NFL BEST BETS FOR OCTOBER !
10/05/2023...............................0 - 2.....................................00.00%....................................- 11.00
10/02/2023...............................1 - 1.....................................50.00%....................................- 00.50
10/01/2023.............................11 - 10 - 1.............................52.27%...................................+ 00.00
TOTALS....................................12 - 13 - 1...............................48.00%...................................- 11.50
10/05/2023...............................0 - 2.....................................00.00%....................................- 11.00
10/02/2023...............................1 - 1.....................................50.00%....................................- 00.50
10/01/2023.............................11 - 10 - 1.............................52.27%...................................+ 00.00
TOTALS....................................12 - 13 - 1...............................48.00%...................................- 11.50
Friday’s 6-pack:
College football totals trends:
5-0 over teams
LSU
Boston College
5-0-1 over
Vanderbilt
4-0 over
North Texas
5-0 under
Ohio U
Utah
Arizona
Quote of the Day
“…….Butkus was a well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not a hospital.”
Hall of Fame DE Deacon Jones
Friday’s quiz
Mark Sanchez was the Jets’ quarterback, last time they played in a playoff game.
Thursday’s quiz
Cincinnati Bengals have played in three Super Bowls, with three different QB’s; Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason, Joe Burrow.
Wednesday’s quiz
Before Tuesday night, Ron Gardenhire was manager of the Minnesota Twins last time they won a playoff game, in 2004.
*************************************
Chicago snaps a 14-game losing streak.
Bears in first half: 42 plays, 307 yards, 3 TD, 2 FG on five drives.
DJ Moore caught eight passes for 230 yards and 3 TD’s.
Chicago ran ball for 178 yards (5.6 yards/carry).
Last four weeks, Commanders gave up 33-37-34-37 points.
Down 30-20 with 5:10 left, Washington missed a 46-yard FG.
Washington is 5-11 ATS last 16 games as a home favorite.
Commanders are 8-12 ATS in last 20 games coming off a loss.
— Commanders have started 13 different QB’s since 2017, which is a lot. Seems like 2nd-year QB Sam Howell will grab a hold on that position for the foreseeable future.
— Here are the top 12 picks in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft
1) Tucker Frederickson, RB, NYG
2) Ken Willard, RB, SF
3) Dick Butkus, LB, Chi
4) Gale Sayers, RB, Chi
5) Craig Morton, QB, Dal
6) Steve DeLong, DE, Chi
7) Donny Anderson, RB-P, GB
8) Jack Snow, WR, Minn
9) Clancy Williams, DB, Rams
10) Larry Elkins, WR, GB
11) Tom Nowatzke, RB, Det
12) Joe Namath, QB, StL
Gale Sayers the 4th pick? Were college games on TV back then?
Craig Morton over Joe Namath was an interesting decision.
— RIP to the great linebacker Dick Butkus, who passed away Thursday at age 80. Not only was Butkus a Hall of Fame linebacker, he had a decent acting career after his playing days were over. He has 62 acting credits on IMDB.com
Butkus played one of the opposing coaches for Al Pacino’s Miami Sharks in Any Given Sunday;
— Jacksonville State 45, Middle Tennessee 30
1-5 Middle Tennessee led 23-7 at halftime.
5-1 Jacksonville State outscored them 38-7 in second half.
MTSU gained 563 yards, still lost by 15 points.
Gamecocks now have a +11 turnover ratio in six games.
— New Mexico State 34, Florida International 17
Game was tied 14-all at halftime.
Aggies had TD plays of 43-49 yards.
New Mexico State ran ball for 183 yards (5.9 yards/carry).
Aggies are 9-3 ATS in last 12 games as a home favorite.
— Liberty 21, Sam Houston State 16
Flames were a 21-point favorite; they led 21-10 at halftime.
Liberty ran for 191 yards, outgained Bearkats 448-327.
Liberty averaged 13.5 yards per pass attempt.
Sam Houston is 0-5, but last two losses were 38-45/16-21.
— Western Kentucky 35, Louisiana Tech 28
Hilltoppers led 35-7 at halftime.
WKU had four TD plays of 29+ yards.
WR Corley caught 8 passes for 207 yards and three TD’s.
Tech was 4-17 on 3rd down, 4-6 on 4th down.
— Word of the Day: Distraction- a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.
— Mets’ general manager Billy Eppler quit Thursday; Mets hired David Stearns last week to be the new head of the front office, but Eppler was expected to stick around in the #2 position.
There is no evidence that Eppler was good at his job anyway; he was the top guy for the Angels and Mets, two big-market teams with huge payrolls and he still didn’t accomplish much— he is the guy who paid Anthony Rendon more than Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani.
Mets had a $357M payroll this year but still lost more games than they won.
— There are TV commercials on during the day trying to get people to buy gold; Chuck Woolery is the spokesman on the commercials— he was the original host of Wheel of Fortune back when I was in high school in the mid-70’s.
He is 82 years old now, hasn’t had a game show gig since 2007, but he’s still out there doing commercials.
— Fontainebleau Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is expected to open December 13; the 67-story hotel has a six-acre pool complex and has 36 bars/restaurants. It cost $3.7B to build, which is a nice way of saying I can’t afford to stay there
— So far this season, Cincinnati Bengals have had only five plays that gained 20+ yards; their opponents have 17.
— In their last three games, Denver Broncos have given up 23 plays of 20+ yards.
— Minnesota Timberwolves beat Dallas Mavericks 111-99 in the first NBA preseason game of the year Thursday; the game was played in Abu Dhabi, the first of two games they’ll play there.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 points in 17:00 for Minnesota.
— This weekend’s Diamondback-Dodger playoff series will be the fifth time in the last seven years that the #1-#2 teams in NL West have faced each other in the playoffs.
College football totals trends:
5-0 over teams
LSU
Boston College
5-0-1 over
Vanderbilt
4-0 over
North Texas
5-0 under
Ohio U
Utah
Arizona
Quote of the Day
“…….Butkus was a well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not a hospital.”
Hall of Fame DE Deacon Jones
Friday’s quiz
Mark Sanchez was the Jets’ quarterback, last time they played in a playoff game.
Thursday’s quiz
Cincinnati Bengals have played in three Super Bowls, with three different QB’s; Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason, Joe Burrow.
Wednesday’s quiz
Before Tuesday night, Ron Gardenhire was manager of the Minnesota Twins last time they won a playoff game, in 2004.
*************************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….
— Bears 40, Commanders 20:Chicago snaps a 14-game losing streak.
Bears in first half: 42 plays, 307 yards, 3 TD, 2 FG on five drives.
DJ Moore caught eight passes for 230 yards and 3 TD’s.
Chicago ran ball for 178 yards (5.6 yards/carry).
Last four weeks, Commanders gave up 33-37-34-37 points.
Down 30-20 with 5:10 left, Washington missed a 46-yard FG.
Washington is 5-11 ATS last 16 games as a home favorite.
Commanders are 8-12 ATS in last 20 games coming off a loss.
— Commanders have started 13 different QB’s since 2017, which is a lot. Seems like 2nd-year QB Sam Howell will grab a hold on that position for the foreseeable future.
— Here are the top 12 picks in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft
1) Tucker Frederickson, RB, NYG
2) Ken Willard, RB, SF
3) Dick Butkus, LB, Chi
4) Gale Sayers, RB, Chi
5) Craig Morton, QB, Dal
6) Steve DeLong, DE, Chi
7) Donny Anderson, RB-P, GB
8) Jack Snow, WR, Minn
9) Clancy Williams, DB, Rams
10) Larry Elkins, WR, GB
11) Tom Nowatzke, RB, Det
12) Joe Namath, QB, StL
Gale Sayers the 4th pick? Were college games on TV back then?
Craig Morton over Joe Namath was an interesting decision.
— RIP to the great linebacker Dick Butkus, who passed away Thursday at age 80. Not only was Butkus a Hall of Fame linebacker, he had a decent acting career after his playing days were over. He has 62 acting credits on IMDB.com
Butkus played one of the opposing coaches for Al Pacino’s Miami Sharks in Any Given Sunday;
— Jacksonville State 45, Middle Tennessee 30
1-5 Middle Tennessee led 23-7 at halftime.
5-1 Jacksonville State outscored them 38-7 in second half.
MTSU gained 563 yards, still lost by 15 points.
Gamecocks now have a +11 turnover ratio in six games.
— New Mexico State 34, Florida International 17
Game was tied 14-all at halftime.
Aggies had TD plays of 43-49 yards.
New Mexico State ran ball for 183 yards (5.9 yards/carry).
Aggies are 9-3 ATS in last 12 games as a home favorite.
— Liberty 21, Sam Houston State 16
Flames were a 21-point favorite; they led 21-10 at halftime.
Liberty ran for 191 yards, outgained Bearkats 448-327.
Liberty averaged 13.5 yards per pass attempt.
Sam Houston is 0-5, but last two losses were 38-45/16-21.
— Western Kentucky 35, Louisiana Tech 28
Hilltoppers led 35-7 at halftime.
WKU had four TD plays of 29+ yards.
WR Corley caught 8 passes for 207 yards and three TD’s.
Tech was 4-17 on 3rd down, 4-6 on 4th down.
— Word of the Day: Distraction- a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.
— Mets’ general manager Billy Eppler quit Thursday; Mets hired David Stearns last week to be the new head of the front office, but Eppler was expected to stick around in the #2 position.
There is no evidence that Eppler was good at his job anyway; he was the top guy for the Angels and Mets, two big-market teams with huge payrolls and he still didn’t accomplish much— he is the guy who paid Anthony Rendon more than Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani.
Mets had a $357M payroll this year but still lost more games than they won.
— There are TV commercials on during the day trying to get people to buy gold; Chuck Woolery is the spokesman on the commercials— he was the original host of Wheel of Fortune back when I was in high school in the mid-70’s.
He is 82 years old now, hasn’t had a game show gig since 2007, but he’s still out there doing commercials.
— Fontainebleau Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is expected to open December 13; the 67-story hotel has a six-acre pool complex and has 36 bars/restaurants. It cost $3.7B to build, which is a nice way of saying I can’t afford to stay there
— So far this season, Cincinnati Bengals have had only five plays that gained 20+ yards; their opponents have 17.
— In their last three games, Denver Broncos have given up 23 plays of 20+ yards.
— Minnesota Timberwolves beat Dallas Mavericks 111-99 in the first NBA preseason game of the year Thursday; the game was played in Abu Dhabi, the first of two games they’ll play there.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 points in 17:00 for Minnesota.
— This weekend’s Diamondback-Dodger playoff series will be the fifth time in the last seven years that the #1-#2 teams in NL West have faced each other in the playoffs.
Saturday’s 6-pack:
Super Bowls won, by division:
13— NFC East
9— AFC West, AFC East
8— NFC West, AFC North
5— NFC North
3— NFC South
2— AFC South
Quote of the Day
“With a heavy heart, I want to let everyone know I had “Tommy John” surgery today and will miss next season. I am most saddened for the great Marlins fans, who were so supportive of me and the team this year. The drive to the playoffs was thrilling for all of us.”
Sandy Alcantara
Saturday’s quiz
When the Marlins acquired Jazz Chisholm from Arizona, who did they send to the Diamondbacks?
Friday’s quiz
Mark Sanchez was the Jets’ quarterback, last time they played in a playoff game.
Thursday’s quiz
Cincinnati Bengals have played in three Super Bowls, with three different QB’s; Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason, Joe Burrow.
******************************************************
AAC lost three teams to the Big X, added six other teams.
Tulsa went 5-25 last year, then cleaned house; they have only one scholarship player returning.
— San Diego State beat FAU 72-71 in national semi-final, then lost to UConn in the national title game; they lost five 5th-year players from last year’s team, but re-tooled with some transfers and still figure to be prominent in the Mountain West race.
San Jose State had their first winning season since 2011.
Only new coach in Mountain West is Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle, who takes over from Ryan Odom, who bolted to Virginia Commonwealth.
— Atlantic 15 was #13 conference LY, tied for their worst ranking ever- they only got one team into the NCAA’s. VCU had won nine in a row heading into March Madness, but lost 63-51 to Saint Mary’s in their first round game.
VCU coach Rhoades jumped from VCU to Penn State, a strange decision (Penn State will have an almost all-new roster this year). Penn State is a football school; VCU is a basketball school, you’d think a basketball coach would much rather be there.
— Big 14 hasn’t won a national championship since 2000, when Michigan State won; they didn’t have a team in the Elite 8 the last two years, had only four Sweet 16 teams the last three years.
Purdue gets big man Zach Edey back; they figure to be very good again.
— Since 2015, five of the 15 ACC basketball teams have made it to a Final Four.
— CAA is now the Coastal Athletic Association, not the Colonial; last year they slipped from the #14 league to the #26 league- they had seven of their teams finish outside the top 300. There is a new CAA team this year; the Campbell Camels.
— Word of the Day: Continuity— the unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time.
— BYU has bolted from the WCC to the Big 12, leaving the WCC with nine teams (for now).
Last year, Portland Pilots had players from eight different countries.
— Big X had seven teams in the NCAA’s last year; they add four new teams this year, the year before Texas/Oklahoma bolt to the SEC, then they’ll have 16 teams next year, when lot of the old Pac-12 teams join the league.
Josh Eilert is interim coach at West Virginia, replacing Hall of Famer Bob Huggins; he’ll try to win enough games to get the interim tag removed.
— Big West was the #15 league LY; after being the #30 league in 2020, they’ve been #15-19-15 the three years since then.
Cal-Northridge hired Andy Newman, the league’s only new coach this year.
Cal-Davis player Drew Carter used to be a quarterback at Colorado; he threw 12 passes for the Buffaloes in 2021. I’m told that Colorado has a new football coach now, and his son is the QB, so Carter is at Cal-Davis playing basketball now.
— Princeton got to the Sweet 16 last year, upsetting Arizona/Missouri; they were the 4th Ivy League team to make the Sweet 16, the first since Cornell in 2010.
When Magic Johnson/Larry Bird played in the Final Four in 1979, one of the other two teams in the Final Four that year was the Penn Quakers.
— Rick Pitino is the new coach at St John’s; he overhauled the roster, with nine players hitting the road, as Pitino added 10 new players, including two guys from the Ivy League.
St John’s hasn’t made the NCAA’s since 2019; they’ve made it twice since 2011, it would be really surprising if Pitino doesn’t make them a perennial top 25 team.
— Tobin Anderson replaced Pitino at Iona; he led Fairleigh Dickinson to the NCAA’s LY, where they upset Purdue.
Iona has been in six of the last seven NCAA Tournaments, so there are big expectations in New Rochelle, but they have only one player back from last year- they added 12 new players.
Super Bowls won, by division:
13— NFC East
9— AFC West, AFC East
8— NFC West, AFC North
5— NFC North
3— NFC South
2— AFC South
Quote of the Day
“With a heavy heart, I want to let everyone know I had “Tommy John” surgery today and will miss next season. I am most saddened for the great Marlins fans, who were so supportive of me and the team this year. The drive to the playoffs was thrilling for all of us.”
Sandy Alcantara
Saturday’s quiz
When the Marlins acquired Jazz Chisholm from Arizona, who did they send to the Diamondbacks?
Friday’s quiz
Mark Sanchez was the Jets’ quarterback, last time they played in a playoff game.
Thursday’s quiz
Cincinnati Bengals have played in three Super Bowls, with three different QB’s; Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason, Joe Burrow.
******************************************************
Saturday’s Den: Early thoughts on this year’s college basketball
— Florida Atlantic made a miraculous run to the Final Four last year, then somehow kept both their head coach and all their players, as they move up from Conference USA to the AAC.AAC lost three teams to the Big X, added six other teams.
Tulsa went 5-25 last year, then cleaned house; they have only one scholarship player returning.
— San Diego State beat FAU 72-71 in national semi-final, then lost to UConn in the national title game; they lost five 5th-year players from last year’s team, but re-tooled with some transfers and still figure to be prominent in the Mountain West race.
San Jose State had their first winning season since 2011.
Only new coach in Mountain West is Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle, who takes over from Ryan Odom, who bolted to Virginia Commonwealth.
— Atlantic 15 was #13 conference LY, tied for their worst ranking ever- they only got one team into the NCAA’s. VCU had won nine in a row heading into March Madness, but lost 63-51 to Saint Mary’s in their first round game.
VCU coach Rhoades jumped from VCU to Penn State, a strange decision (Penn State will have an almost all-new roster this year). Penn State is a football school; VCU is a basketball school, you’d think a basketball coach would much rather be there.
— Big 14 hasn’t won a national championship since 2000, when Michigan State won; they didn’t have a team in the Elite 8 the last two years, had only four Sweet 16 teams the last three years.
Purdue gets big man Zach Edey back; they figure to be very good again.
— Since 2015, five of the 15 ACC basketball teams have made it to a Final Four.
— CAA is now the Coastal Athletic Association, not the Colonial; last year they slipped from the #14 league to the #26 league- they had seven of their teams finish outside the top 300. There is a new CAA team this year; the Campbell Camels.
— Word of the Day: Continuity— the unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time.
— BYU has bolted from the WCC to the Big 12, leaving the WCC with nine teams (for now).
Last year, Portland Pilots had players from eight different countries.
— Big X had seven teams in the NCAA’s last year; they add four new teams this year, the year before Texas/Oklahoma bolt to the SEC, then they’ll have 16 teams next year, when lot of the old Pac-12 teams join the league.
Josh Eilert is interim coach at West Virginia, replacing Hall of Famer Bob Huggins; he’ll try to win enough games to get the interim tag removed.
— Big West was the #15 league LY; after being the #30 league in 2020, they’ve been #15-19-15 the three years since then.
Cal-Northridge hired Andy Newman, the league’s only new coach this year.
Cal-Davis player Drew Carter used to be a quarterback at Colorado; he threw 12 passes for the Buffaloes in 2021. I’m told that Colorado has a new football coach now, and his son is the QB, so Carter is at Cal-Davis playing basketball now.
— Princeton got to the Sweet 16 last year, upsetting Arizona/Missouri; they were the 4th Ivy League team to make the Sweet 16, the first since Cornell in 2010.
When Magic Johnson/Larry Bird played in the Final Four in 1979, one of the other two teams in the Final Four that year was the Penn Quakers.
— Rick Pitino is the new coach at St John’s; he overhauled the roster, with nine players hitting the road, as Pitino added 10 new players, including two guys from the Ivy League.
St John’s hasn’t made the NCAA’s since 2019; they’ve made it twice since 2011, it would be really surprising if Pitino doesn’t make them a perennial top 25 team.
— Tobin Anderson replaced Pitino at Iona; he led Fairleigh Dickinson to the NCAA’s LY, where they upset Purdue.
Iona has been in six of the last seven NCAA Tournaments, so there are big expectations in New Rochelle, but they have only one player back from last year- they added 12 new players.
Sunday’s 6-pack:
According to Lindy’s magazine, the top freshman basketball players this year:
— Isaiah Collier, 6-4, USC
— DJ Wagner, 6-2, Kentucky
— Aaron Bradshaw, 7-0, Kentucky
— Caleb Foster, 6-4, Duke
— Dedan Thomas Jr, 6-1, UNLV
— Omaha Billew, 6-8, Iowa State
Quote of the Day
“He’s the calmest guy I’ve ever been around at the quarterback position. He was fearless.”
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables, talking about his QB, Dillon Gabriel
Sunday’s quiz
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was once the head coach of which NFL team?
Saturday’s quiz
When the Marlins acquired Jazz Chisholm from Arizona, they sent Zac Gallen to the Diamondbacks.
Friday’s quiz
Mark Sanchez was the Jets’ quarterback, last time they played in a playoff game.
************************************************
— Rangers 3, Orioles 2
Rookie OF Evan Carter reached base in nine of his first 10 postseason at-bats.
Both teams used six pitchers in this game.
Josh Jung homered for the Rangers.
— Astros 6, Twins 4
Verlander tossed six shutout IP, then the bullpen hung on.
Royce Lewis hit his third home run in three playoff games this week.
Altuve had no postseason RBI last year; he homered on his first AB in this game.
— Phillies 3, Braves 0
For some reason, Phillies used seven pitchers to throw a shutout.
Bryce Harper hit a home run.
Braves had only five hits, were 0-5 with RISP.
— Diamondbacks 11, Dodgers 2
Kershaw faced only eight hitters; six of them scored.
Dodger pitchers threw 100 pitches in the first three innings.
Tommy Pham had three hits before LA’s #9 hitter came to bat.
— Upsets of the Week:
Georgia Tech (+20) 23, Miami 20
Oklahoma State (+11), Kansas State 21
UConn (+9.5) 38, Rice 31
Louisville (+6.5) 33, Notre Dame 20
Iowa State (+6.5) 27, TCU 14
Wyoming (+6) 24, Fresno State 19
Oklahoma (+5) 34, Texas 30
Nebraska (+3.5) 20, Illinois 7
— Word of the Day: Loyalty— showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or group of people, or an institution.
— Georgia Tech 23, Miami 20
Tech threw a 44-yard TD pass with 0:02 left for a dramatic win.
Miami had ball with 0:26 left; they could’ve taken a knee and ended the game, but they ran a play and the guy fumbled in Georgia Tech territory. Why did they run a play?!?!?!?!?
This is coaching malpractice by Mario Cristobal, a horrific mistake.
I can’t get over this; Cristobal makes freakin’ $8M a year and he is INCOMPETENT in game management. How does he look his players in the eye?
— Oklahoma 34, Texas 30
Sooners drove 75 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:15 left.
In first 6:00 of game, Texas had successful fake punt, then blocked punt for TD.
Longhorns were minus-3 in turnovers.
— LSU 49, Missouri 39
LSU (-4) scored on pick-6 with 0:34 left; bad beat for Mizzou backers.
Total yardage in game: 533-527.
Mizzou QB Cook threw for 411 yards, but also threw two INT’s.
— Kansas 51, Central Florida 22
Kansas coach Leipold won six national titles at the D-3 level; then he went 37-33 at Buffalo (24-10 the last three years). Now he is 13-18 at Kansas, which doesn’t sound like much but in the seven years before he got to Lawrence, the Jayhawks were 15-88.
15 wins. 88 losses- they’re 5-1 this season. Leipold is a great coach.
— Texas-San Antonio 49, Temple 34
UTSA averaged 10.2 yards/pass attempt.
Temple QB EJ Warner was 42-65/472 passing, with 5 TD’s.
Owls converted 12-20 third down plays, but lost two fumbles.
— Iowa 20, Purdue 14
Iowa didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver. None.
Purdue was 9-19 on third down, Hawkeyes 3-13.
Iowa outrushed Purdue, 181-96.
— NC State 48, Marshall 41
Thundering Herd led 24-21 at halftime.
Both teams turned ball over three times.
Wolfpack outscored Marshall 13-7 in fourth quarter.
Sun Belt plays good football; we need more of their games on TV.
— UCLA 25, Washington State 17
Bruins outscored Wazzu 13-0 in fourth quarter.
UCLA outgained the Coogs 470-216.
Wazzu turned ball over four times, was 2-13 on third down.
— Colorado 27, Arizona State 24
ASU tied the game 24-all on a TD with 0:50 left.
Colorado kicked a 43-yard FG with 0:12 left.
Sun Devils outgained Colorado, 392-295.
— Louisville 33, Notre Dame 20
Game was 7-7 at halftime.
Notre Dame converted 3-13 third down plays.
Louisville outrushed Notre Dame 185-44.
— Ole Miss 27, Arkansas 20
Ole Miss outscored Arkansas 10-0 over final 8:00.
Rebels ran for 196 yards, threw for only 153.
Arkansas was minus-2 in turnovers, had 10 penalties for 70 yards.
— I still can’t get over this; Miami would’ve been 5-0 if they simply took a knee. Mario Cristobal makes freakin’ $8M a year and he is INCOMPETENT in game management. How does he look his players in the eye?
Hire a nerdy guy to stand next to you, and tell you what to do at the end of games, so you can keep your $8M a year job. Recruiting is one thing, coaching is quite another.
According to Lindy’s magazine, the top freshman basketball players this year:
— Isaiah Collier, 6-4, USC
— DJ Wagner, 6-2, Kentucky
— Aaron Bradshaw, 7-0, Kentucky
— Caleb Foster, 6-4, Duke
— Dedan Thomas Jr, 6-1, UNLV
— Omaha Billew, 6-8, Iowa State
Quote of the Day
“He’s the calmest guy I’ve ever been around at the quarterback position. He was fearless.”
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables, talking about his QB, Dillon Gabriel
Sunday’s quiz
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was once the head coach of which NFL team?
Saturday’s quiz
When the Marlins acquired Jazz Chisholm from Arizona, they sent Zac Gallen to the Diamondbacks.
Friday’s quiz
Mark Sanchez was the Jets’ quarterback, last time they played in a playoff game.
************************************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday…….
First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends.— Rangers 3, Orioles 2
Rookie OF Evan Carter reached base in nine of his first 10 postseason at-bats.
Both teams used six pitchers in this game.
Josh Jung homered for the Rangers.
— Astros 6, Twins 4
Verlander tossed six shutout IP, then the bullpen hung on.
Royce Lewis hit his third home run in three playoff games this week.
Altuve had no postseason RBI last year; he homered on his first AB in this game.
— Phillies 3, Braves 0
For some reason, Phillies used seven pitchers to throw a shutout.
Bryce Harper hit a home run.
Braves had only five hits, were 0-5 with RISP.
— Diamondbacks 11, Dodgers 2
Kershaw faced only eight hitters; six of them scored.
Dodger pitchers threw 100 pitches in the first three innings.
Tommy Pham had three hits before LA’s #9 hitter came to bat.
— Upsets of the Week:
Georgia Tech (+20) 23, Miami 20
Oklahoma State (+11), Kansas State 21
UConn (+9.5) 38, Rice 31
Louisville (+6.5) 33, Notre Dame 20
Iowa State (+6.5) 27, TCU 14
Wyoming (+6) 24, Fresno State 19
Oklahoma (+5) 34, Texas 30
Nebraska (+3.5) 20, Illinois 7
— Word of the Day: Loyalty— showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or group of people, or an institution.
— Georgia Tech 23, Miami 20
Tech threw a 44-yard TD pass with 0:02 left for a dramatic win.
Miami had ball with 0:26 left; they could’ve taken a knee and ended the game, but they ran a play and the guy fumbled in Georgia Tech territory. Why did they run a play?!?!?!?!?
This is coaching malpractice by Mario Cristobal, a horrific mistake.
I can’t get over this; Cristobal makes freakin’ $8M a year and he is INCOMPETENT in game management. How does he look his players in the eye?
— Oklahoma 34, Texas 30
Sooners drove 75 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:15 left.
In first 6:00 of game, Texas had successful fake punt, then blocked punt for TD.
Longhorns were minus-3 in turnovers.
— LSU 49, Missouri 39
LSU (-4) scored on pick-6 with 0:34 left; bad beat for Mizzou backers.
Total yardage in game: 533-527.
Mizzou QB Cook threw for 411 yards, but also threw two INT’s.
— Kansas 51, Central Florida 22
Kansas coach Leipold won six national titles at the D-3 level; then he went 37-33 at Buffalo (24-10 the last three years). Now he is 13-18 at Kansas, which doesn’t sound like much but in the seven years before he got to Lawrence, the Jayhawks were 15-88.
15 wins. 88 losses- they’re 5-1 this season. Leipold is a great coach.
— Texas-San Antonio 49, Temple 34
UTSA averaged 10.2 yards/pass attempt.
Temple QB EJ Warner was 42-65/472 passing, with 5 TD’s.
Owls converted 12-20 third down plays, but lost two fumbles.
— Iowa 20, Purdue 14
Iowa didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver. None.
Purdue was 9-19 on third down, Hawkeyes 3-13.
Iowa outrushed Purdue, 181-96.
— NC State 48, Marshall 41
Thundering Herd led 24-21 at halftime.
Both teams turned ball over three times.
Wolfpack outscored Marshall 13-7 in fourth quarter.
Sun Belt plays good football; we need more of their games on TV.
— UCLA 25, Washington State 17
Bruins outscored Wazzu 13-0 in fourth quarter.
UCLA outgained the Coogs 470-216.
Wazzu turned ball over four times, was 2-13 on third down.
— Colorado 27, Arizona State 24
ASU tied the game 24-all on a TD with 0:50 left.
Colorado kicked a 43-yard FG with 0:12 left.
Sun Devils outgained Colorado, 392-295.
— Louisville 33, Notre Dame 20
Game was 7-7 at halftime.
Notre Dame converted 3-13 third down plays.
Louisville outrushed Notre Dame 185-44.
— Ole Miss 27, Arkansas 20
Ole Miss outscored Arkansas 10-0 over final 8:00.
Rebels ran for 196 yards, threw for only 153.
Arkansas was minus-2 in turnovers, had 10 penalties for 70 yards.
— I still can’t get over this; Miami would’ve been 5-0 if they simply took a knee. Mario Cristobal makes freakin’ $8M a year and he is INCOMPETENT in game management. How does he look his players in the eye?
Hire a nerdy guy to stand next to you, and tell you what to do at the end of games, so you can keep your $8M a year job. Recruiting is one thing, coaching is quite another.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8
| HOU at ATL | 01:00 PM | HOU +2.5 U 42.0 | +500 +500 |
| TEN at IND | 01:00 PM | TEN -2.5 U 43.5 | +500 +500 |
| BAL at PIT | 01:00 PM | BAL -4.5 U 39.0 | +500 +500 |
| NO at NE | 01:00 PM | NE -1.5 U 38.5 | +500 +500 |
| NYG at MIA | 01:00 PM | MIA -13.0 U 47.0 | +500 +500 |
| CAR at DET | 01:00 PM | CAR +10.0 O 44.0 | +500 +500 |
| PHI at LAR | 04:05 PM | LAR +4.0 O 50.0 | +500 +500 |
| CIN at ARI | 04:05 PM | ARI +3.0 O 45.0 | +500 +500 |
| KC at MIN | 04:25 PM | MIN +3.5 O 52.0 | +500 +500 |
| NYJ at DEN | 04:25 PM | DEN -2.5 U 42.0 | +500 +500 |
| DAL at SF | 08:20 PM | SF -3.5 O 45.0 | +500 +500 |
NFL BEST BETS FOR OCTOBER !
10/08/2023...............................7 - 5......................................58.33%...................................+ 7.50
10/05/2023...............................0 - 2.....................................00.00%....................................- 11.00
10/02/2023...............................1 - 1.....................................50.00%....................................- 00.50
10/01/2023.............................11 - 10 - 1.............................52.27%...................................+ 00.00
TOTALS....................................19 - 18 - 1...............................51.35%...................................- 4.00
10/08/2023...............................7 - 5......................................58.33%...................................+ 7.50
10/05/2023...............................0 - 2.....................................00.00%....................................- 11.00
10/02/2023...............................1 - 1.....................................50.00%....................................- 00.50
10/01/2023.............................11 - 10 - 1.............................52.27%...................................+ 00.00
TOTALS....................................19 - 18 - 1...............................51.35%...................................- 4.00
Armadillo Sports
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday……..
Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends……..
Steelers 17, Ravens 10
— Pickett threw 44-yard TD pass with 1:17 left for game-winning score.
— Steelers are 6-1 SU/5-2 ATS in last seven series games.
— Pitt is 28-15-1 ATS in last 44 games when spread was 3 or fewer points.
— Steelers scored one touchdown on their last 19 drives.
— Ravens’ first 3 drives: 28 plays, 157 yards, 10 points.
— Ravens rest of game: 40 plays, 162 yards, no points.
— Baltimore is 6-11 ATS in last 17 games as a road favorite.
— Ravens are 8-13 ATS in last 21 games coming off a win.
Jaguars 25, Bills 20
— Jaguars led 11-0 8:00 into the game.
— Jacksonville converted 10-18 on third down.
— Etienne ran ball 26 times for 136 yards and two TD’s.
— Lawrence lost two fumbles in Buffalo territory.
— Buffalo’s first four series: 16 plays, 54 yards, four punts.
— Jaguars ran 82 plays, Buffalo only 54.
— Bills ran ball only 14 times, for 29 yards.
— Jaguars scored 21-23-25 points in wins, 9-17 in losses.
Falcons 21, Texans 19
— Falcons drove 51 yards, kicked game-winning 37-yard FG with 0:02 left.
— Atlanta won its three home games, 24-10/25-24/21-20.
— Atlanta averaged 9.2 yards/pass attempt.
— Falcons scored 24-25-21 points in their wins, 6-7 in their losses.
— Texans drove 75 yards, scored only TD to go ahead 19-18 with 1:49 left.
— Houston scored 37-30 points in wins, 9-20-19 in losses.
— Houston is 7-4-1 ATS last 12 games as a road underdog.
— Texans are 12-7-2 ATS last 21 games when spread was 3 or fewer points.
Lions 42, Panthers 24
— Carolina turned ball over on three of first five drives.
— Detroit had TD drives of 20-38-31-51 yards, short drives.
— Lions outscored last four opponents 82-23 in first half.
— Under Campbell, Detroit is 27-11-1 ATS overall, 6-2 as home favorites.
— Detroit led this game 28-10 at halftime.
— In Young’s starts. Carolina averaged 3.2/3.8/4.0/5.9 yards/pass attempt.— Carolina lost first five games (0-4-1 ATS), scoring 18.2 ppg.
— Panthers are 17-26-2 ATS in last 45 games coming off a loss.
Colts 23, Titans 16
— Minshew was 11-15/155 passing, in relief of injured QB Richardson.
— Indy in 2nd half: 3 drives- 30 plays, 217 yards, TD, two FG’s.
— Colts ran for 193 yards, outgained Titans, 429-348.
— Colts’ team total this year: over 4-0-1
— In their losses, Titans scored one TD on 26 drives.
— Titans are minus-3 in turnovers (2-5) so far this season.
— Colts converted 8-13 third down plays.
— Tennessee lost 10 of its last 12 games SU.
Dolphins 31, Giants 16
— Miami won/covered four of first five games, scoring 36.2 ppg.
— Dolphins were minus-3 in turnovers, still won by 15 points.
— Miami had touchdown plays of 76-69 yards.
— Under McDaniel, Miami is 6-2 ATS as a home favorite.
— Giants’ only TD was a 102-yard pick-6 in second quarter.
— Miami outgained the Giants, 524-268.
— Last three games, Giants have one TD, ten 3/outs on 30 drives.
— Giants have been outscored 94-19 in first half of their games.
Saints 34, Patriots 0
— Last two games, Patriots were outscored, 72-3.
— Last three games, Patriots have one offensive TD on 37 drives.
— New England is 0-3 at home, losing 25-20/24-17/34-0.
— Last four Patriot games stayed under the total.
— Saints’ first score was a 27-yard pick-6 by Mathieu.
— Under is 5-0 in Saints’ games this season.
— Patriots are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games.
— Since Brady left, NE is 26-28 SU in regular season, 0-1 in playoffs.
Bengals 34, Cardinals 20
— Bengals took lead for good on 11-yard pick-6 1:23 before halftime.
— Chase caught 15 passes for 192 yards, three TD’s.
— Cincinnati is 15-7-1 ATS in last 23 games coming off a loss
— Bengals are 9-4 ATS in last 13 games as a road favorite.
— Arizona trailed 24-20; last four drives, 17 plays, 87 yards, 2 turnovers.
— Arizona has been outscored 78-30 in 2nd half.
— Cardinals lost 15 of last 18 games SU (7-8 ATS in last 15).
— Last four Cardinal games went over the total.
Eagles 23, Rams 14
— Eagles outgained the Rams, 454-249.
— Philly converted 13-18 third down plays.
— TE Goedert caught 8 passes for 117 yards and a TD.
— 5-0 Eagles are 3-1-1 against the spread.
— Rams in first half: 26 plays, 168 yards, 14 points.
— Rams in second half: 29 plays, 95 yards, no points.
— Last four games, LA was outscored 55-19 in 2nd half.
— Rams scored 30-29 points in wins, 23-16-14 in their losses.
Jets 31, Broncos 21
— Jets scored only one offensive TD, but kicked five FG’s.
— Jets salted game away on sack/fumble TD with 0:29 left.
— Last three games, Gang Green converted only 11-48 third down plays.
— Jets’ OC Hackett gets revenge for Denver firing him as HC last year.
— Russell Wilson is 5-15 as Denver’s quarterback.
— Broncos are 1-4 SU/0-5 ATS so far this season.
— Denver gave up 164 points in their last four games.
— Broncos are 4-10-1 ATS last 15 games as a home favorite.
Chiefs 27, Vikings 20
— Chiefs’ first six drives: 56 plays, 306 yards, 27 points.
— Kansas City converted 9-15 third down plays.
— Chiefs won last four games, by 8-31-3-7 points.
— KC is 10-3 ATS in last 13 games vs NFC opponents.
— Game was tied 13-all at halftime.
— Vikings are 1-4 this year, with losses by 3-6-4-7 points.
— LY, Minnesota was 11-0 LY in games decided by 8 or less points.
— Since 2018, Vikings are 17-27-2 ATS coming off a win.
49ers 42, Cowboys 10
— 49ers are 10-1 ATS in last 11 games as a home fave.
— First three drives in 2nd half: 20 plays, 163 yards, 21 points.
— 49ers outscored opponents 71-21 in 2nd half.
— San Francisco scored 33.4 ppg in its 5-0 start (4-0-1 ATS).
— 49ers outgained the Cowboys, 421-197.
— Cowboys went 3/out on eight of their 12 drives.
— Dallas gave up 222-170 rushing yards in its two losses.
— NFC East teams are 6-8-1 ATS outside the division.
Rangers 11, Orioles 8
(Texas leads series, 2-0)
— Texas led 9-0 in third inning.
— Mitch Garver hit a grand slam for the Rangers.
— Corey Seager walked five times, scored twice.
— Rangers are 4-0 in playoffs, haven’t played a home game yet.
Twins 6, Astros 2
(series tied, 1-1)
— Pablo Lopez tossed seven shutout IP.
— Carlos Correa was 3-4 with three RBI
— Astros were 1-7 with RISP
— Houston is 40-43 at home this season.
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday……..
Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends……..
Steelers 17, Ravens 10
— Pickett threw 44-yard TD pass with 1:17 left for game-winning score.
— Steelers are 6-1 SU/5-2 ATS in last seven series games.
— Pitt is 28-15-1 ATS in last 44 games when spread was 3 or fewer points.
— Steelers scored one touchdown on their last 19 drives.
— Ravens’ first 3 drives: 28 plays, 157 yards, 10 points.
— Ravens rest of game: 40 plays, 162 yards, no points.
— Baltimore is 6-11 ATS in last 17 games as a road favorite.
— Ravens are 8-13 ATS in last 21 games coming off a win.
Jaguars 25, Bills 20
— Jaguars led 11-0 8:00 into the game.
— Jacksonville converted 10-18 on third down.
— Etienne ran ball 26 times for 136 yards and two TD’s.
— Lawrence lost two fumbles in Buffalo territory.
— Buffalo’s first four series: 16 plays, 54 yards, four punts.
— Jaguars ran 82 plays, Buffalo only 54.
— Bills ran ball only 14 times, for 29 yards.
— Jaguars scored 21-23-25 points in wins, 9-17 in losses.
Falcons 21, Texans 19
— Falcons drove 51 yards, kicked game-winning 37-yard FG with 0:02 left.
— Atlanta won its three home games, 24-10/25-24/21-20.
— Atlanta averaged 9.2 yards/pass attempt.
— Falcons scored 24-25-21 points in their wins, 6-7 in their losses.
— Texans drove 75 yards, scored only TD to go ahead 19-18 with 1:49 left.
— Houston scored 37-30 points in wins, 9-20-19 in losses.
— Houston is 7-4-1 ATS last 12 games as a road underdog.
— Texans are 12-7-2 ATS last 21 games when spread was 3 or fewer points.
Lions 42, Panthers 24
— Carolina turned ball over on three of first five drives.
— Detroit had TD drives of 20-38-31-51 yards, short drives.
— Lions outscored last four opponents 82-23 in first half.
— Under Campbell, Detroit is 27-11-1 ATS overall, 6-2 as home favorites.
— Detroit led this game 28-10 at halftime.
— In Young’s starts. Carolina averaged 3.2/3.8/4.0/5.9 yards/pass attempt.— Carolina lost first five games (0-4-1 ATS), scoring 18.2 ppg.
— Panthers are 17-26-2 ATS in last 45 games coming off a loss.
Colts 23, Titans 16
— Minshew was 11-15/155 passing, in relief of injured QB Richardson.
— Indy in 2nd half: 3 drives- 30 plays, 217 yards, TD, two FG’s.
— Colts ran for 193 yards, outgained Titans, 429-348.
— Colts’ team total this year: over 4-0-1
— In their losses, Titans scored one TD on 26 drives.
— Titans are minus-3 in turnovers (2-5) so far this season.
— Colts converted 8-13 third down plays.
— Tennessee lost 10 of its last 12 games SU.
Dolphins 31, Giants 16
— Miami won/covered four of first five games, scoring 36.2 ppg.
— Dolphins were minus-3 in turnovers, still won by 15 points.
— Miami had touchdown plays of 76-69 yards.
— Under McDaniel, Miami is 6-2 ATS as a home favorite.
— Giants’ only TD was a 102-yard pick-6 in second quarter.
— Miami outgained the Giants, 524-268.
— Last three games, Giants have one TD, ten 3/outs on 30 drives.
— Giants have been outscored 94-19 in first half of their games.
Saints 34, Patriots 0
— Last two games, Patriots were outscored, 72-3.
— Last three games, Patriots have one offensive TD on 37 drives.
— New England is 0-3 at home, losing 25-20/24-17/34-0.
— Last four Patriot games stayed under the total.
— Saints’ first score was a 27-yard pick-6 by Mathieu.
— Under is 5-0 in Saints’ games this season.
— Patriots are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games.
— Since Brady left, NE is 26-28 SU in regular season, 0-1 in playoffs.
Bengals 34, Cardinals 20
— Bengals took lead for good on 11-yard pick-6 1:23 before halftime.
— Chase caught 15 passes for 192 yards, three TD’s.
— Cincinnati is 15-7-1 ATS in last 23 games coming off a loss
— Bengals are 9-4 ATS in last 13 games as a road favorite.
— Arizona trailed 24-20; last four drives, 17 plays, 87 yards, 2 turnovers.
— Arizona has been outscored 78-30 in 2nd half.
— Cardinals lost 15 of last 18 games SU (7-8 ATS in last 15).
— Last four Cardinal games went over the total.
Eagles 23, Rams 14
— Eagles outgained the Rams, 454-249.
— Philly converted 13-18 third down plays.
— TE Goedert caught 8 passes for 117 yards and a TD.
— 5-0 Eagles are 3-1-1 against the spread.
— Rams in first half: 26 plays, 168 yards, 14 points.
— Rams in second half: 29 plays, 95 yards, no points.
— Last four games, LA was outscored 55-19 in 2nd half.
— Rams scored 30-29 points in wins, 23-16-14 in their losses.
Jets 31, Broncos 21
— Jets scored only one offensive TD, but kicked five FG’s.
— Jets salted game away on sack/fumble TD with 0:29 left.
— Last three games, Gang Green converted only 11-48 third down plays.
— Jets’ OC Hackett gets revenge for Denver firing him as HC last year.
— Russell Wilson is 5-15 as Denver’s quarterback.
— Broncos are 1-4 SU/0-5 ATS so far this season.
— Denver gave up 164 points in their last four games.
— Broncos are 4-10-1 ATS last 15 games as a home favorite.
Chiefs 27, Vikings 20
— Chiefs’ first six drives: 56 plays, 306 yards, 27 points.
— Kansas City converted 9-15 third down plays.
— Chiefs won last four games, by 8-31-3-7 points.
— KC is 10-3 ATS in last 13 games vs NFC opponents.
— Game was tied 13-all at halftime.
— Vikings are 1-4 this year, with losses by 3-6-4-7 points.
— LY, Minnesota was 11-0 LY in games decided by 8 or less points.
— Since 2018, Vikings are 17-27-2 ATS coming off a win.
49ers 42, Cowboys 10
— 49ers are 10-1 ATS in last 11 games as a home fave.
— First three drives in 2nd half: 20 plays, 163 yards, 21 points.
— 49ers outscored opponents 71-21 in 2nd half.
— San Francisco scored 33.4 ppg in its 5-0 start (4-0-1 ATS).
— 49ers outgained the Cowboys, 421-197.
— Cowboys went 3/out on eight of their 12 drives.
— Dallas gave up 222-170 rushing yards in its two losses.
— NFC East teams are 6-8-1 ATS outside the division.
Rangers 11, Orioles 8
(Texas leads series, 2-0)
— Texas led 9-0 in third inning.
— Mitch Garver hit a grand slam for the Rangers.
— Corey Seager walked five times, scored twice.
— Rangers are 4-0 in playoffs, haven’t played a home game yet.
Twins 6, Astros 2
(series tied, 1-1)
— Pablo Lopez tossed seven shutout IP.
— Carlos Correa was 3-4 with three RBI
— Astros were 1-7 with RISP
— Houston is 40-43 at home this season.
- The Packers are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games.
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Green Bay's last 12 games.
- The Packers are 6-3 SU in their last nine games.
- The Raiders are 1-4 ATS in their last five games.
- The total has gone UNDER in four of Las Vegas' last five games.
- The Raiders are 1-6 SU in their last seven games.
- The Raiders are 2-4 SU in their last six home games.
- The Packers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against Las Vegas.
- The Packers are 8-0 SU in their last 8 games against Las Vegas.
- The total has gone OVER in six straight matchups between the Packers and Raiders.
NFL BEST BETS FOR OCTOBER !
10/09/2023...............................2 - 0 ...............................100.00%...................................+ 10.00
10/08/2023...............................7 - 5..................................58.33%...................................+ 7.50
10/05/2023...............................0 - 2.................................00.00%....................................- 11.00
10/02/2023...............................1 - 1..................................50.00%...................................- 00.50
10/01/2023...........................11 - 10 - 1...........................52.27%...................................+ 00.00
TOTALS....................................21 - 18 - 1............................53.84%..................................+ 6.00
10/09/2023...............................2 - 0 ...............................100.00%...................................+ 10.00
10/08/2023...............................7 - 5..................................58.33%...................................+ 7.50
10/05/2023...............................0 - 2.................................00.00%....................................- 11.00
10/02/2023...............................1 - 1..................................50.00%...................................- 00.50
10/01/2023...........................11 - 10 - 1...........................52.27%...................................+ 00.00
TOTALS....................................21 - 18 - 1............................53.84%..................................+ 6.00
