Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites.
Saturday’s 6-pack:
College basketball teams shooting the best behind the arc:
48.8%- Houston
48%- Nevada
45.9%- Memphis
45.8%- Kennesaw State
44.9%- Cincinnati
44%- Sam Houston State
Quote of the Day
“You’re a goddamn quarterback!!! You know what that means? It’s the top spot, kid. It’s the guy who takes the fall. It’s the guy everybody’s looking at first – the leader of a team – who will support you when they understand you. Who will break their ribs and their noses and their necks for you, because they believe. ‘Cause you make them believe. That’s a quarterback.”
Al Pacino, Any Given Sunday
Saturday’s quiz
Other than the Chiefs (won last two titles), who was the last team to win a Super Bowl?
Friday’s quiz
Last time the Cleveland Browns played in a playoff game, Joe Flacco was their QB.
Thursday’s quiz
Other than the Jets, Denver Broncos have gone the longest since the last time they were in the playoffs- 2015 was last time they made the playoffs.
Saturday’s Den: College basketball is heating up……..
— Duke 69, Arizona 55
Duke led 34-27 at halftime. won fairly easily.
Blue Devils avenged LY’s 78-73 home loss to Arizona.
Wildcats lost their last two games, after beating a couple of stiffs.
— Pittsburgh 74, LSU 63
Bayou Bengals led 28-27 at halftime.
Pitt is 6-0, is shooting 60.8% inside the arc.
Pitt-Wisconsin is another interesting game Sunday.
— Vanderbilt 76, Seton Hall 60
Commodores shot 66.7% inside arc, 10-27 on arc (1.15 points/possession)
Vandy’s new coach Byington was 56-15 the last two years, at James Madison.
Vanderbilt-Drake is an interesting game on Sunday’s card.
— Tennessee 77, Baylor 62
Vols improve to 6-0; they led 31-9 early on, 47-24 at halftime.
This is closest game Tennessee has had so far.
Vols have rebounded 40.4% of their missed shots (#9 in country)
— Nebraska 74, Creighton 63
Cornhuskers were a 10-point underdog; they thrashed Creighton.
Nebraska was +10 in turnovers; 2nd time in three years they upset the Bluejays.
— Utah State 77, Iowa 69
Aggies out-rebounded Iowa, 47-31; they had 15 offensive boards.
Utah State is 5-0; they’re on their 4th coach in five years, their 6th coach in 11 years, and they only had one losing season the last ten years. Unusual program.
— Nevada 64, VCU 61
VCU led by 15 early in second half.
Nevada survived shooting 15-26 on the foul line.
VCU lost its first two games in Charleston this weekend, both by 3 points.
— Famous birthdays, November 21:
Dale Sveum, 61
Steve Alford, 60
Vin Baker, 53
Malik Rose, 50
Jonathan Papelbon, 44
Justin Turner, 40
Ross Stripling, 35
Tyler Wade, 30
Gavin Lux, 27
— Drake 75, Florida Atlantic 63
Drake is 5-0; four of their starters played for a D2 team last year.
Bulldogs were 10-25 on arc; they play Vanderbilt in Charleston title game Sunday.
— Elon 84, Notre Dame 77
ACC teams aren’t supposed to lose to CAA teams.
Elon shot 61% inside the arc.
Elon outscored Notre Dame 43-31 in second half.
— Mississippi State 84, SMU 79
SMU led by 13 early in game.
Mustangs lost despite shooting 66.7% inside arc, 23-34 on foul line.
Miss State is 5-0, with solid wins over Utah, SMU.
— Bradley 77, Wright State 74
Bradley outscored Raiders 11-5 over the final 4:04.
Braves start four seniors; they’re #33 in continuity.
Bradley-Middle Tennessee is title game in this tournament Sunday.
NFL/baseball notes………
— Giants benched QB Daniel Jones this week; he asked the team to release him, and they did, even though their salary cap would’ve been better off had they kept him until next June- they would’ve saved $30.5M on the 2025 salary cap had they done that.
Jones was 25-45-1 as the Giants’ QB, 1-1 in playoff games, 3-13 the last two years.
— 49ers’ QB Brock Purdy is out for this week’s game in Green Bay. Brandon Allen gets the start at QB; he is 2-7 as an NFL starter (Broncos/Bengals) with his last start in 2021.
— NFL flexed the Week 16 Broncos-Chargers game from Sunday to Thursday night, replacing the Browns-Bengals game, good news for fans in Cincinnati. A December 19 night game in Ohio doesn’t sound like that much fun.
— Cincinnati Reds acquired P Brady Singer from Kansas City for 2B Jonathan India, OF Joey Wiemer
Singer was 9-13, 3.71 in 28 starts for the Royals LY; he started 127 games in five years with Kansas City.
India hit .248 with 15 homers LY; he was Rookie of the Year in 2021.
— P Dustin May, who missed most of the last two years with injuries, signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers for $2,135,000. May is eligible for free agency after next season.
NCAAF
Armadillo's Write-Up
Week 13
Saturday’s best 13 games
Indiana @ Ohio State (-10.5)
Indiana (10-0, 7-0)
Hoosiers are 10-0; they’re underdog for first time this year.
Last four games, Hoosiers gave up 12.3 ppg.
Last four games, Indiana is +7 in turnovers.
Hoosiers have 10 starters back on offense, 11 on defense.
Hoosiers have 119 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Rourke started 33 games at Ohio U
Indiana is 5-10 ATS last 15 games as a road underdog.
In his career, Cignetti is 2-1 ATS as an underdog.
In his career, Cignetti is 17-6 ATS in conference games.
Indiana is 17-10 ATS in its last 27 games coming off a win.
Six of Indiana’s last eight games went over the total.
Ohio State (9-1, 6-1)
Ohio State won last four games, last two by combined 76-7.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
Ohio State has 7 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Buckeyes have 103 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Howard stated 33 games at Kansas State.
Under Day, OSU is 24-15 ATS as a home favorite.
Buckeyes’ only loss was 32-31 at Oregon; Ducks gained 496 yards.
Oregon is only opponent that gained more than 273 yards.
Buckeyes are 9-6-1 ATS in last 16 conference games.
OSU is 11-6-2 ATS in last 16 games coming off a win.
Ohio State allowed 17 or fewer points in all of its wins.
Ohio State won last 24 series games.
Hoosiers are 9-4 ATS in last 13 series games.
Indiana is 6-1 ATS in last seven visits to Columbus.
Over is 6-1 in last seven meetings.
Big 18 home favorites are 23-18 ATS.
Ole Miss (-11.5) @ Florida
Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2)
Ole Miss is 4-2 in its SEC games; both losses were by 3 points.
Rebels are +5 in turnovers in their last three games.
Rebels have 10 starters back on offense, 10 on defense.
Rebels have 222 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Dart has started 25 games.
All eight Ole Miss wins are by 12+ points.
Ole Miss is 9-2-1 ATS last 12 games as a road favorite.
In his career, Kiffin is 20-17-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Kiffin, Rebels are 23-15-2 ATS coming off a win.
Under Kiffin, Ole Miss is 17-20-2 ATS in SEC games.
Under is 8-1 in Ole Miss’ I-A games this season.
Florida (5-5, 3-4)
Four of Gators’ five losses were by 13+ points.
Florida is 0-5 when it scores less than 24 points.
Florida has 8 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Gators have 80 returning starts on the offensive line.
Frosh QB Lagway has 7 TD passes, 5 INT’s (1,297 PY).
Under Napier, Florida is 11-7 ATS as an underdog.
In his career, Napier is 22-10-1 ATS as an underdog.
Florida covered six of its last seven games overall.
Under Napier, Florida is 13-10 ATS in SEC games.
Over is 6-3 in Florida’s I-A games.
These teams haven’t met since 2020.
Florida won three of last four series games.
SEC home underdogs are 14-8 ATS
Iowa (-6) @ Maryland
Iowa (6-4, 4-3)
Iowa is 1-4 if it allows 20+ points, 5-0 if it allows less than 20.
Iowa’s six wins were all by 17+ points.
Hawkeyes have 10 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Hawkeyes have 154 returning starts on offensive line.
Senior QB McNamara has 21 career starts.
Hawkeyes are 11-6 ATS last 16 games as a road favorite (1-2 TY).
In his career, Ferentz is 32-24-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Iowa is 6-4-1 ATS in last 11 games coming off a loss.
Hawkeyes are 24-19-1 ATS in their last 43 conference games.
Over is 7-2 in their I-A games.
Maryland (4-6, 1-6)
Terps lost last three games, giving up 48-39-31 points.
Maryland is 4-1 when it scores 27+ points.
Maryland has 4 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Terps have 21 returning starts on OL.
Junior QB Edwards has 2,855 passing yards (15 TDs, 9 INT).
Under Locksley, Maryland is 7-7 ATS as a home underdog.
In his career, Locksley is 13-15 ATS as a home underdog.
Under Locksley, Terps are 21-33 ATS in conference games.
Terps were minus-10 in turnovers last five games (+11 in first five games).
Over is 3-1-1 in their home games.
Teams haven’t met since 2021.
Iowa won last three meetings (51-14/23-0/31-15).
Big 18 home underdogs are 15-15 ATS
North Carolina (-2.5) @ Boston College
North Carolina (6-4, 3-3)
North Carolina won its last three games, scoring 41-35-31 points.
Tar Heels are 6-1 when they allow less than 34 points.
Tar Heels have 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Tar Heels have 59 returning starts on OL, 49 from one guy.
Junior QB Criswell has 2,003 passing yards (12 TD’s, 3 INTs)
Tar Heels are 3-10-2 ATS last 15 games as a road favorite.
In his career, Mack Brown is 44-50-4 ATS as a road favorite.
Since 2021, Tar Heels are 12-18 ATS in ACC games.
Carolina ran ball for 200+ yards in three of last four games.
Under is 5-1 in their last six games.
Boston College (5-5, 2-4)
BC lost four of its last five games, after a 4-1 start.
Eagles are 1-5 when they allow more than 20 points.
Eagles have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Eagles have 115 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB James has 456 PY in his two starts.
Boston College is 16-7-1 ATS in last 24 games as a home dog.
In his college career, O’Brien is 2-0 ATS as a home underdog.
Eagles are 14-16 ATS in last 30 ACC games.
Last two games, BC gave up 431+ total yards.
Over is 4-0 in their last four games.
These teams haven’t met since 2020.
North Carolina is 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS in last five meetings.
ACC home underdogs are 9-11 ATS
Arizona @ TCU (-11)
Arizona (4-6, 2-6)
Arizona is 2-6 in Big X games, giving up 31.7 ppg in losses.
Four of their six losses were by 22+ points.
Arizona has 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
Wildcats have 86 starts back on offensive line.
Soph QB Fifita started nine games last year.
Arizona is 7-5 ATS last 12 games as a road underdog.
In his career, Brennan is 17-15 ATS as a road underdog.
Wildcats are 2-6 ATS in their conference games TY.
In his career, Brennan is 34-28-1 ATS in conference games.
Arizona is 7-4 ATS in last 11 games coming off a win.
Over is 3-2 in their last five games.
TCU (6-4, 4-3)
TCU is 5-0 when it gives up fewer than 30 points.
Last three games, TCU scored 35-34-38 points.
TCU has 7 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Horned Frogs have 77 returning starts on the offensive line.
Soph QB Hoover started six games last year.
Under Dykes, TCU is 8-7 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, Dykes is 29-24 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Dykes, TCU is 13-12-1 ATS in Big X games.
Frogs are 6-4 despite being minus-10 in turnovers.
Over is 6-3 in their I-A games this season.
These teams haven’t met since 2003.
Big X home favorites are 17-19 ATS.
Penn State (-11.5) @ Minnesota
Penn State (9-1, 6-1)
Penn State won its last two games, 35-6/49-10.
PSU’s only loss was 20-13 at home to Ohio State.
Nittany Lions are 4-0 SU/3-1 ATS on road this season.
Nittany Lions have 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Penn State has 45 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Allar started 13 games last year.
Under Franklin, Penn State is 56-38-3 ATS as a favorite.
Under Franklin, Penn State is 22-13 ATS as a road favorite.
Nittany Lions are 6-1 SU/3-4 ATS in conference games TY.
Last two games, Penn State ran ball for 266-234 yards.
Six of their last eight games stayed under the total.
Minnesota (6-4, 4-3)
Minnesota won four of its last five games.
Only one of the Gophers’ losses was by more than 7 points.
Gophers have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Minnesota has 70 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Brosmer started 36 games at I-AA New Hampshire.
Minnesota is 8-8-2 ATS last 16 games as a home underdog.
In his career, Fleck is 10-13-2 ATS as a home underdog.
Under Fleck, Minnesota is 34-32-2 ATS in conference games.
Minnesota is +15 in turnovers in wins, minus-3 in losses.
Gophers are 5-0 when they run ball for 100+ yards.
Home team won/covered last four series games.
Penn State lost 31-26/24-10 in last two visits to Minnesota.
Over is 5-2-1 in last eight meetings.
BYU @ Arizona State (-3)
BYU (9-1, 6-1)
BYU lost 17-13 to Kansas LW, its first loss this year.
BYU has four wins by six or fewer points.
Cougars have 8 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Broncos have 88 starts returning on the offensive line.
Junior QB Retzlaff started four games LY.
BYU is 19-8 ATS last 27 games as a road underdog.
BYU scored 34+ points in sieven of its ten games.
In his career, coach Sitake is 25-14-1 ATS as an underdog.
BYU is 7-12 ATS last 19 games coming off a loss.
Last two games, BYU gave up 259/242 total yards.
Five of their last six games went over the total.
Arizona State (8-2, 5-2)
ASU won three in row, five of its last six games.
Sun Devils scored 24+ points in their wins, 22-14 in losses.
ASU has 6 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Sun Devils have 57 returning starts on the offensive line.
Frosh QB Leavitt has 1,906 PY this year, with 17 TD’s, 4 INTs.
Under Dillingham, ASU is 4-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Dillingham, ASU is 11-5 ATS in conference games.
ASU is 8-13 ATS in last 21 games coming off a win.
Arizona State is 4-0 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Sun Devils are 5-0 SU/ATS at home, scoring 35 ppg.
These teams have met once since 1998.
Big X home favorites are 17-19 ATS
Colorado (-3) @ Kansas
Colorado (8-2, 6-1)
Colorado won eight of its last nine games (9-0 ATS).
Colorado scored 31+ points in eight of its nine wins.
Tigers have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Tigers have 100 returning starts on offensive line, and a new OL coach.
QB Sanders started 11 games LY, after playing multiple years at I-AA Jackson State.
Sanders is 7-3 ATS as a favorite with Colorado, 3-1 on road.
Since 2016, Colorado is 4-2 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Sanders, Buffs are 13-4 ATS in conference games.
Under Sanders, Colorado is 8-4 ATS coming off a win.
Over is 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
Kansas (4-6, 3-4)
Kansas won three of last four games, after a 1-5 start.
Jayhawks have five losses by 6 or fewer points.
Jayhawks have 7 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Kansas has 130 returning starts on offensive line.
Junior QB Daniels has 20 career starts.
In his career, Leipold is 17-7-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Under Leipold, Kansas is 7-4 ATS as a home underdog.
Kansas is 3-1 SU/4-0 ATS in its last four games.
Under Leipold, Kansas is 11-7-1 ATS coming off a win.
Five of last seven Kansas games went over the total.
These teams haven’t met since 2010.
Big X home underdogs are 4-7 ATS.
Alabama (-13.5) @ Oklahoma
Alabama (8-2, 4-2)
Alabama lost 2 of last 3 road games, at Vandy/Tennessee.
Crimson Tide was held under 100 yards rushing in the losses.
Alabama has 7 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Crimson Tide has 60 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Milroe has started 14 games.
Alabama is 7-11 ATS last 17 games as a road favorite.
In his career, DeBoer is 10-9 ATS as a road favorite.
Alabama is 12-9-1 ATS in its last 22 SEC games.
Under is 3-0 in their last three I-A games.
Alabama is 12-6 ATS in last 18 games coming off a win.
Oklahoma (5-5, 1-5)
Oklahoma lost its last four SEC games, giving up 31.3 ppg.
Sooners are 0-5 when they allow more than 21 points.
Oklahoma has 7 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Sooners have 114 returning starts on the offensive line.
Soph QB Arnold has thrown for 1,243 yards (12 TDs, 3 INTs)
Under Venables, Oklahoma is 0-3 ATS as a home underdog.
Under Venables, Sooners are 9-14-1 ATS in conference games.
Under Venables, Oklahoma is 6-5 ATS in games coming off a loss.
Last four I-A games, Oklahoma is minus-9 in turnovers.
Sooners were held under 300 TY in five of last six I-A games.
These teams haven’t met since a bowl game in 2018.
SEC home underdogs are 14-8 ATS.
Iowa State @ Utah (-3)
Iowa State (8-2, 5-2)
Iowa State lost 2 of last 3 games, after a 7-0 start.
Last four games, Cyclones gave up 251.8 rushing yards/game.
Cyclones have 10 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Cyclones have 90 returning starts on offensive line.
Soph QB Becht started 13 games last season.
Iowa State’s last four games had average total of 57.5.
Under Campbell, ISU is 14-8-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Cyclones are 10-6 ATS in last 16 conference games.
Cyclones are +8 in turnovers this season.
Iowa State is averaging 448.3 yards in its Big X games.
Utah (4-6, 2-6)
Utah lost its last six games (1-5 ATS)
Utes scored 22+ points in their four wins (0-5 score less than 22)
Utes have 6 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Utah has 60 returning starts on offensive line.
Frosh QB Wilson has 1,436 PY (10 TDs, 11 INTs)
Utah is 9-6 ATS last 15 games as a home favorite (0-3 TY).
Utah is 2-7 ATS in last nine games overall.
Utes are 0-6 when they run ball for less than 170 yards.
Since 2016, Utes are 46-32 ATS in conference games (2-6 TY).
Five of Utah’s last seven games stayed under the total.
These teams haven’t met since 2010.
Big X home favorites are 17-19 ATS.
Cincinnati @ Kansas State (-8)
Cincinnati (5-5, 3-4)
Cincinnati lost last three games, giving up 34-31-34 points.
Cincinnati is 5-0 giving up less than 28 points.
Bearcats have 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Bearcats have 91 returning starts on offensive line.
Soph QB Sorsby started 7 games at Indiana last year.
Cincinnati is 3-6-1 ATS in last ten games as a road underdog.
In his career, Satterfield is 12-17-3 ATS as a road underdog.
Last 2+ years, Cincinnati is 6-16-2 ATS in conference games.
Bearcats are 5-9-1 ATS in last 15 games coming off a loss.
Under is 6-2-1 in Cincinnati’s I-A games.
Kansas State (7-3, 5-3)
K-State lost its last two games, after a 7-1 start.
K-State scored 29+ points in its wins, 9-19-14 in losses.
Wildcats are +6 in turnovers in wins, minus-6 in losses.
Wildcats have 4 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Wildcats have 73 returning starts on OL, only 36 at I-A level.
Frosh QB Johnson has thrown for 1,892 yards (17 TDs, 7 INTs)
K-State is 13-4 ATS last 17 games as a home favorite.
Under Klieman, Wildcats are 23-17 ATS as a favorite.
Under Klieman, K-State is 33-21 ATS in Big X games.
Wildcats are 8-1 ATS last nine games coming off a loss.
Under is 3-0 in K-State’s last three games.
These teams haven’t met in the last 20 years.
Big X home favorites are 17-19 ATS.
USC (-5) @ UCLA
USC (5-5, 3-5)
Trojans lost four of their last six games.
USC is 1-5 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
USC has 5 starters back on offense, 9 on defense.
Trojans have 72 returning starts on the offensive line.
Soph QB Maiava started 11 games at UNLV; this is hist 2nd USC start.
Under Riley, USC is 2-10 ATS as a road favorite.
In his career, Riley is 8-21-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Trojans are 13-23 ATS in last 36 conference games.
In his career, Riley is 35-39-1 ATS in conference games.
Under Riley, USC is 10-12 ATS in games coming off a win.
Under is 2-1-1 in their road games this year.
UCLA (4-6, 3-5)
UCLA won three of its last four games, after a 1-5 start.
Bruins are 1-6 when they score less than 20 points.
UCLA has 7 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Bruins have 101 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Garbers started 6 games last year.
UCLA is 4-1 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
UCLA is 6-3 ATS last nine games as a home underdog.
Bruins covered six of last eight games overall.
UCLA is 8-2 ATS last 10 games coming off a loss.
Last four games, Bruins are +2 in turnovers (minus-7 in first six)
Over is 3-1 in UCLA’s last four games.
Road team won last four meetings.
Trojans won 48-45/43-38 in last two visits to UCLA.
Over is 5-1 in last six series games.
Big 18 home underdogs are 15-15 ATS
Colorado State @ Fresno State (-3)
Colorado State (7-3, 5-0)
Rams are 5-0 in MW games, giving up 14.8 ppg.
CSU gave up 52-28-39 points in their losses.
Rams have 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
CSU has 94 starts returning on the offensive line.
Rams’ soph QB has 11 starts; he threw 22 TD’s, 16 INT’s last year.
Rams covered their last seven games overall.
Under Norvell, Rams are 7-5 ATS as road underdogs.
In his career, Norvell is 17-14 ATS as a road underdog.
CSU allowed 441+ total yards in three of five MW games.
Under is 7-2 in their I-A games.
Fresno State (5-5, 3-3)
Fresno lost its last two games, 21-20/36-28.
Bulldogs are 1-5 scoring less than 33 points.
Bulldogs have 8 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Fresno has 106 starts returning on offensive line.
Soph QB Keene started 11 games last year.
Skipper is Fresno’s interim coach this season.
Fresno is 2-8-1 ATS in last 11 games coming off a loss.
Bulldogs are 6-7 ATS last 13 games as a home favorite.
Last two games, Bulldogs ran ball 33 times for 14 yards.
Under is 4-1 in their last five games.
Bulldogs are 3-10-1 ATS in last 14 Mountain West games.
Colorado State won six of last eight meetings.
Rams are 3-1 SU/2-2 ATS in last four visits to Fresno.
Over is 4-3 in last seven series games.
Mountain West home favorites are 8-9 ATS.