WEEK 15

Heading into Saturday, I felt confident we’d see the continuation of a dynasty; a defending champion that had proven themselves this entire season despite having a target on their back each and every week. 

And I was right.

Ladies and gentleman, the 2024 crown remains with our 2025 OTC Champion: Dallas2697. First ever back-to-back champ. All hail! With a final tally of 547 points, he edged out our silver medalist, PSU1996, who was four behind at 543 (ironically, the same as Penn State’s recruitment ranking this year). Rounding out the moneymakers was RecordSetter 98 at 537. It was one of the tighter years I can remember, but funny thing about memory: with time, inevitably we’ll only remember the man who out dueled us all. Dallas2697 gets his name etched in (proverbial) stone.

And if you aren’t feeling bad enough about yourself, Dallas2697 also claimed the title for total number of correct picks on the season with 92, a single game ahead of Sprint82 and Tbailet7. So close, yet so very, very far.

Anyone fall for my head fake earlier? Truly, I was flabbergasted watching Gus Johnson lose his ever-loving mind in Indianapolis last night. Buckeyes felt like free money. But then, Curt Cignetti. It’s almost impossible to put last night’s win for IU into words. I’m sure you’ve already heard it all: first win against Ohio State since 1988. First time being ranked #1 in program history. First outright B10 championship since 1940-something. Urban Meyer could barely contain himself in the post-game, almost falling off the set trying to shake Curt’s hand after calling it the greatest turnaround job and coaching performance he’s seen in the history of the sport. Hard to argue. Even though the scarlet and gray squandered three drives in the IU red zone, conversion on any of which could have led to a different outcome, the Hoosiers proved themselves to be the real deal. Will the magic carry into the playoffs? I’ll sure as shit be watching, if for no other reason than to feel better about my own social skills watching the perpetually cringe-worthy post-game interviews of Fernando Mendoza. That’s going to be a don’t miss Heisman acceptance speech.

Ok, we can cover the weekend’s games, but let’s take a moment to feign our condolences for Notre Dame fans. Seriously though, as much as the Fighting Irish might court exasperated “boo hoo” sighs from college football fans around the country, talk about a raw deal. They lose the first two games of the season (by three points and one point to two teams that remained in the top ten pretty much all year), win ten straight, head into the weekend ranked ahead of Miami (FL), who also didn’t play, and then get booted. Major ouch. I was feeling it for ND faithful…and then they announced they won’t play in a bowl game. Don’t really blame them, but also…so Notre Dame.

Rapid fire round of congrats:

Kennesaw State Owls are the Conference USA winners after outlasting Jacksonville State. Congrats!

JMU claims the Sun Belt (and the final spot in the CFP playoff!) with their thumping of Troy. Can’t wait to see that line against Oregon. Congrats!

Tulane rolled over North Texas to hoist the American Championship (while also securing a spot in the CFP playoff). They play Ole Miss, who beat them 45-10 in September. Congrats!

Boise State owns the Mountain West after crushing UNLV. Congrats!

Western Michigan got their home state a win against an Ohio team this season, beating the Miami RedHawks in the MAC Championship. Congrats!

Texas Tech bounced your author-favorite Cougars from playoff contention with a 34-7 mouth punch in the BIG 12. Congrats!

Georgia looked absolutely ferocious en route to the SEC title, dismantling a Bama team that has significant incentive to now prove they earned the spot they got. Congrats!

And the Blue Devils confirmed what I’ve been saying all season - UVA are frauds!!! – as they win the ACC as a five-loss team. Wild. Congrats!

And with that my fellow competitors, while the playoff and bowls may still await, we formally close the books on the 2025 OTC season. It’s an absolute pleasure being the scribe to this sacred annual battle. We’ll see everyone in ’26!

Kennesaw State v. Jacksonville State

Troy v. #25 JMU

#24 North Texas v. #20 Tulane

UNLV v. Boise State (-6)

Miami (OH) v. Western Michigan (-2.5)

#11 BYU v. #4 Texas Tech (-12.5)

#3 Georgia (-1.5) v. #9 Alabama

#2 Indiana v. #1 Ohio State (-3.5)

Duke v. #17 Virginia (-3.5)

WEEK 14

I’m not much of a fisherman, but I’ve always wondered why fish are so stupid. If I’d lost half my family to bait on a hook, I’d probably go out of my way to avoid anything that looked like bait on a hook.

And then we had Kiffin-gate, and suddenly I understood. 

“Nonetheless, this is supposed to be about the young men on the football field each week. I hereby promise to still talk about coaches, but do a little less of it.” 

Remember this vow I made back in Week 10, a mere month ago? Yeah, forget about it. I’m taking the shit out of this bait.

Can you imagine going 11-1, thumping your in-state rival, securing a spot in the college football playoff, getting offered tens of millions of dollars, and having the chance to be the second-coming of Christ in an SEC town…only to say, “nah”?

I’ve told this group before that I lived in Knoxville when Lane bolted in the middle of the night. The man has left a wake of destruction in his path. Much as I’ve loved the Kiffin entertainment factor this season, I hope the Tigers are ready for a soulless culture where “loyalty” is as valued as a used Kleenex. I guess they prepped well with Brian Kelly.

Okay, time to atone for my sins by getting back to what really matters: the football.

As someone who writes a weekly college football recap, you’d think I’d be well-versed in all the CFP scenarios. Wrong. I’ve decided I’m just going to wait until the committee releases that bracket.

One team whose coach deserves an Oscar for most impassioned plea?Steve Sarkasian in his post-game interview after the Longhorns tried to reclaim state bragging rights, knocking off #3 A&M 27-17 on Friday. Not going to happen, but he had me nodding in agreement in the moment.

In Ann Arbor, The Game finally delivered relief for Buckeye fans, with the scarlet and gray overcoming their largest deficit of the entire season (six points) early, before the Julian Sayin and his WR corps pulled away, giving Ohio State their first W against TTUN since 2019. #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Indiana in the B10 Championship next weekend. I cannot believe I’m typing those words…

Bama held on against Auburn, winning by a TD late. Though they’ll fall short of the B10 Championship Game, Oregon locked in their spot for the CFP and earned themselves some extra rest by outlasting hated rival Washington. The Canes crushed Pitt. Wildcats upended the Sun Devils in the battle for Arizona. Jax State eeked by the favored Hilltoppers. And the Lobos survived a 2OT thriller against the Aztecs.

Finally – talk about burying the lede – we have a TIGHT race at the top of OTC with a single week to go. The top three are all within six points of each other. RecordSetter98 leads with 518. Dallas2697 lurks one behind at 517. And PSU1996 stays in the hunt at 512. Honestly, this might be the best storyline of the weekend. I need push notifications enabled for each of these three. And let’s not forget Tbailet7, in 5th place overall at 490, but with 86 wins, the same as our #1 and #2 spots, and in real contention to get the most total correct picks on the season while finishing outside the Top 3.

Gents, we are one week away from naming the 2025 One Tru Champ. Get ready to genuflect to the new king. But until then, make those picks, and good luck to those who have a vested interest in Friday/Saturday’s games.

                       VEGAS

#7 Ole Miss (-7.5) @ Mississippi State

San Diego State (-1.5) @ New Mexico

#3 Texas A&M (-2.5) @ #16 Texas

#25 Arizona (-2.5) @ #20 Arizona State

#1 Ohio State (-9.5) @ #15 Michigan

#12 Miami (FL) (-6.5) @ #22 Pitt

Western Kentucky (-1.5) @ Jacksonville State

#6 Oregon (-6.5) @ Washington

#10 Alabama (-5.5) @ Auburn

Week 13

After yesterday, one more college football Saturday and we are on to conference championships. Where the hell has this season gone?

I hate myself for feeding the “Playoff or Bust” hype, but with a 12-team field, let’s be honest, it’s kind of playoff or bust for any serious football team these days. And so, we start with some numbers:

92%+ probability of making the CFP: Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Notre Dame, Georgia, Ole Miss. There’s 7 of your 12.

And after avenging the ghost of the GameDay curse (anyone else remember Indiana in Eugene?) with a never-in-doubt drubbing of a peaking Trojans team, the Oregon Ducks (less their two best receivers nonetheless!) jumped to 84% playoff probability.

That leaves four spots. 

Oklahoma sits above the rest at 73%. Alabama, BYU, SMU, and North Texas all hover around a coin flip (58%, 52%, 48%, and 48% respectively). Vandy, UVA, JMU, and Tulane are on life support around 25%, and another 10 or so are mathematically possible, but about as likely as our commissioner is to win OTC at this point.

Remember the 0-2 Notre Dame chatter by the way? They lost to Miami(FL) by a FG before falling to Texas A&M by one. Since then? Nine straight wins, all without any real threat. And yesterday? A 70-7 throttling of Syracuse in a message to both the CFP committee and any remaining doubters. The Irish are ready for December.

After breaking my heart, BYU continued its path to getting back on track, earning a solid W on the road against a 7-4 Cincinnati Bearcats squad. With a win against 5-6 UCF next weekend, the Cougars will be heading to the Big 12 Championship and a chance to lock a playoff spot. I’m keeping my expectations tempered.

SMU delivered a statement 38-6 win over Louisville, keeping the ACC an absolute cluster. I honestly don’t even know the ACC scenarios at this point, and I’m too lazy to look them up, but somehow UVA, Pitt, SMU, GA Tech, Miami (FL), and Duke all have a chance to find their way into the dance. Barf. 

Rapid fire: Kennesaw State outlasted Missouri State and their late fake FG debacle. FIU fought back in the 4th to take down Jacksonville State, KingBrutus and no nonsence the only ones to make that call. UTSA became bowl eligible after dropping 58 on the Pirates of East Carolina. South Alabama dominated more so than the score would suggest against Southern Miss. TCU played spoiler in Houston, logging a top 25 win. Well done MasterGrimes for being the sole rider with TCU. And Tennessee made Florida look all the moredesperate for Lane Kiffin after winning for the first time in the Swamp in over 20 years.

What’s in store next week? Absolute rivalry gold. #1 Ohio State v. #15 Michigan (coming off a big win over the mighty Terps), #4 Georgia v. #23 GA Tech, and #3 Texas A&M v. #16 Texas perhaps the most notable of the bunch.

In OTC, with two weeks to go, the top three have created some distance. Dallas2697 leads the way at 476. Just four behind, a tie for second between RecordSetter98 and PSU1996. This is the tightest I can remember it at this point of the season in a while.

Hat tip to MasterGrimes for the high score of Week 13 with 41. And let us not forget Tbailet7 fighting for the coveted “most wins” payout. Though he sits 6th overall, he is tied with our leader for most correct picks at 80 on the nose. Lots to play out in these next two weeks… Think you’re slick? Make those picks!

                    VEGAS

Louisville @ SMU (-3.5)

Missouri State @ Kennesaw State (-6.5)

#15 USC @ #7 Oregon (-10.5)

Jacksonville State @ Florida International (-2.5)

East Carolina (-1.5) @ UTSA

Southern Miss (-2.5) @ South Alabama

TCU (-1.5) @ #23 Houston

Pittsburgh @ #16 GA Tech (-2.5)

#20 Tennessee (-3.5) @ Florida

#11 BYU (-2.5) @ Cincinnati