I’m going to be honest, this is one of those weeks where I’m not really sure what to write about.
Truth be told, I’m in vacation mode right now. Stef and I are heading to the Smoky Mountains this weekend for a five-day trip that will include nature, Dollywood and the fun attractions of Pigeon Forge. I’m very excited. It’ll be the longest vacation I’ve taken in awhile and will be a perfect recharge of my batteries as the Fall Sports season ends and basketball nears full swing.
So with that on my mind, we’ve reached a rare occasion where football is not the number one priority in my brain. It’s similar to presidential elections, as it usually happens only once every four years. Very topical, Connor.
So, with nothing too specific on my mind, I’m going to just spend this introduction moving around the world of sports with an extended quick hitters segment. Lets see how this goes.
Before I begin, I’d like to announce that my angiogram last week went very well, as no issues were found in my heart. After a dental exam on Friday, I will finally be able to be listed for a transplant.
The Indiana Hoosiers are easily the best story in college football this season. Tuesday night’s first rankings by the College Football Playoff Comittee put the Hoosiers in the playoff if the season ended today. They still have to get through Ohio State and there’s a good chance they can still get in even after they lose that game. Coach Cignetti is a sure bet for Coach of the Year at this point. It’s just awesome all around. I hope this isn’t a one-year wonder.
Also, with Notre Dame also sitting in the top 12, Indiana is the only state in the country with two teams slated to make the playoff. In 49 states, it’s just college football…
Staying on Indiana football, there are two sectional championship games involving local teams. Warsaw travels to Concord while Triton heads to North Miami. Both teams will be underdogs in those contests while also trying to avenge losses earlier this season. Go out and support these athletes. Sectional championships in football don’t happen too often around here. I’m still hoping to cover my first one.
Basketball is back. The NBA has returned, as has college basketball, and the first few games of the high school season have been played. I’ll be honest, I don’t really care about the NBA anymore and I usually don’t lock in on the college game until February. That being said, I will be at 3-4 local games every week.
There are some really good teams in the area this year. The Warsaw boys will look to defend a sectional championship. The Whitko girls will look to remain at the top of the Three Rivers Conference. The Manchester boys and Warsaw girls both return a ton of talent after excellent seasons with a chip on their shoulders to avenge early postseason losses. The Tippecanoe Valley and Triton girls teams, as well as the Lakeland Christian boys, entering the season with new coaches. The storylines are juicy and I can’t wait for things to get rolling.
Matt Eberflus, your time is up buddy. You’ve lost the locker room and the team still stinks. It’s time to move on. Give me Ben Johnson or give me death.
The column is HOT going into this week. I’ve been either at or above .500 for the last month or so and after a slow start, I’ve finally gotten back to .500 for the season. If we can keep this up, the sky is the limit for how we can finish.
Let’s do this.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-6.5)
This should be a pretty good one to start things off this week. The Bengals picked up a much needed win over the Raiders last weekend while the Ravens bounced back after a puzzling loss by smoking the Broncos. I’m not all the way bought in on the Bengals, but I feel like with the way Joe Burrow is playing, this is a pretty steep line for a divisional game. I’ve been terrible at picking the primetime games lately, so let’s get back on track with an underdog.
The Pick: Bengals +6.5
SUNDAY MORNING SCHNITZEL
New York Giants (-4.5) at Carolina Panthers
So we decide to send two teams to Germany to try and grow the sport, and these are the two teams we send? Not exactly a glowing endorsement of the sport. I’ll probably sleep through this one, but I have to pick it regardless. These are two of the worst teams against the spread in the league, so I’m not sure which way to go. I’m leaning towards the Giants, as I think the Panthers’ win last week was against a quitting team. The G Men aren’t at that point just yet, but if they drop this one, it’s coming.
The Pick: Giants -4.5
1 O’CLOCK SUNDAY
New England Patriots at Chicago Bears (-6.5)
Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about how the Bears were giving me hope again? That was pretty funny. I don’t know how Matt Eberflus is still the head coach of this team. The players quit on him last week, and if you watched the game, it was obvious to see. The offense is terrible, the defense is falling apart. It’s bad in Chi Town. Drake Maye has snuck up on us all and has looked pretty solid in his first few starts for New England. I really don’t know what to do here. The Bears look putrid but have done well against bad teams. They also only play well at home. Based on how the rest of the schedule looks, this may be my only chance left to pick my boys. I don’t like it, but we ride once more.
The Pick: Bears -6.5
Buffalo Bills (-4.5) at Indianapolis Colts
Well, the Joe Flacco experiment didn’t work out too well for the Colts last week, as the offense was unable to do anything in a Sunday night loss to the Vikings. I don’t think it was bad enough to go back to Anthony Richardson immediately, but I also don’t know why they’re still rolling with Flacco when he’s not going to be there next year. It really is an odd situation. The Bills stayed hot with a win over Miami, and though it was probably closer than they would have liked, they still got the job done. I’m going to go with Buffalo to get it done again here.
The Pick: Bills -4.5
Minnesota Vikings (-4.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Vikings looked like they were going to drop their third straight game Sunday night before a good second half put them back into the win column. The Jaguars started slow, mounted a furious comeback, but then were unable to finish it off in a loss to the Eagles. For some reason, I like the Jaguars once again this week. They were able to back me up and cover last weekend and I’m going to go out on a limb and say they do so at home this time around. The Vikings are still a pretty good football team, but are starting to show cracks.
The Pick: Jaguars +4.5
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-8.5)
Once again, the Chiefs picked up a win last week to remain undefeated, and once again, they were unable to.cover a lopsided spread. For whatever reason, I cannot pick them for the life of me. Shoutout to Kareem Hunt for scoring that overtime touchdown to help me steal a fantasy victory though. The Broncos were riding high before getting absolutely crushed by the Ravens. Denver has looked good in a lot of games this year, but not so much against the top teams. That being said, they are the better team against the spread this season so I’m taking the risk. Knowing it’s a Chiefs game, I’ll probably get it wrong.
The Pick: Broncos +8.5
Atlanta Falcons (-3) at New Orleans Saints
The Saints finally made the decision to cut ties with head coach Dennis Allen this week after the team’s seventh straight loss. Take notes, Bears. The Falcons keep on winning, now sitting comfortably in first place of the NFC South. This is a pretty small line for two teams heading in opposite directions, which leads me to believe that Vegas believes the interim coaching bump is going to be real. It might be, but I still like the favorite here.
The Pick: Falcons -3
San Francisco 49ers (-5.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I want to give credit to the Bucs, as they fought the undefeated, two-time champs into overtime with no weapons besides Cade Otton for Baker Mayfield to throw to last week. It was a gutsy performance that ultimately came up just short. The Niners had a bye week at a perfect time, as they are able to get healthier and get some guys back. Christian McCaffrey returned to practice this week, and just might be the piece San Fran needs to get going. I like the visitors to pick up a win and get back into the playoff picture.
The Pick: 49ers -5.5
Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Commanders (-3)
I really like Pittsburgh in this game. Coming off of a bye, Russell Wilson playing pretty well, boasting one of the top defenses in the league. We saw what happened the last time the Commanders went up against a really good defense, and Mike Tomlin is a smart enough coach to prevent a Hail Mary if it comes down to it. Granted, that’s not exactly a high bar to clear, but you’d be surprised. Give me the Steelers here, my favorite upset pick of the week.
The Pick: Steelers +3
LATE AFTERNOON SLATE
Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Chargers (-7.5)
I’ve been down on the Chargers for the last few weeks and they keep on proving me wrong. The Titans picked up their second win of the season last weekend, but it took overtime against a bad Patriots team to do so. I’ll be honest, I think both of these teams play some boring brands of football, so I probably won’t be watching, but I will be picking the favorites here.
The Pick: Chargers -7.5
New York Jets (-1.5) at Arizona Cardinals
Don’t look now, but the Cardinals are sneakily a really good football team. They’ve played some tough games this season and have emerged victorious. They’ve beat some pretty good teams too and are currently sitting in first place. The Jets finally got the win everybody was waiting for them to get thanks to Garrett Wilson and a pair of circus catches for touchdowns. Apparently that win fixed everything, and now people are already talking about their path to the playoffs. I’m going with the home underdogs here. They’ve been balling lately.
The Pick: Cardinals +1.5
Philadelphia Eagles (-7) at Dallas Cowboys
Man, the Cowboys stink out loud. It feels as if every week they hit a new low before hitting a new one the next week. The Eagles keep on winning games, although they almost found a way to blow it last week thanks to some questionable decisions by their head coach. If Dallas has any pulse left, this is the game they show up for. But with a possible IR stint for Dak Prescott looming, I just don’t see it happening. Mike McCarthy’s days are numbered.
The Pick: Eagles -7
WAITIN’ ALL DAY FOR A SUNDAY NIGHT
Detroit Lions (-3.5) at Houston Texans
If I don’t get this Sunday night game correct, I might have to retire from picking the slate. I’m pretty sure I’ve lost at least the last five in a row. Luckily, the Lions are going this week, and right now, they are the most sure thing in the sport. The most dominant team in the league currently, they aren’t just beating teams, they’re crushing them. The Texans are playing pretty badly for a 6-3 football team right now, with some horrible offensive line play and CJ Stroud not playing well at all. This is a no brainer for me. Give me the best team in football.
The Pick: Lions -3.5
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Rams (-2.5)
The Dolphins are a pretty good team to only have two wins this season. They’ve had some bad injury luck, and even after getting Tua back, they’ve played a pair of teams that are just better than them. The Rams on the other hand have fully shaken off their slow start and are riding high coming into this one. Matt Stafford is playing some good ball, he has his weapons back and his defense is improving. I think they keep it rolling with another win here.
The Pick: Rams -2.5
On the bye: Browns, Packers, Raiders, Seahawks
I’m hoping I can stay hot here. The last few weeks have been exactly what I needed, and I’d like to keep that going. Just a reminder before we end things off here, there will NOT be a column next week, as Stef and I are taking a much needed vacation to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. I’ll talk to you all soon.
Cheers.
Last Week’s Record: 9-6
Season Record: 61-61