
Friday, November 15
NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 12
Friday’s games
Wyoming @ Colorado State (-9.5)
Wyoming (2-7, 2-3)
Wyoming scored 31-49 points in wins, 25 or less in losses.
Last two games, Cowboys ran ball for 276-262 yards.
Cowboys have 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Wyoming has 68 starts returning on offensive line.
Junior QB started one game last year, was 23-38 passing for season.
Wyoming won 49-45 LW, but New Mexico ran for 412 yards.
Since 2018, Wyoming is 10-14 ATS as a road underdog.
Cowboys are 9-4 ATS in last 14 Mountain West games.
Wyoming is 11-10-1 ATS in last 21 games coming off a win.
Over is 6-2 in their I-A games.
Colorado State (6-3, 4-0)
Rams won last four games, giving up 16 ppg.
CSU gave up 52-28-39 points in their losses.
Rams have 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
CSU has 94 starts returning on the offensive line.
Rams’ soph QB has 11 starts; he threw 22 TD’s, 16 INT’s last year.
Rams are 3-0 ATS as home favorites TY (2-7 from 2021-23)
CSU covered their last six games overall.
In his career, Norvell is 15-12 ATS as a home favorite.
CSU allowed 441+ total yards in three of last four games.
Under is 6-2 in their I-A games.
Wyoming won seven of last eight series games.
Cowboys are 5-2 SU/4-3 ATS in last seven visits to Fort Collins.
Over is 7-5 in last ten meetings.
North Texas (-1) @ Texas-San Antonio
North Texas (5-4, 2-3)
UNT lost last three games, giving up 37 ppg.
Mean Green scored 35+ points in seven of nine games.
Mean Green has 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
North Texas has 72 starts returning on offensive line.
Junior QB Morris started nine games at TCU.
UNT is 0-3 vs I-A teams when they score less than 41 points.
Last three weeks, UNT gave up 265.7 rushing yards/game.
Under Morris, North Texas is 8-5 ATS in AAC games.
UNT is 13-9 ATS in last 22 games coming off a loss.
Over is 7-1 in their I-A games.
Texas-San Antonio (4-5, 2-3)
UTSA is 1-5 giving up more than 24 points.
Last two games, UTSA gave up 370-454 passing yards.
Roadrunners have 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
UTSA has 106 starts returning on the offensive line.
Roadrunners’ soph QB McCown has thrown 20 TD’s, 4 INT’s this year.
UTSA is 5-4 ATS in its last nine home games.
Last three games, Roadrunners scored 38-45-44 points.
Under Traylor, UTSA is 16-14 ATS at home.
Roadrunners are 10-12 ATS in last 22 games coming off a win.
Over is 4-0 in their last four games.
UTSA won last three series games, scoring 48-31-37 points,
North Texas is 1-5 SU/ATS in last six visits to San Antonio.
Under is 6-2 in last eight meetings.
UCLA @ Washington (-4)
UCLA (3-5, 2-4)
UCLA won its last three games, by 3-7-3 points.
Bruins are 1-5 when they score less than 20 points.
UCLA has 7 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Bruins have 101 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Garbers started 6 games last year.
UCLA is 4-0 ATS as a road underdog this year. .
Bruins covered six of last seven games overall.
UCLA is 8-11 ATS last 19 games coming off a win.
Last three games, Bruins are +2 in turnovers (minus-7 in first six)
Under is 5-2 in UCLA’s last seven games.
Washington (5-5, 3-4)
Washington was held to 19-18-16-17-6 in losses (scored 30-24-27-26 in wins).
Huskies are 1-5 when they allow more than 17 points.
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.
Washington is 4-6-1 ATS last 11 games as a home favorite.
Since 2018, Huskies are 21-37 ATS in conference games (3-4 TY).
In his career, Fisch is 7-8 ATS as a favorite.
Washington is 5-8 ATS in last 13 games coming off a loss.
Under is 7-2 in their I-A games this season.
UCLA won 12 of last 16 series games.
Bruins are 5-3 SU/ATS in last eight visits to Seattle.
Over is 5-1 in last six meetings.
Houston @ Arizona (-1.5)
Houston (4-5, 3-3)
Houston won three of its last four games, after a 1-4 start.
Cougars are minus-12 in turnovers in losses, +8 in wins.
Houston has 5 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Cougars have 118 returning starts on OL, only 30 of them at Houston.
Senior QB Smith has 20 career starts.
Houston is 11-8-1 ATS in last 20 games as a road underdog.
Houston is 9-13-1 ATS in its last 23 conference games.
In his career, Fritz is 26-23-1 ATS as an underdog
Cougars are 5-9 ATS in last 14 games coming off a win.
Under is 8-1 in their games this season.
Arizona (3-6, 1-6)
Arizona is 1-6 in Big X games, giving up 31.7 ppg in losses.
Wildcats scored 61-23 points in I-A wins, 7-22-19-7-26-12 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 4-10 ATS last 14 games as a home favorite.
Arizona is 0-5 ATS in its last five games overall.
Wildcats are 1-6 ATS in their conference games TY.
In his career, Brennan is 33-28-1 ATS in conference games.
Arizona is 8-7 ATS in last 15 games coming off a loss.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
These teams haven’t met since 2018.
NCAAFB BEST BETS NOVEMBER !
11/15/2024......................2 - 6 - 0...................25.00%..................- 23.00
11/14/2024......................1 - 1 - 0...................50.00%..................- 0.50
11/13/2024......................4 - 2 - 0...................66.66%..................+ 9.00
11/12/2024......................2 - 2 - 0...................50.00%..................- 1.00
11/09/2024....................20 - 15 - 0..................57.14%...................+ 17.50
11/08/2024.......................2 - 3 - 0..................40.00%...................- 6.50
11/07/2024.......................1 - 3 - 0..................25.00%...................- 11.50
11/06/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/05/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/02/2024.....................9 - 10 - 0..................47.36%....................- 10.00
11/01/2024.......................1 - 5 - 0..................16.67%...................- 22.50
TOTALS.........................48 - 49 - 0....................49.48%....................- 29.50
*************************************************************************************
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
OCTOBER TOTALS................61 - 64 - 3..........................48.80%............................- 42.00
11/15/2024......................2 - 6 - 0...................25.00%..................- 23.00
11/14/2024......................1 - 1 - 0...................50.00%..................- 0.50
11/13/2024......................4 - 2 - 0...................66.66%..................+ 9.00
11/12/2024......................2 - 2 - 0...................50.00%..................- 1.00
11/09/2024....................20 - 15 - 0..................57.14%...................+ 17.50
11/08/2024.......................2 - 3 - 0..................40.00%...................- 6.50
11/07/2024.......................1 - 3 - 0..................25.00%...................- 11.50
11/06/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/05/2024.......................3 - 1 - 0..................75.00%...................+ 9.50
11/02/2024.....................9 - 10 - 0..................47.36%....................- 10.00
11/01/2024.......................1 - 5 - 0..................16.67%...................- 22.50
TOTALS.........................48 - 49 - 0....................49.48%....................- 29.50
*************************************************************************************
AUG- SEPT TOTALS............119 - 95 - 3..........................55.60%............................+ 75.20
OCTOBER TOTALS................61 - 64 - 3..........................48.80%............................- 42.00
Saturday’s 6-pack:
Six college basketball teams playing the fastest tempo so far:
1- New Mexico
2- Portland State
3- Arizona
4- Kennesaw State
5- Bryant
6- Cal-Northridge
Quote of the Day
“It is your character, and your character alone, that will make your life happy or unhappy. That is all that really passes for destiny…..…others can encourage you to make the right choices or discourage you, but you choose.”
John McCain
Saturday’s quiz
From 1967-73, UCLA won March Madness every year; what team beat them and ended their streak in the 1974 national semi-finals?
Friday’s quiz
Joe Gibbs was head coach of the Washington Redskins/Commanders last time they won a playoff game, in 2005; Mark Brunell was the QB.
Thursday’s quiz
Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels played college football for Arizona State and LSU.
************************************
Maryland led by six points early in second half.
Visiting Marquette was 18-24 on foul line, Terps were 9-14.
Marquette played nine guys double figure minutes; quality depth.
— Purdue 87, Alabama 78
Alabama was 9-29 on the arc, Purdue 9-16
Crimson Tide led by 6 with 11:00 left in game.
Purdue only had 3 turnovers in a 68-possession game.
— Virginia 70, Villanova 60
Cavaliers made 14-25 shots behind the arc. Impressive.
Virginia didn’t play any seniors in this game.
Villanova started five seniors; they’re 0-3 vs teams in the top 250.
— Butler 81, SMU 70
Butler shot 46.2% on the arc, 37.1% inside the arc.
Bulldogs had six players score in double figures.
SMU’s Harris scored 21 points in 30:00; he didn’t start.
— Florida 87, Florida State 74
Gators shot 66.7% inside arc.
Senior G Clayton was 4-10 on arc, scored 25 points.
Florida has a 7-foot-9 freshman who will redshirt this year. 7-foot-9.
— Michigan 76, TCU 64
Wolverines won despite being minus-9 (21-12) in turnovers.
TCU shot 34.4% from the floor, scored 0.88 points/possession.
Horned Frogs are #90 in experience, #330 in continuity; lot of transfers.
— Charleston 119, Florida Atlantic 116, 2OT
Charleston led by 13 with 6:47 left in regulation.
Cougars were 15-30 on arc; FAU was 16-29.
93-possession game; five guys who didn’t start scored in double figures.
— Tennessee-Martin and Oregon State have the most foreign players on their team this season; both teams have players from nine different countries.
— Famous birthdays, November 16th:
Herb Washington, 73
Marg Helgenberger, 66
Dwight Gooden, 60
Maggie Gyllenhaal, 47
Amare Stoudemire, 42
Denzel Valentine, 31
Jason Sanders, 29
Grayson Rodriguez, 25
— Colorado State 24, Wyoming 10
Favored Rams led 14-0 after the first quarter.
Colorado State is 7-3, 5-0 in Mountain West games.
Rams averaged 11 yards/pass attempt.
— Texas-San Antonio 48, North Texas 27
Roadrunners led 27-7 at halftime.
There were five TD plays of 39+ yards in this game.
Both teams are 5-5, both need a win to be bowl eligible.
— East Carolina 38, Tulsa 31
ECU scored two TD’s in last 5:30 of game; they’re 6-4 and bowl eligible.
Pirates ran ball for 222 yards, survived having 125 penalty yards.
— Movie of the Day: The Verdict (1982)- An alcoholic lawyer sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling, even though his client was offered a hefty settlement.
Paul Newman is the lawyer, Jack Warden is his friend, James Mason is the opposing lawyer.
Very good movie, albeit a little dated now. Paul Newman’s character plays pinball on those cool old-fashioned pinball machines that used to be in bars.
— Tampa Bay Rays will play next season in Tampa, but at the spring training home of the Bronx Bombers. Rays actually have to pay their division rivals $15M to use the facility, because Tropicana Field was wrecked by by a hurricane last month.
— Los Angeles Angels added utility man Kevin Newman for one year, $2.5M; they’ve also added P Kyle Hendricks, C Travis d’Arnaud- they’ve been the busiest baseball team this off-season.
— Pitcher Cole Irvin signed a $1M contract with the Doosan Bears of the KBO; $1M is the most a first-year player can make in Korea.
Irvin is 28-40, 4.54 in 93 MLB starts over six seasons for four teams.
— Cal Poly in the Big West appears to be a vastly improved team; they went 65-202 the last nine years, going 4-65 in conference games the last four years, but the 2-2 so far this year, with 75-71 win over Seattle, plus respectable losses to San Francisco, Cal.
Mike DeGeorge is the new coach; his teams play a faster style, which should help recruiting.
— Mentioned on Tuesday how November 13 was Felix Unger Day, in reference to the great TV show The Odd Couple. Turns out that Garry Marshall’s birthday was November 13; he was one of the show’s writers, and a creative genius with an amazing resume of movies to his credit.
— Eagles 26, Commanders 18
Commanders led 10-6 after the third quarter.
Eagles’ first five drives: 30 plays, 177 yards, no points.
Eagles rest of game: 43 plays, 350 yards, 26 points.
Eagles won 12 of last 14 series games.
Philly was 9-16 on third down, Commanders 3-12.
Eagles outgained Washington, 434-264
Last five games, Washington was outscored 67-36 in 2nd half.
Commanders are 4-7 ATS in last 11 NFC East road games.
Six college basketball teams playing the fastest tempo so far:
1- New Mexico
2- Portland State
3- Arizona
4- Kennesaw State
5- Bryant
6- Cal-Northridge
Quote of the Day
“It is your character, and your character alone, that will make your life happy or unhappy. That is all that really passes for destiny…..…others can encourage you to make the right choices or discourage you, but you choose.”
John McCain
Saturday’s quiz
From 1967-73, UCLA won March Madness every year; what team beat them and ended their streak in the 1974 national semi-finals?
Friday’s quiz
Joe Gibbs was head coach of the Washington Redskins/Commanders last time they won a playoff game, in 2005; Mark Brunell was the QB.
Thursday’s quiz
Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels played college football for Arizona State and LSU.
************************************
Saturday’s Den: Wrapping up a fall Friday…….
— Marquette 78, Maryland 74Maryland led by six points early in second half.
Visiting Marquette was 18-24 on foul line, Terps were 9-14.
Marquette played nine guys double figure minutes; quality depth.
— Purdue 87, Alabama 78
Alabama was 9-29 on the arc, Purdue 9-16
Crimson Tide led by 6 with 11:00 left in game.
Purdue only had 3 turnovers in a 68-possession game.
— Virginia 70, Villanova 60
Cavaliers made 14-25 shots behind the arc. Impressive.
Virginia didn’t play any seniors in this game.
Villanova started five seniors; they’re 0-3 vs teams in the top 250.
— Butler 81, SMU 70
Butler shot 46.2% on the arc, 37.1% inside the arc.
Bulldogs had six players score in double figures.
SMU’s Harris scored 21 points in 30:00; he didn’t start.
— Florida 87, Florida State 74
Gators shot 66.7% inside arc.
Senior G Clayton was 4-10 on arc, scored 25 points.
Florida has a 7-foot-9 freshman who will redshirt this year. 7-foot-9.
— Michigan 76, TCU 64
Wolverines won despite being minus-9 (21-12) in turnovers.
TCU shot 34.4% from the floor, scored 0.88 points/possession.
Horned Frogs are #90 in experience, #330 in continuity; lot of transfers.
— Charleston 119, Florida Atlantic 116, 2OT
Charleston led by 13 with 6:47 left in regulation.
Cougars were 15-30 on arc; FAU was 16-29.
93-possession game; five guys who didn’t start scored in double figures.
— Tennessee-Martin and Oregon State have the most foreign players on their team this season; both teams have players from nine different countries.
— Famous birthdays, November 16th:
Herb Washington, 73
Marg Helgenberger, 66
Dwight Gooden, 60
Maggie Gyllenhaal, 47
Amare Stoudemire, 42
Denzel Valentine, 31
Jason Sanders, 29
Grayson Rodriguez, 25
— Colorado State 24, Wyoming 10
Favored Rams led 14-0 after the first quarter.
Colorado State is 7-3, 5-0 in Mountain West games.
Rams averaged 11 yards/pass attempt.
— Texas-San Antonio 48, North Texas 27
Roadrunners led 27-7 at halftime.
There were five TD plays of 39+ yards in this game.
Both teams are 5-5, both need a win to be bowl eligible.
— East Carolina 38, Tulsa 31
ECU scored two TD’s in last 5:30 of game; they’re 6-4 and bowl eligible.
Pirates ran ball for 222 yards, survived having 125 penalty yards.
— Movie of the Day: The Verdict (1982)- An alcoholic lawyer sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling, even though his client was offered a hefty settlement.
Paul Newman is the lawyer, Jack Warden is his friend, James Mason is the opposing lawyer.
Very good movie, albeit a little dated now. Paul Newman’s character plays pinball on those cool old-fashioned pinball machines that used to be in bars.
— Tampa Bay Rays will play next season in Tampa, but at the spring training home of the Bronx Bombers. Rays actually have to pay their division rivals $15M to use the facility, because Tropicana Field was wrecked by by a hurricane last month.
— Los Angeles Angels added utility man Kevin Newman for one year, $2.5M; they’ve also added P Kyle Hendricks, C Travis d’Arnaud- they’ve been the busiest baseball team this off-season.
— Pitcher Cole Irvin signed a $1M contract with the Doosan Bears of the KBO; $1M is the most a first-year player can make in Korea.
Irvin is 28-40, 4.54 in 93 MLB starts over six seasons for four teams.
— Cal Poly in the Big West appears to be a vastly improved team; they went 65-202 the last nine years, going 4-65 in conference games the last four years, but the 2-2 so far this year, with 75-71 win over Seattle, plus respectable losses to San Francisco, Cal.
Mike DeGeorge is the new coach; his teams play a faster style, which should help recruiting.
— Mentioned on Tuesday how November 13 was Felix Unger Day, in reference to the great TV show The Odd Couple. Turns out that Garry Marshall’s birthday was November 13; he was one of the show’s writers, and a creative genius with an amazing resume of movies to his credit.
— Eagles 26, Commanders 18
Commanders led 10-6 after the third quarter.
Eagles’ first five drives: 30 plays, 177 yards, no points.
Eagles rest of game: 43 plays, 350 yards, 26 points.
Eagles won 12 of last 14 series games.
Philly was 9-16 on third down, Commanders 3-12.
Eagles outgained Washington, 434-264
Last five games, Washington was outscored 67-36 in 2nd half.
Commanders are 4-7 ATS in last 11 NFC East road games.
