Tuesday’s 6-pack:
NBA players playing the most minutes……..
40.7 mpg— Tyrese Maxey
37.3— Luka Doncic
36.8— Austin Reaves
36.7— Cade Cunningham
36.4— VJ Edgecombe
36.2— Amen Thompson
Quote of the Day
”Only Lane Kiffin would burn a bridge while still trying to stand on it.”
Unnamed person, summing up the weekend in Mississippi
Tuesday’s quiz
Who was the coach of the New England Patriots, just before Bill Belichick?
Monday’s quiz
Lane Kiffin was once the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, in 2007-08
Sunday’s quiz
Mike Shula was the football coach at Alabama, just before Nick Saban.
*******************************************
Patriots in first half: 35 plays, 259 yards, 23 points.
New England also ran a punt back 94 yards for a TD; they led 30-7 at the half.
Patriots won their last ten games (8-2 ATS).
Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.
Giants in first half: 25 plays, 89 yards, 7 points.
Giants have lost their last seven games (3-3 ATS)
Down 17-7, Giants’ kicker fell down when he was trying a FG. Just fell down, never actually kicked the ball.
Giants also fumbled a kickoff in first half; rough night for their special teams.
— New York Mets signed reliever Devin Williams for three years, $51M. Williams had a career-worst 4.79 ERA over 67 appearances for Bronx last year; he is insurance for the Mets if they do not bring Edwin Diaz back in 2026.
— Kentucky fired football coach Mark Stoops, paid him $37.7M to take a hike, after he went 82-80 in 13 years coaching the Wildcats (4-4 in bowls). They replaced him with Will Stein, the offensive coordinator at Oregon, who grew up in Kentucky.
— NC State-Virginia will play a football game in Brazil next August, the first college football game in South America. The game will be played in a 44,661-seat stadium that helped host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
— Missouri recently became the 40th state to have legalized sports betting.
— Denver Broncos are 10-2, but they’ve been behind in every game; they’re the only team ever to win that many games when they trailed in all of them. Next-best record was the 1978 Houston Oilers, who were 8-4 thru 12 games.
— Famous birthdays, December 2nd:
Steven Bauer, 69
OJ McDuffie, 56
Mark Kotsay, 50
Britney Spears, 44
Aaron Rodgers, 42
Daniela Ruah, 42
Matt McGloin, 36
Brandon Knight, 34
Ashton Jeanty, 22
— NFL divisional trends
AFC East
Underdogs 5-3 ATS divisional games
12-6 ATS non-divisional underdogs
AFC North
Home teams 5-1 ATS divisional games
18-24 ATS non-divisional games
AFC South
Home teams, favorites 5-2 ATS divisional games.
12-8 ATS non-divisional underdogs
AFC West
Home teams 4-1 ATS divisional games
4-10 ATS non-divisional road team
8-15 non-divisional favorite.
NFC East
Home teams 5-2 ATS divisional games
6-11 ATS non-divisional underdogs
NFC North
Favorites 4-2 ATS divisional games
11-9 ATS non-divisional favorite
NFC South
Underdogs 3-1 ATS divisional games
16-20 ATS non-divisional games
NFC West
Home teams 1-5 ATS divisional games
16-7 non-divisional favorites
— Middle Tennessee 76, UAB 61
UAB led by a point at halftime.
Blue Raiders are 3-0 vs teams ranked outside top 100
UAB is shooting 26% on the arc this year. (#345)
— Colorado 78, Cal Baptist 70
8-0 Buffs trailed 23-9 midway thru the first half.
Colorado already has three top 100 wins.
Frosh guard Johnson scored 17 points in 27:00 off the bench.
— Bowling Green 82, Kansas State 66
Underdog Falcons never trailed, shot 12-26 on the arc.
Ugly loss for K-State, which shot 12-22 on foul line, 6-23 on arc.
Wildcats have lost three in a row, giving up 86-86-82 points.
— Villanova 74, Temple 56
Villanova led 29-28 at halftime, in this inner-city rivalry.
Wildcats out-rebounded Temple 43-24.
Villanova is 6-1, but lost their only top 100 game (BYU)
NBA players playing the most minutes……..
40.7 mpg— Tyrese Maxey
37.3— Luka Doncic
36.8— Austin Reaves
36.7— Cade Cunningham
36.4— VJ Edgecombe
36.2— Amen Thompson
Quote of the Day
”Only Lane Kiffin would burn a bridge while still trying to stand on it.”
Unnamed person, summing up the weekend in Mississippi
Tuesday’s quiz
Who was the coach of the New England Patriots, just before Bill Belichick?
Monday’s quiz
Lane Kiffin was once the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, in 2007-08
Sunday’s quiz
Mike Shula was the football coach at Alabama, just before Nick Saban.
*******************************************
Tuesday’s Den: Random stuff on a snowy day……..
— Patriots 33, Giants 15Patriots in first half: 35 plays, 259 yards, 23 points.
New England also ran a punt back 94 yards for a TD; they led 30-7 at the half.
Patriots won their last ten games (8-2 ATS).
Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.
Giants in first half: 25 plays, 89 yards, 7 points.
Giants have lost their last seven games (3-3 ATS)
Down 17-7, Giants’ kicker fell down when he was trying a FG. Just fell down, never actually kicked the ball.
Giants also fumbled a kickoff in first half; rough night for their special teams.
— New York Mets signed reliever Devin Williams for three years, $51M. Williams had a career-worst 4.79 ERA over 67 appearances for Bronx last year; he is insurance for the Mets if they do not bring Edwin Diaz back in 2026.
— Kentucky fired football coach Mark Stoops, paid him $37.7M to take a hike, after he went 82-80 in 13 years coaching the Wildcats (4-4 in bowls). They replaced him with Will Stein, the offensive coordinator at Oregon, who grew up in Kentucky.
— NC State-Virginia will play a football game in Brazil next August, the first college football game in South America. The game will be played in a 44,661-seat stadium that helped host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
— Missouri recently became the 40th state to have legalized sports betting.
— Denver Broncos are 10-2, but they’ve been behind in every game; they’re the only team ever to win that many games when they trailed in all of them. Next-best record was the 1978 Houston Oilers, who were 8-4 thru 12 games.
— Famous birthdays, December 2nd:
Steven Bauer, 69
OJ McDuffie, 56
Mark Kotsay, 50
Britney Spears, 44
Aaron Rodgers, 42
Daniela Ruah, 42
Matt McGloin, 36
Brandon Knight, 34
Ashton Jeanty, 22
— NFL divisional trends
AFC East
Underdogs 5-3 ATS divisional games
12-6 ATS non-divisional underdogs
AFC North
Home teams 5-1 ATS divisional games
18-24 ATS non-divisional games
AFC South
Home teams, favorites 5-2 ATS divisional games.
12-8 ATS non-divisional underdogs
AFC West
Home teams 4-1 ATS divisional games
4-10 ATS non-divisional road team
8-15 non-divisional favorite.
NFC East
Home teams 5-2 ATS divisional games
6-11 ATS non-divisional underdogs
NFC North
Favorites 4-2 ATS divisional games
11-9 ATS non-divisional favorite
NFC South
Underdogs 3-1 ATS divisional games
16-20 ATS non-divisional games
NFC West
Home teams 1-5 ATS divisional games
16-7 non-divisional favorites
— Middle Tennessee 76, UAB 61
UAB led by a point at halftime.
Blue Raiders are 3-0 vs teams ranked outside top 100
UAB is shooting 26% on the arc this year. (#345)
— Colorado 78, Cal Baptist 70
8-0 Buffs trailed 23-9 midway thru the first half.
Colorado already has three top 100 wins.
Frosh guard Johnson scored 17 points in 27:00 off the bench.
— Bowling Green 82, Kansas State 66
Underdog Falcons never trailed, shot 12-26 on the arc.
Ugly loss for K-State, which shot 12-22 on foul line, 6-23 on arc.
Wildcats have lost three in a row, giving up 86-86-82 points.
— Villanova 74, Temple 56
Villanova led 29-28 at halftime, in this inner-city rivalry.
Wildcats out-rebounded Temple 43-24.
Villanova is 6-1, but lost their only top 100 game (BYU)
NFL
Week 14
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Trend Report
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Dallas VS Detroit
Dallas is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Dallas' last 9 games.
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
Dallas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games against Detroit.
Detroit is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games.
Detroit is 13-7 SU in its last 20 games.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Detroit's last 12 games against Dallas.
Washington VS Minnesota
Washington is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games.
Washington is 0-7 SU in its last 7 games.
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games against Minnesota.
Minnesota is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games.
Minnesota is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota's last 8 games against Washington.
Seattle VS Atlanta
Seattle is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games.
Seattle is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
Seattle is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games against Atlanta.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games.
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Atlanta's last 12 games against Seattle.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Atlanta's last 10 games at home.
Pittsburgh VS Baltimore
Pittsburgh is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games.
Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
Pittsburgh is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games against Baltimore.
Baltimore is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games.
Baltimore is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Baltimore's last 10 games against Pittsburgh.
Tennessee VS Cleveland
Tennessee is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tennessee's last 6 games.
Tennessee is 0-7 SU in its last 7 games.
Tennessee is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games against Cleveland.
Cleveland is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games.
Cleveland is 3-15 SU in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland's last 8 games against Tennessee.
Indianapolis VS Jacksonville
Indianapolis is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games.
Indianapolis is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games against Jacksonville.
Indianapolis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games against Jacksonville.
Indianapolis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road.
Jacksonville is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Jacksonville's last 5 games against Indianapolis.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Jacksonville's last 7 games at home.
Jacksonville is 9-0 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Indianapolis.
Miami VS New York
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games.
Miami is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
Miami is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games against NY Jets.
Miami is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games against NY Jets.
NY Jets is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 13 of NY Jets' last 19 games.
NY Jets is 5-15 SU in its last 20 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Jets' last 5 games against Miami.
New Orleans VS Tampa Bay
New Orleans is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New Orleans' last 8 games.
New Orleans is 2-14 SU in its last 16 games.
New Orleans is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games against Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games.
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games against New Orleans.
Cincinnati VS Buffalo
Cincinnati is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games.
Cincinnati is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games against Buffalo.
Cincinnati is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games against Buffalo.
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road.
Buffalo is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games.
Buffalo is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Buffalo's last 5 games against Cincinnati.
Denver VS Las Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Denver's last 14 games.
Denver is 9-0 SU in its last 9 games.
Denver is 3-13 ATS in its last 16 games against Las Vegas.
Denver is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games against Las Vegas.
Las Vegas is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Las Vegas' last 18 games.
Las Vegas is 0-6 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Las Vegas' last 18 games against Denver.
Chicago VS Green Bay
Chicago is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games.
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Chicago is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games against Green Bay.
Chicago is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games against Green Bay.
Green Bay is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Green Bay's last 9 games.
Green Bay is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Green Bay's last 6 games at home.
Los Angeles VS Arizona
LA Rams is 15-5 ATS in its last 20 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Rams' last 7 games.
LA Rams is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
LA Rams is 12-4-1 ATS in its last 17 games against Arizona.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Arizona's last 8 games.
Arizona is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games.
Arizona is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Arizona is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against LA Rams.
Houston VS Kansas City
Houston is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games.
Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games against Kansas City.
Kansas City is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games against Houston.
Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Philadelphia VS Los Angeles
Philadelphia is 12-6 ATS in its last 18 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games.
Philadelphia is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games.
Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games against LA Chargers.
LA Chargers is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Chargers' last 7 games.
LA Chargers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Chargers' last 6 games against Philadelphia.
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Week 14
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Trend Report
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Dallas VS Detroit
Dallas is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Dallas' last 9 games.
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
Dallas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games against Detroit.
Detroit is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games.
Detroit is 13-7 SU in its last 20 games.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Detroit's last 12 games against Dallas.
Washington VS Minnesota
Washington is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games.
Washington is 0-7 SU in its last 7 games.
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games against Minnesota.
Minnesota is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games.
Minnesota is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota's last 8 games against Washington.
Seattle VS Atlanta
Seattle is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games.
Seattle is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
Seattle is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games against Atlanta.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games.
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Atlanta's last 12 games against Seattle.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Atlanta's last 10 games at home.
Pittsburgh VS Baltimore
Pittsburgh is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games.
Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
Pittsburgh is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games against Baltimore.
Baltimore is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games.
Baltimore is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Baltimore's last 10 games against Pittsburgh.
Tennessee VS Cleveland
Tennessee is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tennessee's last 6 games.
Tennessee is 0-7 SU in its last 7 games.
Tennessee is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games against Cleveland.
Cleveland is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games.
Cleveland is 3-15 SU in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland's last 8 games against Tennessee.
Indianapolis VS Jacksonville
Indianapolis is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games.
Indianapolis is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games against Jacksonville.
Indianapolis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games against Jacksonville.
Indianapolis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road.
Jacksonville is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Jacksonville's last 5 games against Indianapolis.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Jacksonville's last 7 games at home.
Jacksonville is 9-0 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Indianapolis.
Miami VS New York
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games.
Miami is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
Miami is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games against NY Jets.
Miami is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games against NY Jets.
NY Jets is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 13 of NY Jets' last 19 games.
NY Jets is 5-15 SU in its last 20 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Jets' last 5 games against Miami.
New Orleans VS Tampa Bay
New Orleans is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New Orleans' last 8 games.
New Orleans is 2-14 SU in its last 16 games.
New Orleans is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games against Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games.
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games against New Orleans.
Cincinnati VS Buffalo
Cincinnati is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games.
Cincinnati is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games against Buffalo.
Cincinnati is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games against Buffalo.
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road.
Buffalo is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games.
Buffalo is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Buffalo's last 5 games against Cincinnati.
Denver VS Las Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Denver's last 14 games.
Denver is 9-0 SU in its last 9 games.
Denver is 3-13 ATS in its last 16 games against Las Vegas.
Denver is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games against Las Vegas.
Las Vegas is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Las Vegas' last 18 games.
Las Vegas is 0-6 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Las Vegas' last 18 games against Denver.
Chicago VS Green Bay
Chicago is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games.
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Chicago is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games against Green Bay.
Chicago is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games against Green Bay.
Green Bay is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Green Bay's last 9 games.
Green Bay is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Green Bay's last 6 games at home.
Los Angeles VS Arizona
LA Rams is 15-5 ATS in its last 20 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Rams' last 7 games.
LA Rams is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
LA Rams is 12-4-1 ATS in its last 17 games against Arizona.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Arizona's last 8 games.
Arizona is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games.
Arizona is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Arizona is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against LA Rams.
Houston VS Kansas City
Houston is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games.
Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games against Kansas City.
Kansas City is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games against Houston.
Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Philadelphia VS Los Angeles
Philadelphia is 12-6 ATS in its last 18 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games.
Philadelphia is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games.
Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games against LA Chargers.
LA Chargers is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Chargers' last 7 games.
LA Chargers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Chargers' last 6 games against Philadelphia.
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Wednesday’s 6-pack:
If the NFL Draft was held today…….
1) Tennessee
2) NJ Giants
3) New Orleans
4) Las Vegas
5) Cleveland
6) Washington
Quote of the Day
”What this means to everyone who wears a Mets uniform, is that one of our most popular players, a guy that delivers each and every season, if he’s not safe, then no one’s safe..”
Mets TV announcer/former pitcher Ron Darling, talking about the Brandon Nimmo trade
Wednesday’s quiz
Since 1999, Cleveland Browns have started 42 different QB’s; which one of those 42 QB’s started the most games for Cleveland?
Tuesday’s quiz
Pete Carroll was the coach of the New England Patriots, just before Bill Belichick.
Monday’s quiz
Lane Kiffin was once the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, in 2007-08
***********************************************
— USC 82, Oregon 77
Ducks led by 10 late in the first half.
4-4 Oregon lost its last four games, all vs top 100 teams.
8-0 Trojans shot 58.8% inside the arc.
USC is 4-0 in games decided by 5 or fewer points.
— Purdue 81, Rutgers 65
Rutgers is 0-3 vs top 100 teams, losing by 25-5-16 points.
Rutgers is shooting 46.1% inside arc (#307 in country)
Purdue is 8-0, and they’ve played schedule #57 so far.
— Michigan State 71, Iowa 52
8-0 Spartans shot 58.8% inside arc, out-rebounded Iowa 37-18.
Michigan State led 35-21 at halftime.
Spartans have four top 100 wins; they’ve got #26 eFG% defense in country.
— Famous birthdays, December 3rd:
Tom Woodeshick, 84
Wayne Garrett, 78
Julianne Moore, 65
Daryl Hannah, 65
Gene Nelson, 65
Paul Byrd, 55
Lindsey Hunter, 55
James Laurinaitis, 39
Troy Melton, 25
— UConn 61, Kansas 56
Kansas led 33-29 at halftime.
UConn is 7-1, with three top 100 wins (schedule #56)
Jayhawks star freshman (hamstring) missed his 7th straight game.
— Marquette 75, Valparaiso 72 OT
Valparaiso led by 8 with 7:02 left to play.
Marquette was 27-32 on foul line, Valpo 8-12.
Marquette is 5-4 vs schedule #231 (0-4 vs top 100 teams); junior PG Jones missed his sixth game in a row.
ACC-SEC challenge started Tuesday night…….
— Duke 67, Florida 66
Duke hit a 3-pointer with 0:19 left for the win.
Blue Devils led by 15 late in the first half.
Gators out-rebounded Duke, 44-33.
Duke doesn’t play many non-conference road games:
This year: W114-59 @ Army
Dec 6th @ Michigan State
2024-25: W69-55 @ Arizona
2023-24: L75-80 @ Arkansas
2022-23: none
2021-22: L66-71 @ Ohio State
2020-21: none
2019-20: W87-75 @ Michigan State
— North Carolina 67, Kentucky 64
Kentucky led by six with 5:50 left in the game.
Wildcats were 17-22 on foul line, Tar Heels 9-15.
North Carolina had a 41-30 edge on the boards.
— Texas A&M 81, Pittsburgh 73
Pitt led by 4 with 6:23 left in the game.
Aggies are 7-2, forcing turnovers 22.7% of time (#14)
A&M has #43 eFG% in country under new coach McMillan, who went 93-39 the last four years at Samford in the Southern Conference.
— Virginia Tech 86, South Carolina 83 OT
Hokies shot 58.7% inside arc; they had 37-28 edge on boards.
6-8 junior Hansberry had 22 points, 14 rebounds for Tech.
Tech is 7-2, 3-2 vs top 100 teams (schedule #96).
— Syracuse 62, Tennessee 60
4th straight top 20 game for Syracuse, which lost previous three.
Tennessee shot 4-13 on arc, 8-15 on foul line.
6-8 junior Carey scored 22 points in 23:00 off the bench for the Vols.
— Miami 75, Ole Miss 66
Miami had 45-29 edge on boards; they led 42-26 at halftime.
Ole Miss was only 12-40 (30%) inside the arc.
Miami is 7-2; they’ve got #37 eFG% defense.
— Georgia 107, Florida State 73
Dawgs shot 72.5% inside the arc.
8-1 Georgia led 49-30 at halftime.
5-3 Seminoles lost last two games, by 36-34 points.
— Notre Dame 76, Missouri 71
Missouri led by 12 points late in first half.
First loss for 8-1 Mizzou, which had played schedule #364 before this game.
First top 100 win in four tries for Notre Dame.
— Oklahoma 86, Wake Forest 68
Sooners outscored Wake Forest 49-33 in second half.
Oklahoma out-rebounded the Deacons, 42-24.
Oklahoma is off to a 6-2 start, 2-2 vs top 100 teams.
If the NFL Draft was held today…….
1) Tennessee
2) NJ Giants
3) New Orleans
4) Las Vegas
5) Cleveland
6) Washington
Quote of the Day
”What this means to everyone who wears a Mets uniform, is that one of our most popular players, a guy that delivers each and every season, if he’s not safe, then no one’s safe..”
Mets TV announcer/former pitcher Ron Darling, talking about the Brandon Nimmo trade
Wednesday’s quiz
Since 1999, Cleveland Browns have started 42 different QB’s; which one of those 42 QB’s started the most games for Cleveland?
Tuesday’s quiz
Pete Carroll was the coach of the New England Patriots, just before Bill Belichick.
Monday’s quiz
Lane Kiffin was once the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, in 2007-08
***********************************************
Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings…….
Conference play started in the Big 18 Tuesday night…….— USC 82, Oregon 77
Ducks led by 10 late in the first half.
4-4 Oregon lost its last four games, all vs top 100 teams.
8-0 Trojans shot 58.8% inside the arc.
USC is 4-0 in games decided by 5 or fewer points.
— Purdue 81, Rutgers 65
Rutgers is 0-3 vs top 100 teams, losing by 25-5-16 points.
Rutgers is shooting 46.1% inside arc (#307 in country)
Purdue is 8-0, and they’ve played schedule #57 so far.
— Michigan State 71, Iowa 52
8-0 Spartans shot 58.8% inside arc, out-rebounded Iowa 37-18.
Michigan State led 35-21 at halftime.
Spartans have four top 100 wins; they’ve got #26 eFG% defense in country.
— Famous birthdays, December 3rd:
Tom Woodeshick, 84
Wayne Garrett, 78
Julianne Moore, 65
Daryl Hannah, 65
Gene Nelson, 65
Paul Byrd, 55
Lindsey Hunter, 55
James Laurinaitis, 39
Troy Melton, 25
— UConn 61, Kansas 56
Kansas led 33-29 at halftime.
UConn is 7-1, with three top 100 wins (schedule #56)
Jayhawks star freshman (hamstring) missed his 7th straight game.
— Marquette 75, Valparaiso 72 OT
Valparaiso led by 8 with 7:02 left to play.
Marquette was 27-32 on foul line, Valpo 8-12.
Marquette is 5-4 vs schedule #231 (0-4 vs top 100 teams); junior PG Jones missed his sixth game in a row.
ACC-SEC challenge started Tuesday night…….
— Duke 67, Florida 66
Duke hit a 3-pointer with 0:19 left for the win.
Blue Devils led by 15 late in the first half.
Gators out-rebounded Duke, 44-33.
Duke doesn’t play many non-conference road games:
This year: W114-59 @ Army
Dec 6th @ Michigan State
2024-25: W69-55 @ Arizona
2023-24: L75-80 @ Arkansas
2022-23: none
2021-22: L66-71 @ Ohio State
2020-21: none
2019-20: W87-75 @ Michigan State
— North Carolina 67, Kentucky 64
Kentucky led by six with 5:50 left in the game.
Wildcats were 17-22 on foul line, Tar Heels 9-15.
North Carolina had a 41-30 edge on the boards.
— Texas A&M 81, Pittsburgh 73
Pitt led by 4 with 6:23 left in the game.
Aggies are 7-2, forcing turnovers 22.7% of time (#14)
A&M has #43 eFG% in country under new coach McMillan, who went 93-39 the last four years at Samford in the Southern Conference.
— Virginia Tech 86, South Carolina 83 OT
Hokies shot 58.7% inside arc; they had 37-28 edge on boards.
6-8 junior Hansberry had 22 points, 14 rebounds for Tech.
Tech is 7-2, 3-2 vs top 100 teams (schedule #96).
— Syracuse 62, Tennessee 60
4th straight top 20 game for Syracuse, which lost previous three.
Tennessee shot 4-13 on arc, 8-15 on foul line.
6-8 junior Carey scored 22 points in 23:00 off the bench for the Vols.
— Miami 75, Ole Miss 66
Miami had 45-29 edge on boards; they led 42-26 at halftime.
Ole Miss was only 12-40 (30%) inside the arc.
Miami is 7-2; they’ve got #37 eFG% defense.
— Georgia 107, Florida State 73
Dawgs shot 72.5% inside the arc.
8-1 Georgia led 49-30 at halftime.
5-3 Seminoles lost last two games, by 36-34 points.
— Notre Dame 76, Missouri 71
Missouri led by 12 points late in first half.
First loss for 8-1 Mizzou, which had played schedule #364 before this game.
First top 100 win in four tries for Notre Dame.
— Oklahoma 86, Wake Forest 68
Sooners outscored Wake Forest 49-33 in second half.
Oklahoma out-rebounded the Deacons, 42-24.
Oklahoma is off to a 6-2 start, 2-2 vs top 100 teams.
Thursday’s 6-pack:
Pitchers who induced the highest %age of whiffs last year…….
(Minimum 750 swings)
33.5%- Dylan Cease
32.9%- Logan Gilbert
32.5%- Tarik Skubal
31.5%- Zack Wheeler
31.4%- Hunter Greene
30.8%- Jesus Luzardo
Quote of the Day
“Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time; I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him, too.Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best. Whether that’s in the pros, maybe go be Penn State’s head coach.
You know what he would do in Penn State? He would probably go win national championships, because he’s a great recruiter.”
Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, talking football on his podcast.
Thursday’s quiz
Where did Ben Roethlisberger play his college football?
Wednesday’s quiz
Since 1999, Cleveland Browns have started 42 different QB’s; during that time, Tim Couch/Baker Mayfield (59 starts each) have the most starts for Cleveland.
Tuesday’s quiz
Pete Carroll was the coach of the New England Patriots, just before Bill Belichick.
************************************************
Not all of the podcasts are great, you have to decide that for yourself, but it is good to learn from smart people and I think it helps in making this blog better. Usually if the podcast has BetMGM as a sponsor, that’s a good sign.
That said, there are some podcasts that are comically bad, like a guy sitting in his mom’s basement running his mouth about whatever. You need to avoid those.
— Arkansas 89, Louisville 80
Louisville never led, was 8-37 on the arc.
Arkansas was 27-35 on foul line, Cardinals 14-18
Arkansas is 6-2, 1-2 against top 100 teams.
Coming into this game, Louisville…….
was shooting 37.3% on the arc
was getting 41.2% of their points on 3’s
54.5% of their shots were 3’s
— Minnesota 73, Indiana 64
Gophers snap three-game skid, win Big 18 opener under coach Medved.
Minnesota used only three subs, who played total of only 21:00.
First loss for 7-1 Indiana; it was also their first true road game.
— LSU 78, Boston College 69 OT
LSU played three starters 39:00+.
Tigers are 8-0 vs schedule #294; their last 3 opponents are in top 125.
— Alabama 90, Clemson 84
Alabama led 45-30 at halftime.
Clemson led by 2 with 2:41 left in the game.
Alabama is 6-2 against the toughest schedule in the country so far.
— Furman 97, Elon 88
Elon led by 18 midway thru the first half.
Furman shot 74% inside the arc, scored 1.35 points/possession.
Furman is #24 continuity team; they’re 5-4 vs schedule #88.
— Famous birthdays, December 4th:
Jeff Bridges, 76
Bernard King, 69
Lee Smith, 68
Frank Reich, 64
Stan Gelbaugh, 63
Marisa Tomei, 61
Jeff Blake, 55
Tyra Banks, 52
Blake Snell, 33
Joe Musgrove, 33
Paul Blackburn, 32
Jackson Holliday, 22
— Something I’ve never typed before: Five-star QB Jared Curtis, the #5 recruit in this year’s class, flipped his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt. The kid lives in Nashville, but not many elite players choose the Commodores over blue-blood programs like Georgia.
— These schools have hired new football coaches in the last few days:
South Florida hired Ohio State OC Brian Hartline
Kansas State is hiring Texas A&M OC Collin Klein, a former Wildcat QB
North Texas hired Texas assistant Neal Brown; he was 35-16 coaching Troy State, 37.35 at West Virginia.
UCLA is hiring former James Madison coach Bob Chesney, who has a 131-51 career record, coming up thru the small college ranks. He was 20-5 in two years at James Madison.
— Head coaches at BYU, Texas Tech got raises/contract extensions for staying where they are.
— WR Adam Thielen got asked for/got his release from the Vikings, hooked up with the Steelers, as he tries to make the playoffs in his last NFL season. Thielen is 35; Steelers have the #24 passing game in the NFL right now, so they can use the help.
— Former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has signed on with the Tampa Bay Rays as senior adviser of baseball operations. Hyde managed Baltimore for six years, going 421-497- they were 0-5 in the playoffs, in 2023/2024.
— Former Orioles’ OF Cedric Mullins signed on with Tampa Bay, for one year, $7M; Mullins was a 30-30 guy back in 2021, but hit under .240 the last three years.
Pitchers who induced the highest %age of whiffs last year…….
(Minimum 750 swings)
33.5%- Dylan Cease
32.9%- Logan Gilbert
32.5%- Tarik Skubal
31.5%- Zack Wheeler
31.4%- Hunter Greene
30.8%- Jesus Luzardo
Quote of the Day
“Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time; I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him, too.Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best. Whether that’s in the pros, maybe go be Penn State’s head coach.
You know what he would do in Penn State? He would probably go win national championships, because he’s a great recruiter.”
Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, talking football on his podcast.
Thursday’s quiz
Where did Ben Roethlisberger play his college football?
Wednesday’s quiz
Since 1999, Cleveland Browns have started 42 different QB’s; during that time, Tim Couch/Baker Mayfield (59 starts each) have the most starts for Cleveland.
Tuesday’s quiz
Pete Carroll was the coach of the New England Patriots, just before Bill Belichick.
************************************************
Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud…….
— One of the surprising things that has happened the last year or so is the amount of time I spend watching podcasts on YouTube, whether it is college basketball or fantasy baseball.Not all of the podcasts are great, you have to decide that for yourself, but it is good to learn from smart people and I think it helps in making this blog better. Usually if the podcast has BetMGM as a sponsor, that’s a good sign.
That said, there are some podcasts that are comically bad, like a guy sitting in his mom’s basement running his mouth about whatever. You need to avoid those.
— Arkansas 89, Louisville 80
Louisville never led, was 8-37 on the arc.
Arkansas was 27-35 on foul line, Cardinals 14-18
Arkansas is 6-2, 1-2 against top 100 teams.
Coming into this game, Louisville…….
was shooting 37.3% on the arc
was getting 41.2% of their points on 3’s
54.5% of their shots were 3’s
— Minnesota 73, Indiana 64
Gophers snap three-game skid, win Big 18 opener under coach Medved.
Minnesota used only three subs, who played total of only 21:00.
First loss for 7-1 Indiana; it was also their first true road game.
— LSU 78, Boston College 69 OT
LSU played three starters 39:00+.
Tigers are 8-0 vs schedule #294; their last 3 opponents are in top 125.
— Alabama 90, Clemson 84
Alabama led 45-30 at halftime.
Clemson led by 2 with 2:41 left in the game.
Alabama is 6-2 against the toughest schedule in the country so far.
— Furman 97, Elon 88
Elon led by 18 midway thru the first half.
Furman shot 74% inside the arc, scored 1.35 points/possession.
Furman is #24 continuity team; they’re 5-4 vs schedule #88.
— Famous birthdays, December 4th:
Jeff Bridges, 76
Bernard King, 69
Lee Smith, 68
Frank Reich, 64
Stan Gelbaugh, 63
Marisa Tomei, 61
Jeff Blake, 55
Tyra Banks, 52
Blake Snell, 33
Joe Musgrove, 33
Paul Blackburn, 32
Jackson Holliday, 22
— Something I’ve never typed before: Five-star QB Jared Curtis, the #5 recruit in this year’s class, flipped his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt. The kid lives in Nashville, but not many elite players choose the Commodores over blue-blood programs like Georgia.
— These schools have hired new football coaches in the last few days:
South Florida hired Ohio State OC Brian Hartline
Kansas State is hiring Texas A&M OC Collin Klein, a former Wildcat QB
North Texas hired Texas assistant Neal Brown; he was 35-16 coaching Troy State, 37.35 at West Virginia.
UCLA is hiring former James Madison coach Bob Chesney, who has a 131-51 career record, coming up thru the small college ranks. He was 20-5 in two years at James Madison.
— Head coaches at BYU, Texas Tech got raises/contract extensions for staying where they are.
— WR Adam Thielen got asked for/got his release from the Vikings, hooked up with the Steelers, as he tries to make the playoffs in his last NFL season. Thielen is 35; Steelers have the #24 passing game in the NFL right now, so they can use the help.
— Former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has signed on with the Tampa Bay Rays as senior adviser of baseball operations. Hyde managed Baltimore for six years, going 421-497- they were 0-5 in the playoffs, in 2023/2024.
— Former Orioles’ OF Cedric Mullins signed on with Tampa Bay, for one year, $7M; Mullins was a 30-30 guy back in 2021, but hit under .240 the last three years.
NFL
Weather Report
Thursday, December 4
NFL
Armadillo's Write-up
Week 14
Thursday’s game
Cowboys @ Lions (-3)
Cowboys (6-5-1)
Dallas won its last three games, scoring 33-24-31 points.
Dallas is 5-0-1 scoring 33+ points, 1-5 otherwise.
Dallas is minus-9 in turnovers in losses, +3 in wins.
QB Prescott is 84-56-1 as an NFL starter.
Brian Schottenheimer is 6-5-1 as a head coach.
Cowboys are 6-1 ATS as an underdog this season.
Cowboys are 6-4 ATS last 10 games as a road underdog.
Cowboys are 5-7 ATS last 12 games coming off a win.
Under is 3-1 in their last four games.
NFC East teams are 13-6 ATS as a non-divisional underdog.
Lions (7-5)
Detroit is 3-4 in its last seven games, after a 4-1 start.
Lions are 1-5 when they score less than 34 points.
Detroit was held to 13-17-24-9-24 points in its losses.
QB Goff is 92-62-1 as an NFL starter, 50-35-1 with Detroit.
Campbell is 54-42-1 as an NFL head coach.
.
Lions are 17-11 ATS last 28 games as a home favorite.
Lions are 10-1 ATS last 11 games coming off a loss.
Detroit has five wins this year by 13+ points.
Last 11 games, Lions are +6 in turnovers.
NFC North favorites are 11-9 ATS in non-divisional games.
Both teams played on Thursday last week, so normal rest.
Dallas won five of last six series games, but….…
…..Lions (-3) won 47-9 in Dallas last season.
This is Cowboys’ first visit to Detroit since 2019.
Over is 9-2 in last eleven meetings.
Weather Report
Thursday, December 4
NFL
Armadillo's Write-up
Week 14
Thursday’s game
Cowboys @ Lions (-3)
Cowboys (6-5-1)
Dallas won its last three games, scoring 33-24-31 points.
Dallas is 5-0-1 scoring 33+ points, 1-5 otherwise.
Dallas is minus-9 in turnovers in losses, +3 in wins.
QB Prescott is 84-56-1 as an NFL starter.
Brian Schottenheimer is 6-5-1 as a head coach.
Cowboys are 6-1 ATS as an underdog this season.
Cowboys are 6-4 ATS last 10 games as a road underdog.
Cowboys are 5-7 ATS last 12 games coming off a win.
Under is 3-1 in their last four games.
NFC East teams are 13-6 ATS as a non-divisional underdog.
Lions (7-5)
Detroit is 3-4 in its last seven games, after a 4-1 start.
Lions are 1-5 when they score less than 34 points.
Detroit was held to 13-17-24-9-24 points in its losses.
QB Goff is 92-62-1 as an NFL starter, 50-35-1 with Detroit.
Campbell is 54-42-1 as an NFL head coach.
.
Lions are 17-11 ATS last 28 games as a home favorite.
Lions are 10-1 ATS last 11 games coming off a loss.
Detroit has five wins this year by 13+ points.
Last 11 games, Lions are +6 in turnovers.
NFC North favorites are 11-9 ATS in non-divisional games.
Both teams played on Thursday last week, so normal rest.
Dallas won five of last six series games, but….…
…..Lions (-3) won 47-9 in Dallas last season.
This is Cowboys’ first visit to Detroit since 2019.
Over is 9-2 in last eleven meetings.
Friday’s 6-pack:
Chris Paul’s career earnings, by team:
$122M— Clippers
$100M— Suns
$60M— Rockets
$44M— Hornets
$36M— Thunder
$31M— Warriors
$11M— Spurs
Quote of the Day
“Obviously it’s a difficult season. It’s probably one of the most difficult seasons just off of the circumstances, having a young quarterback, having a different team, having young players on the team. So it’s just one of those years. Not every year is going to be a top-tier year for me.”
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson
Friday’s quiz
28 major leaguers have hit 500+ career home runs; of those 28 players, who had the highest batting average?
Thursday’s quiz
Ben Roethlisberger played his college football at Miami OH
Wednesday’s quiz
Since 1999, Cleveland Browns have started 42 different QB’s; during that time, Tim Couch/Baker Mayfield (59 starts each) have the most starts for Cleveland.
****************************************************************
Lions had 11 drives: 5 TD’s, 3-4 on FG’s, 2 punts.
Goff threw for 309 yards and a TD.
Detroit is 11-1 ATS last 12 games coming off a loss.
Last 12 games, Lions are +9 in turnovers.
Lions are 18-11 ATS last 29 games as a home favorite.
Detroit has six wins this year by 13+ points.
Prescott threw for 376 yards, but threw two INTs.
Dallas is 5-0-1 scoring 33+ points, 1-6 scoring less than 33.
Big West started conference play Thursday:
— Cal-Santa Barbara 84, Long Beach State 77 OT
Gauchos were 32-38 on foul line, Long Beach 19-24.
Aidan Mahaney played 40:00, scored 26 points for UCSB.
UCSB is 8-2, but 1-2 vs teams ranked in top 150.
— Cal Poly 94, Fullerton 91
Cal Poly plays #2 tempo in country; they shot 18-37 on the arc.
Peter Bandelj scored 37 points for the Mustangs.
Fullerton’s bench outscored Cal Poly’s subs, 55-18.
— Cal-Irvine 73, Cal-Riverside 60
Both teams shot under 40% inside the arc.
Anteaters shot 10-18 on the arc; unusual for them.
Right now, Irvine has the #4 eFG% defense in the country.
— Cal-Northridge 87, Cal-Bakersfield 66
Matadors shot 65.1% inside the arc- they need to get layups.
Northridge is shooting 27.1% on arc (#335), 66.5% on line (#298)
Roadrunners are 1-5 vs teams ranked in the top 250.
— Robert Morris 80, Green Bay 78
Colonials outscored Green Bay 15-2 over the final 2:53.
Green Bay shot 63.3% inside arc, was 25-31 on foul line.
Robert Morris is off to 7-3 start; they were 26-9 last year.
— Merrimack 68, Rider 66
Merrimack shot 56% inside arc; they’re shooting 45.4% for year (#324)
6-2 frosh Kennedy played all 40:00, scored 19 points.
Merrimack is #363 team in country on defensive boards.
— Famous birthdays, December 5th:
Jeroen Krabbe, 81
Jim Plunkett, 78
Bill Simpson, 74
Babe Laufenberg, 66
Charlie Batch, 51
LeGarrette Blount, 39
— If you had Boston College +7.5 Wednesday night at home vs LSU, you had a very bad beat; game went to overtime, and LSU won by nine, 78-69. Three of BC’s top four scorers were guys who didn’t start.
— Chris Paul is in his 21st season in the NBA, but the LA Clippers sent him home this week and he is no longer on the team, a surprising event. Clippers are 5-16, have lost 14 of their last 16 games.
He’s made $403M in salary in his Hall of Fame career
— San Francisco Giants hired former big league manager Ron Washington as infield coach; Washington had heart bypass surgery this past summer, he is 73 years old. Giants have a new manager this coming year, former Tennessee Vols manager Tony Vitello.
— Some bowl matchups have been set:
Cure Bowl- South Florida vs Old Dominion
Xbox Bowl- Arkansas State vs Missouri State
Hawai’i Bowl- California @ Hawai’i
— James Madison hired former Florida coach Billy Napier as its new football coach; Napier was 40-12 in four years at Louisiana, 22-23 in four years with the Gators- he got fired this year when Florida started the season 3-4.
James Madison is 101-21 since 2016, as they moved up to the I-A level.
— Red Sox-Pirates made a trade Thursday:
Pirates acquired:
OF Jhostynxon Garcia
P Jesus Travieso
Red Sox acquired:
P Johan Oviedo
P Tyler Samaniego
C Adonys Guzman
Chris Paul’s career earnings, by team:
$122M— Clippers
$100M— Suns
$60M— Rockets
$44M— Hornets
$36M— Thunder
$31M— Warriors
$11M— Spurs
Quote of the Day
“Obviously it’s a difficult season. It’s probably one of the most difficult seasons just off of the circumstances, having a young quarterback, having a different team, having young players on the team. So it’s just one of those years. Not every year is going to be a top-tier year for me.”
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson
Friday’s quiz
28 major leaguers have hit 500+ career home runs; of those 28 players, who had the highest batting average?
Thursday’s quiz
Ben Roethlisberger played his college football at Miami OH
Wednesday’s quiz
Since 1999, Cleveland Browns have started 42 different QB’s; during that time, Tim Couch/Baker Mayfield (59 starts each) have the most starts for Cleveland.
****************************************************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff, with the weekend here…….
— Lions 44, Cowboys 30Lions had 11 drives: 5 TD’s, 3-4 on FG’s, 2 punts.
Goff threw for 309 yards and a TD.
Detroit is 11-1 ATS last 12 games coming off a loss.
Last 12 games, Lions are +9 in turnovers.
Lions are 18-11 ATS last 29 games as a home favorite.
Detroit has six wins this year by 13+ points.
Prescott threw for 376 yards, but threw two INTs.
Dallas is 5-0-1 scoring 33+ points, 1-6 scoring less than 33.
Big West started conference play Thursday:
— Cal-Santa Barbara 84, Long Beach State 77 OT
Gauchos were 32-38 on foul line, Long Beach 19-24.
Aidan Mahaney played 40:00, scored 26 points for UCSB.
UCSB is 8-2, but 1-2 vs teams ranked in top 150.
— Cal Poly 94, Fullerton 91
Cal Poly plays #2 tempo in country; they shot 18-37 on the arc.
Peter Bandelj scored 37 points for the Mustangs.
Fullerton’s bench outscored Cal Poly’s subs, 55-18.
— Cal-Irvine 73, Cal-Riverside 60
Both teams shot under 40% inside the arc.
Anteaters shot 10-18 on the arc; unusual for them.
Right now, Irvine has the #4 eFG% defense in the country.
— Cal-Northridge 87, Cal-Bakersfield 66
Matadors shot 65.1% inside the arc- they need to get layups.
Northridge is shooting 27.1% on arc (#335), 66.5% on line (#298)
Roadrunners are 1-5 vs teams ranked in the top 250.
— Robert Morris 80, Green Bay 78
Colonials outscored Green Bay 15-2 over the final 2:53.
Green Bay shot 63.3% inside arc, was 25-31 on foul line.
Robert Morris is off to 7-3 start; they were 26-9 last year.
— Merrimack 68, Rider 66
Merrimack shot 56% inside arc; they’re shooting 45.4% for year (#324)
6-2 frosh Kennedy played all 40:00, scored 19 points.
Merrimack is #363 team in country on defensive boards.
— Famous birthdays, December 5th:
Jeroen Krabbe, 81
Jim Plunkett, 78
Bill Simpson, 74
Babe Laufenberg, 66
Charlie Batch, 51
LeGarrette Blount, 39
— If you had Boston College +7.5 Wednesday night at home vs LSU, you had a very bad beat; game went to overtime, and LSU won by nine, 78-69. Three of BC’s top four scorers were guys who didn’t start.
— Chris Paul is in his 21st season in the NBA, but the LA Clippers sent him home this week and he is no longer on the team, a surprising event. Clippers are 5-16, have lost 14 of their last 16 games.
He’s made $403M in salary in his Hall of Fame career
— San Francisco Giants hired former big league manager Ron Washington as infield coach; Washington had heart bypass surgery this past summer, he is 73 years old. Giants have a new manager this coming year, former Tennessee Vols manager Tony Vitello.
— Some bowl matchups have been set:
Cure Bowl- South Florida vs Old Dominion
Xbox Bowl- Arkansas State vs Missouri State
Hawai’i Bowl- California @ Hawai’i
— James Madison hired former Florida coach Billy Napier as its new football coach; Napier was 40-12 in four years at Louisiana, 22-23 in four years with the Gators- he got fired this year when Florida started the season 3-4.
James Madison is 101-21 since 2016, as they moved up to the I-A level.
— Red Sox-Pirates made a trade Thursday:
Pirates acquired:
OF Jhostynxon Garcia
P Jesus Travieso
Red Sox acquired:
P Johan Oviedo
P Tyler Samaniego
C Adonys Guzman
Saturday’s 6-pack:
Most targets per game this year in the NFL:
11.9— Ja’Marr Chase
10.4— Drake London
9.8— Trey McBride/Rashee Rice
9.7— Puka Nacua
9.6— Chris Olave
9.3— Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Quote of the Day
“The only way you’ll see actual player stability is if they go to employment status and have a contract. That would be the only thing holding them… which would be nice, so agents wouldn’t be able to rob kids anymore.”
UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin
Saturday’s quiz
In history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, what QB threw for the most yards in a season?
Friday’s quiz
28 major leaguers have hit 500+ career home runs; of those 28 players, Ted Williams had the highest batting average.
Thursday’s quiz
Ben Roethlisberger played his college football at Miami OH
*********************************************
UNT outgained Tulane 415-344, but was minus-5 in turnovers.
Green Wave led 24-6 at halftime; they’ll probably be in the 12-team playoff.
Both head coaches in this game are moving on to bigger $$$ jobs.
North Texas freshman QB Mestamaker has led the Mean Green to an 11-2 record; he didn’t start any games when he was in high school. Kind of amazing.
— James Madison 31, Troy 14
12-1 Dukes ran the ball 42 times for 318 yards (7.6 yards/carry)
JMU outgained the Trojans, 411-177.
Dukes led 17-14 at halftime.
JMU’s last TD was a defensive score that salted the game away.
— Kennesaw State 19, Jacksonville State 15
Owls win Conference USA in their first year as a I-A team.
Kennesaw drove 75 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:51 left.
Owls led 12-0 after three quarters, but Jax State led 15-12 with 4:00 left.
— Boise State 38, UNLV 21
Broncos win their third straight Mountain West title.
Next year, Boise is joining the revamped Pac-12.
Boise led 21-0 midway thru the second quarter.
Broncos are likely going to play Washington in the LA Bowl.
— Gonzaga 94, Kentucky 59
Gonzaga crushed the Wildcats; they led 43-20 at halftime.
Zags lost their previous game, nine days ago, 101-61 to Michigan.
Kentucky is 5-4, 0-4 vs top 100 teams, 0-4 when they allow 60+ points.
— Xavier 79, Cincinnati 74
Crosstown rivalry game was 37-37 at halftime.
Xavier shot 66.7% inside arc, only 6-28 on the arc.
In a 74-possession game, Xavier had only four turnovers.
— Notre Dame 87, TCU 85 OT
Horned Frogs led by 11 late in the first half.
Notre Dame won despite going 9-20 on the foul line.
Notre Dame shot 61.8% inside arc, made 12-26 on the arc.
— UAB 74, Drake 69
Blazers out-rebounded Drake, 44-30.
Drake led by 5 early in the second half.
UAB was 21-28 on foul line, Bulldogs 12-16.
— Famous birthdays, December 6th:
Larry Bowa, 80
Steven Wright, 70
Lindsay Scott, 65
Lance Blankenship, 62
Kevin Appier, 58
Sarah Rafferty, 58
Kevin Cash, 48
Adam Eaton, 37
Johnny Manziel, 33
Giannis Antetokounmpo, 31
— Penn State hit the jackpot with their coaching search, hiring former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell as their new football coach.
Campbell was 35-15 in four years at Toledo, then went to Iowa State and was 72-55 in ten years coaching the Cyclones. Iowa State is tough place to win; Campbell is a very good coach.
— Iowa State is replacing Campbell with Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers, who led the Coogs to a 6-6 record this year, despite not being in a league. Next year, Wazzu will have its third head coach in three years, but at least they’ll back in a league.
— Kansas State changed football coaches this week; Chris Klieman retired after going 54-34 in the Little Apple, an impressive run. There were reports that the players voted to skip going to a bowl game this year, after a 6-6 regular season, but K-State alum Collin Klein is the new coach, and whole bowl thing was still up in the air late Friday night.
— Random fact: 17 NFL teams play their home games on artificial turf fields, 15 play on natural grass.
— Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey kicked five field goals Thursday night, making kicks from 55-57-63 yards; he is the first kicker EVER to make three FG’s of 55+ yards in the same game.
— If you like college basketball, you should have ESPN+; they show ton of games on there, and you can watch replays of games all night, including teams from smaller leagues.
Most targets per game this year in the NFL:
11.9— Ja’Marr Chase
10.4— Drake London
9.8— Trey McBride/Rashee Rice
9.7— Puka Nacua
9.6— Chris Olave
9.3— Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Quote of the Day
“The only way you’ll see actual player stability is if they go to employment status and have a contract. That would be the only thing holding them… which would be nice, so agents wouldn’t be able to rob kids anymore.”
UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin
Saturday’s quiz
In history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, what QB threw for the most yards in a season?
Friday’s quiz
28 major leaguers have hit 500+ career home runs; of those 28 players, Ted Williams had the highest batting average.
Thursday’s quiz
Ben Roethlisberger played his college football at Miami OH
*********************************************
Saturday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..
— Tulane 34, North Texas 21UNT outgained Tulane 415-344, but was minus-5 in turnovers.
Green Wave led 24-6 at halftime; they’ll probably be in the 12-team playoff.
Both head coaches in this game are moving on to bigger $$$ jobs.
North Texas freshman QB Mestamaker has led the Mean Green to an 11-2 record; he didn’t start any games when he was in high school. Kind of amazing.
— James Madison 31, Troy 14
12-1 Dukes ran the ball 42 times for 318 yards (7.6 yards/carry)
JMU outgained the Trojans, 411-177.
Dukes led 17-14 at halftime.
JMU’s last TD was a defensive score that salted the game away.
— Kennesaw State 19, Jacksonville State 15
Owls win Conference USA in their first year as a I-A team.
Kennesaw drove 75 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:51 left.
Owls led 12-0 after three quarters, but Jax State led 15-12 with 4:00 left.
— Boise State 38, UNLV 21
Broncos win their third straight Mountain West title.
Next year, Boise is joining the revamped Pac-12.
Boise led 21-0 midway thru the second quarter.
Broncos are likely going to play Washington in the LA Bowl.
— Gonzaga 94, Kentucky 59
Gonzaga crushed the Wildcats; they led 43-20 at halftime.
Zags lost their previous game, nine days ago, 101-61 to Michigan.
Kentucky is 5-4, 0-4 vs top 100 teams, 0-4 when they allow 60+ points.
— Xavier 79, Cincinnati 74
Crosstown rivalry game was 37-37 at halftime.
Xavier shot 66.7% inside arc, only 6-28 on the arc.
In a 74-possession game, Xavier had only four turnovers.
— Notre Dame 87, TCU 85 OT
Horned Frogs led by 11 late in the first half.
Notre Dame won despite going 9-20 on the foul line.
Notre Dame shot 61.8% inside arc, made 12-26 on the arc.
— UAB 74, Drake 69
Blazers out-rebounded Drake, 44-30.
Drake led by 5 early in the second half.
UAB was 21-28 on foul line, Bulldogs 12-16.
— Famous birthdays, December 6th:
Larry Bowa, 80
Steven Wright, 70
Lindsay Scott, 65
Lance Blankenship, 62
Kevin Appier, 58
Sarah Rafferty, 58
Kevin Cash, 48
Adam Eaton, 37
Johnny Manziel, 33
Giannis Antetokounmpo, 31
— Penn State hit the jackpot with their coaching search, hiring former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell as their new football coach.
Campbell was 35-15 in four years at Toledo, then went to Iowa State and was 72-55 in ten years coaching the Cyclones. Iowa State is tough place to win; Campbell is a very good coach.
— Iowa State is replacing Campbell with Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers, who led the Coogs to a 6-6 record this year, despite not being in a league. Next year, Wazzu will have its third head coach in three years, but at least they’ll back in a league.
— Kansas State changed football coaches this week; Chris Klieman retired after going 54-34 in the Little Apple, an impressive run. There were reports that the players voted to skip going to a bowl game this year, after a 6-6 regular season, but K-State alum Collin Klein is the new coach, and whole bowl thing was still up in the air late Friday night.
— Random fact: 17 NFL teams play their home games on artificial turf fields, 15 play on natural grass.
— Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey kicked five field goals Thursday night, making kicks from 55-57-63 yards; he is the first kicker EVER to make three FG’s of 55+ yards in the same game.
— If you like college basketball, you should have ESPN+; they show ton of games on there, and you can watch replays of games all night, including teams from smaller leagues.
Sunday’s 6-pack:
Leading scorers in the NBA:
35.3— Luka Doncic, LAL
32.8— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC
31.6— Tyrese Maxey, Phil
30.6— Donovan Mitchell, Clev
29.3— Austin Reaves, LAL
29.2— Nikola Jokic, Den
Quote of the Day
“If this game applies to and takes away from our résumé, I don’t think that’s right. I really don’t. I think the precedent’s been set and I don’t know how you can go into a conference playoff game when you’re the No. 1 seed and did all these things throughout the year — and playing in this game against one of the top teams in the country as well — how that can hurt you and keep you out of the playoff when again, we’ve done what we’ve done all year.”
Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer
Sunday’s quiz
Where did Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert play his college football?
Saturday’s quiz
In history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady threw for the most yards in a season, in 2021.
Friday’s quiz
28 major leaguers have hit 500+ career home runs; of those 28 players, Ted Williams had the highest batting average.
********************************************
Cyclones shot 11-23 on arc, scored 1.25 ppp
Iowa State outscored Purdue 46-27 in second half.
First loss for 8-1 Purdue, which has played schedule #26.
— Duke 66, Michigan State 60
Michigan State shot only 29.5% inside the arc.
First loss for 8-1 Spartans, who have played schedule #35.
Duke is 10-0, with five top 100 wins.
— Washington 84, USC 76
Trojans led 48-30 at halftime.
Huskies out-rebounded USC, 45-31.
First loss for 8-1 USC, which has five wins by 5 or fewer points.
— Louisville 87, Indiana 78
Cardinals led 41-27 at halftime.
Louisville shot 13-31 on the arc, 12-23 inside the arc.
Ryan Conwell is a senior G for Louisville. His college career:
2022-23- South Florida- coach got fired after 14-18 season
2023-24- Indiana State- coach bolted to Saint Louis after a 32-7 season
2024-25- Xavier- coach bolted to Texas after a 22-12 season
2025-26- Louisville
— Memphis 78, Baylor 71
Memphis subs outscored Baylor’s thin bench, 37-15
Baylor’s subs play #356 minutes in country, bottom 10 figure.
Bears shot only 33.3% inside arc in this game.
— Basketball Upsets of the Day:
Omaha (+8.5) 60, Portland State 55
SE Missouri State (+6.5) 74, Chattanooga 70
Western Michigan (+6.5) 83, SIU-Edwardsville 73
NC-Greensboro (+6.5) 82, East Carolina 78
Iowa State (+5.5) 81, Purdue 58
Boise State (+5.5) 77, Butler 68
Cal-Riverside (+5.5) 88, Cal Poly 84
— Georgia 28, Alabama 7
Alabama ran the ball 16 times, for minus-3 yards.
Just 2nd win For Georgia in last 12 games vs Alabama.
Alabama is on the bubble now to get into the 12-team playoff.
— Indiana 13, Ohio State 10
Down 13-10, Buckeyes missed a 27-yard field goal with 2:48 left.
Indiana wins its first league title since 1967.
Ohio State ran ball 26 times for only 58 yards.
— Duke 27, Virginia 20 OT
Virginia scored 10 points in last 4:00 to force overtime.
Duke scored TD in OT on a 4th down pass play.
8-5 Duke wins ACC title; will ACC have team in the playoff?
— Texas Tech 34, BYU 7
BYU drove 90 yards for a TD on their first drive.
Rest of game, BYU ran 45 plays for 110 yards.
Texss Tech likely gets a first-round bye in the playoff.
— Western Michigan 23, Miami OH 13
Broncos had a 67-yard TD run 1:27 into the game.
WMU ran ball 56 times for 286 yards (5.1 yards/carry)
Western Michigan is 9-3-1 against spread this year.
— Famous birthdays, December 7th:
Ellen Burstyn, 93
Al Woodall, 80
Johnny Bench, 78
Larry Bird, 69
Mel Owens, 67
C Thomas Howell, 59
Eric Chavez, 48
Lou Amundson, 43
Jake McQuaide, 38
Kyle Hendricks, 36
Pete Alonso, 31
Hunter Henry, 31
One of my favorites, the late Ted Knight, was born on this day in 1923.
— Illinois 75, Tennessee 62
Tennessee led 32-30 at halftime.
Illinois shot 11-28 on arc, scored 1.21 points/possession.
Tennessee lost its last three gams, after a 7-0 start.
— New Hampshire 88, Boston U 82 OT
Terriers led 65-40 with 10:42 left in the game.
New Hampshire had been 0-7 vs Division I opponents.
— Oral Roberts 72, Montana State 68
Bobcats led 42-22 at halftime.
Oral Roberts was 24-26 on foul line, Montana State 9-13.
Ty Harper was 14-16 on foul line; took more FT’s than the other team.
— Arizona 97, Auburn 68
Arizona led 44-32 at halftime.
Arizona is 8-0, with four top 40 wins.
Auburn is 7-3, 3-3 vs top 100 opponents.
Leading scorers in the NBA:
35.3— Luka Doncic, LAL
32.8— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC
31.6— Tyrese Maxey, Phil
30.6— Donovan Mitchell, Clev
29.3— Austin Reaves, LAL
29.2— Nikola Jokic, Den
Quote of the Day
“If this game applies to and takes away from our résumé, I don’t think that’s right. I really don’t. I think the precedent’s been set and I don’t know how you can go into a conference playoff game when you’re the No. 1 seed and did all these things throughout the year — and playing in this game against one of the top teams in the country as well — how that can hurt you and keep you out of the playoff when again, we’ve done what we’ve done all year.”
Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer
Sunday’s quiz
Where did Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert play his college football?
Saturday’s quiz
In history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady threw for the most yards in a season, in 2021.
Friday’s quiz
28 major leaguers have hit 500+ career home runs; of those 28 players, Ted Williams had the highest batting average.
********************************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy Saturday…….
— Iowa State 81, Purdue 58Cyclones shot 11-23 on arc, scored 1.25 ppp
Iowa State outscored Purdue 46-27 in second half.
First loss for 8-1 Purdue, which has played schedule #26.
— Duke 66, Michigan State 60
Michigan State shot only 29.5% inside the arc.
First loss for 8-1 Spartans, who have played schedule #35.
Duke is 10-0, with five top 100 wins.
— Washington 84, USC 76
Trojans led 48-30 at halftime.
Huskies out-rebounded USC, 45-31.
First loss for 8-1 USC, which has five wins by 5 or fewer points.
— Louisville 87, Indiana 78
Cardinals led 41-27 at halftime.
Louisville shot 13-31 on the arc, 12-23 inside the arc.
Ryan Conwell is a senior G for Louisville. His college career:
2022-23- South Florida- coach got fired after 14-18 season
2023-24- Indiana State- coach bolted to Saint Louis after a 32-7 season
2024-25- Xavier- coach bolted to Texas after a 22-12 season
2025-26- Louisville
— Memphis 78, Baylor 71
Memphis subs outscored Baylor’s thin bench, 37-15
Baylor’s subs play #356 minutes in country, bottom 10 figure.
Bears shot only 33.3% inside arc in this game.
— Basketball Upsets of the Day:
Omaha (+8.5) 60, Portland State 55
SE Missouri State (+6.5) 74, Chattanooga 70
Western Michigan (+6.5) 83, SIU-Edwardsville 73
NC-Greensboro (+6.5) 82, East Carolina 78
Iowa State (+5.5) 81, Purdue 58
Boise State (+5.5) 77, Butler 68
Cal-Riverside (+5.5) 88, Cal Poly 84
— Georgia 28, Alabama 7
Alabama ran the ball 16 times, for minus-3 yards.
Just 2nd win For Georgia in last 12 games vs Alabama.
Alabama is on the bubble now to get into the 12-team playoff.
— Indiana 13, Ohio State 10
Down 13-10, Buckeyes missed a 27-yard field goal with 2:48 left.
Indiana wins its first league title since 1967.
Ohio State ran ball 26 times for only 58 yards.
— Duke 27, Virginia 20 OT
Virginia scored 10 points in last 4:00 to force overtime.
Duke scored TD in OT on a 4th down pass play.
8-5 Duke wins ACC title; will ACC have team in the playoff?
— Texas Tech 34, BYU 7
BYU drove 90 yards for a TD on their first drive.
Rest of game, BYU ran 45 plays for 110 yards.
Texss Tech likely gets a first-round bye in the playoff.
— Western Michigan 23, Miami OH 13
Broncos had a 67-yard TD run 1:27 into the game.
WMU ran ball 56 times for 286 yards (5.1 yards/carry)
Western Michigan is 9-3-1 against spread this year.
— Famous birthdays, December 7th:
Ellen Burstyn, 93
Al Woodall, 80
Johnny Bench, 78
Larry Bird, 69
Mel Owens, 67
C Thomas Howell, 59
Eric Chavez, 48
Lou Amundson, 43
Jake McQuaide, 38
Kyle Hendricks, 36
Pete Alonso, 31
Hunter Henry, 31
One of my favorites, the late Ted Knight, was born on this day in 1923.
— Illinois 75, Tennessee 62
Tennessee led 32-30 at halftime.
Illinois shot 11-28 on arc, scored 1.21 points/possession.
Tennessee lost its last three gams, after a 7-0 start.
— New Hampshire 88, Boston U 82 OT
Terriers led 65-40 with 10:42 left in the game.
New Hampshire had been 0-7 vs Division I opponents.
— Oral Roberts 72, Montana State 68
Bobcats led 42-22 at halftime.
Oral Roberts was 24-26 on foul line, Montana State 9-13.
Ty Harper was 14-16 on foul line; took more FT’s than the other team.
— Arizona 97, Auburn 68
Arizona led 44-32 at halftime.
Arizona is 8-0, with four top 40 wins.
Auburn is 7-3, 3-3 vs top 100 opponents.
Sunday’s 6-pack:
Leading scorers in the NBA:
35.3— Luka Doncic, LAL
32.8— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC
31.6— Tyrese Maxey, Phil
30.6— Donovan Mitchell, Clev
29.3— Austin Reaves, LAL
29.2— Nikola Jokic, Den
Quote of the Day
“If this game applies to and takes away from our résumé, I don’t think that’s right. I really don’t. I think the precedent’s been set and I don’t know how you can go into a conference playoff game when you’re the No. 1 seed and did all these things throughout the year — and playing in this game against one of the top teams in the country as well — how that can hurt you and keep you out of the playoff when again, we’ve done what we’ve done all year.”
Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer
Sunday’s quiz
Where did Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert play his college football?
Saturday’s quiz
In history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady threw for the most yards in a season, in 2021.
Friday’s quiz
28 major leaguers have hit 500+ career home runs; of those 28 players, Ted Williams had the highest batting average.
********************************************
Cyclones shot 11-23 on arc, scored 1.25 ppp
Iowa State outscored Purdue 46-27 in second half.
First loss for 8-1 Purdue, which has played schedule #26.
— Duke 66, Michigan State 60
Michigan State shot only 29.5% inside the arc.
First loss for 8-1 Spartans, who have played schedule #35.
Duke is 10-0, with five top 100 wins.
— Washington 84, USC 76
Trojans led 48-30 at halftime.
Huskies out-rebounded USC, 45-31.
First loss for 8-1 USC, which has five wins by 5 or fewer points.
— Louisville 87, Indiana 78
Cardinals led 41-27 at halftime.
Louisville shot 13-31 on the arc, 12-23 inside the arc.
Ryan Conwell is a senior G for Louisville. His college career:
2022-23- South Florida- coach got fired after 14-18 season
2023-24- Indiana State- coach bolted to Saint Louis after a 32-7 season
2024-25- Xavier- coach bolted to Texas after a 22-12 season
2025-26- Louisville
— Memphis 78, Baylor 71
Memphis subs outscored Baylor’s thin bench, 37-15
Baylor’s subs play #356 minutes in country, bottom 10 figure.
Bears shot only 33.3% inside arc in this game.
— Basketball Upsets of the Day:
Omaha (+8.5) 60, Portland State 55
SE Missouri State (+6.5) 74, Chattanooga 70
Western Michigan (+6.5) 83, SIU-Edwardsville 73
NC-Greensboro (+6.5) 82, East Carolina 78
Iowa State (+5.5) 81, Purdue 58
Boise State (+5.5) 77, Butler 68
Cal-Riverside (+5.5) 88, Cal Poly 84
— Georgia 28, Alabama 7
Alabama ran the ball 16 times, for minus-3 yards.
Just 2nd win For Georgia in last 12 games vs Alabama.
Alabama is on the bubble now to get into the 12-team playoff.
— Indiana 13, Ohio State 10
Down 13-10, Buckeyes missed a 27-yard field goal with 2:48 left.
Indiana wins its first league title since 1967.
Ohio State ran ball 26 times for only 58 yards.
— Duke 27, Virginia 20 OT
Virginia scored 10 points in last 4:00 to force overtime.
Duke scored TD in OT on a 4th down pass play.
8-5 Duke wins ACC title; will ACC have team in the playoff?
— Texas Tech 34, BYU 7
BYU drove 90 yards for a TD on their first drive.
Rest of game, BYU ran 45 plays for 110 yards.
Texss Tech likely gets a first-round bye in the playoff.
— Western Michigan 23, Miami OH 13
Broncos had a 67-yard TD run 1:27 into the game.
WMU ran ball 56 times for 286 yards (5.1 yards/carry)
Western Michigan is 9-3-1 against spread this year.
— Famous birthdays, December 7th:
Ellen Burstyn, 93
Al Woodall, 80
Johnny Bench, 78
Larry Bird, 69
Mel Owens, 67
C Thomas Howell, 59
Eric Chavez, 48
Lou Amundson, 43
Jake McQuaide, 38
Kyle Hendricks, 36
Pete Alonso, 31
Hunter Henry, 31
One of my favorites, the late Ted Knight, was born on this day in 1923.
— Illinois 75, Tennessee 62
Tennessee led 32-30 at halftime.
Illinois shot 11-28 on arc, scored 1.21 points/possession.
Tennessee lost its last three gams, after a 7-0 start.
— New Hampshire 88, Boston U 82 OT
Terriers led 65-40 with 10:42 left in the game.
New Hampshire had been 0-7 vs Division I opponents.
— Oral Roberts 72, Montana State 68
Bobcats led 42-22 at halftime.
Oral Roberts was 24-26 on foul line, Montana State 9-13.
Ty Harper was 14-16 on foul line; took more FT’s than the other team.
— Arizona 97, Auburn 68
Arizona led 44-32 at halftime.
Arizona is 8-0, with four top 40 wins.
Auburn is 7-3, 3-3 vs top 100 opponents.
Leading scorers in the NBA:
35.3— Luka Doncic, LAL
32.8— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC
31.6— Tyrese Maxey, Phil
30.6— Donovan Mitchell, Clev
29.3— Austin Reaves, LAL
29.2— Nikola Jokic, Den
Quote of the Day
“If this game applies to and takes away from our résumé, I don’t think that’s right. I really don’t. I think the precedent’s been set and I don’t know how you can go into a conference playoff game when you’re the No. 1 seed and did all these things throughout the year — and playing in this game against one of the top teams in the country as well — how that can hurt you and keep you out of the playoff when again, we’ve done what we’ve done all year.”
Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer
Sunday’s quiz
Where did Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert play his college football?
Saturday’s quiz
In history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady threw for the most yards in a season, in 2021.
Friday’s quiz
28 major leaguers have hit 500+ career home runs; of those 28 players, Ted Williams had the highest batting average.
********************************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy Saturday…….
— Iowa State 81, Purdue 58Cyclones shot 11-23 on arc, scored 1.25 ppp
Iowa State outscored Purdue 46-27 in second half.
First loss for 8-1 Purdue, which has played schedule #26.
— Duke 66, Michigan State 60
Michigan State shot only 29.5% inside the arc.
First loss for 8-1 Spartans, who have played schedule #35.
Duke is 10-0, with five top 100 wins.
— Washington 84, USC 76
Trojans led 48-30 at halftime.
Huskies out-rebounded USC, 45-31.
First loss for 8-1 USC, which has five wins by 5 or fewer points.
— Louisville 87, Indiana 78
Cardinals led 41-27 at halftime.
Louisville shot 13-31 on the arc, 12-23 inside the arc.
Ryan Conwell is a senior G for Louisville. His college career:
2022-23- South Florida- coach got fired after 14-18 season
2023-24- Indiana State- coach bolted to Saint Louis after a 32-7 season
2024-25- Xavier- coach bolted to Texas after a 22-12 season
2025-26- Louisville
— Memphis 78, Baylor 71
Memphis subs outscored Baylor’s thin bench, 37-15
Baylor’s subs play #356 minutes in country, bottom 10 figure.
Bears shot only 33.3% inside arc in this game.
— Basketball Upsets of the Day:
Omaha (+8.5) 60, Portland State 55
SE Missouri State (+6.5) 74, Chattanooga 70
Western Michigan (+6.5) 83, SIU-Edwardsville 73
NC-Greensboro (+6.5) 82, East Carolina 78
Iowa State (+5.5) 81, Purdue 58
Boise State (+5.5) 77, Butler 68
Cal-Riverside (+5.5) 88, Cal Poly 84
— Georgia 28, Alabama 7
Alabama ran the ball 16 times, for minus-3 yards.
Just 2nd win For Georgia in last 12 games vs Alabama.
Alabama is on the bubble now to get into the 12-team playoff.
— Indiana 13, Ohio State 10
Down 13-10, Buckeyes missed a 27-yard field goal with 2:48 left.
Indiana wins its first league title since 1967.
Ohio State ran ball 26 times for only 58 yards.
— Duke 27, Virginia 20 OT
Virginia scored 10 points in last 4:00 to force overtime.
Duke scored TD in OT on a 4th down pass play.
8-5 Duke wins ACC title; will ACC have team in the playoff?
— Texas Tech 34, BYU 7
BYU drove 90 yards for a TD on their first drive.
Rest of game, BYU ran 45 plays for 110 yards.
Texss Tech likely gets a first-round bye in the playoff.
— Western Michigan 23, Miami OH 13
Broncos had a 67-yard TD run 1:27 into the game.
WMU ran ball 56 times for 286 yards (5.1 yards/carry)
Western Michigan is 9-3-1 against spread this year.
— Famous birthdays, December 7th:
Ellen Burstyn, 93
Al Woodall, 80
Johnny Bench, 78
Larry Bird, 69
Mel Owens, 67
C Thomas Howell, 59
Eric Chavez, 48
Lou Amundson, 43
Jake McQuaide, 38
Kyle Hendricks, 36
Pete Alonso, 31
Hunter Henry, 31
One of my favorites, the late Ted Knight, was born on this day in 1923.
— Illinois 75, Tennessee 62
Tennessee led 32-30 at halftime.
Illinois shot 11-28 on arc, scored 1.21 points/possession.
Tennessee lost its last three gams, after a 7-0 start.
— New Hampshire 88, Boston U 82 OT
Terriers led 65-40 with 10:42 left in the game.
New Hampshire had been 0-7 vs Division I opponents.
— Oral Roberts 72, Montana State 68
Bobcats led 42-22 at halftime.
Oral Roberts was 24-26 on foul line, Montana State 9-13.
Ty Harper was 14-16 on foul line; took more FT’s than the other team.
— Arizona 97, Auburn 68
Arizona led 44-32 at halftime.
Arizona is 8-0, with four top 40 wins.
Auburn is 7-3, 3-3 vs top 100 opponents.
NFL
Armadillo's Write-up
Week 14
Sunday’s games
Dolphins (-2.5) @ Jets
Dolphins (4-7)
Miami won three of last four games, after a 1-6 start.
Miami allowed 27+ points in all seven losses.
Dolphins are 4-0 when they allow less than 27 points.
QB Tagovailoa is 42-32 as an NFL starter.
McDaniel is 32-32 as a head coach.
Miami is 4-6-2 ATS last 12 games as a favorite.
Miami is 3-8 ATS in last 11 games coming off a win.
Last three games, Dolphins ran ball for 197-169-164 yards.
Dolphins went over their team total six of last nine games.
Miami is 13-6 ATS in last 19 AFC East road games.
Jets (3-9)
Jets are 3-2 in last five games, after an 0-7 start.
Jets are 0-7 when they score less than 27 points.
Last four games, Jets gained 169-245-282-269 total yards.
Taylor is 29-31-1 as an NFL starter.
Aaron Glenn is 3-9 as a head coach.
Jets are 12-17 ATS last 29 games as a home underdog
Jets are 7-15-1 ATS last 23 games coming off a win.
Jets are 5-8 ATS in last 13 AFC East home games.
Jets are minus-12 in turnovers this season.
Jets are 3-5 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Dolphins (-2.5) beat Jets 27-21 at home in Week 4.
Miami won 10 of last 12 series games.
Teams split their last eight meetings in New Jersey.
Over is 5-1 in last six series games.
Steelers @ Ravens (-6)
Steelers (6-6)
Steelers lost five of last seven games, after a 4-1 start.
Pittsburgh is 5-2 when it allows less than 31 points.
Steelers are +12 in turnovers in wins, minus-6 in losses.
Rodgers is 170-102-1 as an NFL starter
Tomlin is 197-124-2 as a head coach.
Steelers are 11-9 ATS last 20 games as a road underdog.
Since 20018, Pittsburgh is 40-21-1 ATS as an underdog.
Steelers are 12-7 ATS last 19 games coming off a loss.
Steelers are 9-7 ATS in last 16 AFC North road games.
Under is 4-1 in their last five games.
Ravens (6-6)
Baltimore won five of its last five games, after a 1-5 start.
Baltimore is 0-4 when they allow more than 19 points.
Ravens are minus-13 in turnovers in losses, +9 in wins.
QB Jackson is 78-33 as an NFL starter
John Harbaugh is 191-121 as an NFL head coach.
Ravens are 12-10 ATS last 22 games as a home favorite.
Ravens are 8-4 ATS last 12 games coming off a loss.
Ravens are 5-9 ATS in last 14 AFC North home games.
Last two games, Baltimore converted 5-21 third down plays.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
Teams split their last six series games.
Steelers lost 34-17/28-14 in last two visits to Baltimore.
Over is 8-1 in last nine meetings.
Saints @ Buccaneers (-8.5)
Saints (2-10)
Saints lost six of their last seven games.
Saints are +6 in turnovers in wins, minus-11 in losses.
Saints allowed 14-7 points in their two wins
26-year old rookie QB Shough is 1-3 as an NFL starter.
Kellen Moore is 2-10 as a head coach.
Saints are 6-6 ATS last 12 games as a road underdog.
Saints are 7-13 ATS in last 20 games coming off a loss.
In seven of last eight games, Saints ran ball for less than 90 yards.
Saints are 0-4 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Saints are 14-4-1 ATS in last 19 NFC South road games.
Buccaneers (7-5)
Tampa Bay lost four of its last six games, after a 5-1 start.
Last eleven games, Tampa Bay is +9 in turnovers.
Bucs are 5-0 when they allow less than 24 points.
Mayfield is 59-61 as an NFL starter, 27-22 with the Bucs.
Bowles is 61-73 as a head coach, 35-32 with Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay is 6-6-1 ATS last 13 games as a home favorite.
Bucs are 5-9 ATS in last 14 games coming off a win.
Last two games, Bucs converted 16-32 third down plays.
Bucs are 5-2 in games decided by six or fewer points.
Over is 4-1 in Tampa Bay’s home games this year.
Tampa Bay (-4) won 23-3 in the Superdome in Week 8
Bucs won six of last seven series games.
Saints won five of their last seven visits to Tampa.
Under is 5-2 in last seven meetings.
Colts (-1.5) @ Jaguars
Colts (8-4)
Indy lost three of last four games, after a 7-1 start.
Colts are 8-0 scoring 29+ points (20-20-20-16 in losses)
Indy is minus-4 in turnovers in losses, +9 in wins.
QB Jones is 33-49-1 is as an NFL starter.
Steichen is 25-21 SU as a head coach
Colts are 4-6 ATS last 10 games as a road favorite.
Under Steichen, Colts are 12-9 ATS as a favorite.
Colts are 3-4 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Colts are 6-1 ATS in last seven AFC South road games.
Colts’ team total: over 8-4.
Jaguars (8-4)
Jacksonville won four of last five games, scoring 29.3 ppg
Jaguars are 8-1 if they allow fewer than 31 points.
Jacksonville is 5-3 in games decided by 8 or fewer points.
QB Lawrence is 31-43 as an NFL starter.
Liam Coen is 8-4 as an NFL head coach.
Jaguars are 4-1 SU at home this season.
Jaguars are 17-14 ATS in last 31 games coming off a win.
Jaguars held nine of last 11 opponents under 100 yards rushing.
Last two games, Jaguars converted 6-24 third down plays.
Jaguars are 5-2 ATS in last seven AFC South home games.
Jaguars won four of last five series games.
Colts lost their last ten visits to Jacksonville.
Over is 5-1 in last six meetings.
Titans @ Browns (-4.5)
Titans (1-11)
Tennessee is 0-7 SU/3-4 ATS in last seven games.
Last four games, Titans ran ball for only 79.3 yards/game.
Interim coach McCoy was 28-38 coaching Chargers from 2013-16.
Rookie QB Ward is 1-11 as an NFL starter.
Titans are 2-3 ATS as a road underdog this season.
Titans were held under 300 TY in 10 of 12 games.
Titans are 7-16 ATS in last 23 games as an underdog.
Tennessee is 5-16-1 ATS last 22 games coming off a loss.
Last seven games, Titans are minus-7 in turnovers.
Over is 7-4 in their last eleven games.
Browns (3-9)
Cleveland lost four of its last five games.
Browns are 0-9 when they allow more than 10 points.
Browns haven’t gained more than 278 yards since Week 5.
Rookie QB Sanders is 1-1 as an NFL starter
Stefanski is 44-57 as a head coach.
Browns are 2-7 SU/3-6 ATS in last nine games.
Browns are 2-3 SU/4-1 ATS at home this year.
Cleveland is 7-2 ATS last nine games as a home favorite.
Browns are 8-13 ATS in last 21 games coming off a loss.
Last eight games, Browns are +6 in turnovers.
Browns won last two series games, 27-3/41-35.
Titans won three of their five visits to Cleveland.
Over is 5-2 in last seven meetings.
Commanders @ Vikings (-2.5)
Commanders (3-9)
Commanders are 0-7 SU/1-6 ATS in their last seven games.
Washington lost last two games by a combined four points.
Washington is 0-8 when it allows more than 24 points.
QB Mariota is 36-45 as an NFL starter; Josh Johnson is the backup.
Quinn is 63-58 as an NFL coach.
Commanders allowed 354+ yards in nine of last ten games.
Commanders are 0-5 in games decided by 9 or fewer points.
Opponents’ over/under total: over 8-3 last eleven games.
Washington is 16-25-1 ATS in last 42 games coming off a loss.
Last seven games, Washington is minus-8 in turnovers.
Vikings (4-7)
Vikings lost four in row, six of their last seven games.
Vikings were outscored 49-6 in their last two games.
Unsure who QB will be; #4 QB Wolford might be best one.
Last nine games, Minnesota is minus-17 in turnovers.
O’Connell is 38-26 as an NFL head coach.
Vikings are 5-7 ATS last 12 games as a home favorite.
Five of last six games, Vikings gained less than 270 yards.
Vikings are 8-12-1 ATS in last 21 games coming off a loss.
Last four Minnesota games stayed under the total.
Last six games, Vikings converted only 17 of 67 third down plays.
Vikings won seven of last nine series games.
Washington is 1-3 SU/2-2 ATS in last four visits to the Twin Cities
Over is 6-2 in last eight meetings.
Seahawks (-7) @ Falcons
Seahawks (9-3)
Seahawks won six of their last seven games.
Seattle’s three losses were by 3-4-2 points.
Seahawks held 9 of last 11 opponents under 300 TY.
Darnold is 44-42 as an NFL starter.
MacDonald is 19-10 as a head coach.
Seattle has five wins by 14+ points.
In losses, Seahawks are minus-5 in turnovers; in wins, +5.
Seattle is 7-10-2 ATS last 19 games as a road favorite.
Seattle is 10-4-1 ATS in last 15 games coming off a win
Opponents’ team total: under 8-3-1.
Falcons (4-8)
Atlanta lost six of its last seven games.
Falcons are 1-5 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Atlanta is 1-8 when it allows more than 14 points.
QB Cousins is 85-79-2 as an NFL starter.
Morris is 33-55 as a head coach.
Atlanta is 6-3-1 ATS last 10 games as a home underdog.
Falcons are 10-13-1 ATS last 24 games coming off a loss.
Atlanta went over its team total in its last five games.
Falcons lost 27-24 to the Jets LW, but outgained them 389-269.
Over is 4-1 in last five Atlanta games.
Seattle won five of last seven series games.
Seahawks are 4-0 SU/3-1 ATS in last four visits to Atlanta.
Over is 4-2 in last six meetings.
Bengals @ Bills (-5.5)
Bengals (4-8)
Bengals lost eight of their last ten games.
Bengals are 3-3 in games decided by 6 or fewer points.
QB Burrow threw for 261 yards, 2 TD’s in his return from injury LW.
Burrow is 46-32-1 as an NFL starter.
Taylor is 55-62-1 as a head coach.
Bengals covered four of last five games as an underdog.
Cincinnati is 10-7-1 ATS last 18 games as road underdogs.
Bengals are 19-9-1 ATS last 29 games coming off a win.
Bengals are +7 in turnovers in wins, minus-10 in losses.
Under is 3-0 in last three Cincinnati games.
Bills (8-4)
Bills won four of their last six games.
Buffalo scored 26+ points in wins, 20-14-13-19 in losses.
Buffalo is +6 in turnovers in wins, minus-8 in losses.
QB Allen is 91-44 as an NFL starter.
McDermott is 100-56 as an NFL head coach.
Bills are 10-11 ATS last 21 games as a home favorite.
Bills are 14-15-1 ATS in last 30 games coming off a win.
Buffalo is 8-0 when they score more than 20 points.
Last four games, Buffalo is minus-5 in turnovers.
Last two weeks, Bills held foes to 261-166 total yards.
Cincinnati won six of last eight series games.
Bengals won three of their last four visits to Buffalo.
Under is 4-1 in last five meetings.
Broncos (-7.5) @ Raiders
Broncos (10-2)
Broncos won their last nine games, last four by 3-3-3-1 points.
Seven of their last eight wins were by 4 or fewer points.
Last three games, Denver ran ball for 84-59-87 yards.
QB Nix is 20-10 as an NFL starter.
Payton is 189-116 as an NFL head coach, 28-19 with Denver.
Denver is 2-6 ATS last eight games as a road favorite.
Denver is 5-4 ATS in its last nine games overall.
Denver is 5-8 ATS in last 13 AFC West road games.
Denver is 10-7 ATS in last 17 games coming off a win.
Under is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Raiders (2-10)
Raiders lost six games in a row, 10 of last 11.
Raiders allowed 13-10 points in their wins
Last six games, Raiders ran the ball for only 48.9 yards/game.
QB Geno Smith is 42-54 as an NFL starter.
Carroll is 183-141-1 as an NFL head coach.
Raiders are 11-18-2 ATS last 31 games as an underdog.
Raiders are 5-6-2 ATS last 13 games as a home underdog.
Las Vegas is 15-10 ATS last 25 AFC West home games.
Raiders are 12-17-1 ATS in last 30 games coming off a loss.
Las Vegas has seven losses by 11+ points this season.
Broncos gained only 188 yards, but beat Raiders 10-7 at home in Week 10.
Denver won last three series games, by 16-10-3 points.
Broncos won 29-19 in Vegas LY, snapping 0-8 skid in road series games.
Over is 4-2 in last six meetings.
Bears @ Packers (-6.5)
Bears (9-3)
Bears won five in row, nine of last ten games.
Bears are 9-1 scoring 24+ points, 0-2 scoring less.
In wins, Chicago was +20 in turnovers; minus-3 in losses.
Ben Johnson is 9-3 as an NFL head coach.
QB Williams is 14-15 as an NFL starter.
Chicago is 16-22-1 ATS last 39 games as a road underdog.
Chicago is 11-15-1 ATS in last 27 games coming off a win.
Bears are 7-0 when they allow less than 27 points.
Bears are 6-1 in games decided by 5 or fewer points.
Chicago is 5-3 ATS in last eight NFC North road games.
Packers (8-3-1)
Green Bay is 8-0-1 when it scores 23+ points, 0-3 otherwise.
Green Bay scored 10-13-7 points in its losses.
Packers held eight of 12 opponents under 300 TY.
QB Love is 27-20-1 as an NFL starter
LaFleur is 78-41-1 as an NFL head coach.
Packers are 9-7-1 ATS last 17 games as a home favorite.
Packers are 27-19-1 ATS last 47 games coming off a win.
Green Bay is 12-8 ATS in last 20 NFC North home games.
Last three games, Green Bay is +5 in turnovers.
Packers converted 32 of last 63 third down plays.
These teams play again in two weeks, in Chicago.
Packers won 17 of last 19 series games.
Bears are 1-8 SU/2-7 ATS in last nine visits to Lambeau.
Over is 6-4 in last ten meetings.
Rams (-8.5) @ Cardinals
Rams (9-3)
Rams won six of their last seven games.
Rams are 8-0 when they allow less than 26 points.
In their losses, Rams gave up 33-26-31 points.
QB Stafford is 48-28 as the Rams’ starter (122-121-1 overall).
McVay is 97-60 as an NFL head coach.
Last eight games, Rams outscored opponents 147-59 in first half.
Rams are 10-3 ATS in last 13 NFC West road games.
Rams are 17-9 ATS in last 26 games as a favorite.
Rams went over team total in eight of last 11 games.
Rams are 17-9-1 ATS in last 27 games coming off a loss.
Cardinals (3-9)
Cardinals lost four in row, nine of last ten games.
Last three games, Arizona ran ball for 36-55-95 yards.
Cardinals are 0-6 when they allow more than 22 points.
Brissett is 20-40 as an NFL starter.
Gannon is 15-31 as an NFL head coach.
Nine of 12 Arizona games were decided by 7 or fewer points,
Cardinals are 8-6 ATS last 14 games as a home underdog.
Under Gannon, Arizona is 21-13 ATS as an underdog.
Arizona is 24-17 ATS in last 41 games coming off a loss.
Cardinals are 6-14 ATS in last 20 NFC West home games.
Rams won 15 of last 18 series games (14-4 ATS)
Rams won nine of their last 10 visits to Arizona.
Over is 5-3 in last eight meetings.
Texans @ Chiefs (-4.5)
Texans (7-5)
Houston won its last four games, by 7-3-4-4 points.
Texans are 6-0 when they score 20+ points.
Texans held nine of 12 opponents under 300 TY.
Stroud is 25-20 as an NFL starter.
Ryans is 29-21 in as an NFL head coach.
Houston is 13-9 ATS last 22 games as an underdog.
Texans are 13-9-1 ATS last 23 games as a road underdog.
Texans are 12-10-1 ATS last 23 games coming off a win.
Houston is 3-0 in games decided by 11+ points, 4-5 in games decided by 8 or less.
Last nine games, Texans are +12 in turnovers.
Chiefs (6-6)
Chiefs are 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS in last five home games.
Chiefs are 6-1 giving up 20 or less points, 0-5 giving up 21+.
Chiefs are 1-6 in games decided by 7 or less points.
QB Mahomes is 112-32 as an NFL starter.
Andy Reid is 307-169-1 as an NFL head coach
Chiefs are 20-23 ATS last 43 games as a home favorite.
Chiefs are 18-25 ATS last 43 games coming off a loss.
Chiefs held five of last seven opponents under 100 yards rushing.
Last five games, Chiefs team total: under 4-0-1.
Under is 6-1 in last seven Kansas City games.
Chiefs won four in row, 8 of last 10 series games.
Texans are 1-5 SU/2-4 ATS last six visits to Arrowhead.
Over is 5-1-1 in last seven meetings.
Armadillo's Write-up
Week 14
Sunday’s games
Dolphins (-2.5) @ Jets
Dolphins (4-7)
Miami won three of last four games, after a 1-6 start.
Miami allowed 27+ points in all seven losses.
Dolphins are 4-0 when they allow less than 27 points.
QB Tagovailoa is 42-32 as an NFL starter.
McDaniel is 32-32 as a head coach.
Miami is 4-6-2 ATS last 12 games as a favorite.
Miami is 3-8 ATS in last 11 games coming off a win.
Last three games, Dolphins ran ball for 197-169-164 yards.
Dolphins went over their team total six of last nine games.
Miami is 13-6 ATS in last 19 AFC East road games.
Jets (3-9)
Jets are 3-2 in last five games, after an 0-7 start.
Jets are 0-7 when they score less than 27 points.
Last four games, Jets gained 169-245-282-269 total yards.
Taylor is 29-31-1 as an NFL starter.
Aaron Glenn is 3-9 as a head coach.
Jets are 12-17 ATS last 29 games as a home underdog
Jets are 7-15-1 ATS last 23 games coming off a win.
Jets are 5-8 ATS in last 13 AFC East home games.
Jets are minus-12 in turnovers this season.
Jets are 3-5 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Dolphins (-2.5) beat Jets 27-21 at home in Week 4.
Miami won 10 of last 12 series games.
Teams split their last eight meetings in New Jersey.
Over is 5-1 in last six series games.
Steelers @ Ravens (-6)
Steelers (6-6)
Steelers lost five of last seven games, after a 4-1 start.
Pittsburgh is 5-2 when it allows less than 31 points.
Steelers are +12 in turnovers in wins, minus-6 in losses.
Rodgers is 170-102-1 as an NFL starter
Tomlin is 197-124-2 as a head coach.
Steelers are 11-9 ATS last 20 games as a road underdog.
Since 20018, Pittsburgh is 40-21-1 ATS as an underdog.
Steelers are 12-7 ATS last 19 games coming off a loss.
Steelers are 9-7 ATS in last 16 AFC North road games.
Under is 4-1 in their last five games.
Ravens (6-6)
Baltimore won five of its last five games, after a 1-5 start.
Baltimore is 0-4 when they allow more than 19 points.
Ravens are minus-13 in turnovers in losses, +9 in wins.
QB Jackson is 78-33 as an NFL starter
John Harbaugh is 191-121 as an NFL head coach.
Ravens are 12-10 ATS last 22 games as a home favorite.
Ravens are 8-4 ATS last 12 games coming off a loss.
Ravens are 5-9 ATS in last 14 AFC North home games.
Last two games, Baltimore converted 5-21 third down plays.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
Teams split their last six series games.
Steelers lost 34-17/28-14 in last two visits to Baltimore.
Over is 8-1 in last nine meetings.
Saints @ Buccaneers (-8.5)
Saints (2-10)
Saints lost six of their last seven games.
Saints are +6 in turnovers in wins, minus-11 in losses.
Saints allowed 14-7 points in their two wins
26-year old rookie QB Shough is 1-3 as an NFL starter.
Kellen Moore is 2-10 as a head coach.
Saints are 6-6 ATS last 12 games as a road underdog.
Saints are 7-13 ATS in last 20 games coming off a loss.
In seven of last eight games, Saints ran ball for less than 90 yards.
Saints are 0-4 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Saints are 14-4-1 ATS in last 19 NFC South road games.
Buccaneers (7-5)
Tampa Bay lost four of its last six games, after a 5-1 start.
Last eleven games, Tampa Bay is +9 in turnovers.
Bucs are 5-0 when they allow less than 24 points.
Mayfield is 59-61 as an NFL starter, 27-22 with the Bucs.
Bowles is 61-73 as a head coach, 35-32 with Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay is 6-6-1 ATS last 13 games as a home favorite.
Bucs are 5-9 ATS in last 14 games coming off a win.
Last two games, Bucs converted 16-32 third down plays.
Bucs are 5-2 in games decided by six or fewer points.
Over is 4-1 in Tampa Bay’s home games this year.
Tampa Bay (-4) won 23-3 in the Superdome in Week 8
Bucs won six of last seven series games.
Saints won five of their last seven visits to Tampa.
Under is 5-2 in last seven meetings.
Colts (-1.5) @ Jaguars
Colts (8-4)
Indy lost three of last four games, after a 7-1 start.
Colts are 8-0 scoring 29+ points (20-20-20-16 in losses)
Indy is minus-4 in turnovers in losses, +9 in wins.
QB Jones is 33-49-1 is as an NFL starter.
Steichen is 25-21 SU as a head coach
Colts are 4-6 ATS last 10 games as a road favorite.
Under Steichen, Colts are 12-9 ATS as a favorite.
Colts are 3-4 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Colts are 6-1 ATS in last seven AFC South road games.
Colts’ team total: over 8-4.
Jaguars (8-4)
Jacksonville won four of last five games, scoring 29.3 ppg
Jaguars are 8-1 if they allow fewer than 31 points.
Jacksonville is 5-3 in games decided by 8 or fewer points.
QB Lawrence is 31-43 as an NFL starter.
Liam Coen is 8-4 as an NFL head coach.
Jaguars are 4-1 SU at home this season.
Jaguars are 17-14 ATS in last 31 games coming off a win.
Jaguars held nine of last 11 opponents under 100 yards rushing.
Last two games, Jaguars converted 6-24 third down plays.
Jaguars are 5-2 ATS in last seven AFC South home games.
Jaguars won four of last five series games.
Colts lost their last ten visits to Jacksonville.
Over is 5-1 in last six meetings.
Titans @ Browns (-4.5)
Titans (1-11)
Tennessee is 0-7 SU/3-4 ATS in last seven games.
Last four games, Titans ran ball for only 79.3 yards/game.
Interim coach McCoy was 28-38 coaching Chargers from 2013-16.
Rookie QB Ward is 1-11 as an NFL starter.
Titans are 2-3 ATS as a road underdog this season.
Titans were held under 300 TY in 10 of 12 games.
Titans are 7-16 ATS in last 23 games as an underdog.
Tennessee is 5-16-1 ATS last 22 games coming off a loss.
Last seven games, Titans are minus-7 in turnovers.
Over is 7-4 in their last eleven games.
Browns (3-9)
Cleveland lost four of its last five games.
Browns are 0-9 when they allow more than 10 points.
Browns haven’t gained more than 278 yards since Week 5.
Rookie QB Sanders is 1-1 as an NFL starter
Stefanski is 44-57 as a head coach.
Browns are 2-7 SU/3-6 ATS in last nine games.
Browns are 2-3 SU/4-1 ATS at home this year.
Cleveland is 7-2 ATS last nine games as a home favorite.
Browns are 8-13 ATS in last 21 games coming off a loss.
Last eight games, Browns are +6 in turnovers.
Browns won last two series games, 27-3/41-35.
Titans won three of their five visits to Cleveland.
Over is 5-2 in last seven meetings.
Commanders @ Vikings (-2.5)
Commanders (3-9)
Commanders are 0-7 SU/1-6 ATS in their last seven games.
Washington lost last two games by a combined four points.
Washington is 0-8 when it allows more than 24 points.
QB Mariota is 36-45 as an NFL starter; Josh Johnson is the backup.
Quinn is 63-58 as an NFL coach.
Commanders allowed 354+ yards in nine of last ten games.
Commanders are 0-5 in games decided by 9 or fewer points.
Opponents’ over/under total: over 8-3 last eleven games.
Washington is 16-25-1 ATS in last 42 games coming off a loss.
Last seven games, Washington is minus-8 in turnovers.
Vikings (4-7)
Vikings lost four in row, six of their last seven games.
Vikings were outscored 49-6 in their last two games.
Unsure who QB will be; #4 QB Wolford might be best one.
Last nine games, Minnesota is minus-17 in turnovers.
O’Connell is 38-26 as an NFL head coach.
Vikings are 5-7 ATS last 12 games as a home favorite.
Five of last six games, Vikings gained less than 270 yards.
Vikings are 8-12-1 ATS in last 21 games coming off a loss.
Last four Minnesota games stayed under the total.
Last six games, Vikings converted only 17 of 67 third down plays.
Vikings won seven of last nine series games.
Washington is 1-3 SU/2-2 ATS in last four visits to the Twin Cities
Over is 6-2 in last eight meetings.
Seahawks (-7) @ Falcons
Seahawks (9-3)
Seahawks won six of their last seven games.
Seattle’s three losses were by 3-4-2 points.
Seahawks held 9 of last 11 opponents under 300 TY.
Darnold is 44-42 as an NFL starter.
MacDonald is 19-10 as a head coach.
Seattle has five wins by 14+ points.
In losses, Seahawks are minus-5 in turnovers; in wins, +5.
Seattle is 7-10-2 ATS last 19 games as a road favorite.
Seattle is 10-4-1 ATS in last 15 games coming off a win
Opponents’ team total: under 8-3-1.
Falcons (4-8)
Atlanta lost six of its last seven games.
Falcons are 1-5 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Atlanta is 1-8 when it allows more than 14 points.
QB Cousins is 85-79-2 as an NFL starter.
Morris is 33-55 as a head coach.
Atlanta is 6-3-1 ATS last 10 games as a home underdog.
Falcons are 10-13-1 ATS last 24 games coming off a loss.
Atlanta went over its team total in its last five games.
Falcons lost 27-24 to the Jets LW, but outgained them 389-269.
Over is 4-1 in last five Atlanta games.
Seattle won five of last seven series games.
Seahawks are 4-0 SU/3-1 ATS in last four visits to Atlanta.
Over is 4-2 in last six meetings.
Bengals @ Bills (-5.5)
Bengals (4-8)
Bengals lost eight of their last ten games.
Bengals are 3-3 in games decided by 6 or fewer points.
QB Burrow threw for 261 yards, 2 TD’s in his return from injury LW.
Burrow is 46-32-1 as an NFL starter.
Taylor is 55-62-1 as a head coach.
Bengals covered four of last five games as an underdog.
Cincinnati is 10-7-1 ATS last 18 games as road underdogs.
Bengals are 19-9-1 ATS last 29 games coming off a win.
Bengals are +7 in turnovers in wins, minus-10 in losses.
Under is 3-0 in last three Cincinnati games.
Bills (8-4)
Bills won four of their last six games.
Buffalo scored 26+ points in wins, 20-14-13-19 in losses.
Buffalo is +6 in turnovers in wins, minus-8 in losses.
QB Allen is 91-44 as an NFL starter.
McDermott is 100-56 as an NFL head coach.
Bills are 10-11 ATS last 21 games as a home favorite.
Bills are 14-15-1 ATS in last 30 games coming off a win.
Buffalo is 8-0 when they score more than 20 points.
Last four games, Buffalo is minus-5 in turnovers.
Last two weeks, Bills held foes to 261-166 total yards.
Cincinnati won six of last eight series games.
Bengals won three of their last four visits to Buffalo.
Under is 4-1 in last five meetings.
Broncos (-7.5) @ Raiders
Broncos (10-2)
Broncos won their last nine games, last four by 3-3-3-1 points.
Seven of their last eight wins were by 4 or fewer points.
Last three games, Denver ran ball for 84-59-87 yards.
QB Nix is 20-10 as an NFL starter.
Payton is 189-116 as an NFL head coach, 28-19 with Denver.
Denver is 2-6 ATS last eight games as a road favorite.
Denver is 5-4 ATS in its last nine games overall.
Denver is 5-8 ATS in last 13 AFC West road games.
Denver is 10-7 ATS in last 17 games coming off a win.
Under is 7-3 in their last ten games.
Raiders (2-10)
Raiders lost six games in a row, 10 of last 11.
Raiders allowed 13-10 points in their wins
Last six games, Raiders ran the ball for only 48.9 yards/game.
QB Geno Smith is 42-54 as an NFL starter.
Carroll is 183-141-1 as an NFL head coach.
Raiders are 11-18-2 ATS last 31 games as an underdog.
Raiders are 5-6-2 ATS last 13 games as a home underdog.
Las Vegas is 15-10 ATS last 25 AFC West home games.
Raiders are 12-17-1 ATS in last 30 games coming off a loss.
Las Vegas has seven losses by 11+ points this season.
Broncos gained only 188 yards, but beat Raiders 10-7 at home in Week 10.
Denver won last three series games, by 16-10-3 points.
Broncos won 29-19 in Vegas LY, snapping 0-8 skid in road series games.
Over is 4-2 in last six meetings.
Bears @ Packers (-6.5)
Bears (9-3)
Bears won five in row, nine of last ten games.
Bears are 9-1 scoring 24+ points, 0-2 scoring less.
In wins, Chicago was +20 in turnovers; minus-3 in losses.
Ben Johnson is 9-3 as an NFL head coach.
QB Williams is 14-15 as an NFL starter.
Chicago is 16-22-1 ATS last 39 games as a road underdog.
Chicago is 11-15-1 ATS in last 27 games coming off a win.
Bears are 7-0 when they allow less than 27 points.
Bears are 6-1 in games decided by 5 or fewer points.
Chicago is 5-3 ATS in last eight NFC North road games.
Packers (8-3-1)
Green Bay is 8-0-1 when it scores 23+ points, 0-3 otherwise.
Green Bay scored 10-13-7 points in its losses.
Packers held eight of 12 opponents under 300 TY.
QB Love is 27-20-1 as an NFL starter
LaFleur is 78-41-1 as an NFL head coach.
Packers are 9-7-1 ATS last 17 games as a home favorite.
Packers are 27-19-1 ATS last 47 games coming off a win.
Green Bay is 12-8 ATS in last 20 NFC North home games.
Last three games, Green Bay is +5 in turnovers.
Packers converted 32 of last 63 third down plays.
These teams play again in two weeks, in Chicago.
Packers won 17 of last 19 series games.
Bears are 1-8 SU/2-7 ATS in last nine visits to Lambeau.
Over is 6-4 in last ten meetings.
Rams (-8.5) @ Cardinals
Rams (9-3)
Rams won six of their last seven games.
Rams are 8-0 when they allow less than 26 points.
In their losses, Rams gave up 33-26-31 points.
QB Stafford is 48-28 as the Rams’ starter (122-121-1 overall).
McVay is 97-60 as an NFL head coach.
Last eight games, Rams outscored opponents 147-59 in first half.
Rams are 10-3 ATS in last 13 NFC West road games.
Rams are 17-9 ATS in last 26 games as a favorite.
Rams went over team total in eight of last 11 games.
Rams are 17-9-1 ATS in last 27 games coming off a loss.
Cardinals (3-9)
Cardinals lost four in row, nine of last ten games.
Last three games, Arizona ran ball for 36-55-95 yards.
Cardinals are 0-6 when they allow more than 22 points.
Brissett is 20-40 as an NFL starter.
Gannon is 15-31 as an NFL head coach.
Nine of 12 Arizona games were decided by 7 or fewer points,
Cardinals are 8-6 ATS last 14 games as a home underdog.
Under Gannon, Arizona is 21-13 ATS as an underdog.
Arizona is 24-17 ATS in last 41 games coming off a loss.
Cardinals are 6-14 ATS in last 20 NFC West home games.
Rams won 15 of last 18 series games (14-4 ATS)
Rams won nine of their last 10 visits to Arizona.
Over is 5-3 in last eight meetings.
Texans @ Chiefs (-4.5)
Texans (7-5)
Houston won its last four games, by 7-3-4-4 points.
Texans are 6-0 when they score 20+ points.
Texans held nine of 12 opponents under 300 TY.
Stroud is 25-20 as an NFL starter.
Ryans is 29-21 in as an NFL head coach.
Houston is 13-9 ATS last 22 games as an underdog.
Texans are 13-9-1 ATS last 23 games as a road underdog.
Texans are 12-10-1 ATS last 23 games coming off a win.
Houston is 3-0 in games decided by 11+ points, 4-5 in games decided by 8 or less.
Last nine games, Texans are +12 in turnovers.
Chiefs (6-6)
Chiefs are 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS in last five home games.
Chiefs are 6-1 giving up 20 or less points, 0-5 giving up 21+.
Chiefs are 1-6 in games decided by 7 or less points.
QB Mahomes is 112-32 as an NFL starter.
Andy Reid is 307-169-1 as an NFL head coach
Chiefs are 20-23 ATS last 43 games as a home favorite.
Chiefs are 18-25 ATS last 43 games coming off a loss.
Chiefs held five of last seven opponents under 100 yards rushing.
Last five games, Chiefs team total: under 4-0-1.
Under is 6-1 in last seven Kansas City games.
Chiefs won four in row, 8 of last 10 series games.
Texans are 1-5 SU/2-4 ATS last six visits to Arrowhead.
Over is 5-1-1 in last seven meetings.
2025 WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERCONTEST
| SUPERCONTEST LEADERS PICKS & STANDINGS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUPERCONTEST WEEK 14: 12/02/25 – 12/08/25 | |||||
| SUPERCONTEST WEEK 14 LINES/ODDS | BY # OF TEAMS | ||||
| LIONS | -3 | vs. | Cowboys | GB 210 | DEN 112 |
| VIKINGS | -2 | vs. | Commanders | JAX 208 | BAL 107 |
| Dolphins | -3 | vs. | NY JETS | WAS 195 | LV 104 |
| BROWNS | -3.5 | vs. | Titans | LAR 193 | TB 103 |
| RAVENS | -6 | vs. | Steelers | HOU 190 | MIN 95 |
| Seahawks | -7 | vs. | FALCONS | CIN 187 | LAC 89 |
| Colts | -1.5 | vs. | JAGUARS | PHI 187 | MIA 82 |
| PACKERS | -6.5 | vs. | Bears | NYJ 182 | NO 80 |
| BUCCANEERS | -8.5 | vs. | Saints | ATL 169 | DET 69 |
| Broncos | -7.5 | vs. | RAIDERS | CHI 162 | TEN 66 |
| Rams | -8 | vs. | CARDINALS | CLE 157 | ARI 58 |
| BILLS | -5.5 | vs. | Bengals | KC 151 | DAL 46 |
| CHIEFS | -3.5 | vs. | Texans | IND 133 | SF 0 |
| EAGLES | -2.5 | vs. | CHARGERS | BUF 132 | NYG 0 |
| PIT 120 | CAR 0 | ||||
| SEA 118 | NE 0 | ||||
| CAPS → HOME | TOP 5 LW: | YTD: | |||
| TEAM | W | L | T | LW | PTS |
| BIFFS ALMANAC | 45 | 19 | 1 | 45.50 | |
| WK 14 PKS | MIN | SEA | GB | BUF | PHI |
| SEANSDOLPHINS | 42 | 22 | 1 | 42.50 | |
| WK 14 PKS | MIN | IND | LV | LAR | BUF |
| 2DYE4 | 41 | 22 | 2 | 42.00 | |
| WK 14 PKS | DET | BAL | IND | GB | KC |
| LEROY JONES | 41 | 23 | 1 | 41.50 | |
| WK 14 PKS | MIA | GB | TB | ARI | HOU |
| TAFT69 | 41 | 24 | 0 | 41.00 | |
| WK 14 PKS | MIN | GB | TB | ARI | KC |
| 91ACES | 41 | 24 | 0 | 41.00 | |
| WK 14 PKS | CLE | CHI | CIN | KC | PHI |
| SKINNY | 40 | 24 | 1 | 40.50 | |
| WK 14 PKS | MIA | ATL | GB | LV | KC |
| INTEGRITY ALERT 3 | 40 | 24 | 1 | 40.50 | |
| WK 14 PKS | WAS | IND | GB | TB | LAR |
| INTEGRITY ALERT 2 | 40 | 24 | 1 | 40.50 | |
| WK 14 PKS | WAS | IND | GB | TB | LAR |
| INTEGRITY ALERT 1 | 40 | 24 | 1 | 40.50 | |
| WK 14 PKS | WAS | IND | GB | TB | LAR |
