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