Armadillo Sports

— Baltimore
Last eight years, they’re 1-5 in playoff games.
Last five years, they’re 13-21-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Last ten years, Ravens are 11-3 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2015, Baltimore is 18-9-2 ATS as a road dog.

— Buffalo
Last four years, they’re 4-4 in playoff games (from 2003-19, they were 0-2)
Under McDermott, they’re 29-18-2 ATS on the road.
Last four years, they’re 14-3-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less points.
Last four years, Bills are 12-6 ATS vs NFC opponents.

— Cincinnati
Last two years, Bengals are 22-11 in regular season, 5-2 in playoff games.
From 2016-20, Bengals were 25-53-2 in regular season.
Under Taylor, Cincinnati is 16-9 ATS as a favorite.
Last three years, Bengals are 14-6 ATS coming off a loss.

— Cleveland
Over last 20 years, Browns are 1-1 in playoff games (2020)
Their only two winning seasons: 2007, 2020.
Last three years, Cleveland is 7-12-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Last four years, Browns are 10-16-2 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less points.

— Denver
Broncos haven’t made the playoffs since winning Super Bowl in 2015.
Sean Payton is their 5th head coach in last eight years.
Since 2015, Denver is 11-21-4 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2017, Broncos are 6-18-3 ATS as a favorite of 3 or less points.

— Houston Texans
DeMeco Ryans is their fourth head coach the last four years (11-38-1 last 3 years)
Last five years, Texans are 10-6-2 ATS in games with spread 3 or less points.
Last ten years, Houston is 14-21-3 ATS against NFC opponents
Last two years, under is 11-6 in Houston’s road games.

— Indianapolis Colts
Colts made the playoffs twice in last eight seasons.
Indy was minus-13 in turnovers last year (+14/+10 previous two years)
Last eight years, Colts are 20-9-1 ATS vs NFC opponents.
Last three years, Colts are 2-6-1 ATS in AFC South home games.

— Jacksonville Jaguars
Jaguars were 9-8 last year; they were 15-50 from 2018-21.
Underdogs covered all eight Jacksonville home games last year.
Since 2014, Jaguars are 21-31-3 ATS as a road underdog.
Under is 13-3 in Jaguars’ last sixteen home games.

— Movie of the Day— American Underdog (2021)— The remarkable story of NFL MVP and Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner, who in five years went from stocking shelves at a supermarket in Iowa to becoming one of the best quarterbacks ever.

Zachary Levi plays Warner, Anna Paquin plays Brenda Warner, Dennis Quaid is coach Dick Vermeil. Bruce McGill plays Iowa Barnstormers’ coach Jim Foster. 

If you didn’t know this was a true story, you’d dismiss this movie as being too corny, but real life is generally better than fiction.

— Kansas City Chiefs
Last four years, Chiefs are 10-2 in playoffs, winning two Super Bowls.
Last eight years, Kansas City is 17-7 ATS in AFC West road games.
Last three years, under is 15-9-1 in games at Arrowhead.
Last 10 years, Chiefs are 24-12-1 ATS in games with spread 3 or less points.

Las Vegas Raiders
Last 20 years, Raiders are 0-2 in playoff games (2016, 2021)
Last three years, Raiders are minus-7/minus-9/minus-11 in turnovers.
Last seven years, Las Vegas is 5-11-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Last four years, Raiders are 14-8 ATS as a road underdog.

Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers made playoffs three times in the last 13 years.
Since 2014, Chargers are 18-32-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Last ten years, Bolts are 30-17-4 ATS as a road underdog.
Last 4 years, Chargers are 6-15-7 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less points.

Miami Dolphins
Last year, Miami made playoffs for first time since 2008.
Last time Dolphins won a playoff game? 2000 (0-2 in playoffs last 20 years).
Last six years, Dolphins are 13-5-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Miami is 7-2 ATS in AFC East home games. 

New England Patriots
Since Tom Brady left, Patriots are 25-25 in regular season, 0-1 in playoff games.
25-26 in three years, despite being +17 in turnovers in those games.
Last 10 years, New England is 28-19-1 ATS coming off a loss.
Last five years, Patriots are 10-17-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less points.

New Jersey Jets
Jets haven’t made playoffs since 2010, so they got Aaron Rodgers to play QB.
Last three years, Gang Green was 13-37 SU/20-30 ATS
Last 10 years, Jets are 11-17 ATS as a home favorite, 29-22-2 as a home underdog.
Last 10 years, underdogs are 20-10 ATS in Jets’ AFC East home games.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Last five years, Pittsburgh is 0-2 in playoff games.
Last six years, Steelers are 16-21 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, Tomlin is 25-41-1 ATS as road favorite, 36-23-1 as a road dog.
Last nine years, under is 46-22-3 in Steeler road games.

Tennessee Titans
Last year was Tennessee’s first losing season since 2015.
Last three years, underdogs are 15-6-1 ATS in Titan road games.
Last three years, Titans are 10-15 ATS as a favorite.
Last two years, under is 12-4-1 in Tennessee home games. 

Arizona Cardinals
Were 50-32-1 in five years under Bruce Arians; why did they fire him?
They’re 31-50-1 in five years since they fired him, 0-1 in playoff games.
Last four years, Cardinals are 5-12 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2013, Arizona is 9-20-1 ATS in NFC West home games.

Atlanta Falcons
Have had five straight losing seasons (32-50 SU/35-45-2 ATS)
Under Arthur Smith, Falcons are 4-10-2 ATS at home.
Since 2013, Atlanta is 18-34-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Under Smith, Falcons are 7-4-2 ATS in games where spread was 3 or less points.

Carolina Panthers
Haven’t made playoffs since 2017; haven’t won playoff game since 2015.
Frank Reich is the new coach; he was 41-35-1 SU in five years with the Colts.
Last three years, Carolina was 0-9 ATS as a favorite of 3 or less points.
Last three years, Carolina was 10-3 ATS as an underdog 3 or less points.

Chicago Bears
Made playoffs in 2018/2020; last playoff win was in 2010.
Last 10 years, they had one winning season, were 8-8 three times.
Last four years, Bears are 9-16-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Last 10 years, Chicago is 14-27-2 ATS as an underdog in divisional games.

Dallas Cowboys
Went 24-10 SU last two years, scoring 29.3 ppg; why fire the offensive coordinator?
Last two years, Cowboys are +24 in turnovers, 10-5 ATS as a home favorite.
Last 10 years, Dallas is 16-8 ATS as a home favorite in NFC East games.
Since 2010, Dallas is 116-94 SU in regular season, 3-4 in playoff games.

Detroit Lions
Last time Detroit won a playoff game? 1991.
Last time Lions made the playoffs? 2016.
Last 10 games last year, Detroit was 8-2 SU/9-1 ATS.
In his career, Jared Goff is 56-48-1 SU as a starting QB.

Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love is the new QB, Packers’ first new starting QB since 2008.
Last four years, Green Bay is +39 in turnovers.
Last 10 years, Green Bay is 39-24-2 ATS as a divisional favorite.
Last two years, Packers were 1-6-1 ATS on artificial turf.

Los Angeles Rams
Last year was Rams’ first losing season since 2016.
In six seasons, Sean McVay is 7-3 SU in playoff games.
Last two years, Rams are 4-7 ATS as a home favorite.
Under McVay, Rams are 8-4 ATS as a divisional road favorite.

— Movie of the Day: Double Jeopardy (1999)— A woman framed for her husband’s murder suspects he is still alive; she has already been tried for the crime, so she can’t be re-prosecuted if she finds and kills him.

Ashley Judd is the woman; Tommy Lee Jones is her parole officer who tries to find her— they’re both in New Orleans when she finds the man she had supposedly killed.

Minnesota Vikings
Vikings were 13-4 last year, their best regular season since 2009.
Vikings were 11-0 last year in games decided by 8 or less points.
Kirk Cousins is 47-35-1 SU as Minnesota’s quarterback.
Last 10 years, Minnesota is 43-29-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.

New Jersey Giants
Went 9-7-1 LY, won playoff game, their first winning season since 2016.
Were 8-4-1 last year in games decided by 8 or less points.
In Daboll’s first season as coach, Giants were 8-2 ATS as an underdog.
Giants were +1 in turnovers last year; were minus-25 from 2020-22. 

New Orleans Saints
Saints were 7-10 LY, their first year since 2005 without Sean Payton as coach.
New Orleans was minus-11 in turnovers LY (+31 from 2020-22).
New QB is Derek Carr; he was 63-80 as Raiders’ QB, 0-1 in playoff games.
Since 2014, Saints are 24-11-1 ATS as a road underdog.

Philadelphia Eagles
Eagles made playoffs 5 of last 6 years; they won NFC title last year.
Under Sirianni, Philly is 9-3 ATS as a home favorite, 8-14 ATS in other games.
Last five years, Eagles are 7-11 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Sirianni, over is 12-5 in Eagle home games.

San Francisco 49ers
Last two years, 49ers went 23-11 in regular season, lost twice in NFC title game.
Last four years, Niners are 14-6 ATS on artificial turf.
SF was 7-1 ATS as a home favorite LY; they were 7-16-1 from 2018-22.
Who is QB going to be? Purdy? Lance? Darnold?

Seattle Seahawks
Finished over .500 10 of last 11 years; last six seasons, they’re 1-4 in playoff games.
In his NFL career, Pete Carroll is 18-8 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2016, Seahawks are 2-7-1 ATS as a divisional road favorite.
Seattle is 6-11 in its last 17 games that were decided by 8 or less points.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In 3 years with Brady at QB, Bucs went 32-18 in regular season, 5-2 in playoffs.
In his 5-year career, Baker Mayfield is 32-39 as an NFL starter, 1-1 in playoff games.
Last four years, Tampa Bay is 5-9-1 ATS as an underdog.
Last two years, under was 11-5 in Buccaneers’ road games.

Washington Commanders
Since 2006, Washington is 0-4 in playoff games.
Last time Washington finished over .500? 2016.
Since 2018, Commanders are 5-9 ATS as a home favorite.
Last 10 years, Washington is 11-19 ATS in NFC East home games. 

— Last 10 years, Texas Longhorns are 27-36 ATS coming off a win.

— Oklahoma was 6-7 SU last year; from 2013-21, they were 97-21.

— Since 2016, Kansas State is 18-9 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Klieman, K-State is 15-7 ATS as a favorite.

— Since 2016, TCU is 10-21-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Horned Frogs are 18-12-2 ATS in their last 32 games outside the Big X. 

— Last four years, Baylor is 31-19 SU, +33 in turnovers.
Last two years, Bears are 7-2 ATS as a home favorite.

— Last three years, Texas Tech is 19-17 SU, despite a minus-22 turnover ratio.
Last four years, Red Raiders are 5-11 ATS as a road underdog. 

— Since 2015, Oklahoma State is 17-8 ATS as an underdog.

— Central Florida is 4-10 ATS in last 14 games coming off a loss.
UCF is 16-24 ATS in its last 40 games as a favorite.

— Under Campbell, Iowa State is 21-11-2 ATS as an underdog.

— In his career, Leipold is 29-14-2 ATS in home games.
Last ten years, Kansas hasn’t been favored at all on the road.

— Last seven years, BYU is 12-4 ATS as a road underdog.

— Last five bowl games, West Virginia is 1-4 SU/0-5 ATS.
Since 2018, Mountaineers are 11-5 ATS as a home favorite. 

— In his career, Houston coach Holgorson is 18-12 ATS as a road underdog, 27-42-1 ATS in home games. 

— Last three years, Cincinnati was 31-6 SU, but 0-3 in bowl games, losing by a combined score of 75-34. New coach Satterfield is 4-1 SU in bowl games.

— Movie of the Day: Hoop Dreams (1994)— A documentary following the lives of two inner-city Chicago high school kids who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going pro. Real life movies are generally better than fiction; no happy endings here. 

One player goes to a private school, the school Isiah Thomas went to, but he hurts his knee which hampers his play. He winds up playing three years at Marquette.

The second player winds up playing at a public high school, then in college at Arkansas State.

Neither player made it to the NBA. 

This is a good movie, realistic as documentaries are.

— College football bowl Trend of the Day— Underdogs are 6-2 ATS in last eight Alamo Bowls.

— Random extra college football trend: Last three years, Alabama is 13-5-1 ATS as a home favorite. 

— Air Force
Air Force won its last four bowl games, scoring 34.3 ppg.
Calhoun is 35-26-2 ATS as an underdog.

— Boise State
Since 207, Broncos are 8-2 ATS as a road underdog.
Last three years, Boise is 7-13 ATS coming off a win. 

— Colorado State
Rams lost their last four bowls, giving up 41.3 ppg.
Their last bowl win was in 2013, 48-45 over Washington State. 

— Fresno State
Under Tedford, Bulldogs are 10-3-1 ATS
Fresno win its last four bowl game, scoring 30.8 ppg. 

— Hawai’i
Since 2019, Rainbows are 11-3-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2014, Hawai’i is 7-22-1 ATS as a home favorite. 

— Nevada
Since 2017, Wolf Pack is 11-17 ATS outside the Mountain West.

— UNLV
Rebels haven’t been to a bowl game since 2013.
UNLV’s last bowl win was in 2000.
Since 2014, Rebels are 19-32 ATS at home.

— New Mexico
Last six years, Lobos are 15-52 SU
Last two years, New Mexico was 2-13-1 ATS in Mountain West games.

— San Diego State
Since 2013, Aztecs are 10-3-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Aztecs are 18-32 ATS in last 50 games as a home favorite. 

— San Jose State
Since 2014, Spartans are 16-24 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Brennan, San Jose is 17-13-1 ATS at home. 

— Utah State
Over last 10 years, Aggies are 25-14-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Over last 10 years, Aggies are 5-13 ATS as a home underdog.

— Wyoming
Under Bohl, Wyoming is 30-21-1 ATS at home.
Since 2016, Cowboys are 21-14 ATS coming off a loss.

It is the All-Star break already; time flies. It has been an interesting baseball season. Here are some quick notes/impressions from the season so far:

— AL Central is terrible; Cleveland (45-45) is in first place, with the Twins (45-46) a half-game behind. All in all, the AL Central is 124-191 (.394) outside its division this season.

— AL East is very good; the Red Sox (48-43) are in last place. All in all, the AL East is 190-127 (.599) outside its division this season.

— In five of six divisions, the division leader has a lead of 2 games or less— lot of close races. Only the 60-29 Atlanta Braves have a decent-sized lead, leading NL East by 8.5 games. Braves have won 27 of their last 32 games.

— Mets have a payroll of $377,380,805; they’re 42-48, seven games out of a playoff spot.

Mets are 32-27 vs righty starting pitchers, 10-21 vs lefty starters.

— Padres have a payroll of $250,806,874; they’re 43-47, six games out of a playoff spot.

— Cincinnati has a payroll of $83,688,333; they’re 25-8 in last 33 games, lead the NL Central. 

— Miami Marlins have a payroll of $103,692,500; they’re 53-39, 21-6 in one-run games, and right now, they’re a playoff team.

Last time the Marlins had a winning 162-game season was 2009, when they went 87-75- they were 31-29 in the short season of 2020. Skip Schumaker is your favorite for National League Manager of the Year.

— Texas Rangers have five starters in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, the most for any team since the 1976 Cincinnati Reds.

Rangers haven’t been in the playoffs since 2016; the last three years, they were 150-234 (.391) but Bruce Bochy is a Hall of Fame manager and Texas is much improved at 52-39 this season, even though they hit the All-Star break on a 5-11 skid.

Texas has $200,684,308 payroll; will they look to enhance their roster at the trade deadline?

— This stat is a little weird, but thru Saturday’s games, in AB’s when Mets’ 1B Pete Alonso had an 0-2 count him, he is 5-68 this season. 5 for freakin’ 68 (.074).

By way of comparison:
Freddie Freeman is 20-67 (.299) this season after having an 0-2 count.
Fernando Tatis is 10-52 (.192)
Luis Arraez is 16-53 (.302).

— Bronx Bombers have a payroll of $273,528,489; Aaron Judge is hurt obviously, but they’ve got other stars, and those stars aren’t producing. New York is 49-42, and right now they’re on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.

Bronx is 14-17 since Judge got hurt, hitting .218 in those games; they fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson after Sunday’s loss to the Cubs.

It is New York’s first in-season coaching change since Nardi Contreras replaced Billy Connors in July 1995 as pitching coach on Buck Showalter’s staff. 28 years without an in-season coaching change, long time. 

Funny thing is, Bronx opens the post-All-Star Game part of the year in Colorado Friday, where they figure to put up better-than-usual hitting numbers.

— Los Angeles Angels have a payroll of $215,490,192, but Mike Trout is hurt, Anthony Rendon has been a complete bust and the Halos are 45-46, losing nine of last 10 games. Shohei Ohtani is a free agent after this season; the Angels are 5 games out of the last playoff spot. 

Angels are 37-29 vs righty starters, 8-17 vs lefties. 

Would they trade Ohtani and if they wanted to, what could they get for a guy who will be a free agent three months from now?

— Tampa Bay Rays started the season 13-0, then 29-7; since then, they’re 29-28 and lead the AL East by only two games over Baltimore. Tampa’s starting rotation has been ravaged by injuries; would they make a move at the trade deadline?

—- Toronto Blue Jays are 50-41, seven games behind the Rays— they’d be a Wild Card team right now. Blue Jays are 7-20 vs their AL East rivals, 43-21 against everyone else.

— Teams that are struggling in one-run games:
San Diego 5-15
St Louis 9-19
Minnesota 9-15
Seattle 10-16
Texas 5-12

— Movie of the Day— Rounders (1998)— A young gambler returns to playing high stakes poker to help a friend pay off loan sharks, while balancing his relationship with his girlfriend and his commitments to law school.

Matt Damon is the gambler; Edward Norton plays his friend. John Malkovich is a Russian mobster who runs a poker room, John Turturro plays Joey Knish, e veteran gambler who is a mentor of sorts. Martin Landau is a law professor.

This movie helps propel the poker boom in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. Very good movie, written by the same guys who write the Showtime series Billions.

— College football bowl trend of the day— In the Reliaquest Bowl, SEC teams are 6-2 SU vs Big 14 teams the last eight years.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t)
NL: Braves, Reds, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Arizona-Marlins-Giants
AL: Rays, Guardians, Rangers. Wild Cards: Orioles, Astros, Blue Jays. 

— Las Vegas
Raiders were 6-11 last year, 4-9 in games decided by 8 or less points.
Last three years, over is 17-7-1 in Raider home games.
Las Vegas is 8-15 ATS in last 23 games as a home favorite.

— LA Chargers
Chargers are #1 in NFL in salary spent on defensive players.
12 of their 17 games LY (7-5) were decided by 8 or less points.
Chargers ran 41 plays inside opponents’ 5-yard line; 21 of them were passes.

— Rams
Rams lost four games last year that they led at halftime.
Rams were outscored 176-111 in second half, 107-63 in 4th quarter.
Four different quarterbacks started a game LY; the subs were 2-6.

— Miami
Last three years, Dolphins are 18-7 ATS at home, 10-4 when favored.
Last three years, Dolphins are 16-10 ATS as an underdog.
Miami played 11 games LY (6-5) decided by 8 or less points. 

— Minnesota
Vikings were 11-0 last year in games decided by 8 or less points.
Minnesota outscored opponents 150-81 in fourth quarter.
Last three years, over is 18-7 in Minnesota home games. 

— New England
Since Brady left Foxboro, Patriots are 25-25 SU in regular season.
Last three years, New England is 8-14 ATS as an underdog.
Last year, Patriots were outscored 162-138 in 4th quarter. 

— New Orleans
Saints were minus-11 in turnovers LY, with only 14 takeaways.
New Orleans is 6-10 ATS in its last 16 sixteen home games.
Last two years, under is 21-13 in Saints games. 

— Giants
Giants were 9-7-1 LY; they were favored in only five games.
Big Blue were 8-4 in games decided by 8 or fewer points.
Giants ran 31 plays inside opponents’ 5-yard line; 28 of them were runs. 

— Jets
Last three years, Jets are 7-18 SU at home.
Jets scored only 41 first quarter points last year (60-41)
Gang Green was minus-7 in turnovers LY (23-16)

— Philadelphia
Last two years, Eagles are 12-5 ATS at home.
QB Hurts ran ball 44 times in red zone last year, 20 times inside 5-yard line.
Eagles lost both of last year’s coordinators to head coaching jobs.

— Pittsburgh
Last three years, Steelers are 14-9 ATS as an underdog.
Last two years, under is 11-5-1 in games at Heinz Field.
LY, Harris ran ball 42 times in red zone; next highest was 13.

— San Francisco
49ers were 13-4 LY; only four of their games were decided by 8 or less points.
Niners were 10-5 ATS as a favorite LY (9-13 ATS in 2020-21)
49ers were +13 (30-17) in turnovers last year.

— Seattle
Underdogs are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 home games.
Seahawks were 4-6 LY in games decided by 8 or less points, 3-0 in games decided by 3 or less.
Since 2016, Seattle has drafted nine running backs, most in the NFL.

— Tampa Bay
LY, Bucs won four games they trailed at half, lost three games they led at half.
Last two years, Tampa Bay is 5-10 ATS as a road favorite.
With Brady gone, Bucs are #32 in NFL in salaries spent on QB’s,

— Tennessee
Last two years, Titans were 11-5 ATS as an underdog.
Tennessee was outscored 184-94 in second half last year.
Henry ran ball 40 times in red zone LY; next highest was 7 rushes.

— Washington
Last three years, Commanders are 9-6 ATS as a favorite.
Last three years, Commanders are 10-15 SU at home.
Washington was 5-3 LY in games decided by 8 or less points. 

— Of the last 24 quarterbacks drafted either #1 or #2 in the NFL Draft, only Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl for the team that drafted him.

Matthew Stafford has won a Super Bowl, but for the Rams, not the Lions. Manning later won a Super Bowl for Denver, after he won one with the Colts.

Eli Manning won two Super Bowls for the Giants, but he was drafted by the Chargers, and then traded to the Giants. 

— Arizona— Last three years, Cardinals are 7-12 ATS vs NFC West opponents.
Arizona lost its last seven games LY, going 3-4 ATS.
Right now, Cardinals are an underdog in every game this season.

— Atlanta— Last three years, Falcons are 3-8 ATS as a home favorite.
Falcons were 6-0 ATS in first six games LY; they were 3-8 ATS after that.

— Baltimore— Last two years, Ravens are 3-10 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Ravens are 6-2 ATS as a road underdog.
In 2021, under was 5-3 in their last eight games; LY, under was 5-2 in their last seven.

— Buffalo— Last four years, Bills are 13-7-2 ATS as a road favorite.
Last year, Buffalo was 4-1-1 ATS in first six games, 4-8 ATS after that. 

— Carolina— Last four years, Panthers are 5-12 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Panthers are 12-8 ATS as a road underdog.
Last year, Carolina started out 1-5 ATS; after that, they were 8-3 ATS.

— Chicago— QB Justin Fields has started 25 games for the Bears (8-16-1 ATS)
Bears lost their last ten games in 2022 (2-8 ATS).
Chicago’s last win in a playoff game was in 2010.

— Cincinnati— Last two years, Bengals are 27-13 ATS, 13-4 as an underdog.
Bengals covered 16 of their last 19 games outside the AFC North.

— Cleveland— Last four years, Browns new 3-7-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Last three years, Cleveland is 7-13 ATS as a home favorite.
Under was 6-1 in their last seven games last year.

— Dallas— Last two years, Cowboys are 24-13 ATS, 18-9 as a favorite.
Dallas averaged 13.2 yards/point last year, the best figure in the league.
Despite that, OC Kellen Moore was canned, and now works for the Chargers.

— Denver— Last four years, Broncos are 6-18 SU/10-14 ATS vs AFC West rivals.
Last four years, Denver is 11-6 ATS as a home underdog.
Last year, Broncos averaged 19.3 yards/point, worst in the NFL.
New HC Payton’s presence should ramp up Denver’s offense.

— Detroit— Last two years, Lions are 19-8-1 ATS as an underdog.
Detroit started out 1-6 SU last year, wound up going 8-2 in their last 10 games.
Lions averaged 6.3 ppg in first quarter last year, best in the NFL.

— Green Bay— Obviously, Packers have a new QB this year, first time since 2007.
Last four years, Green Bay is 13-5 ATS as an underdog.
Since 2019, Packers are 15-9 ATS in divisional games.
Under LaFleur, Green Bay is 42-29 ATS.

— Houston— DeMeco Ryans is Houston’s fourth head coach in four years.
Texans have been favored in only four of their last 25 home games.
Houston was 3-13-1 SU LY, but they did cover four of last five games- they competed.

— Indianapolis— Last four years, Colts are 5-13 ATS in divisional games.
Last three years, Indianapolis is 7-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Colts lost 10 of last 11 games last year (3-8 ATS).

— Jacksonville— Jaguars were 10-9 SU last year; from 2019-21, they were 10-39 SU
Underdogs covered all eight of their home games last year.
Jaguars started out 4-8 SU last year, then won six of last seven games.

— Kansas City— Last three years, Chiefs are 6-12 ATS in divisional games.
Kansas City is 23-30-1 ATS in its last 54 games as a favorite.
Right now, Chiefs are favored in all their games this coming season. 

Illinois
— Last year was Illinois’ first winning season since 2011.
— 6 starters back on offense, 6 on defense
— 55 starts back on offensive line.
— They’ll have a new QB; one candidate started 12 games at Ball State.
— since 2017, Illinois is 7-10 ATS as a home favorite.
— under Bielema, Illinois is 9-4 ATS as an underdog.
— Illinois is 3-2 in last five bowls; they were underdog in 4 of the 5 games.

Indiana
— Hoosiers are 6-18 SU the last two years.
— 5 starters back on offense, 3 on defense
— 97 starts back on OL, lot of those are transfers.
— They also hired a new offensive line coach, from Wisconsin.
— who will new QB be? Could be Tennessee soph transfer Tayven Jackson
— under Allen, Hoosiers are 12-4 ATS as a home favorite.
— under Allen, Indiana is 13-18 ATS on the road.
— Indiana lost its last six bowls; their last win was the 1991 Copper Bowl.
— Hoosiers did cover three of their last four bowls.

Iowa
— Iowa has had 10 straight winning years; they were never in top 25 last year. 
— Iowa went 8-5 LY, despite scoring only 17.7 ppg.
— 9 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 114 starts back on offensive line
— new QB McNamara started 16 games at Michigan.  
— last 10 years, Iowa is 21-6-1 ATS as a road favorite. 
— Hawkeyes are 16-7-1 ATS in last 24 road games.
— Iowa won four of its last five bowl games (5-0 ATS)

Maryland
— Terps were 7-6/8-5 the last two seasons, after 6 straight losing years.
— 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense
— 31 D-I starts back on offensive line; they added a I-AA OL star.
— senior QB Tagovailoa (Tua’s brother) has 28 career starts.
— under Locksley, Maryland is 8-14 ATS on the road.  
— in his career, Locksley is 21-32 ATS as an underdog.
— Maryland won its last two bowls, 54-10/16-12.

Michigan
— last two years, Wolverines were 25-3 SU, 17-9-2 ATS
— 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense— 145 starts back on offensive line.
— junior QB McCarthy has 13 career starts (22 TD passes, 5 INT LY).
— Last two years, Wolverines are 5-2-1 ATS as road favorites.
— Last two years, Michigan was 12-6-2 ATS in conference games. 
— Since 2016, Michigan is 5-10 ATS coming off a loss. 
— Michigan is 1-4 SU/0-5 ATS in last five bowls, giving up 40.3 ppg in last four

Michigan State
— Spartans were 5-7 LY, after going 11-2 the year before.
— 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 77 starts back on offensive line
— whoever new QB will be is an inexperienced QB. 
— Under Tucker, MSU is 7-5 ATS as a favorite.
— since 2017, Spartans are 7-17 ATS coming off a win.
— since 2017, Spartans are 17-24-2 ATS in Big 14 games.
— Spartans won three of their last four bowls.

Minnesota
— Gophers went 9-4/9-4 the last two seasons.
— 8 starters back on offense, 9 on defense
— 49 starts back on offensive line
— soph QB Kaliakmanis started 5 games last year.
— In his career, Fleck is 34-25-1 ATS as a favorite.
— In his career, Fleck is 20-12-1 ATS as a road underdog.
— last four years, Gophers are 19-10-1 ATS coming off a win.
— Minnesota won its last six bowls, covering four of last five.

Nebraska
— New HC Rhule was HC at Temple/Baylor, Carolina Panthers.
— Last six years, Nebraska is 23-45 SU/30-36-2 ATS.
— 7 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 120 starts back on offensive line.
— QB Sims started 23 games at Georgia Tech.
— In his college career, Rhule is 31-13 ATS as an underdog.
— In his college career, Rhule is 28-12 ATS on the road.
— Since 2015, Cornhuskers are 12-21-1 ATS as a home favorite.
— Nebraska’s last bowl was in 2016; they’re 2-3 SU in last five bowls.

Northwestern
— Last two years, Northwestern was 4-20 SU/8-16 ATS
— 4 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 27 starts back on offensive line.
— QB’s all got hurt LY; Cincy transfer Bryant started 11 games there.
— since 2018, Wildcats are 4-11-1 ATS as a home favorite.
— Since 2014, Northwestern is 21-11-1 ATS as a road underdog.
— Wildcats are 4-12-2 ATS in last 18 non-conference games.
— Northwestern won its last four bowls, but last one was in 2020.

Ohio State
— Last ten years, Buckeyes are 116-15 SU/68-62-1 ATS.
— 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 66 starts back on offensive line; had 3 starters drafted last spring.
— whoever the QB is will be inexperienced.
— Last 10 years, Buckeyes are 4-2 ATS as an underdog.
— Under Day, Ohio State is 16-11 ATS as a home favorite.
— Under Day, Ohio State is 7-9  ATS outside the Big 14
— Ohio State split last six bowls, giving up 52-45-42 points in last three.

Penn State
— Last two years, Penn State is +11/+6 in turnovers.
— 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 66 starts back on offensive line.
— soph QB threw 60 passes as the backup LY.
— last two years, Penn State is 7-4-1 ATS as home favorites.
— last four years, Penn State is 9-4 ATS as road favorites.
— since 2015, Nittany Lions are 39-17-3 ATS coming off a win. 
— Penn State is 3-2 SU/ATS in its last five bowls.

Purdue
— New HC Walters was DC at Illinois the last two years.
— 6 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 92 starts back on offensive line.
— all the QB’s are new; junior QB Card started 5 games at Texas.
— last two years, Purdue was 9-4/8-6 SU
— since 2018, Boilers are 4-13 ATS as a home favorite.
— since 2014, Purdue is 23-8 ATS as a road underdog.
— Purdue is 2-3 SU/ATS in last five bowls, giving up 52.8 ppg.

Rutgers
— since 2015, Rutgers is 25-69 SU/44-50 ATS.
— 6 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 101 starters back on offensive line; new OL coach comes from NFL.
— soph QB started 6 games last year. 
— since 2018, Scarlet Knights are 6-1 ATS as a home favorite.
— since 2019, Rutgers is 4-14 ATS as a home underdog.
— in his college career, Schiano is 31-19-1 ATS as a road underdog
— Rutgers is 1-3 in its last four bowls; last bowl win was in 2014.

Wisconsin
— new coach Fickell has a 64-25 SU record as a head coach.
— Wisconsin’s 7-6 record LY was their worst since 2008.
— 10 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 97 starts back on offensive line.
— senior QB started 24 games at SMU.
— last 10 years, Badgers are 23-12 ATS as a road favorite.
— last 10 years, Badgers are 26-14 ATS outside the Big 14.
— In his career, Fickell 14-8 ATS as an underdog.
— Wisconsin won/covered its last three bowls. 

Arizona
— last three years, Arizona is 6-23 SU (minus-32 in turnovers)
— 8 starters back on offense, 3 on defense
— 63 starts back on offensive line.
— junior QB has 27 starts, 15 of them at Washington State.
— since 2015, Arizona is 10-22 ATS as a road underdog.
— last four years, Arizona is 1-7 ATS as a favorite.
— Arizona hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2017.

Arizona State
— 32-year old first-year HC was OC at Oregon last year.
— 8 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 151 starts back on offensive line— added 6 transfers on OL
— who will new QB be? They added several transfers
— last four years, Sun Devils are 7-15 ATS as an underdog.
— last 10 years, ASU is 26-37 ATS coming off a win
— ASU lost four of their last five bowls (won ’19 Sun Bowl, 20-14)

California
— Last three years, California is 10-18 SU.
— 8 starters back on offense, 9 on defense
— 92 starts back on offensive line
— new QB’s; one was backup at TCU, another at NC State. 
— since 2014, Golden Bears are 23-12 ATS as a road underdog.
— last four years, Cal is 15-5 ATS overall as an underdog.
— Cal is 2-3 SU in last five bowls; their last bowl was 2019.

Colorado
— Last 3 years, Deion Sanders was 27-6 SU at I-AA Jackson State.
— 6 starters back on offense, 3 on defense
— 44 starts back on offensive line
— junior QB (Deion’s son) started 26 games at I-AA Jackson State.
— last four years, Colorado was 4-13 ATS as a road underdog. 
— since 2017, Buffs are 12-23-1 ATS coming off a loss.
— Colorado lost its last four bowls; their last bowl win was in 2004.

Oregon
— 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 96 starts back on offensive line.
— Senior QB Nix QB has 47 career starts, 34 of them at Auburn.
— Last five years, Ducks are 45-16 SU.
— Oregon was 8-3 ATS as a favorite in Lanning’s first season LY.
— Since 2014, Oregon is 11-20-2 ATS outside Pac-12.
— Ducks are 3-2 in last five bowl games; all three wins were by one point.

Oregon State
— 8 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 109 starts back on offensive line
— junior QB started 28 games at Clemson.
— Under Smith, OSU is 10-1 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last three years, Beavers are 15-3 ATS coming off a win.
— Under Smith, underdogs are 18-7 ATS in OSU road games.
— Beavers are 2-3 SU in last five bowls (were favored in all five).

USC
— 8 starters back on offense, 9 on defense
— 95 starts back on offensive line
— junior QB has started 21 games, is favored to win Heisman Trophy.
— In his career, Riley is 23-15 ATS as a home favorite, 5-2 at USC.
— In his career, underdog is 17-8-1 ATS in Riley’s road games.
— USC is 1-4 SU in last five bowls (favored in 3 of 5 games)
— Their last bowl win was 52-49 over Penn State in 2016 Rose Bowl

Stanford
— New HC Taylor was 30-8 SU as HC at I-AA Sacramento State
— 3 starters back on offense, 3 on defense
— 15 starts back on OL; added 2 OL transfers from Ivy League
— whoever new QB is will be inexperienced
— Cardinal went 3-9/3-9 SU the last two years.
— Last two years, Stanford was 6-18 SU/5-19 ATS.
— Stanford won four of its last five bowls; last one was in 2018.

UCLA
— 7 starters back on offense, 9 on defense
— 126 starts back on offensive line; high expectations.
— new QB this year; Schlee was starter LY for 5-7 Kent State.
— Under Kelly, Bruins are 6-12 ATS as a home favorite.
— Since 2014, UCLA is 7-20-1 ATS outside the Pac-12.
— UCLA lost its last three bowls, giving up 37-35-37 points.
— Bruins’ last bowl win was 40-35 over K-State in 2014 Alamo Bowl.

Utah
— 7 starters back on offense, 9 on defense
— 84 starts back on offensive line; high expectations
— senior QB has started 24 games.
— Last four years, Utes are 34-13 SU.
— In his career, Whittingham is 34-22 ATS as an underdog.
— Since 2018, Utah is 5-10-1 ATS outside the Pac-12. 
— Utah lost last four bowls, after Whittingham started out 11-1 in bowls.

Washington
— 7 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 36 starts back on offensive line.
— senior QB has 30 starts, 17 of them at Indiana.
— since 2017, Washington is 7-13 ATS as a road favorite.
— since 2018, Washington is 14-27 ATS in Pac-12 games.
— last ten years, Huskies are 7-13 ATS as an underdog
— Huskies won their last two bowls, 38-7/27-20.

Washington State
— 7 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 55 starts back on offensive line.
— junior QB started 13 games LY; he previously played at I-AA Incarnate Word, came to Wazzu with the new OC.
— last two years, Wazzu is 13-4-1 ATS in Pac-12 games
— since 2017, Coogs are 7-12-1 ATS outside Pac-12.
— since 2018, Wazzu is 6-1 ATS as a road favorite.
— Coogs lost last three bowls; last bowl win was 2018 Alamo Bowl.

Alabama
— 5 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 41 starts back on offensive line.
— unclear who QB will be, but he’ll be inexperienced.
— Alabama was even in turnovers LY (+76 from 2015-21)
— Last three years, Alabama is 13-5-1 ATS as a home favorite.
— Crimson Tide won six of its last eight bowls.
— Since 2018, Alabama is 0-1 ATS as an underdog.

Arkansas
— 4 starters back on offense, 6 on defense
— 78 starts back on offensive line
— junior QB has 24 starts
— Under Pittman, Arkansas is 15-10-2 ATS in SEC games.
— Under Pittman, Hogs are 12-6 ATS as an underdog.
— Razorbacks won three of their last four bowls, scoring 37 ppg.

Auburn
— Last three years, Auburn is 17-19 SU.
— 8 starters back on offense, 9 on defense
— 92 starts back on offensive line
— sophomore QB started 9 games last year.
— In his career, Freeze is 25-10 ATS as an underdog.
— Auburn is 1-4 SU in last five bowls (favored in 4 of 5)
— Freeze is 6-1 SU in bowl games; he is Auburn’s 3rd coach in 4 years.

Florida
— 6 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 74 starts back on offensive line
— junior QB started 32 games at Wisconsin
— Last two years, Gators went 6-7/6-7.
— Last three years, Florida is 1-9 ATS as a road favorite.
— Florida lost its last three bowls, outscored 114-40.

Georgia
— Since 2017, Georgia is 73-10 SU
— 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 62 starts back on offensive line.
— New QB for Georgia; they’ll miss Stetson Bennett.
— Under Smart, Dawgs are 19-8 ATS as a road favorite.
— Since 2018, Georgia is 0-1 ATS as an underdog.
— Dawgs won their last six bowl games (4-2 ATS)

Kentucky
— 10 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 125 starts back on offensive line (four starters back)
— senior QB started 26 games at NC State.
— Under Stoops, Kentucky is 22-12 ATS as a home favorite.
— Kentucky is 11-5 ATS in last 16 non-conference games.
— Wildcats won four of their last five bowls (lost 21-0 LY).

LSU
— 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 102 starts back on offensive line
— Junior QB has started 43 games, most of them at Arizona State.
— Since 2016, Tigers are 16-8-1 ATS coming off a loss.
— In his career, Kelly is 35-16-2 ATS as an underdog.
— LSU won four of its last five bowls, scoring 45.6 ppg.

Ole Miss
— 9 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 131 starts back on offensive line; good offensive line
— junior QB started 12 games last year.
— they added transfer QB with 41 starts at Oklahoma State
— In his college career, Kiffin is 18-24 ATS at home, 29-24-1 on road.
— Under Kiffin, Rebels are 11-14 ATS in SEC games. 
— Ole Miss is 2-3 SU/ATS in its last five bowls.

Mississippi State
— New coach TY after Mike Leach passed away last year.
— Arnett is a first-time HC (won bowl game 19-10 LY)
— 8 starters back on offense, 4 on defense
— 113 starts back on offensive line.
— junior QB has started 32 games.
— Last three years, State is 7-3 ATS as a road underdog.
— Bulldogs are 2-3 SU/ATS in last five bowls.

Missouri
— 7 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 136 starts back on offensive line; very experienced
— junior QB has started 14 games.
— Last four years, Tigers are 23-25 SU.
— In his career, Drinkwitz is 13-8 ATS as an underdog.
— Under Drinkwitz, Mizzou is 3-7 ATS as a home favorite.
— Mizzou lost its last four bowls; their last bowl win— 2015.

South Carolina
— 6 starters back on offense, 4 on defense
— 86 starts back on offensive line; they added two I-AA transfers, too.
— Junior QB has 30 starts, 13 of them at Oklahoma.
— Under Beamer, Gamecocks are 8-2 ATS outside the SEC.
— Under Beamer, Gamecocks are 7-2 ATS as a favorite.
— Under Beamer, Gamecocks are 7-3 ATS coming off a loss.
— Carolina is 2-3 SU/3-2 ATS in last five bowls.

Tennessee
— 5 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 93 starts back on offensive line.
— Senior QB has 9 starts; they added a 5-star freshman QB.
— Under Heupel, Tennessee is 8-2 ATS outside the SEC
— Under Heupel, Tennessee is 11-4 ATS as a favorite.
— In his career, Heupel is 3-6 ATS as an underdog.
— Vols are 4-1 SU/ATS in their last five bowls.

Texas A&M
— 10 starters back on offense, 10 on defense
— 91 starts back on offensive line.
— Soph QB Weigman started 4 games last year.
— Soph QB Johnson (Brad Johnson’s son) used to play at LSU
— Under Fisher, Aggies are 22-7 ATS as a favorite.
— Since 2017, A&M is 16-7-1 ATS outside the SEC.
— LSU won its last three bowls, scoring 52-24-41 points.

Vanderbilt
— Last four years, Vandy is 10-35 SU; last bowl was 2018.
— 7 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 81 starts back on offensive line
— soph QB started 6 games last year.
— since 2019, Commodores are 2-8 ATS coming off a win
— Under Lea, Vandy is 3-10 ATS at home, 8-3 ATS on road.
— Vandy lost last two bowls 41-17/45-38; their last bowl win was in 2013.

13) Jeopardy!— I liked it better in the old days; Art Fleming was the host; he even appeared in Airplane 2- when the plane was in trouble, one of the passengers said “We’re in real jeopardy now!!!” and Fleming appears at the front of the plane with the Jeopardy! board behind him and one of the contestants says, “I’d like airplane disasters for $200, Art”

Jeopardy! Is low on this list because I never knew a lot of the answers.

12) Jokers’ Wild— Billed as “the game where knowledge is king and lady luck is queen” Jack Barry was the host. He’d get excited if a contestant spun and three jokers came up on the board: “joker, joker……..and a triple!!!”

Contestants answered questions based on categories determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine.

11) Deal or No Deal?— Howie Mandel hosted this show, and my dad loved watching it, not really sure why, but he did. He liked it so much that one year for Christmas I got him a Howie Mandel bobblehead; if you press the button, it asks “Deal, or No Deal?” The bobblehead is still sitting over there on the shelf.

10) $10,000 Pyramid— The game features two contestants, each paired with a celebrity; one teammate tries to guess a series of words or phrases based on descriptions given to them by their teammates. Whoever wins advanced to the big pyramid, where if the person got through all the categories in time, they’d win the $10,000 (or $50,000, in later versions of the show)

Dick Clark hosted this show for a long time; so did Bill Cullen. Some of the celebrities were a lot better than others at this game; pretty tough for the contestant to win any $$$ if their celebrity teammate was a nitwit.

9) Gambit— There were two teams of married couples competing; Wink Martindale was the host; there was a toss-up question, and if couple got it right, they could take the next card drawn, or give it to their opponent. If they got it wrong, the other couple controlled the card.

Each subsequent card was presented face-down and was turned up once the couple in control decided who should receive it. After a couple received any card (either by choice or by having it passed to them) and could potentially bust with another card, they could elect to freeze, preventing them from receiving any more cards.

Wink Martindale was excellent on this show; if a couple went over 21 and lost, he’d break out into his “…….too much, and the game goes to the Ostranders” bit. When I was 12, I loved this show.

8) Let’s Make a Deal— Monty Hall hosted this show, where the contestants would dress up in outrageous costumes and try to get Hall to pick them out. Once chosen, Monty Hall would give the person something of value, then ask if they wanted to trade it for whatever was behind one of three curtains on the stage; it might be a car, it might be canned squid.

There was no actual skill involved in the show, just the drama of seeing their reactions when they either won something big or got stiffed.

Remember the movie Last Vegas? The woman who played Kevin Kline’s wife in the movie is Joanna Gleason, who in real life is Monty Hall’s daughter.

7) Wheel of Fortune— Sad to hear this week that Pat Sajak is retiring as host after this season, his 41st year hosting Wheel of Fortune— the show has been on TV continuously since 1975.

Contestants solve word puzzles, similar to those in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a giant carnival wheel. Vanna White got famous simply by turning the letters on the board, and of course, because she seems nice and is beautiful.

Pat Sajak hosted a talk show in the early 80’s and left the daytime Wheel of Fortune; one of his replacements was Rolf Benirschke, who previously was a kicker for the San Diego Chargers.

6) The Price Is Right— When I was in high school, Price Is Right was on at 3:00, Match Game at 3:30. Spent lot of time watching those two shows.

Price Is Right is obviously still on, with Drew Carey having taken over for Bob Barker as host. Contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes; at the end there is a showcase, where the best prizes were won/lost.

In a 2007 article, TV Guide named it the “greatest game show of all time.”

5) Match Game— This show has had many different versions; the one I loved was on in the 70’s. Two contestants competed to match their answers with six celebrities on the panel, some of whom were there to provide comic relief.

Gene Rayburn was the host; Richard Dawson, Brett Somers and Charles Nelson-Reilly were the regular panelists (Brett Somers played Oscar Madison’s ex-wife in The Odd Couple).

I remember that two of the occasional celebrities were Joyce Bulifant and Elaine Joyce; their answers were usually terrible, hard to match.

4) Concentration— This show was on daytime TV from 1958-91; the hosts I remember were Hugh Downs (before he went to the Today Show), Ed McMahon and Bob Clayton.

This game took actual skill; you had to remember what was behind each square of the puzzle. If you guessed that #6 and #8 were the same and they were, they were taken off the board and parts of the puzzle were exposed. If you removed enough squares, it would be easier to solve the puzzle that was behind the squares.

There were 30 squares on the board; this game should come back on TV. 

3) Password— Allen Ludden hosted this show; he was married to Betty White. There is a great episode of The Odd Couple, where Felix/Oscar go on Password and play against Betty White and her partner.

Two teams, each composed of a celebrity and a contestant, try to convey mystery words to each other using only single-word clues, in order to win cash prizes.

In the Odd Couple episode, Felix guesses “Aristophanes” as an answer, which was horribly wrong. Oscar tells him it was a ridiculous answer. The next word comes up “ridiculous” and Oscar’s hint was……. “Aristophanes” to which Felix answers “ridiculous!!!”  Great TV.

2) Hollywood Squares— Nine celebrities sit in a huge tic-tac-toe board; contestants win a square when a celebrity answers the question— the contestant has to agree/disagree with their answer.

Peter Marshall was the host; his son Pete LaCock played for the Cubs for a few years. Once in a while, a contestant would screw up and choose the wrong square to play. Marshall would say, “I might have gone with Wally Cox to block, but this might work out for you”

Paul Lynde was most always the center square; Wally Cox upper left, Charley Weaver lower left, Rose Marie upper middle.

This show was on at 11:30 weekdays for most of my childhood.

1) The Gong Show— Chuck Barris invented The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game; he was later the host of The Gong Show, which was American Idol 20 years before, except virtually no one on the show had any talent.

Contestants would come on the show and perform; three celebrities were on the left, and if one of thought the act sucked (most of them did) they would bang the gong and the contestant left. Someone would win each show (there were some good acts) but the prizes weren’t much.

Chuck Barris was the star; he would say to someone who got gonged “I liked your act, but then again, I like gas fumes” It was bizarre TV, but it was funny as hell.

There was a regular who would appear every so often before commercials; the Unknown Comic. He wore a bag over his head, and would tell off-color jokes to Chuck, who would then send the show into commercials. “Chucky, Chucky, let’s dress up as a horse for Halloween. I’ll be the front end, and you just be yourself”

I was in college then, never scheduled any classes between 12-2; that’s when the Gong Show was on. 

Best Quarterbacks:
John Elway
Tom Brady
Joe Montana
Roger Staubach (Patrick Mahomes soon to replace him)

Favorite Quarterbacks:
Kurt Warner
Matthew Stafford
Vince Ferragamo
Jared Goff

Best basketball players:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
T2 Michael Jordan
T2 Lebron James
Bill Russell

Las Vegas sportsbooks:
Westgate
MGM Grand
South Point
Aria

Favorite TV shows:
Magnum PI
CSI
Law and Order
Odd Couple

Favorite Batman villains:
Riddler (Frank Gorshin)
Egghead (Vincent Price)
Mad Hatter (David Wayne)
Catwoman (Julie Newmar)

Favorite Musicians:
Bob Seger
Billy Joel
Pat Benatar
Van Morrison

Favorite dinners:
Pizza
Spaghetti and meatballs
Scrambled eggs with bacon
Fried chicken with waffles

Favorite non-sports movies:
A Star is Born (2018 version)
Leap of Faith
Begin Again
Fabulous Baker Boys

Favorite sports movies:
American Underdog
Moneyball
Blue Chips
Invincible

Favorite gambling movies:
Rounders
Let It Ride
Molly’s Game
Lucky You

Favorite Kevin Costner movies:
For Love of the Game
The Bodyguard
Message In a Bottle
Bull Durham

Favorite Susan Sarandon movies:
The Client
Bull Durham
Ping Pong Summer
White Palace

Remaining bucket list items:
Rams’ home game at SoFi Stadium
LSU Saturday night home football game
Week at spring training, preferably Arizona
New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas

John Grisham books:
Pelican Brief
The Client
Runaway Jury
A Time to Kill

Favorite TV characters:
Lenny Briscoe, Law and Order
Oscar Madison, Odd Couple
Henry Blake, M*A*S*H
Jack Malone, Without a Trace

— Long time ago, the early 70’s, the NBA held a 1-on-1 contest, and aired the games at halftime of regular season NBA telecasts. This was in the early 70’s; I think they had two tournaments, then some of the better players refused to play, and the idea died.

They need to bring back a 1-on-1 tournament; it would be wildly popular.

This should happen in the summer, with each player designating a charity he is playing for. They would make lot of money for various good causes.

64 players; games would be up to 20, have to win by 3 points.

Lot of wagering opportunities, bracket pools, it would be fun.

Each NBA team would have to be represented by one player; the other spots would be determined by fan voting on the Interweb.

— Kids could go right from high school to the NBA. Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, none of them went to college. They should put that rule back in.

— Major League Baseball should have a Hard Knocks-type program during spring training; it would give baseball more exposure, which it needs. Spring training has lot of dead time; would be ideal for a Hard Knocks-type show.

— NFL would have an 18-game regular season, only two preseason games; Super Bowl would be Sunday night of Presidents’ Day weekend.

— College football teams wouldn’t play I-AA opponents; SEC teams do this a lot. This year, Alabama is playing Chattanooga. Seriously? Go play a MAC team or a Sun Belt team, at least.

— Online poker would be made legal so the poker companies would advertise on TV and ESPN would start replaying the World Series of Poker again, like they used to. The stuff ESPN puts on in daytime on weekdays is mostly terrible. Mike Greenberg, Stephen A Smith both make around $6M a year, a tremendous waste of money.

Listening to talking heads in contrived arguments is a waste of electricity. Much rather watch people play cards, or replays of games, actual competition.

— I’d scrap Thursday night NFL games, except for Week 1 and Thanksgiving; I’d replace them with Monday night doubleheaders. Football wasn’t meant to be played on three days’ rest. 

— As far as college basketball transfers go, if you poach a transfer from a team, then you have to go play a game in that team’s gym. Most of the teams that poach transfers are way better than the teams they poach from anyway, but they often don’t have the onions to play road games.

VCU has that built into their coaches’ contracts; if the coach leaves for a bigger school, that team has to play a game at VCU. 

— I would take the radios out of NFL players’ helmets; coaches have six days to prepare their teams to play. Gameday should be the players’ day; let the QB’s call their own plays, which would make the game lot more exciting. QB’s calling the plays would make the game more fun.

— I’d eliminate the American/National Leagues and go to geographic realignment, which would reduce travel costs and invigorate regional rivalries. Going to 32 teams (which will happen soon) will make scheduling a lot easier.

— NBA playoff series would be best-of-3, with finals best-of-5. Less games, more drama; it is more interesting when the best team has a chance to lose. Would the NCAA tournament be at all interesting if a 16-seed played a #1-seed best-of-3?

Also, there have been 151 NBA best-of-7 playoff series where a team led 3-0; none of them have lost the series, only four of them played a Game 7. With that in mind, if a series gets to 3-0, it is over; it would make Game 3’s fascinating when one team led 2-0.

— I’d get rid of the Electoral College in our presidential election; whoever gets the most votes wins, just like in all the other elections.

— Would definitely move the NBA Draft Lottery back to a half hour before the actual draft; imagine the drama then? Lot of executives would have to think on their feet.

— You want to make baseball’s All-Star Game more interesting? Make it USA vs the World, and it’ll become a serious game fairly quickly. Probably too serious.

— Would like to make people happier; nowadays, there is so much anger in the world. There is a lot less tolerance of others than there used to be. You be you, and let others do what they do. Cheer the bleep up!!!!

AFC East
Buffalo
— Visit New Jersey in Week 1 Monday nighter, Aaron Rodgers’ Jets’ debut.
— Play Jaguars in England in Week 5.
— High expectations; play only five games at 1:00 Sunday.
— Have only two home games in last seven weeks of season. 

Miami
— Start season with road games at Chargers/Patriots; visit Buffalo in Week 4.
— Finish season with four home games in five weeks.
— New Year’s Eve in Baltimore could be a cold weather game.
— Play Chiefs in Germany in Week 9.

New England
— Open season with home games vs Eagles, Dolphins.
— Week 10, they play the Colts in Germany.
— Weeks 14-16, play three straight primetime games, two of them on road.
— Last seven games are all potentially cold weather games.

Jets
— Five primetime games, plus the Black Friday game vs Buffalo.
— Only six of their 16 listed games are 1:00 Sunday games.
— Two games with Miami aren’t until Weeks 12, 15.
— Finish regular season with road trips to Cleveland, Foxboro. 

AFC North
Baltimore
— Play their three AFC North road games in Weeks 2-4-5.
— Weeks 11-16, play four primetime games, with their bye week mixed in. — Play 49ers in Santa Clara on Christmas night.
— Finish regular season with home games vs Dolphins, Steelers. 

Cincinnati
— Open, close season with games against Cleveland.
— Have four primetime games; two at home, two on road.
— Host Buffalo in Week 9 Sunday night game.
— Visit Chiefs in Arrowhead on New Year’s Eve.

Cleveland
— Have four home games and a bye in first six weeks of season.
— Only two primetime games: Week 2 at Steelers, Week 17 vs Jets.
— Weeks 7-13, play five road games in seven-week span.
— Weeks 12-13, they have consecutive western trips, to Denver/LA Rams.

Pittsburgh
— Open season with home games vs 49ers, Browns.
— Have four primetime games, three of them at home.
— Bye week is in Week 6, fairly early.
— Finish season with road games at Seahawks, Ravens. 

AFC South
Houston
— Low expectations; 15 of their 16 listed games are at 1pm Sunday.
— Games with the Colts are in Week 2, then in Week 18.
— Play consecutive road games only one time, Weeks 14-15.
— Bye week is in Week 7; when will rookie QB Stroud become a starter?

Indianapolis
— No primetime games for the Colts.
— 13 games at 1:00 Sunday; low expectations.
— They play New England in Germany in Week 10.
— Three of their last four games are at home.

Jacksonville
— Weeks 4-5, they play consecutive games in England, vs Falcons/Bills.
— Also have three primetime games, two of them at home.
— Only one of their last six games (Week 18 vs Titans) is a divisional game.
— Week 14 in Cleveland is likely a cold weather game.

Tennessee
— 14 games at 1:00 Sunday indicate low expectations.
— Play Ravens in England in Week 6.
— Two primetime games: at Steelers in Week 9, at Dolphins in Week 14.
— Five of their last seven games are in Nashville.

AFC West
Denver
— Sean Payton era opens with home games vs Raiders/Commanders.
— Start season vs Raiders; finish regular season in Las Vegas vs Raiders.
— Four primetime games, including visits to Kansas City, Buffalo.
— Weeks 13-15, three consecutive road games, all in domed stadiums.

Kansas City
— Super Bowl champs open at home on Thursday of Week 1 vs Lions.
— Have six primetime games, plus game in Germany vs Miami.
— Two games with Denver are close together, in Weeks 6-8.
— Week 13 in Green Bay, Week 15 in Foxboro figure to be cold weather games.

Las Vegas
— Open season with road games at Denver, Buffalo.
— Four of their primetime games are at home; go figure.
— Giants/Jets visit Las Vegas in consecutive weeks (Weeks 9-10)
— Eight of their last ten games are in domes.

LA Chargers
— Have six primetime games, four of them at home.
— Play consecutive road games only one time, Weeks 2-3 at Titans/Vikings.
— Two games against Denver are in Weeks 14, 17, both in December.
— Week 13 in Foxboro, Week 17 in Denver are potential cold weather games.

NFC East
Dallas
— Open against Giants for 7th time in last 12 years.
— Weeks 5-6, consecutive west coast games at 49ers, Chargers.
— Three of their first six games are in primetime.
— Week 15 in Buffalo, Week 18 in Washington- potential cold weather games.

Giants
— Four of their first six games are in primetime.
— Week 2, @ Arizona; Week 3, Thursday game at San Francisco
— Weeks 9-11, consecutive road games, at Las Vegas, Dallas, Washington
— Play their last two games at home, vs Rams/Eagles.

Philadelphia
— Four of their first six games are on the road.
— Host old friend Jonathan Gannon when Cardinals visit New Year’s Eve.
— Have five primetime games, three of them on road.
— Two games against the Giants are in Weeks 16, 18.

Washington
— Low expectations from NFL; Week 5 is only primetime game.
— Weeks 6-10, have four road games in five-week span.
— Visit Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.
— Have a late bye, Week 14.

NFC North
Chicago
— Play Green Bay in their opener; rematch is in Week 18.
— Have four primetime games, three of them on road.
— Weeks 8-12, have four road games in five-week span, all in domes.
— Weeks 14-18 all figure to be cold weather tilts (@ Cleveland/Green Bay)

Detroit
— Four primetime games, including Week 1 at Super Bowl champ Chiefs.
— Week 14 at Chicago is their only outdoor game after October 22.
— Weeks 13-17, have four road games in five-week span.
— Two games against the Vikings are in Weeks 16, 18.

Green Bay
— Open with road games at Chicago, Atlanta.
— Week 6 is an early bye week.
— Have five primetime games, three of them on road.
— Visit the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. 

Minnesota
— Short work week in Week 2, Thursday game at Philadelphia.
— Five primetime games, three of them on road.
— Chiefs visit Twin Cities in Week 5, a Super Bowl IV rematch.
— Week 11 at Denver, Week 15 at Cincinnati potential cold weather games.

NFC South
Atlanta
— Play five of their first six games at home.
— Week 4, they play the Jaguars in England.
— Week 13 at Jets, Week 17 at Chicago potential cold weather games.
— 13 of 16 listed games are at 1:oo ET; low expectations from NFL

Carolina
— Four of their first six games are on the road.
— Weeks 12-14, have road games at Titans, Bucs, Saints.
— Two primetime games; Week 2 vs Saints, Week 10 at Chicago.
— Frank Reich’s old team, the Colts, visit Charlotte in Week 9. 

New Orleans
— Four of their first six games are on the road.
— Weeks 13-15, have three consecutive home games.
— Short work week in Week 16, a Thursday game at the Rams.
— Week 17 at Tampa Bay is their only outdoor game after October 8th.

Tampa Bay
— 12 of 16 listed games are at 1:00 ET; low expectations.
— Two primetime games; Week 2 vs Eagles, Week 8 at Buffalo.
— Baker Mayfield faces Carolina, his old team, in Weeks 13, 18.
— Week 15 at Lambeau Field figures to be a cold weather game.

NFC West
Arizona
— No primetime games; very low expectations.
— December road games in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Philly……..brrrrr
— Their three NFC West road games are in Weeks 4-6-7.
— Have Week 14 bye week, very late.

Rams
— Three of their first four games are on the road.
— Weeks 5-7, have three consecutive home games.
— Two primetime games: Week 3 at Cincinnati, Week 16 vs Saints.
— Week 14 at Ravens, Week 17 at Giants figure to be cold weather games.

San Francisco
— Open season with road games at Steelers, Rams.
— Have three consecutive home games, in Weeks 3-5.
— Have five primetime games, three of them at home.
— Week 13 at Philly, Week 17 at Washington figure to be cold weather games.

Seattle
— Week 5 bye week is an early one.
— Have three primetime games, two of them on road.
— Host the 49ers on Thanksgiving night.
— Have four of last six games on road, but none in cold weather.