Well, the Buckeyes lost. So that sucks. And a few too many folks are jumping into the transfer portal, so I’m not sure what’s up with that. It sounds like the Bucks are more fully embracing the new college football – every player is a free agent every year, so let’s use our big brand and big money to go get some dudes.
Revisiting my pick from last week: I was 1 for 4. Not very good.
Oregon was -2.5 and they won by 23. Off to a great start!
I picked Indiana to win, but Bama to cover. And Indy destroyed them. Huh, the Big 10 might be a solid conference.
I had Georgia at -6.5 and Ole Miss won outright. What if Ole Miss wins the title AFTER Lane Kiffin left. That would be quite a story.
And, of course, I had the Bucks -8.5 – Miami played very well and we did not. Happy New Year.
Moving On!
Thursday. 1/8/2026. VRBO Fiesta Bowl. 7:30PM. ESPN.
(6) Ole Miss vs (10) Miami (Fl). Miami is favored by 3.
Ole Miss is currently 13-1. Their only loss of the season was a high scoring affair @ Georgia, which they avenged last week. Their coach left and is apparently trying to steal players who have already signed with teams. They are 10th in scoring and 29th in points allowed. You can definitely score points on them, but their offense is really good.
Miami is 12-2, coming off an impressive performance against the Buckeyes. As several local radio folks have said, I hope the old school “beating Michigan is the most important thing” people are happy. Anyway, Miami has the 30th ranked offense and the 4th ranked defense. They made the Buckeye offensive line look pretty bad.
I’m going to take Miami, but I don’t feel good about it. Miami 27, Ole Miss 17.
Friday. 1/9/2026. Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. 7:30PM. ESPN.
(5) Oregon vs (1) Indiana. IU is favored by 3.5.
The Oregon Ducks are 13-1, with their only loss coming at home to Friday’s opponent, Indiana. They have the 9th best offense and the 6th best defense. They are playing well. Their QB might be on the Jets next year if he turns pro. Todd McShay did a very funny “Do not go to the Jets, Dante!” bit that I enjoyed. They’re the NFL’s version of the LA Clippers, I guess.
Indiana is 14-0. They already beat the Ducks on the road this year. They beat the Buckeyes. They looked shaky against a couple teams midseason, but smoked Bama last week. They have the 3rd best offense and 2nd best defense. Their coach and QB are both lunatics, but in very different ways. Fernando Mendoza might be a Raider next year, which could go just as terribly as the Jets. This team just seems like it will win.
Indiana 31, Oregon 17.
My $5 parlay bet on both favorites pays out $17.48 (or loses me 5) and requires me to root for the Miami Hurricanes. So that seems dumb.
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