CNOTES 2023-2024 COLLEGE FOOTBALL BEST BETS + NEWS AND NOTES

[Cnotes53]

Sunday’s 6-pack:
— Pacers 140, Knicks 126- Haliburton had 22 points, 23 assists.
— Timberwolves 108, Lakers 106- Minnesota is 14-1 at home this season.
— Jazz 117, Heat 109- Olynyk had 19 points, 10 assists off the bench.
— Mavericks 132, Warriors 122- Doncic had 39 points, 10 assists.
— Red Sox traded P Chris Sale to Atlanta for 2B Vaughn Grissom.
— Reds signed P Frankie Montas for one year, $16M.

Quote of the Day
“People need to see what happened tonight, and they need to fix this. It needs to be fixed. It’s very unfortunate that they (Florida State) have a good football team and a good football program, and they’re in the position they’re in.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart

Sunday’s quiz
Who played QB for the Cleveland Browns in their last playoff game?

Saturday’s quiz
Arizona State won the first three Fiesta Bowls (1971-73).

Friday’s quiz
Jan Stenerud was the first kicking specialist inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up the last Saturday of the year​

— Cowboys 20, Lions 19
Detroit scored TD with 0:23 left, went for two points but failed.
Lions in first half: 35 plays, 168 yards, 3 points.
Lions in second half: 34 plays, 232 yards, 16 points.
Under Campbell, Lions are 34-15-1 ATS overall.
Prescott threw a 92-yard TD pass on the Cowboys’ second series.
Dallas was 7-14 on third down, Detroit 4-13.
CeeDee Lamb caught 13 passes for 227 yards and a TD.
Cowboys only ran the ball 21 times for 60 yards.

— Cowboys inducted Jimmy Johnson into their Ring of Honor at halftime and ESPN showed the whole thing. Not really sure why, they never show other ceremonies.

— Ole Miss 38, Penn State 25
Ole Miss QB Dart threw for 379 yards, three TD’s.
Both teams had 500+ yards of total offense.
Rebels outscored Penn State 11-0 in third quarter.

— Maryland 31, Auburn 13
Terrapins led 21-0 after the first quarter.
Maryland’s first three drives: 19 plays, 226 yards, 21 points.
Maryland won its third straight bowl game.

— Wyoming 16, Toledo 15
Wyoming kicked a 24-yard FG at the gun for the win.
Toledo led 15-6 after the third quarter.
Last game for Cowboys’ coach Bohl, retiring after 42 years as a coach.
Wyoming has won four of its last five bowl games.

— Georgia 63, Florida State 3
College football has a problem; they need concrete rules for who makes the playoff.
At least 12 Florida State players opted out of this game; who would watch it?

— Five of the ten college football leagues have finished their bowl games:
AAC- 3-3 SU, 3-3 ATS
ACC- 5-6 SU, 4-7 ATS
MAC- 2-4 SU, 4-2 ATS
Mountain West- 3-4 SU, 2-5 ATS
Sun Belt- 5-7 SU, 4-7-1 ATS

— Word of the Day: Reckless- without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action.
Going for a 2-point conversion from the 8-yard line when a kicked PAT would tie the game is an example of reckless coaching.

— Marquette 72, Creighton 67
Bluejays led by 11 early in game.
Marquette won despite going 9-31 on the arc.

— Michigan State 87, Indiana State 75- This is the first time these teams met since 1979, when Magic Johnson/Larry Bird shared the spotlight. Sycamores led this game by 5 with 10:38 left to play, but got outscored 26-11 over the final 10:00.

— Oregon 64, UCLA 59
UCLA is 6-7; their 7-man rotation doesn’t have a senior in it.
Oregon is 10-3, 2-0 in Pac-12; they shot 10-25 on the arc.

— Cal-Northridge 84, Long Beach State 68
Matadors are 11-3, with this win and a win at UCLA.
Last winning season for Northridge was a 17-14 season in 2009.
Long Beach was minus-10 on boards; they shot 2-22 on the arc.

— South Alabama 61, Old Dominion 59
Old Dominion led 49-27 with 14:08 left in game.

— Florida Gulf Coast 72, Florida Atlantic 68
This loss won’t help FAU’s at-large chances in March.

— Pistons 129, Raptors 127
Pistons snap their 28-game losing streak.
Cade Cunningham scored 30 points, had 12 assists.

— Thought of the Day: Just before midnight tonight, stand up and raise your left leg; that way, you’ll be sure to start off 2024 on the right foot.
Happy New Year, everyone.

 

[Cnotes53]

Monday’s 6-pack:
— Stanford 100, Arizona 82- Cardinal made 16-25 shots on the arc.
— Utah 95, Washington 90- Huskies led 46-35 at halftime.
— Arizona State 71, Cal 69- Sun Devils were down 14 with 8:36 left.
— Oakland 88, Youngstown State 81- Grizzlies shot 13-25 on the arc.
— Milwaukee 91, Wright State 83- Panthers shot 16-30 on the arc.
— Fort Wayne 91, Detroit 56- Woeful Titans are 0-15, with #354 eFG%.

Quote of the Day
“We are never going to take for granted being able to get wins. There were things that we did to try to not win this game today, but our guys found a way. Sometimes you need these types of games. It seemed we were a little off, but they kept staying together.”
Sean McVay, coach of the playoff-bound Rams

Monday’s quiz
Which NFL team did Lane Kiffin used to coach?

Sunday’s quiz
Baker Mayfield played QB for the Cleveland Browns in their last playoff game, in 2020.

Saturday’s quiz
Arizona State won the first three Fiesta Bowls (1971-73).

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Monday’s Den: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday…….​

Saints 23, Buccaneers 13
Saints/Bucs are tied for first in NFC South, with 8-8 records.
New Orleans led 17-0 at halftime.
Saints were 8-18 on third down, Tampa Bay 2-8.
since 2018, New Orleans is 14-5 ATS as a road underdog.
Buccaneers in first half: 18 plays, 45 yards, no points.
Buccaneers in second half: 18 plays, 45 yards, no points.
Tampa Bay turned ball over four times on their 11 drives.
Bucs are 2-7 when they allow more than 18 points.

Cardinals 35, Eagles 31
Eagles’ loss clinches #1 seed in NFC for the 49ers.
Eagles took 14-3 lead on a 99-yard pick-6 by Brown.
Philadelphia led 21-6 at halftime.
Eagles are 1-4 SU/0-5 ATS in last five games.
Cardinals drove 70 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:32 left.
Arizona ran ball for 221 yards, threw it for 228 yards.
Cardinals outgained Philadelphia, 444-275.
Arizona in sec0nd half: 4 drives, 34 plays, 270 yards, 29 points.

Rams 26, Giants 25
Rams are 6-1 SU/5-2 ATS last seven games, scoring 31.3 ppg in last six.
Williams ran ball for 87 yards and three TD’s.
Rams converted only 2-8 third down plays.
Rams are 8-3 when they run ball for 92+ yards, 1-4 when they don’t.
Giants had an 80-yard TD pass, 94-yard punt return for a TD.
Giants failed on 2-point play to take lead with 3:27 left.
Crosby missed 54-yard FG with 0:30 left.
Giants lost last three games, giving up 24-33-26 points.

Ravens 56, Dolphins 19
Ravens won five in row, nine of last ten games.
Baltimore scored 8 touchdowns on 11 drives.
Ravens ran 55 plays, only seven of them on third down.
Last nine games, Baltimore scored 32 TD’s on 92 drives.
Dolphins-Bills play next week for AFC East title.
Miami is 1-4 SU vs teams that have a winning record.
Baltimore averaged 14.4 yards/pass attempt.
Ravens scored a TD on five of first six drives.

Bills 27, Patriots 21
Patriots ran opening kick back 98 yards for a TD.
In first half, Patriots turned ball over four times on six drives.
Five of NE’s last six losses were by six or fewer points.
New England is minus-10 in turnovers this year (+38 from 2019-22).
Bills took 20-7 lead on 40-yard pick-6 by Douglas.
Buffalo visits Miami next week, playing for AFC East crown.
Bills are 5-1 SU/4-2 ATS in last six games.
Buffalo scored 28.0 ppg in six games since firing their OC.

Bears 37, Falcons 17
Chicago won/covered five of last seven games.
Bears’ first four drives: 30 plays, 214 yards, 21 points.
Last two games, Bears ran ball for 250-192 yards.
Chicago outgained the Falcons, 432-307.
Falcons threw four INT’s, missed two field goals.
Atlanta is 7-15-2 ATS in last 24 games coming off a win.
Falcons are 3-10-1 ATS in last 14 games with spread of 3 or less points.
Atlanta completed only 13 of their 33 passes (4.9 yards/attempt).

Colts 23, Raiders 20
WR Adams caught 13 passes for 126 yards and two TD’s.
Adams went over 1,000 receiving yards for fourth year in a row.
Raiders are 5-2-1 ATS TY in games with spread of 3 or less.
With the loss, Las Vegas is eliminated from the playoff race.
Colts are 6-2 SU/5-3 ATS in last eight games.
Colts are 0-7 giving up 29+ points, 9-0 allowing 28 or fewer points.
Colts averaged 9.0 yards/pass attempt.
RB Taylor ran ball 21 times for 96 yards and a TD.

49ers 27, Commanders 10
SF is 7-1 since its bye week (5-3 ATS), scoring 31.6 ppg.
With Eagles’ loss, 49ers clinched #1 seed in NFC.
49ers scored 27+ points in wins, 17-17-17-19 in losses.
SF is 6-2-1 ATS as a road favorite this season.
49ers outscored Washington 14-0 in second half.
Washington lost seven in row, 12 of last 14 games (3-7 ATS last ten)
Last eight games, Commanders are minus-9 in turnovers (5-14).
Washington is 11-17 ATS last 28 games coming off a loss.

Jaguars 26, Panthers 0
Of 16 AFC QB’s who started in Week 1, only five of them started this week.
Jaguars are in a 3-way tie atop AFC South, with one week left.
Carolina’s loss clinches #1 pick in 2024 Draft for the Bears.
Carolina was 2-7 ATS as a road underdog this year.
On its first series, Carolina was stopped on downs at Jaguars’ 31.
Panthers went 3/out on their next six drives.
Jaguars kicked FGs on 3 of first 4 drives, led 9-0 at halftime.
Carolina was outgained 317-124; they were 1-13 on third down.

Texans 26, Titans 3
Two teams combined to convert only 4 of 23 third down plays.
Houston outgained the Titans, 312-187.
Titans lost seven of their last nine games.
Tennessee is 1-10 this year when they score 17 or fewer points.
Texans took 17-0 lead on sack/fumble/TD in second quarter.
Last six games, Texans are +6 in turnovers (9-3).
Houston is 5-2 ATS this year in games coming off a loss.
Houston visits Indianapolis next week; they’re in 3-way tie atop AFC South.

Steelers 30, Seahawks 24
Steelers ran ball for 202 yards, averaged 10.6 yards/pass attempt.
Last two weeks, with Rudolph at QB, Pittsburgh scored 34-30 points.
Steelers are 15-10 ATS in last 25 games as a road underdog
QB Rudolph is now 7-4-1 as an NFL starter.
Steelers were 6-13 on third down, Seattle 3-9.
Loss eliminates Seattle from the playoff race.
Seahawks are 6-0 if they run for 100+ yards, 2-8 if they don’t.
Seahawks are 5-10-1 ATS in its last 16 games as a home favorite.

Broncos 16, Chargers 9
Chargers lost seven of their last eight games.
Chargers were 2-11 on 3rd down, Denver 7-17
Bolts are 1-6 ATS in last seven games as an underdog.
Under is 10-3-1 in last fourteen Charger games.
Denver swept the Chargers this year, 24-7/16-9.
Chargers are 0-4-1 ATS in last five visits to Denver.
Eight of last eleven Bronco games stayed under the total.
QB Stidham was 20-32/224 passing in his first Denver start.

Chiefs 25, Bengals 17
Chiefs outscored Cincinnati 12-0 in second half.
KC only scored one TD; Butker kicked six field goals.
Under is 8-3-1 in Kansas City’s last dozen games.
Chiefs held 11 of last 13 foes under 5.7 yards/pass attempt.
Bengals’ first three drives: 34 plays, 158 yards, 17 points.
Bengals rest of game: 38 plays, 124 yards, no points.
Cincinnati was 8-16 on third down, Chiefs 3-12.
Bengals are 6-1 giving up 20 or less points, 2-7 allowing more than 2o.

Packers 33, Vikings 10
Green Bay outgained the Vikings, 470-211.
Green Bay was 9-14 on third down, Minnesota 3-10
Last six games, Packers are +6 in turnovers (9-3)
Packers are 14-7 ATS last 21 games as a road underdog
Green Bay makes the playoffs if they beat Chicago next week.
Vikings lost five of their last six games (the win was 3-0).
Vikings are 4-8 ATS in last dozen NFC North home games.
Minnesota lost seven of last ten games against the Packers.

 

[Udog]

 

[Udog]

NCAAF
Weather Report

Bowl Season

 

[Cnotes53]

MONDAY, JANUARY 1​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
WIS at LSU	12:00 PM	WIS +9.0 U 57.5	+500 +500
IOWA at TENN	01:00 PM	IOWA +5.5 U 36.5	+500 +500
LIB at ORE	01:00 PM	LIB +17.5 O 70.5	+500 +500
ALA at MICH	05:00 PM	ALA +2.0 U 45.5	+500 +500
TEX at WASH	08:45 PM	WASH +4.0 O 62.0	+500 +500

 

[Cnotes53]

2023 BOWL BEST BETS !

01/01/2024.......................4 - 3.......................57.14%.............+ 3.50
12/30/2023.......................2 - 6.......................25.00%.............- 23.00
12/29/2023.......................7 - 1.......................87.50%.............+ 29.50
12/28/2023.......................3 - 3......................50.00%.............- 1.50
12/27/2023.......................4 - 4......................50.00%..............- 2.00
12/26/2023.......................3 - 3 - 0.................50.00%.............- 1.50
12/23/2023.......................5 - 7 - 0.................41.66%..............- 13.50
12/22/2023.......................1 - 1 - 0.................50.00%...............- 0.50
12/21/2023.......................1 - 1 - 0.................50.00%...............- 0.50
12/19/2023........ ..............2 - 0 - 0...............100.00%...............+ 11.00
12/16/2023.......................5 - 4 - 1................55.55%................+ 3.00

TOTALS...........................33 - 30 - 1................52.38%................+ 4.50

 

[Cnotes53]

Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Most career wins amongst active NFL coaches:
333— Bill Belichick
279— Andy Reid
180— Mike Tomlin
180— Pete Carroll
177— Mike McCarthy
171— John Harbaugh

Quote of the Day
“Good night…..and good news!!”
Ted Baxter, from The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Tuesday’s quiz
Who played QB for the Baltimore Ravens, the first time they won a Super Bowl?

Monday’s quiz
Lane Kiffin went 5-15 coaching the Oakland Raiders in 2007-08.

Sunday’s quiz
Baker Mayfield played QB for the Cleveland Browns in their last playoff game, in 2020.

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Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but……..​

Michigan 27, Alabama 20 OT
Michigan drove 85 yards, scored TD with 1:34 left that forced overtime.
Total yardage: Michigan 351, Alabama 288
Teams combined to convert 5 of 24 third down plays.
This is only 2nd win for Michigan in their last six bowl games.
SEC went 4-2 against the Big 14 in bowl games this season.

Washington 37, Texas 31
Washington QB Penix was 29-38/430 passing, with two TD’s.
Game was 21-21 at half; Huskies outscored Texas 10-0 in 3rd quarter.
Texas had ball on the Washington 13-yard line when game ended.
Total yardage: Washington 532, Texas 498

— Second half of the Texas game started at 11:05 pm here in the East; doesn’t matter much to me, since I’m a night owl, but they have to lose lot of viewers in this part of the country.

— Early betting line on the college football national title game:
Michigan opened as a 4.5-point favorite vs Washington.

LSU 35, Wisconsin 31
LSU drove 98 yards, scored game-winning TD with 3:08 left.
Badgers led 14-0 in first quarter.
Wisconsin was 6-15 on third down, LSU 3-9
Total yardage: 506-492, Wisconsin

Tennessee 35, Iowa 0
Iowa was 9-4; in their losses, they scored 0-10-0-0 points.
Iowa WON four games that they scored 15 or fewer points in.
Total yardage: Tennessee 383, Iowa 173
Vols’ freshman QB Iamaleava was 12-19/151 passing in his first college start.

Oregon 45, Liberty 6
Liberty led 6-3 after the first quarter.
Oregon led 31-6 after the second quarter.
Total yardage: 584-294, Oregon
Oregon QB Nix, in his 61st college start, was 28-35/363 passing, with 5 TD’s.

Elsewhere………
— Tampa Bay Rays’ SS Wander Franco was arrested in the Dominican Republic Monday, for his failure to appear at a summons last week; Franco is the subject of an ongoing investigation into his alleged inappropriate relationships with multiple minors.
In November of 2021, Franco signed an 11-year contract extension worth $182M with Tampa Bay; he got paid all of last season, even though he didn’t play after August 12.

— Daily baseball trivia: Babe Ruth threw 29.2 consecutive scoreless innings for the Red Sox in 1918, an MLB record that stood until Whitey Ford broke it in 1961.

— Word of the Day– Ubitquitous- things that seem or encountered everywhere, whether they actually are or not.
For example, smartphones are now a ubiquitous technology; almost everyone has one.

— If you like college basketball, Highly recommend getting ESPN+; they have tons of games on from all over the country. Nothing like watching Big West games on the tube at 2am.

— NFL announced their Week 18 schedule Sunday night:
Saturday doubleheader is:
Steelers @ Baltimore, then Texans @ Indianapolis.
Sunday night game is Buffalo at Miami, with the AFC East title on the line.

— Bill Cowher said on TV Sunday that if he was coaching the Ravens, Lamar Jackson wouldn’t play this week- the game means nothing to Baltimore, it means everything to Pittsburgh, No sense risking an injury to your star QB.
Reader named Conquistador sent me a good note: Sunday was Jackson’s second NFL game with a perfect passing rating; the first one was in 2019, also against Miami.

— In case you were wondering, AFC beat the NFC 46-34 head-to-head this season. Every game in Week 18 in a divisional game, so the only inter-conference game left is the Super Bowl.

— Rams changed kickers again Monday; they brought back Brett Maher, who was 17-23 on field goals for the Rams earlier this season.

— If you’re a Lions’ fan, you have to love coach Dan Campbell; he led Detroit to its first division title in 30 years this season, but jeez, some of his game management decisions are interesting.
Saturday night, after the sketchy penalty call negated a Lions’ 2-point conversion, Detroit had the ball on the 8-yard line. Instead of just kicking the PAT to go to overtime, Campbell went for two from the 8 and the Lions lost the game, 20-19. Why?
Did Campbell not want his players playing an overtime, and risk injury? The game wasn’t life-or-death for Detroit, but it could’ve helped their seeding and given them home field for the second round of the playoffs, if they get that far.

— USFL/XFL have merged into an 8-team league called the UFL; their season begins March 30. San Antonio Brahmas announced Monday that Wade Phillips is their coach.

— QB DJ Uiagalelei started his college career at Clemson, he started for two years there, then transferred to Oregon State this year, but after the Beavers’ coach bolted to Michigan State, Uiagalelei packed his bags and will play next season at Florida State.

— UNLV freshman QB Jayden Maiava hit the transfer portal, really bad news for a UNLV program that played in its first bowl game in 10 years this season.
Maiava threw for 3,085 yards with 17 TD’s; he also ran for 277 yards and three TD’s. Big loss for the Rebels, who went 9-5 this season.

 

[Cnotes53]

Wednesday’s 6-pack:
NBA teams with the most triple-doubles (players/total):
— Lakers (28 players, 355 triple-doubles)
— Sacramento (30 players, 299 triple-doubles)
— Boston (27 players, 231 triple-doubles)
— Oklahoma City (23 players, 217 triple-doubles)
— Denver (18 players, 210 triple-doubles)
— Philadelphia (33 players, 197 triple-doubles)

Quote of the Day
“I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday. I should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the League’s discipline for my behavior.”
Carolina Panthers’ owner David Tepper, after he was fined $300,000 Tuesday

Wednesday’s quiz
Which Hall of Fame QB won a Super Bowl, when he was 6-7 passing for the whole game?

Tuesday’s quiz
Trent Dilfer played QB for the Baltimore Ravens the first time they won a Super Bowl, back in 2001.

Monday’s quiz
Lane Kiffin went 5-15 coaching the Oakland Raiders in 2007-08.

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Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings…….​

— College basketball refs travel a lot, and they bank a lot of $$$.
Ref named Keith Kimble worked a game five of the last six nights:
Dec 28- UCLA @ Oregon State
Dec 29- Arizona @ California
Dec 30- Ohio State vs West Virginia, in Cleveland
Dec 31- Washington State @ Colorado
Jan 2- Chicago State @ Kansas State
Lot of NBA players don’t like playing games on back/back nights, but refs who are twice their age work five games in six nights, in five different states.
Go figure.

— Colorado State 76, New Mexico 68
Two of the four best teams in the Mountain West met in the conference opener.
New Mexico star House was in foul trouble, only scored 14 points.
Colorado State was 18-21 on foul line, Lobos were 4-11.

— St John’s 86, Butler 70
Red Storm is off to a 10-4 start under Hall of Famer Rick Pitino.
St John’s has made the NCAA’s three times in the last 20 years (last time in 2019).
St John’s starts four seniors; they shot 59.6% inside the arc.

— Purdue 67, Maryland 53
Purdue is 13-1 against schedule #9, but they’re suspect until they win in March.
Boilermakers are shooting 38.9% on the arc (#14)
In last year’s NCAA’s loss to #16-seed FDU, Purdue was 5-26 on the arc.

— North Carolina 70, Pitt 57
This was first time in 70 years that UNC’s first true road game came in January.
Tar Heels have played a tough schedule (#18), but had five neutral court games.
Pitt was 5-29 on the arc; they’re 0-3 in the ACC, 0-5 vs top 100 teams.

— Wyoming 75, San Jose State 73
Visiting Spartans led by 17 in first half, 47-35 at halftime.
Wyoming was 23-25 on foul line, San Jose 9-12.
Wyoming is 8-0 giving up 73 or less points; they gave up 78+ points in all six losses.

— Bowling Green 92, Eastern Michigan 90 OT
EMU led by 14 points in first half.
Bowling Green star Hill was 13-17 on foul line; EMU’s whole team was 9-14.
Eastern Michigan only played seven guys, in an overtime game.

— Daily baseball trivia: Zack Greinke was the last pitcher to bat in a World Series but not hit 9th in the batting order; he hit 8th in Game 4 of the 2021 World Series. Greinke went 1-2- he was taken out after the 4th inning.

— Word of the Day– Precarious- dependent on chance circumstances, unknown conditions, or uncertain developments.
The fates of most NFL teams are precarious; there’s a fine line between winning/losing.

— Summit League/Big Sky Conference are having a basketball challenge this weekend; best game of the lot appears to be South Dakota State at Weber State. Good mid-major basketball, will be interesting to see which league comes out on top.

— When ESPN first started up 40+ years ago, one of the first leagues that let them show their games was the Sun Belt Conference. These days, the Sun Belt is still a decent league; they are the #17 league this year, partially because they have 14 teams now and the bottom teams have been dragging the league’s rating down some- they were the #14 league three of the last five years.
ESPN would be wise to set aside two hours a week to show a weekly Sun Belt game; their games are on ESPN+, but putting them on ESPNU would thank the league for helping ESPN get off their feet 40 years ago.

— Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper was fined $300,000 by the NFL after he threw a drink at Jaguar fans after the Panthers lost 26-0 in Jacksonville Sunday.
Tepper is the wealthiest owner in the NFL, worth over $16B; fining hm $300,000 is like fining me $3.

— 2024 NFL Draft has lot of interesting quarterbacks in it; one of the TV networks needs to get Jon Gruden out of retirement to do those pre-draft interviews he did with the QB prospects- he is he best at that kind of stuff.

— Hard to believe that in lot of states, high school basketball still doesn’t have a shot clock; five starts are adding the shot clock next season. Basketball without a shot clock is a totally different game, often a lot less fun to watch.

— They drew 47,313 fans in Seattle Monday for the outdoor hockey game between the Kraken and the Vegas Golden Knights. NHL has struck gold with its stadium series games.

— In the college football national title game Monday night, Michigan is favored by 4.5 points over Washington, with a total of 55.5.

 

[Udog]

Jim Harbaugh is 27-15 ATS (10.5 Units) vs. poor passing defenses - allowing a comp. pct. of 58% or worse (Coach of MICHIGAN)




NCAAF
Dunkel

Bowl Season

Washington @ Michigan
Washington
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Michigan
Michigan is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Michigan is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games

 

[Cnotes53]

Thursday’s 6-pack:
— Stanford 59, UCLA 53- Bruins lost eight of last ten D-I games.
— Miami 95, Clemson 82- Miami outscored Tigers 60-41 in second half.
— Weber State 75, South Dakota State 73- Big Sky was 5-4 vs Summit last nite.
— Seton Hall 61, Providence 57- Friars shot 37% from floor, at home.
— Villanova 66, Xavier 65- Villanova is shooting 81.6% on foul line (#3)
— Fordham 119, George Washington 113, 3OT- GW had 4 kids play 51:00 each.

Quote of the Day
“I know their fans are going to be loud ’cause there’s not much to do in Green Bay except watch football…….”
Bears’ QB Justin Fields, who is 0-5 against the Packers in his career

Thursday’s quiz
Who kicked the longest field goal in NFL history?

Wednesday’s quiz
Dolphins’ QB Bob Griese won a Super Bowl against Minnesota, when he was 6-7 passing for the whole game, in a 24-3 Miami win. Miami ran ball 53 times for 196 yards, had only 73 passing yards.

Tuesday’s quiz
Trent Dilfer played QB for the Baltimore Ravens, the first time they won a Super Bowl, back in 2001.

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Thursday’s Den: NHL trends……..​

NHL trends (thru January 3rd)
I’ll try to post this once a week……..

Anaheim 13-23-1
— lost five of last six games overall.
— 6-14-1 at home, 7-9 on road.
— over 8-4 last 12 home games

Arizona 19-15-2
— won six of their last eight games
— 12-6 at home, 7-9-2 on road.
— under 6-3 last nine games.

Boston 23-7-6
— won last four games, allowing seven goals
— 11-2-3 at home, 12-5-3 on road.
— under 5-2 last seven home games

Buffalo 15-19-4
— lost five of their last seven games.
— 8-9-1 at home, 7-10-3 on road.
— under 3-0 last three games

Calgary 16-16-5
— won five of their last seven games
— 9-7-1 at home, 7-9-4 on road.
— under 4-2 last six home games

Carolina 21-13-4
— won last four games, scoring 19 goals.
— 10-3-3 at home, 11-10-1 on road.
— over 8-2 last ten home games.

Chicago 11-24-2
— lost seven of their last ten games
— 7-9-1 at home, 4-15-1 on road.
— over 6-3 last nine games

Colorado 24-11-3
— won four of last five games
— 16-4 at home, 8-7-3 on road.
— over 8-5 last thirteen games

Columbus 12-19-8
— lost five of their last six games
— 8-11-3 at home, 4-8-5 on road.
— over 4-1 last five home games

Dallas 22-10-4
— won four of their last six games
— 12-6-1 at home, 10-4-3 on road.
— over 21-8 last 29 games

Detroit 18-16-4
— lost 10 of their last 14 games
— 10-7-3 at home, 8-9-3 on road.
— over 7-1 last eight games

Edmonton 19-15-1
— won their last six games.
— 10-6-1 at home, 9-9 on road.
— over 10-4 last 14 home games

Florida 23-12-2
— won six of their last eight games.
— 12-5 at home, 11-7-2 on road.
— under 9-1 last ten games

Los Angeles 20-9-5
— lost last three games, scoring four goals.
— 7-7-4 at home, 13-2-1 on road.
— under 20-5 last 25 games

Minnesota 16-16-4
— lost last three games, scoring five goals.
— 10-6-2 at home, 6-10-2 on road.
— under 8-2 last ten home games

Montreal 16-16-5
— haven’t played at home since December 16
— 1-3 in their last four games.
— 7-9-2 at home, 9-7-3 on road.
— over 5-1 last six games

Nashville 21-16-1
— 7-4 in their last 11 games.
— 12-9 at home, 9-7-1 on road.
— under 5-2 last seven home games

New Jersey 20-14-2
— won four of last five games
— 8-8-2 at home, 12-6 on road.
— over 5-1 last six games

NY Islanders 17-10-10
— lost six of last nine games.
— 10-4-6 at home, 7-6-4 on road.
— over 17-6 last 23 games

NY Rangers 25-10-1
— split their last six games
— 12-5 at home, 13-5-1 on road.
— 9-1 after a loss this season.
— over 6-1 last seven games

Ottawa 14-19
— lost eight of their last 11 games.
— 10-10 at home, 4-9 on road.
— over 5-1 last six road games.

Philadelphia 19-13-5
— lost five of their last six games.
— 8-7-1 at home, 11-6-4 on road.
— over 4-2 last six home games

Pittsburgh 18-14-4
— won seven of their last ten games
— 10-7-1 at home, 8-7-3 on road.
— over 6-3 last nine games

St Louis 18-17-1
— 5-3 in their last eight games.
— 11-6 at home, 7-11-1 on road.
— under 4-1 last five games

San Jose 9-26-3
— lost their last nine games
— 6-10-2 at home, 3-16-1 on road.
— over 7-3 last ten road games

Seattle 15-14-9
— won last five games, outscoring foes 12-5.
— 8-8-3 at home, 7-6-6 on road.
— under 8-2 last ten games

Tampa Bay 18-16-5
— lost three of last four games.
— 11-5-3 at home, 7-11-2 on road.
— under 4-1 last five games

Toronto 19-10-7
— 3-5 in their last eight games.
— 9-7-2 at home, 10-3-5 on road.
— under 5-1 last six games

Vancouver 24-10-3
— 8-3 in their last eleven games.
— 14-4-1 at home, 10-6-2 on road.
— over 5-1 last six games

Vegas 22-11-5
— lost their last five road games.
— 13-3-2 at home, 9-8-3 on road.
— over 4-1 last five home games

Washington 18-12-6
— lost five of last six games.
— 9-5-4 at home, 9-7-2 on road.
— over 4-1 last five games.

Winnipeg 23-9-4
— 11-3 in their last 14 games.
— 13-5-2 at home, 10-4-2 on road.
— under 3-1 last four games

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday’s 6-pack:
— Steelers (-3.5) @ Baltimore- Steelers need a win, Ravens do not.
— Texans (-1.5) @ Indianapolis- Both teams need this win, and some help.
— Jets @ New England (-1.5)- Could this be Belichick’s swan song in Foxboro?
— Jaguars (-3.5) @ Tennessee- Jacksonville needs a win to take the AFC South.
— Eagles (-4.5) @ Giants- Eagles need a win and a Washington upset for the #2 seed.
— Bills (-2.5) @ Miami- Winner takes the AFC East crown.

Quote of the Day
“The receivers that got picked, they’re great players, but I was hot. I guess I didn’t do enough during the season, so I’ve got to go harder.”
Detroit WR Amon-Ra St Brown, who was bypassed for a spot in the Pro Bowl

Friday’s quiz
Who was coach of the LA Rams, before Sean McVay?

Thursday’s quiz
Baltimore’s Justin Tucker kicked the longest field goal in NFL history, a 67-yarder that was a game-winner against the Lions in 2021.

Wednesday’s quiz
Dolphins’ QB Bob Griese won a Super Bowl against Minnesota, when he was 6-7 passing for the whole game, in a 24-3 Miami win. Miami ran ball 53 times for 196 yards, had only 73 passing yards.

****************************************

Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….​

— Week 18 in the NFL has some unusual QB matchups; there are at least five games where both QB’s starting this week are backups:
Steelers (Rudolph) @ Ravens (Hundley)
Browns (Driskel) @ Bengals (Browning)
Chiefs (Gabbert) @ Chargers (Stick)
Rams (Wentz) @ 49ers (Darnold)
Broncos (Stidham) @ Raiders (O’Connell)
Jeff Driskel will be the fifth quarterback to start a game for Cleveland this season.

— Jets cut RB Dalvin Cook, who went unclaimed on waivers; he then signed with the Baltimore Ravens, who’ve had injury issues in their backfield recently.
Cook carried the ball only 67 times for 214 yards for the Jets this season, after the Jets gave him a one-year, $7M contract in August.

— Tough time of year for football coaches whose teams didn’t win this year:
LSU fired four defensive assistant coaches.
Oklahoma fired its defensive coordinator.
North Carolina fired its offensive coordinator.

— It was reported couple weeks ago that Kansas State QB Will Howard was bolting from K-State to USC, but turns out he is going to Ohio State instead.

— Oklahoma State QB Alan Bowman was given a 7th year of eligibility by the NCAA; Bowman played three years at Texas Tech, two at Michigan, before playing for the Cowboys this past season. Bowman passed for 402 yards in OSU’s bowl win over Texas A&M.

— Atlanta Braves signed recently-acquired P Chris Sale to a 2-year, $38M contract; Sale was 6-5, 4.30 in 20 starts for Boston LY, which followed three injury-plagued seasons.

— Mets signed OF Harrison Bader, giving him $10.5M for one year; Bader hit .232 last year, splitting time between Bronx and Cincinnati.

— Movie of the Day: Solitary Man (2009)- A prolific car dealer watches his personal and professional life hit the skids because of his business and romantic indiscretions.
Tremendous cast: Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Mary-Louise Parker, Richard Schiff, Jenna Fischer, Bruce Altman.
The movie was written by the two guys who wrote the Showtime series Billions, which was an excellent show. This movie isn’t always pleasant, but it is interesting.

— Baseball Fact of the Day: In 2023, free agent P Blake Snell was the first pitcher since 1913 to lead the major leagues in both ERA and walks allowed.

— Oregon 76, Washington 74
Huskies were only 12-22 on the foul line, at home.

— Memphis 78, Tulsa 75
Memphis led by 14 at the half, needed a 3-pointer with 0:02 left for the win.
Penny Hardaway’s team is 12-2 against schedule #28; they’re #44 in experience, #343 in continuity, so they figure to improve as they play together more.

— Oakland 100, Milwaukee 95
Lot of whistles: Oakland was 30-39 on foul line, Milwaukee 26-35
Jack Gohlke is a senior G for Oakland; so far this year, he’s taken 167 shots- 52-162 on 3-point shots, 3-5 on 2-point shots.

— Cal-San Diego 79, Cal-Santa Barbara 72
Gauchos were expected to win the Big West, but they’re off to an 0-3 start in BW play.
When you shoot 10-17 on the arc at home and still lose, that isn’t good.

— Minnesota 73, Michigan 71
Michigan has lost three in row, eight of last eleven games.
Wolverines outscored Minnesota 17-5 on the foul line, still lost.

— James Madison 68, Louisiana 61
14-0 Dukes survived 19 turnovers and 5-22 shooting on the arc.
JMU started the season with OT wins at Michigan State, Kent State, but overall, they’ve played schedule #314 this season.

— There was an unusual scene they showed during the Colorado-Arizona game on ESPN; during the day, movie star Adam Sandler was playing in a half-court pickup game with the Arizona student managers. Sandler is a pretty good ballplayer for a guy in his late 50’s.

 

[Cnotes53]

Saturday’s 6-pack:
Most 3-point shots made, amongst active NBA players:
4,159— Steph Curry
3,232— James Harden
2,819— Klay Thompson
2,791— LeBron James
2,688— Damian Lillard
2,371— Paul George

Quote of the Day
“I think it comes down to, for us, how they (Pacers) got our number, there’s certain teams that just [have] your number. We’re still trying to figure that out because I know we’re gonna play them in the playoffs and, boy, it’s not gonna be pretty. It’s not gonna be pretty for them.”
Milwaukee Bucks’ Malik Beasley; the Pacers are 4-1 vs Milwaukee this season

Saturday’s quiz
Who has scored the most overtime goals in NHL history?

Friday’s quiz
Jeff Fisher was coach of the LA Rams, just before Sean McVay.

Thursday’s quiz
Baltimore’s Justin Tucker kicked the longest field goal in NFL history, a 67-yarder that was a game-winner against the Lions in 2021.

**********************************************

Saturday’s 1st Den: Random stuff on a winter night……..​

— From 2018-23, Gonzaga posted a 223-24 record, making the Sweet 16 in the last six NCAA Tournaments. Last time Gonzaga didn’t made the second weekend of the tournament? 2014.
But this year, Gonzaga is off to a 10-4 start, 4-3 vs top 100 teams, 0-3 vs top 50 clubs. Their bench is in the bottom 10 in the country in minutes played; they can’t afford any injuries.
The entire WCC is down this year, starting with BYU bolting to the Big X. So far this season, the WCC is:
0-6 SU vs the WAC, 0-6 ATS
6-18 SU vs Mountain West, 8-16 ATS.
4-10 SU vs Big West, 4-10 ATS
7-6 SU vs Pac-12, 6-7 ATS
St Mary’s was picked to win the WCC this year, but they’re 10-6, 2-5 against top 100 teams. There is no guarantee the WCC will get two teams in the NCAAs.

— SEC teams are 18-12 SU against the ACC this season, 19-11 ATS.

— UConn 88, Butler 81
Butler led by 7 early in the second half.
UConn shot 69% inside the arc.
Huskies had a 33-24 edge on the boards.

— Fairfield 93, Siena 69
Brycen Goodine scored 40 points, made 8-12 on the arc.
Here’s the thing; Goodine didn’t start the game, still scored 40 points.
Siena is 2-12; they played one junior and no seniors.

— New Mexico lost 76-68 at Colorado State Tuesday; Lobos’ star Jaelen House played only 19:00 because of foul trouble. When House and Jamal Mashburn were on the court at the same time, Lobos were +13; they were minus-21 when one/both guys were on the bench.

— ESPN’s Seth Greenberg said he thinks Wake Forest has the best starting 5 in the ACC; so far this season, Demon Deacons are 10-3, winning their last eight games- four of those wins were against top 100 teams.
Wake Forest’s bench ranks #323 in country in minutes played, something to remember when the ACC Tournament rolls around. Wake Forest is good, but not deep.

— Word of the Day: Opportunity- a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.

— Baseball Fact of the Day: Rockies C Elias Diaz won MVP of the All-Star Game last year; he was first National Leaguer to win that award since Melky Cabrera won it in 2012, as a member of the Giants.

— Seattle Mariners traded P Robbie Ray to the Giants, for OF Mitch Haniger, P Anthony DeSclafani. Unusual trade; all three players are over 30 years old.
Ray won the 2021 Cy Young while pitching for Toronto, then signed a 5-year deal with Seattle for $23M a year- he is under contract through the 2026 season and is owed $73M over that time. Ray had Tommy John surgery last year, is expected back in the second half of 2024.
Haniger previously played five years with Seattle; he hit 39 homers for the Mariners in 2021, but played total of only 118 games the last two years, hitting .209 for the Giants last year.
DeSclafani was 4-8, 4.88 in 18 starts for the Giants last year; he is 54-56 in his career.

— OF Michael Brantley retired Friday, ending a 15-year career; he hit .298 in his career, with a .794 OPS. He made five All-Star games, helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series.

— Los Angeles Lakers won the first-ever In-Season Tournament, beating the Pacers 123-109 on December 9th; since then, the Lakers are 3-9 and are hanging onto the last playoff spot in the West by a half-game.
Indiana went 2-6 in their first eight games after that loss to the Lakers, but now they’ve won five games in a row, are 19-14, the #5-seed in the East.

— Over/under total for Pacers-Hawks Friday was 262 points, the highest total for any NBA game in the last thirty years- Indiana has been involved with the three highest totals in the last thirty years.

— Former Cowboys’ tight end Jason Witten is now a high school coach in Texas; he coaches at Liberty Christian HS in Argyle, TX. Witten’s team won the state title this season, winning all their games by 28+ points- the last two years, Liberty Christian is 24-2.

— Baltimore Ravens are 13-3 this season; they’ve had the lead in the last 2:00 of all 16 games.

 

[Udog]

NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-up

Bowl Season
National Championship game (@ Houston)

Washington vs Michigan
Washington (14-0)
— In its last six games, Washington allowed 29.6 ppg.
— under DeBoer, Huskies are 4-0 ATS as an underdog.
— Last five games, Washington is +5 in turnovers.
— Huskies’ last five wins were by 7-2-3-3-6 points.
— 7 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 36 starts back on offensive line.
— senior QB has 44 starts; 31 here, 13 at Indiana.
— TY, Huskies are 3-1-1 ATS in games with single digit spread.
— In his career, DeBoer is 6-1 ATS as an underdog.
— Washington is 7-1 ATS in last eight non-league tilts.
— Three of last four Washington games stayed under total.
— Last year was Washington’s first bowl since 2019.
— since 2016, Huskies are 3-3 SU in bowls.
— Pac-12 non-conference underdogs are 5-5 ATS.

Michigan (14-0)
— Wolverines covered eight of their last ten games.
— their last five wins were by 9-7-6-26-7 points.
— Michigan is 3-0 ATS as a single digit favorite TY.
— Last two games, Michigan gained 481-532 yards.
— 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 145 starts back on offensive line.
— junior QB McCarthy completed 73.2% of passes (22 TD passes, 4 INT).
— Michigan is 9-15 ATS in last 24 non-conference games (1-3 TY).
— Michigan is 20-12-2 ATS in last 34 games as a favorite.
— eight of last ten Michigan games went over the total.
— Michigan is 2-4 SU/1-5 ATS in last six bowls.
— Big 14 home favorites are 13-14 ATS

— Michigan (-6.5) beat Washington 31-10 in Ann Arbor two years ago.
— Favorites won/covered the last four national title games.
— Pac-12 teams are 12-8 ATS in last 20 games vs Big 14 opponents.

 

[Cnotes53]

Sunday’s 6-pack:
Most foul shots made, amongst active NBA players:
8,227— Lebron James (73.5%)
7,484— James Harden (86%)
6,826— Kevin Durant (88.5%)
5,856— DeMar DeRozan (84%)
5,768— Russell Westbrook (77.6%)
4,764— Chris Paul (87%)

Quote of the Day
“Why would you want to dance with somebody who doesn’t want to dance with you?”

Adam Sandler, The Wedding Singer
Sunday’s quiz
Who was the Houston Texans’ QB, the last time they played in a playoff game, in 2019?

Saturday’s quiz
Alex Ovechkin (26) has scored the most overtime goals in NHL history.

Friday’s quiz
Jeff Fisher was coach of the LA Rams, just before Sean McVay.

******************************************

Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy Saturday……..​

— Steelers 17, Ravens 10
Game was 7-7 after three quarters, on a cruddy, rainy day.
Rudolph threw a 71-yard TD pass on first play of 4th quarter.
Rudolph is now 8-4-1 as an NFL starter.
Pittsburgh finishes 10-7; they need help to make the playoffs.
Steelers won seven of last eight series games.
Total yardage: Steelers 289, Ravens 224
Backup QB Huntley was 15-28/146 passing in his 9th (3-6) NFL start
Ravens are the #1-seed in the AFC; they have next week off.

— Texans 23, Colts 19
Houston makes the playoffs, with a rookie QB/rookie head coach.
WR Collins caught nine passes for 195 yards and a TD.
Last seven games, Texans are +7 in turnovers (10-3).
Texans are 8-1 ATS in last nine AFC South road games.
Colts converted only once on 11 third down plays.
Indy ran ball for 227 yards, but threw ball on decisive 4th-and-short play.
Favorites covered nine of Colts’ last ten games.
Colts are 13-15 ATS in last 28 games with spread of 3 or less.

— Troy Aikman came up with a great nugget during this game; apparently Brett Favre was a high school coach in Mississippi after his playing days were done. His team won a state title in his second year on the job, with their only loss that season against a team whose QB was Gardner Minshew.

— SEC
Kentucky 87, Florida 85- Gators led by 5 with 6:34 left to play.
Alabama 78, Vanderbilt 75- Bama led by 18 midway thru first half.
Tennessee 90, Ole Miss 64- First loss for Rebels, who played schedule #235

— Big X
Kansas 83, TCU 81- Jayhawks survived being minus-9 (18-9) in turnovers.
Baylor 75, Oklahoma State 70, OT- Teams combined to shoot 6-35 on the arc.
Cincinnati 71, BYU 60- Teams are in same league, despite being 1,670 miles apart.

— Big East
Seton Hall 78, Marquette 75- Kolek scored only 5 points (1-6 from floor)
St John’s 81, Villanova 71- Pitino’s Red Storm is 11-4, vs schedule #33.
Creighton 79, Providence 70- Friars’ F Hopkins is out for the year, big loss.

— ACC
North Carolina 65, Clemson 55- Tigers shot 1-18 on the arc, at home.
Wake Forest 86, Miami 82 OT- Eight players in this game played 38:00+.
Boston College 95, Georgia Tech 87- Tech led by 16 early in second half.

— Upsets of the Day:
LSU (+11.5) 68, Texas A&M 53
George Washington (+11.5) 84, VCU 82
Eastern Michigan (+10.5) 71, Kent State 69 OT
Cincinnati (+9.5) 71, BYU 60
Charlotte (+8.5) 70, FAU 68
Texas-San Antonio (+8.5) 89, Rice 82 OT
Eastern Illinois (+8.5) 90, Little Rock 88
Southern Miss (+7.5) 81, James Madison 71

— Baseball Fact of the Day: Francisco Rodríguez holds the record for most saves in one season; he saved 62 games for the 2008 Angels.

— There were 24 college basketball games Saturday, where the team that won trailed by 10+ points in that game.

— Pac-12
Cal 66, UCLA 57- Bruins are in freefall, losing nine of last 11 D-I games.
Arizona State 76, Colorado 73- ASU is 4-0 in Pac-12; they were 6-5 in pre-conference games.
Oregon 89, Washington State 84- Ducks made 14-24 shots on the arc.

— WCC
Saint Mary’s 68, LMU 64- Gaels won 8 of last 9 games, after a 3-5 start.
Santa Clara 78, Pepperdine 72- Junior F Bal had 28 points, one assist- his job is to shoot.

— Sun Belt
Southern Miss 81, James Madison 71- First loss of the season for the Dukes.
Troy 66, Appalachian State 62- Troy in 3-0 in Sun Belt, after a 6-6 pre-conference mark.
Marshall 79, Texas State 75- Bobcats led by 11 points early in second half.

— Big Sky went 6-3 against the Summit League Saturday; they win the two-night challenge between the two leagues, 11-7.

— Mountain West
Utah State 77, Colorado State 72- Aggies were 20-23 on foul line, Colorado State 4-11.
Nevada 72, Fresno State 57- Wolf Pack is 14-1; they’re #6 experience team in country.
San Diego State 72, UNLV 61- Aztecs led 25-9 early, coasted home from there.

 

[Cnotes53]

Monday’s 6-pack:
Next weekend’s NFL playoff games:
Saturday 4:30- Browns @ Houston
Saturday 8:15- Dolphins @ Kansas City
Sunday 1:00- Steelers @ Buffalo
Sunday 4:30- Packers @ Dallas
Sunday 8:15- Rams @ Detroit
Monday 8:15- Eagles @ Tampa Bay

Quote of the Day
“They can do whatever they want; there’s no rules against it. We didn’t stop them in the second half. They can do whatever they want. It is what it is. Hats off to them. They kicked our you-know-what in the second half, made us pay, took advantage of turnovers.
That’s their prerogative. It’s also my prerogative to tell him how I feel. Whether people like that or not, oh well. Like I said, credit to them, they do whatever they want.”
Falcons’ coach Arthur Smith, annoyed by Saints TD with 1:10 left, when score was 41-17

Monday’s quiz
Where did QB Carson Wentz play his college football?

Sunday’s quiz
Deshaun Watson was the Houston Texans’ QB, the last time they played in a playoff game, in 2019.

Saturday’s quiz
Alex Ovechkin (26) has scored the most overtime goals in NHL history.

**********************************************

Monday’s Den; Wrapping up an NFL Sunday…….​

Buccaneers 9, Panthers 0
Tampa Bay clinched NFC South win a win here.
Buccaneers won five of their last six games.
Bucs are 7-1 when they allow less than 18 points.
Tampa Bay will host the Eagles in the playoffs next week.
Panthers are 1st team to be shut out in consecutive games since ‘08 Browns.
Carolina never led a game in 4th quarter TY; both wins were on walk-off FG’s.
Carolina lost nine of its last ten games (3-3 ATS last six).
Panthers didn’t score a TD in four of their last five games.

Bills 21, Dolphins 14
Bills win AFC East; they host the Steelers next week.
Harty tied game 14-14 with a 96-yard punt return TD.
Bills outgained Miami, 473-275.
Buffalo is 5-0 SU/3-2 ATS since its bye week.
Dolphins in first half: 31 plays, 225 yards; they led 14-7.
Dolphins in 2nd half: 17 plays, 47 yards, 4 punts and an INT
Under McDaniel, Miami is 9-13 ATS as an underdog (0-5 TY).
Next week, Dolphins visit Kansas City Saturday night.

Titans 28, Jaguars 20
Loss knocks Jacksonville out of the playoffs.
Jaguars lost five of their last six games.
Last five weeks, Jaguars were outscored 65-29 in first half.
Jaguars were 8-14 on third down, Titans 6-11.
Tennessee scored TD’s on three of its first four drives.
Titans ran ball for 175 yards; Henry ran for 153 yards and a TD.
Tennessee is 14-7 ATS last 21 games as home dogs (4-2 TY)
Titans are 5-1 scoring 27+ points, 1-10 scoring 17 or less.

Saints 48, Falcons 17
Falcons’ first two drives: nine plays, 169 yards, two TD’s.
Falcons rest of game: 51 plays, 220 yards, 3 points.
Falcons are 3-11-1 ATS TY in games with spread of 3 or less points.
Saints scored TD with 1:10 left; Falcons WERE NOT HAPPY about it.
This game was 17-17 at halftime.
Saints were eliminated from playoffs when Green Bay won its game.
Carr was 22-28/264 passing with four TD’s.
Saints won nine of last 12 games against Atlanta.

Bengals 31, Browns 14
Bengals led 24-0 at halftime.
Browns in first half: 25 plays, 71 yards, 2 turnovers, no points.
Driskel was 5th QB to start a game for Cleveland TY.
Browns visit Houston in the playoffs next week.
Bengals’ first four drives: 24 plays, 224 yards, 21 points.
Mixon ran ball 14 times for 11 yards and a TD.
Cincinnati is 9-4-1 ATS last 14 games as home favorites (4-3-1 TY).
Bengals are 7-2 giving up 20 or less points, 2-6 allowing more than 2o.

Jets 17, Patriots 3
Jets end a 15-game losing streak vs New England.
Total yardage: Jets 254, New England 119
Teams combined to convert 4 of 29 third down plays.
Jets went 3-2 in their last five games this season.
NE is 7-15-1 ATS in last 23 games with spread of 3 or less.
Patriots were 1-4 ATS as a favorite this season.
New England was minus-12 in turnovers this year (+38 from 2019-22).
In his career, Belichick is 84-103 without Brady.

Lions 30, Vikings 20
Detroit scored TD’s on two of first three drives.
Last four games, Detroit is +6 in turnovers (9-3)
St Brown caught seven passes for 144 yards and a TD.
Over is 10-4 in their last 14 games.
Vikings lost six of last seven games (the win was 3-0).
Mullens was 30-44/396 passing, but threw INTs on last two drives.
Jefferson caught 12 passes for 192 yards and a TD.
Vikings were 1-7 when they allowed 27+ points.

Cowboys 38, Commanders 10
Dallas wins division, hosts Green Bay in playoffs next week.
Cowboys scored five TD’s on only nine drives.
Prescott was 31-36/279 passing, with four TD’s.
Dallas is 11-4 ATS last 15 games as a road favorite (4-1 TY)
Cowboys outgained Washington, 440-180.
Dallas was 6-10 on 3rd down, Commanders 2-10
Washington lost eight in row, 13 of last 15 games (3-8 ATS last 11)
Washington was 1-12 this year giving up more than 17 points.

Rams 21, 49ers 20
Rams converted 9 of 15 third down plays.
Rams are 7-1 SU/6-2 ATS last eight games
Rams are 9-3 when they run ball for 92+ yards, 1-4 when they don’t.
Rams visit Detroit (Stafford’s old team) in next week’s playoffs.
49ers led 20-7 at halftime.
49ers in second half: 16 plays, 26 yards, 3 punts and a lost fumble.
SF is 0-5 this year when they score less than 27 points.
49ers are still the #1 seed in NFC, have next week off.

Giants 27, Eagles 10
Giants led Philly 24-0 at halftime.
Eagles turned ball over three times in the first half.
Eagles went 1-5 SU/0-6 ATS in their last six games.
Eagles visit Tampa Bay in next weekend’s playoffs.
Giants outgained Philly 415-299.
Taylor was 23-32/297 passing, with a TD pass.
Last two weeks, Giants gained 389/415 yards, an improvement.
Last 13 games, Giants were +19 in turnovers.

Packers 17, Bears 9
Packers outgained Chicago, 432-192.
Green Bay was 7-10 on third down, Bears 3-10.
Packers are 6-2 SU/5-3 ATS in its last eight games.
Green Bay visits Dallas and its old coach (McCarthy) next week.
Bears were in Green Bay territory on every drive, scored only 9 points.
Bears are 0-5 ATS in their last five visits to Lambeau.
Bears were 2-5 SU in one-score games this season.
Fields is 10-28 as an NFL starter.

Seahawks 21, Cardinals 20
Trailing 20-13, Lockett caught a 34-yard TD pass with 1:54 left.
Lockett also scored 2-point conversion for the deciding points.
Arizona missed a 51-yard FG on last play of the game.
Cardinals outgained Seattle, 466-327.
Seattle was eliminated when Green Bay won its game.
Seahawks were 9-2 scoring 20+ points, 0-6 scoring less than 20.
Seahawks were 6-4 in one-score games this season.
Cardinals were 0-11 TY when they scored less than 25 points.

Raiders 27, Broncos 14
Denver scored 16-14 points in splitting backup QB Stidham’s starts.
Broncos lost four of their last six games.
Denver was 2-5 ATS as a road underdog this season.
Broncos are 7-16 ATS in last 23 games coming off a win.
Raiders led 17-7 at halftime.
Raiders went 5-4 SU/7-1-1 ATS after they changed coaches.
Las Vegas was 5-2-1 ATS TY in games with spread of 3 or less.
Raiders won their last nine games against Denver.

Chiefs 13, Chargers 12
Only TD of the game was 97-yard fumble return by the Chiefs.
Chargers outgained KC 353-268, but obviously Mahomes didn’t play.
Chiefs split their last ten games, after a 6-2 start.
Last two games, Kansas City scored one TD on offense, kicked eight FG’s.
Chargers were on KC’s 5-yard line on first drive, fumbled for defensive TD.
Rest of game, Chargers kicked four FG”s, didn’t score a TD.
Chargers lost eight of their last nine games.
Bolts were 0-7 TY in games decided by 3 or fewer points.

 

[Udog]

NCAAF
Weather Report

Bowl Season

Monday, January 8

 

[Cnotes53]

MONDAY, JANUARY 8​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
WASH at MICH	07:30 PM	WASH +5.5 U 55.0	+500 +500

 

[Cnotes53]

Tuesday’s 6-pack:
First six picks in 2024 NFL Draft:
1- Bears
2- Commanders
3- Patriots
4- Cardinals
5- Chargers
6- Giants

Quote of the Day
“The gap between achieving and underachieving was much bigger than what I anticipated this year, in a variety of ways.”
Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank, after firing their coach Monday

Tuesday’s quiz
What AFL/AFC team was the first one to win a Super Bowl?

Monday’s quiz
Carson Wentz played his college football at North Dakota State.

Sunday’s quiz
Deshaun Watson was the Houston Texans’ QB, the last time they played in a playoff game, in 2019.

*******************************************

Tuesday’s Den: NBA trends (thru Sunday)​

NBA trends (thru Sunday)
Hawks (14-21):
— lost six of last eight games SU (1-7 ATS)
— 1-10 ATS as a home favorite
— over 11-3 at home
— 1-5 ATS if they played night before.

Celtics (28-8):
— won 12 of last 14 games SU (6-3 ATS last nine)
— 7-9-1 ATS as a road favorite.
— over 5-2 last seven road games.

Nets (16-21):
— lost six of their last seven games.
— 8-2 ATS as home favorite.
— 0-7 ATS last seven road games.
— 2-4 ATS if they played night before.

Hornets (8-26):
— lost 12 of their last 13 games SU (6-7 ATS).
— 2-10 ATS last 13 games as road underdog.
— under 7-3 last ten games.

Bulls (17-21)
— 7-5 SU in their last 12 games (8-4 ATS).
— 5-2 ATS last seven as a home favorite.
— under 8-0 last eight games.

Cavaliers (21-15):
— split their last eight games SU.
— 6-3 ATS last nine home games.
— under 6-2 last eight road games.

Mavericks (22-15):
— won/covered four of their last five games.
— 6-2 ATS as road favorites.
— under 5-2 last seven home games.
— 5-2 ATS if they played night before.

Nuggets (26-12):
— won 9 of last 11 games SU (6-5 ATS)
— 5-10 ATS as a road favorite
— under 7-3 last 10 home games.
— 2-7 ATS if they played night before.

Pistons (3-33):
— 5-2 ATS in last seven games.
— 6-8 ATS as a home underdog, 9-11 as a road dog.
— over 7-1 last eight road games
— 1-5 ATS on first night of a back/back.

Warriors (17-19):
— lost five of last seven games SU
— 4-13 ATS as a home favorite
— 7-2 ATS as a road underdog.
— over 4-1 last five games

Rockets (18-16):
— won three of last four games SU
— 7-3 ATS as a home favorite.
— under 4-1 last five road games.
— 4-1 ATS if they played night before.

Pacers (21-15):
— won/covered six of last seven games.
— under 6-0 last six road games
— 5-7 ATS as a road underdog.
— 1-5 ATS if they played night before.

Clippers (22-13):
— 14-3 SU in last 17 games (10-4 ATS in last 14)
— 1-6 ATS as an underdog.
— under 5-1 last six games.

Lakers (18-19):
— 4-10 SU since they won the in-season tournament.
— 9-17 ATS as a favorite.
— over 9-2 last eleven road games.
— 1-7 ATS if they played night before.

Grizzlies (13-23):
— 7-3 SU/6-4 ATS since Morant came back; now he’s OFY.
— 5-11 ATS at home.
— over 5-1 last six road games

Heat (20-15):
— lost three of last four games SU.
— 5-10 ATS at home.
— under 6-1 last seven games.

Bucks (25-11):
— lost three of last four games SU (0-4 ATS)
— 6-11-1 ATS as home favorites.
— under 4-1 last five games.

Timberwolves (25-10)
— 3-4 in last seven games SU (1-5 ATS last six)
— 3-5 ATS as a road underdog.
— over 3-1 last four home games.

Pelicans (22-15):
— won/covered three of last four games
— 12-5 ATS as an underdog.
— under 5-1 last six games.

Knicks (21-15):
— won/covered their last four games
— 11-4 ATS as a favorite, 7-9 as a road underdog
— under 5-1 last six games
— 2-5 ATS if they played night before.

Thunder (24-11):
— lost last two games, after a 7-1 run.
— 11-3 ATS as a home favorite, 7-2 as a road dog.
— over 9-2 last eleven home games
— 3-1 ATS if they played night before.

Magic (21-15):
— 6-4 SU/8-2 ATS last ten games
— 12-4 ATS at home, 5-0 as a home dog.
— over 3-1 last four games.

76ers (23-12):
— 1-3 last four games SU.
— 18-7 ATS as a favorite, 4-5 as an underdog.
— under 5-1 last six games.
— 2-6 ATS if they played night before.

Suns (19-17):
— won five of last seven games SU.
— 9-18 ATS as a favorite.
— under 4-1 last five road games

Trailblazers (10-25):
— 2-4 SU/ATS in last six games.
— 6-10 ATS at home
— over 5-3 last eight games
— 5-1 ATS if they played night before.

Kings (21-14):
— won four of last six games SU.
— 8-2 ATS as an underdog.
— under 6-3 last nine games
— 0-5 ATS if they played night before.

Spurs (5-30):
— last last five games SU, are 4-2 ATS in last six
— 6-10 ATS as a home underdog, 8-10 as a road dog.
— under 5-1 last six games.
— 0-3 ATS if they played night before.

Raptors (15-21):
— 4-3 SU/5-2 ATS last seven games.
— 9-7 ATS as a favorite.
— over 5-1 last six games.
— 2-4 ATS if they played night before.

Jazz (18-20):
— won/covered seven of last nine games.
— 12-4 ATS at home
— 6-12 ATS as a road underdog.
— under 5-1 last six games

Wizards (6-30):
— 1-7 SU/3-5 ATS last eight games
— 5-9 ATS as a home underdog.
— under 7-3 last ten games.

NBA has a scheduling thing now where sometimes, a team will go to a city for three nights and play the same team twice (to save travel costs), with a day off in between.
So far this season, it has happened 24 times, so 48 games; underdogs are 29-19 ATS in those games, over 28-20 (13-11 first night, 15-9 second night)