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Jan 1, 2025
Best of A Numbers Game | January 1, 2025
Best of A Numbers Game | January 1, 2025
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Transcript
0:00
[upbeat music] The numbers told the story, they always do. So one of those idiots who believe in analytics. This is a Numbers Game with Gil Alexander on VSiN. Good Wednesday morning to you.
0:10
Not just any Wednesday morning, but Happy New Year, January 1st, 2025 Wednesday morning.
0:16
From all of us here at Numbers Game, vsin.com, Game Plus, iHeartRadio, YouTube TV, however you're taking us in, the VSiN app, it's Gil Alexander, it is Kelly Bidlin, everybody.
0:25
Producer number nine, so much more than a producer. Happy New Year's to you. Uh, ringin' in 2025. Happy New Year, man. Happy New Year. Let's go, 2025's here. 2025 is here.
0:35
You know, I was, uh, saying to, uh, Debra Song, Fashion Stylist yesterday- 2025, wow... "Can you..." Yes, exactly. I said to her yesterday, I go, "Can you believe it's been a quarter century since Y2K?" No.
0:47
She goes, "Yeah, it kind of feels like 25 years." I'm like, "Okay, maybe you're right."
0:50
[laughs] Then I, then I workshopped, or this is a workshop in this, and then I was like, "Can you believe that we're just shy of five years away from the onset of the, uh, of the pandemic?" Uh, that's crazy, too.
1:02
To which she also said, "Yeah, no, I can't believe it." I don't know.
1:03
The pandemic's tough 'cause it, like, at, at times it feels like it was a year ago, and at times it feels like it was 20 years ago, so I don't really know. Yeah, it kind of messes up with your sense of time. Yeah.
1:11
Especially since we were, like, working throughout it. We're like- Yes, we were... "Let's do sports betting shows with Russian ping pong?" Yeah. Question mark? Yeah, there was that. There was that.
1:20
Uh, it's all about college football today. Maybe not all, but generally about college football today as the, uh, national quarterfinals began last night, which we'll get into momentarily.
1:30
Penn State's win over Boise State. JBT will join us momentarily, uh, to talk about his thoughts on the three remaining quarterfinal games today, and of course the NBA, as he is our senior NBA analyst.
1:42
Uh, Kelly, you and me with our New Year's betting resolutions. Let's go. This is a, uh, primetime action tradition. Yeah. We, we... I mean, I think we've done this every year, right? I think maybe. We did it last year.
1:50
I think so. I think. I think. Yeah. I don't know. I asked for, I f- asked for last year's graphics. Ryan never sent them to me, so maybe we didn't- Maybe we didn't do it... I don't know. I found ones from two years ago.
1:58
Uh, and then we'll talk college football, uh, with Tim Brando from Fox Sports joining the show this morning. That's very nice of him to do so on this New Year's Day.
2:06
Chris Fallica, uh, double duty with Fallica, the Bear, looking forward to that as well on this New Year's morning. And then Adam Burke, which is really the hardest booking of all of these people, is Adam Burke.
2:17
Adam Burke's a busy guy. He's on a lot of shows. He's... Well... does a ton around here. He is our VSiN- He was excited to come on today though... managing editor. We're excited to have him on.
2:24
I think he's on Skype, but I don't know. Maybe we'll get a surprise, uh, in studio appearance. Listen, if I had my way, I would have Adam Burke on every single week. He's, he's one of the best.
2:33
But you can't, but you can't get him on. He's too busy. He's a guy. I mean that about Adam. Mm-hmm. Um, let us begin with last night's, uh, opening to the quarterfinal.
2:42
Again, uh, big stretches between the first round and the quarters, then between the quarters, and the end of next week will be the semis, and then we gotta wait even longer for the finals.
2:51
So this will be a, uh, a bit of a drag out thing, but thank goodness we have a 12-team playoff. I think most feel that way. May- I don't know. We'll see how people f- [laughs] feel after all is said and done. Yeah.
3:02
But, uh, after a first round that featured nothing but blowouts, apologies to Clemson, I get it, you were kind of in it at one point.
3:10
Um, Penn State 31, Boise State 14, a final score that looks a lot more lopsided than it actually was.
3:20
And, um, I think, uh, the question that we bandied around yesterday after this game, uh, those of us in our little thread with, uh, Fezzik, uh, Will Hill- Mm-hmm... Wishneven, and Fallica was, um,
3:34
obviously Penn State gets the money, but what was the, you know, the, the gamblers', um, narrative? What was the right side? What was the right side in this game?
3:43
And we came to the conclusion, by the way, we were all, we all had Penn State in the end, but we came to the conclusion the line was probably right, that both sides could claim after this that they were, in fact, the right side.
3:55
Now, I know people with Boise State tickets are like, "What are you talking about?" Uh, there were so many missed opportunities for Boise State. They lost the turnover, turnover battle four to one.
4:04
Uh, they missed two field goals. By the way, you see that first field goal? It was like- No. Oh my God. This is where, uh, yeah. Jesus, what was that? You, you...
4:11
College kickers and college free throw shooters- [laughs]... have fun. E- even, uh, Bob Wiscusan, who's fa- fantastic by the way. Bob Wiscusan- Yeah...
4:18
who did the game with, uh, Lewis Riddick yesterday, he, he thought it had to be blocked. He's like, "I, I think it must've been blocked." No, no, it was blocked, though.
4:24
Um- Lu- Lewis Riddick, who, I don't know, works more than anybody in sports it seems. Yeah. Like, I feel like he's on two games a weekend, and then I see him on ESPN every single day. Yeah. Yeah.
4:33
Uh, Boise State also had 13 penalties. Penn State still had 10, by the way. 23 total penalties in this game. Uh, Penn State had a...
4:40
Uh, excuse me, uh, Boise State had a touchdown callback, so there was definitely an, an argument to be made that Boise State could've, could've, uh, covered. They were c- they were in cover range for most of this game.
4:50
Um, as the total, by the way, goes under. The total of 55, only 45 scored. But I, I would argue if you were on the Penn State side of things, again, the 10 penalties,
5:00
um, we tend to gloss over the fact that Abdul Carter was hurt for most of this game. Uh, he left the game in the second quarter. That's obviously a massive loss for the Penn State defense.
5:12
And then there was the, the question of Penn State's r- really strange play calling at different times of the game.
5:19
There were a couple third and shorts, one deep in their own territory, where they decided, "Let, let's just throw in a misdirection pass play just for giggles," and it didn't work either time.
5:28
And so, and then Penn State, when they got to it, they g- they sort of gashed. Yeah. So I think you can make a case for both sides. I don't think there was, in other words, in the end, a quote-unquote "right side".
5:38
[clears throat] Pardon me. But the Nittany Lions backers get the money. 31 to 14, they cover the 11 and a halves, uh, 11 and a half consensus spread in this one.
5:47
There's also a very strange sort of final sequence to this game where- Oh, yeah...
5:51
Penn State got into the, uh, g- got it, got it to 31 to 14, so they were in cover mode here, and James Franklin keenly aware of the cover- [laughs]... uh, of what's, of what number he's gotta have.
6:01
Is that still a thing with James Franklin? [laughs] Oh, he, he knows. Trust me, he knows. But, uh, uh, Boise State then decided to run Ashton Jeanty, so these are the last couple minutes of the game.
6:10
You're down 17, you gotta matriculate the ball down the field, and they start handing the ball off to Jeanty. And so I am, I immediately go, I go, "They're trying to give him 100 yards here or something?" Yeah.
6:21
Three plays later, Wisniewski and, and Riddick were like, "Oh, I think they're trying to give him 100 yards." F- Felika correctly said, "No, it's not just 100 yards.
6:30
Maybe they're trying to get Jeanty to break the all-time record." The record. Yeah, yeah. By the way, record in like not only quotes, but in massive quotes.
6:38
'Cause we talked about this with, uh, with Saquon this week in the NFL. Saquon can break, quotes, Eric Dickerson's all-time record, right? The one of, uh- Mm-hmm...
6:47
season, single season rushing record for rushing yards, which O.J. Simpson had in 14 games and Eric Dickerson had, has currently, uh, having played a 16-game schedule.
6:57
Saquon is going to be a 17-game schedule with a bye, and then of course the counter to that is he has fewer carries than does Dickerson at this point. Whi- which I th- which I feel is important to point out.
7:07
It is important to point out. Because it is, it's a- But it's still 17 with a bye. It's an asterisk to the asterisk. Asterisk to the asterisk. [laughs] But, but the point is, is that, that one you can sort of- Right...
7:16
you can sort of have- I get on board with it still... you could have a, a debate about that. This one you can't. Mm-hmm. Right?
7:21
Barry Sanders had his record in 11 football games, and they don't count 200-plus yards that he got in a bowl game. So record schmeckard is I believe what my mom used to say- [laughs]... on this.
7:33
Um- I'm try- I was trying to find the carries for, uh, for Barry, but- Anyway, by the way, he didn't get it. Jeanty didn't.
7:38
But it was just a very strange ending to the game where they, uh, and it was the one thing that Wisniewski...
7:42
By the way, again, I'll say it again, I feel like Bob Wisniewski is one of the more underrated play-by-play guys in all of college football, and he did a great job.
7:50
They did miss on that, 'cause they didn't, no one, no one whispered in his ear that that's probably what was happening there.
7:54
But, uh, it, it took a late Penn State pick, uh, they did so on the final two Boise State drives, but on that last drive to, uh, assure the cover in that one.
8:04
Um, as far as the other college football games yesterday, I had the South Carolina. I got, I got that game wrong. Did you see any of the, the Beamer- Oh, God, that one I know about...
8:13
the Beamer versus Bielema cage match? [laughs] No, I did not. This was the weirdest thing ever yesterday. So South Carolina did this thing where they, they kept substituting, right? And,
8:24
and they kept substituting in a way where they, they wouldn't stop, and it w- And Bielema's reaction to this was, "I am gonna slow play." You know how the defense gets equal- Bielema? Bielema, yeah. Yeah. What?
8:32
Did I say Bielema? Yeah. Yeah. [laughs] I wonder whatever happened. Is that, is that a new guy? [laughs] The point is, the point is, is that his, uh, his face is extremely punchable. [laughs] It is. It is.
8:41
We have the, we have the Numbers Game investigative staff to find out if he's the most punchable face of all time. All right. Ashton Jeanty with 30 more carries than Barry Sanders. 30 more carries. Yeah. Right.
8:50
Um, but he ends up, he ends up falling f- Right... less than 30 yards short of the single-season rushing record. 27. 27 yards short. And again, really?
9:00
Would, would we have been saying Ashton Jeanty had that record afterwards? And eight touchdowns. Barry Sanders had 37 touchdowns that year, rushing touchdowns. It's incredible.
9:10
It was also a time, 1988, where I'll speak for those who grew up on the East Coast. The way that college football was back then, we didn't get to see any of it. Yeah. We didn't get to see any of it.
9:22
I think you, we saw Barry Sanders finally in a bowl game. But like the whole year we were aware of these stats he was accumulating, but we never got to see an Oklahoma State game the entire year. Hmm.
9:32
Anyway, I got the South Carolina game wrong, 'cause, uh, Illinois ends up winning it late.
9:35
But it was just this thing where, uh, where, um, Bielema finally, he was just like, you know, he would slow play the defensive substitutions.
9:43
Then there was a Illinois player hurt sort of on the, uh, South Carolina side of the field, so when he went out there, he taunted with a, uh, what, what, what's the thing? His, like, hurt neck.
9:53
Substitution, uh, um, sign. Legal substitution or whatever? No, with the, you know, with the arms extended. How they- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah... how they let the substitutions happen. And so, uh, Beamer just lost his mind.
10:02
[laughs] Lost his mind. He thought there was gonna be a fight in that. Um, so today the three games, we're gonna talk about this all day long here obviously on the show. Uh, do you have any bets on these games?
10:11
I have not made a single bet yet, Gil, but I've written down a few things. I'm gonna see, uh, what the guests say today, because we got some great college football guests on.
10:19
Well, once again, I've remembered for the fourth time that I have a Georgia National Championship future, so ch- I'll be rooting for Georgia. I, no, I do too. [laughs] At five to one. That's right. That's right.
10:28
Um- The quietest bet ever made. Right, exactly. Yeah. Um, I think I'm gonna play the under in that game. That makes a lot of sense, but waiting to hear, uh, from these, uh, from some of our guys today.
10:37
And then, uh- And T- can Texas cover this number against Arizona State? I'm think, I'm thinking Texas and I'm thinking Oregon. That's what I'm thinking. Thinking Oregon now? Yeah. Yeah. Um, I feel like, I don't know.
10:49
I feel like Texas, I feel very chalky Texas, Ohio State, and Georgia. Although now Notre Dame is a bit of a tick of a favorite at DraftKings. Do you see this? Yeah, it's bouncing around. Against Georgia as well.
10:58
Yeah, you can find ones on either side. Pick 'em. Uh, if we're gonna get involved in Texas, we might need to do it soon. [laughs] It's moving on up. Yeah, it's moving on up. Yeah. Uh, or, or in-gaming all of it.
11:09
We'll do all that. By the way, uh, and before we get there, 'cause we gotta get nothing but guests, so I just wanna get out this thought.
11:14
Right after the show yesterday, remember how I was speculating on the show with that Rams number going? Yep. I was like, "Oh, maybe he's sitting everybody."
11:19
Right after the show, Sean McVay, the reports come out, he's r- he's sitting everybody in the Rams game. Which again, is just me not following my own advice.
11:27
The advice being these teams tend to care about seeding less than we do as bettors and handicappers. Mm-hmm. I am an idiot. Yeah, well, uh, it's, uh, that... It's odd to me they don't.
11:41
Like I, I'm, I'm surprised, but he's done it before. Well- We're heroes, guys... I think I'll try to explain why. It's a pretty simple explanation. On the other side, JBT as well next.
11:49
Numbers Game, VSiN, the sports betting network. [upbeat music] A Numbers Game on VSiN, the- Sports Betting Network Hey, you wanna become a sharper bettor this holiday season? I know you do.
12:04
VSiN has the ultimate gift for you or the sports bettor in your life. It's the final week to take advantage of our holiday special. Get VSiN Pro access for everything we do. Uh, we offer it through May 1st for just $79.
12:15
How about that?
12:16
Sign up now, get instant access to daily best bets to help you cash more tickets, exclusive betting splits from DraftKings and Circa, 24/7 video access to all of our insights and all betting guides, expert picks as well.
12:27
That includes our college football betting guide, Super Bowl, March Madness, everything you need to win big this season. Make this holiday season unforgettable with the gift of smarter betting.
12:35
Head to vsin.com/subscribe now and unwrap your winning edge today. It's Gil Alexander and it's Kelly Billings live from Circa on this New Year's Day 2025. Good God. I want 12 and a half, Gil. I can only find 13 on Texas.
12:50
Uh, I just bet it at, uh, 13. I'm waiting for Felica. Yep. Stay outta here. Even though I, even though I have a feeling he's, he's, uh, he likes Arizona State.
12:58
I- 'cause I feel like by game time, which is, what, uh, two and a half hours from now- It's gonna be pushing 14... it's gonna be pushing 14. I bet on it right now. I agree.
13:05
Um, before we, uh, continue, by the way, can I just say that after the show today, a special college football tailgate show. Yeah, big day here on VSiN. Yep.
13:13
If, if like after this show you're like, "Oh my God, Gil and Kelly, you're going away," don't worry, don't fret, because Tim Murray and Dustin Sweeton will be here for College Football Tailgate Special Edition.
13:24
That's right. So- Saw, saw Dustin on the pro picks page, uh, last night firing away. Firing. So I know he's got a lot. I know he's doing a lot with the props. I like it when that kid fires.
13:32
So he does a lot of player props. He does. The AF- I mean, NBA, he, he does a great job- Is that right?... with NBA player props. Yeah. Zach does a lot of NBA player props as well. Mm-hmm. You do as well. Matt Brown.
13:40
I did a little bit. It might be on my New Year's betting resolutions coming up. I don't know how you steered it towards the NBA there. I did. We were talking about college football, but nice job. Nice job you did there.
13:48
I don't know how I did either. Oh, Dustin. Dustin. That's right. He does, does a lot of player props, yeah. Sweeton.
13:51
Uh, that's right after the show coming up at, at about an hour and a half, but so much more show between now and then, including your tweets @BeatingTheBook, LosVegas514, "W. Happy New Year to you and Kelly.
14:02
New Year's resolutions for 2025, Commodore Super Bowl victory, finally visit Gil and Young Kelly in person. See you in March. Let's go," he says. Come on, Los Vegas. Hey, you. Nice to meet you. Come on, man.
14:13
Please come on down. Uh, JoeC714, "Happy New Year. Totally agree, Genty, quote-unquote, breaking Barry Sanders' record wouldn't feel legit." Jimmy Lopez, "Happy New Year's, fellas.
14:23
Looking forward to another year of Kelly's head nod. Investing in a quarry in North Carolina." [laughs] Yeah. Oh my gosh, I forgot about that.
14:30
Uh, it's a very, yeah, it's a very good reference to the clay that is used on Har-Tru, uh, courts in tennis.
14:36
Gil's Achilles stories and Gil's three favorite phrases, on your racket, Katie, bar the door, and matriculating. Absolutely right.
14:43
I, uh, one of my favorite moments of 2024 was you and Fezzik arguing over Katie, bar the door, and me, me finding, uh, Googling and one of the first images that comes up is literally a painting of Katie barring a door.
14:54
Right, but Crack had my back though, because me and Crack grew up with the same meaning of it- Yeah...
14:58
where we grew up, which is the game's over kinda thing, as a, which is really not what it, the meaning is, as we found out. It's not. No. I don't remember. Do I have to look it up again? I think I gotta look it up.
15:09
Yes, please do. Katie, what were you bar the door from? JasonH11, "Happy New Year, guys. May your 2025 be filled with lots of big wins and not so many bad beats." Thank you, Jason, appreciate that very much. Same to you.
15:18
It means to take precautions, there's trouble ahead. Yeah, it's not how we use it.
15:22
Buddhistman, "Happy New Year to Kelly, Gil, and all the guests, fill-in host, and everyone working behind the scenes at VSiN to bring us the best show and allowing us to be the best listeners, bettors in the game."
15:31
Thank you, Buddhist. You are the best listener in the game. And Chance, uh, Copperpot, "Gil, did I just hear you drop into a saucy Southern accent while doing the Suls read? Happy New Year's to all."
15:40
Yes, because someone told me to do it yesterday, and you know, if someone tells me to do it, then I just do it.
15:44
Uh, Jesse Welch, "I think Gil and Kelly might owe Adam Burke money or something based on the heaps of praise to start the show. Just joking, fellas. Love me some Burkey." You call him Burkey. That's true.
15:53
I l- we love Adam Burke. That was legit. We don't owe him any money. Uh, A.
15:57
Brown, "Are you aware of any resources that compile player contract incentives heading into week 18, other than, you know, doing the research myself?" [laughs] "Happy New Year to you both."
16:07
I don't know specifically, uh, about anything that does, but that's an actually, that's a great thought, right? Um, you know what?
16:13
I know our fine producer, Matt Deutsch, of the VSiN Morning Line put together a bunch of them this morning. A bunch of incentives? And- That's a really good thought... @SalBets, uh, Twitter handle, I believe- At-...
16:23
is where he got a bunch of these... @SalBets. Yep. O- S-A-L Bets And then Todd Bubba Horwitz, um, who's doing the seminar and we hope to have on the show, he says, "Happy New Year.
16:32
Looking forward to another year of a numbers game. Thanks for all the hard work." You too, Todd. Uh, before we move on, can I bring up something I just noticed that's been...
16:39
This is a behind-the-scenes VSiN thing that's been irritating me. Oh, boy. Oh, no, what did I do? Special numbers game investigation. What did I do? So w- no, we've talked about this.
16:46
For whatever reason, thermostat's set at 64 degrees- Oh, it's-... in this studio- Yes... every d- like night, morning. I don't know who at night needs it at 64 degrees.
16:54
And every morning I walk in here and I'm blown away that Dave Ross has not changed it at all. Today I see he has changed it. He cranked it up to a whopping 68 degrees, Gil. [laughs] We're freezing in here. It's freezing.
17:06
Um, by the way, can we also just send a shout-out to, uh, Stormy Bonatony who is doing the sideline- Yeah... at the Rose Bowl game today between Oregon and Ohio State.
17:14
So it's gonna be Fowler and Herbstreit with Holly Rowe and our own Stormy Bonatony. That's awesome. That is great. Oh, I'm so happy for her.
17:21
We asked her to be on the show this morning and she said, "Pfft, too big time for you guys." [laughs] No, she didn't say that. She just couldn't, and she was so apologetic. Uh- Oh, man... we love Stormy.
17:30
We're, we're very, uh, we're, we're biggest supporters. Thanks for- I think I, I think I was bugging her right in the smack dab middle of media days too. She got back to me like six hours later.
17:38
She's like, "Sorry, I've been so busy." Ah. She's no worry, Stormy. Like, don't worry, Stormy. And g- and good luck to her today. Yep.
17:42
She won't need it, but good luck nonetheless, 'cause she's, that's the k- type of thing you say to somebody. And now it's time for our New Year's betting resolutions for 2025. Do we have a big sexy intro?
17:52
N- no, but you just did it, man. We, we do not. Yeah, you just did it. Okay. Uh, shall I go first or you wanna go first? Yeah, you go first. All right. My honors, Your Honor.
18:00
Uh, bet even more tennis, continue to trust my numbers, maybe take grass season off. That's my first resolution
18:07
All right, well that was the, it's not the first part of this that surprises me at all, but, uh, no, not even surprised, but the second part of it, because this is something that in 2024- Yeah...
18:18
became a thing and you became- It's only six weeks. It's not a bad time to take a break anyway. Right. 'Cause you've just every day betting tennis. Yeah, you've gone for months at that point every day.
18:29
And when, and when you say betting, it's not just betting, it's you're ha- you, you're crunching the numbers. Yes. Yes. Which takes, like p- I don't think people realize that with tennis and you with golf. Yeah.
18:36
It's a full-time job. Like, we don't just do this, then we go and we, we, it's, it's, it's a lot.
18:42
And sometimes there's like, you know, in the first rounds of, of, of, uh, weeks where there's like five different tournaments, there's like 70, 80 matches- Mm-hmm... to crunch numbers on.
18:51
So, um, bet even more, but maybe grass season off, 'cause grass season doesn't go as well. Something happens with my numbers.
18:56
Uh, number two, continue to exploit information-based markets, uh, like drafts, NFL, NBA, that kind of thing, and lightly bet markets like the College World Series.
19:06
These are kind of, sort of, you could put 'em in any year, I think, as good betting sort of guardrails. Mm-hmm. Uh, number three- I think College World Series over the past few years has become big for you.
19:16
Bet MLB judiciously, but not rampantly, especially monthly MLB best record markets. We'll dive into that again. Mm-hmm. That, by the way, what a, what a shot in the arm that was for MLB betting this year. Big time, yeah.
19:28
And, and, uh, shout out to all the books, Circa, William Hill, Caesars, that put those up each and every month. DraftKings did it j- for March, April, but those two did it for the whole season.
19:37
Uh, remain true to the ANG brand of betting education while keeping it light. And number five, and perhaps the most important, continue to interact with the best listeners of any show ever in the history of radio.
19:49
[laughs] That's right. I like it. I like it. Those are mine. Kelly? All right, cool. We'll go to mine.
19:54
I like that we did a couple that were just not pure betting ones, 'cause we kinda, like we've done that mainly in the past, which is pure betting, and I've been in the mindset the past couple, past couple months now, ever since the NBA started.
20:04
Was texting you about this this morning. This is a little bit more of a life resolution thing, but this is, as soon as NBA season started, it was, "All right.
20:11
If I am done with work for a numbers game, it is I am working out or I'm crunching NBA numbers- Wow... and/or every single day. And if I'm not doing one of those, I'm failing myself every single day."
20:23
So if it's not, like you're talking about with tennis, NBA handicapping, some days that, it, it can go pretty light for me.
20:29
I can look at a board, I can look at numbers quick, see if there's anything there or not, but if I go a week or so without really sinking my teeth into some, uh, some stuff and looking at some deeper numbers, that irritates me.
20:39
It throws me off my process. So I, that's kind of where I'm operating in day in, day out right now just in life.
20:45
Now, getting to the actual sports, NBA I think specifically the start of this season, uh, has been a little frustrating. I'm up a few units overall.
20:53
I'm up more than my, more, well, I have a, I have a pretty good record, Gil, but it's one of those, like the big bets have gone like meh. They've been like 50/50 and it's driving me insane.
21:03
This is usually the time of year that I y- I hit a groove at some point, so I'm waiting.
21:08
I'm trying to be patient, block out all the noise that even you can get in your own head, and stick to the process that you know what gets you there.
21:14
Now, I'm gonna jump down two actually, 'cause the one I wanna j- I wanna get involved in more, and this is where I wanna spend more of my time, is with player props.
21:22
It is not something I've had a huge amount of success with in the past, to be honest.
21:26
That's why I don't bet a ton of them, but I know there's, I know there should be ways for me to find value on those, and it irritates me when I just decide to pass up even spending the time on it. I like that.
21:37
So yeah, that's one I'm gonna be try, and, and, uh, try to do a little bit more. And when it, when it does come to sides and, and totals, if I see an edge, I'm bet- I'm usually betting pretty big when it comes to sides.
21:47
One thing I don't do very often though is bet alts, and that's another one. If you're off by multiple points- Coward... bet the alts, you coward. Stop being a coward. Um, and then golf.
21:57
Golf, uh, I think the one thing this year I'm really gonna try to focus on is the round-by-round betting. I'll usually make a couple, a few.
22:04
Like, you, you don't hear me too often come in here on a Friday and be like, "Hey, I've got three more bets added to my card," right? I don't do that a whole lot.
22:11
Uh, usually stick mainly with what I've bet pre-tournament or if there's live, uh, betting opportunities over the weekend I'll get involved.
22:17
But round by round I did pretty well with last year, so I'm gonna try to focus a little bit more on that this season. I like it. Kelly Bidlin's New Year's betting resolutions- That's right... as well.
22:26
Uh, perhaps you have your own. Uh, do you really w- are you gonna stick to the workout thing? Hell yeah, man. Are you really? Yeah. I'm in the best groove of my life right now. Best groove? Yeah. Working out.
22:35
How much weight have you lost? 55 pounds. Get outta here. From 2024. Look at you. Kelly Bidlin, everybody. On a mission. Coming back, Tim Brando from Fox Sports on the college football quarterfinals.
22:47
On the other side, Numbers Game, VSiN, eSports betting network. The numbers told the story. They always do. He's one of those idiots who believe in analytics. This is a Numbers Game with Gil Alexander on VSiN.
23:00
Hour number two of a Numbers Game, New Year's Day edition right here at Circa. Gil Alexander, Kelly Bidlin, uh, thanks for joining us on this New Year's morning.
23:08
VSiN.com, VSiN app, Game Plus, iHeartRadio, YouTube TV, however you're doing it, we appreciate it.
23:13
Coming up this hour, uh, Chris Fallica, the Bear, here standing by to talk, uh, college football with us, and Adam Burke, the toughest booking of them all- That's right... our VSiN managing editor coming up.
23:23
We're looking forward to talking to Adam. By the way, what was your favorite part of my interview with Tim Brando last segment? What was, what was your favorite part? What, what question do you think I nailed?
23:30
Uh, when you asked him what his favorite stadium food is. Oh, okay. I thought, I thought that went pretty well. Uh, [laughs] we get tweets that beat in the book.
23:37
Greg Jones, oh, Greg was one of the four choppers at the end of Survivor last year. Oh, listen to this. He said, "When I was bartending in college, Eric Dickerson tipped me $5 on a $200 bill." What? Go Saquon.
23:52
Hope he gets the record by one yard. That's a great story. Wow. And just awful. Oh, man. Jeez. Uh, James Sott, "Happy New Year, Amer, uh, uh, A Numbers Game crew.
24:05
My betting resolutions: one, limit my grass court b- tennis betting; two, try to in-game bet more; three, like Kelly, look at player prop market more. Happy New Year to you, Jim."
24:14
I'm gonna try to limit my grass court betting, too. That's right. [laughs] You should really do it. You should really limit it. It's out of control, man. [laughs] Uh, Colin Murphy, "Happy New Year, Gil and Kelly.
24:21
This year I am not going to be afraid to continue to fade teams that are highly overrated in the market. For example, FSU and the University of Arizona in college football, sorry, Kelly, and the Titans in the NFL.
24:32
These teams aren't due. The market just never adjusts." Andy Christensen. [laughs] Andy, you cannot be serious about this question. He says, "Who do you like for survivor in Week 18?"
24:42
[laughs] "Between the Colts, Texans, Bengals, and Rams?" Uh, Andy, I don't mean any disrespect, but I'm long out of survivor, and if you're still in it, my God, if you've gotten this far, please, I...
24:52
You don't need my advice. You, you do, you do you on this. I was impressed that, uh, you had asked JVT about, uh, Circa Millions.
24:59
I don't know about you, it's been a couple years since I've submitted picks past Christmas. No, no, no, he was... The reason I asked, 'cause he was in it after two weeks last week.
25:06
I think he was, like, well in the, in the hunt. Oh, really? Yes. Okay. That's why I- We'll get to JVT... it wasn't just randomly asking him, yeah. Uh, Mariners Gate came back.
25:13
He says, "Forget my resolutions, I have Gil's resolutions. 'Tell us the name of that GD sushi place,' he said." [laughs] Uh, and- That's...
25:20
My favorite part of that whole story still is that I went there, and I cannot tell you the name of it And Colin Murphy says, "Also, Gil and Kelly, can we hear your Australian accent that you use for your brother-in-law?"
25:30
Is that you? Yeah. You might have to get a, a few, few drinks in me first, though. Yeah. [laughs] First we play in Brisbane, then we go to Adelaide. Adelaide. Then we go to Melbourne. Right?
25:41
Uh, ladies and gentlemen, he's the Bear at Fox Sports. He used to be the Bear at ESPN, now he's the Bear at Fox Sports.
25:47
He is the host of the Bear Bets podcast, both football, uh, pro and college, and of course, he, uh, is on big noon Saturdays talking football with us.
25:56
It's Chris Fallica, everybody, kind enough to join us courtesy of the Progressive Guest Line on this New Year's Day 2025. Happy New Year, sir. Hap- hap- happy New Year, same to, uh, you and, you and Kelly.
26:08
Boy, I was gonna say, you must be sliding Adam Burke an extra 50 or a C-note every time you get him on the show for the, the amount of times that he volunteers to come on your show.
26:16
You must have a little, uh, little side deal going with him. Well, you know, you know, we, w- Brando, Brando's interview went so well. He was like, "I'll come on for free." That's what he said.
26:23
That is, that is the upset of the year. The, the, the, the very young 2025.
26:28
And no, no one, no one likes talking college football, uh, as much as Timmy B, so yeah, something, something must have been going on at the chateau where he was unable to get outta, get outta the rack this morning.
26:38
Yeah, maybe he had a good night last night. Who knows? He might have. Um, let me ask you about last night's game first.
26:43
Well, before we even get to last night's game, uh, Alabama complete no-show yesterday against Michigan. Three turnovers. Uh, was, what is it, turnover on downs, then, uh, f- uh, what, two fumbles and an interception.
26:56
Michigan goes up 60 to nothing. Alabama can never quite get back in it. Then, uh, South Carolina, based on how they've been playing, kinda disappointing against Illinois, at least I thought.
27:06
Um, and then there was the whole Beilema. By the way, where do you stand on that, on that whole Beamer, uh, Beilema thing yesterday? I did not watch but, like, a few plays of that game.
27:17
I was dialed into the Sun Bowl, 'cause I had, I had UDub plus two and a half, uh, as one of my early plays, and then I was gonna- Never in doubt. Never in doubt No, and then it, it...
27:27
I, look, I, I am the first one to, like, joke about, like, CLV and like, uh, "Well, yeah, the, the four-point CLV.
27:34
Look at how that goes," and I think for the first time in my life it actually, uh, played out in my favor where the fact that I did get the best of the number on UDub, uh, wound up working out.
27:43
But yeah, that, that, that... They were, they were dead in the water and then somehow, uh, worked their way back in the game.
27:47
So yeah, I, I did not see really much of the, uh, I guess that, what was that, the Cheez-It Bowl that they were playing in? So I, I, I can't comment on that. But the, uh, but the Alabama game, did that...
27:58
That, I don't wanna say surprised me, but at, at the same time, yeah, of course everybody now jumping to conclusions just, "Oh, see."
28:06
I- I- it's, it's like you always say, like, the, it, it's the results-based handicapping. "Oh, see, they lost. They looked terrible."
28:12
But, uh, yeah, I think the, the bigger issue for Alabama now moving forward is, uh, under Nick Saban, like the most impressive thing that they did was never losing to unranked teams.
28:23
Like, they won, like, 100 straight games against unranked opponents, and now this year they lost to three. So like, like, th- that's getting back to, like, being able to play week in, week out.
28:34
We'll see if they can do that, because, uh, it's a, I, I take a, a, an ominous sign I think for the long term, for the future, immediate future rather, of the Alabama football program where, uh...
28:44
Co- remember a couple years ago Nick Saban was talking about how TCU had got in the playoff and, and they probably should have, and hey, we, we'd be favored by whatever, and you look at who we beat.
28:53
And, and they went out and they absolutely annihilated Kansas State. Could've done, could've done the same thing yesterday, and, and they came out and, and, and laid an absolute egg.
29:01
So, uh, yeah, g- cr- yeah, dude, credit to Michigan, by the way, and Matt Youmans and Dave Ross even pointed this out, because I had tweeted yesterday about how, uh, how many teams have gone out and beaten USC, Alabama, and Michigan in the same season, and, uh, uh, Ala- and Ohio State in the same season.
29:17
And, uh, and, and, and Matt replied back, like, "And didn't even go over their season win total," so what a, what a turnaround for Michigan, and they're gonna be a, uh, a force again next year with Bryce Underwood coming in.
29:28
I, I didn't intend to ask this question, but now with, with Milroe yesterday, this comes into my, my mind. Um, in whatever order, Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward expected to be at the top of this coming year's NFL draft.
29:41
Um, I guess Jalen Milroe, who by the way has not announced officially yet that he's entering the NFL draft, but I guess maybe he's the third best prospect, obviously. Is he? [laughs] Is he? That's what I mean.
29:52
I don't know. Is, is Dart the third best prospect? [laughs] Is, is... You know, that's the question.
29:56
My question to you is, who is the third best, and more than that- Are we sure that Shedeur and Cam Ward are actually that good? No, we're not.
30:10
We- we- we're- we're sure that they're go- really good college players and, and, and I kind of went on my podcast and kind of vented about everybody, uh, with the bows and arrows and bullets at Cam Ward.
30:22
But, uh, you know, I, I get it. It's gonna be a thing that we're gonna be talking leading up to the draft about these teams need a quarterback and they're gonna overdraft on a quarterback.
30:30
And look, if you're the Giants or the Raiders or, or, or the Titans, like you need a quarterback.
30:35
But like the fact that the, the Titans took Will Levis where they did and now he's terrible, at least they didn't waste a first-round pick on him.
30:42
But I still think Shedeur probably will be, uh, the first quarterback off the board, Cam Ward the second. Honestly, I have no idea what I, what I would do with, with the third.
30:53
I, I couldn't even consider taking Jalen Miller or Jaxson Dart in the first round for sure. It's a t- that... I- I'm starting to wonder, right? Like you...
31:02
'Cause just 'cause the quarterbacks are there, and we know how these teams get on draft day. Mm-hmm. They, they understandably, they justifiably go quarterback crazy- Sure...
31:09
'cause you're nothing in the NFL without a good one.
31:12
But you do wonder, like a- as you just think about Shedeur Sanders and you think about Cam Ward and then whatever else is after that, however you, you evaluate those guys, if in fact just 'cause they're there makes it a good thing.
31:25
And then- Right...
31:26
the sort of other thing is, you know, I'm sitting here laughing at Antonio Pierce and the Raiders for winning these games and their fall to eight, maybe that ends up being in some perverse way a blessing in disguise, right?
31:36
Yeah, absolutely. Maybe because, I mean, if you re- if you like what you see in the pre-camp work- in the pre-draft workouts or your interviews, you can potentially trade up.
31:45
But there's a chance at eight maybe you get a Mikell Williams from Georgia, maybe you get Abdul Carter, um, may- maybe you get a- another impact, uh, defense- defensive player.
31:54
Like, there, there are other guys out there that, that can clearly make an impact, and we've talked about this as well, like, uh, taking the impact starter at receiver or a tackle or de- or cornerback or whatever, and then taking the quarterback l- later in the draft and that probably being the, the better EB play.
32:12
So, uh- Right. Right... yeah, maybe in the, in the long term I'll be sitting here that the Jets are, uh, picking seventh and I'll be happy about it. Current, uh, first overall odds- [clears throat]...
32:19
at FanDuel, Shedeur Sanders minus 110, Cam Ward down to plus 165, and then Travis Hunter plus 360. And if it's the Patriots, maybe Travis Hunter's a great bet at plus 360 then, right? Yeah.
32:31
The Patriots lose, they've got the number one pick, and if they keep it, they're not drafting a quarterback. If they keep it, yeah. If they keep it, right. That's a big thing. But why wouldn't they draft Travis Hunter?
32:39
No, you're ri- Yeah... you're right. I hadn't really thought about it like that before. Oh. Uh, so you brought up, uh... Oh, go ahead, Chris. I'm sorry.
32:45
No, I was gonna say, and, and that's, and that's a team that's been, uh, de- void of a, a wide receiver threat for a big play threat for a, a long, long time, so that would be a, uh, a welcome addition to New England.
32:55
Absolutely. Oh, is it, is that where we're going, by the way? Are we definitely going wide receiver with him in the NFL? And- I think so. Okay. I think so. 'Cause there's more money?
33:04
Yeah, yeah, yeah, th- th- that's the, uh... That, that... And talking with, uh, the...
33:07
I had this conversation with, with w- with Mark Ingram and Brady Quinn in, in liner in, in, in those guys and in, in NFL wise, and they think that now the way the NFL contracts are going with wide receivers, that he can get a, uh, the, the wide receiver money will be more than a cornerback money.
33:21
Real quick, we have 60 seconds left. You're coming back, we'll talk about the three games today- Mm-hmm... here after the break. Um, the same questions that I talked about earlier today. [clears throat] Excuse me.
33:30
Is this the end of the line for Penn State in your opinion, and what was the right side? Was there a right side yesterday? You can make a case for both, can't you? You could make a ri- a, a case for right side.
33:39
I, in the questions I posed to you and Fez and Willie and Todd in the, in the chat last night, I posed on Twitter and I said, "Yeah, I guess." And then of course that turned into, "Well, you, you just hate Penn State.
33:50
You can't be really fair." Of course. [laughs] Of course. And, and, and then- It's-... of course you have someone with a brain- [laughs]... a logical mind like Cleve T.
33:56
Ay come in and say, "Yeah, I think Boise probably was the right side. Yards per play were the same. They had 13 points taken off the board." Someone who actually like think it through. Right.
34:04
So again, you can make a case for both sides, but yeah, I, I will be, uh, very interested to see what the opening number is with Penn State and the winner of Georgia-Notre Dame tonight because yeah, I can't,
34:16
I can't see Penn State w- if they play the way they did yesterday and the way they did against SMU offensively, uh, beating Notre Dame or Georgia.
34:24
I know this, I know the Georgia coaching staff and, and some other coaches out there watch both teams' films, and they think Notre Dame is much better than Penn State. All right.
34:32
Falica joins us for another segment, uh, beginning with, of course, the game that starts in less than two hours. Three quarterfinals coming up right here on The Numbers Game at VSiN.
34:42
[upbeat music] A Numbers Game on VSiN, the sports betting network. This segment of The Numbers Game is brought to you by ZYN nicotine pouches.
34:56
There's only one number one draft pick, there's only one champion at the end of the season, and there's only one nicotine pouch brand in America that outsells the rest, and that is ZYN.
35:06
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35:20
Back on The Numbers Game live from Circuit, Gil Alexander, Kelly Billand, happy New Year to you. Chris Falica, The Bear from Fox Sports, kind enough to join us for a second segment courtesy of the Progressive Guest Line.
35:30
Uh, Chris, did you bet on that Peyton Stearns match with me last night? Of course I did. How fun was that? Oh.
35:36
How, how was it, how great was it she finally, she gets the break to go back up 4-3 in the second and then immediately gets broken at love. I mean, that, that was fun, wasn't it? Absolutely brutal.
35:44
A 30-minute game with s- I'll say it again, with 16 deuces and nine break points. [laughs] It's just the most amazing- You know it's a new year when I hear tennis names I gotta Google- Oh my God...
35:55
'cause I'm like, "I don't know this one." Peyton Stearns is a- Well, he, here's one I know, Kelly. You wouldn't have to Google, uh, Paula Badosa. I know that, but the other night she, uh- [laughs]...
36:03
she, she, uh, w- was the Down a, a couple of, down a break in the, uh, in the third set against, or two breaks I think actually, against, uh, Elena Vesnina. And like it was one of those where, you know what?
36:16
E- Vesnina, I remember her, she's blown some big third set leads before. So I'm like, "Yeah, let me hop in on, uh, o- on Badosa here at like plus 172 or something like that."
36:26
And, uh, she, she immediate- she immediately gets, uh, she holds her serve and she's, can get back, she can get a, get a break and get back on serve and, uh, has a couple of break points, blows it, and then, uh, immediately melts down on her serve as well.
36:40
So that, that, that never happens to Paula Badosa. Welcome back tennis, is what he's trying to say. Yeah. [laughs] Good times. Uh, all right, let's do these one by one today.
36:47
Uh, let's do them chronologically, starting with Texas and Arizona State, the Peach Bowl, uh, in Atlanta. Uh, quarterfinal game, where the Longhorns are now 13-point favorites. We're showing 13 and a half. Yeah.
36:59
This is tick- uh, trickling up and up. Total at 52. Can Arizona State cover the number here? I, I don't know.
37:09
I don't like the side where it feels a lot like the Clemson game as well that I really didn't have a great opinion on. The one bet, the two bets I have in pocket here I should say too, uh, I did play, uh, uh,
37:21
Wisner over his rushing total again. Uh, I think they feel pretty confident about their ability to run the ball. And I played over 27 and a half points in the first half.
37:31
Uh, I just think Kenny Dillingham is one of those coaches who is everything that he has in his bag of tricks, fake punts, going for it on fourth down, e- what trick plays, anything he has, he's gonna break it out early, uh, i- in an attempt to put some points on the board.
37:47
And if it goes well, they will. If it doesn't, they're gonna wind up giving Texas pretty good field position.
37:52
So, uh, I, I think we're gonna see some points here in the first half, so I played over 27 and a half, uh, in the first half.
37:57
By the way, speaking of the conversation we just had last segment, where does Quinn Ewers rank in your [laughs] in your quarterback- [laughs]... rankings in, in a draft? Way down, right?
38:06
They, yeah, they, they two, probably late third round I would think.
38:10
They, there are some questions out there too, like supposedly there are rumors floating out there that, that teams are, uh, really gonna ante up now for, uh, for him to stay one more year in college with like some ridiculous NIL money.
38:23
And you know what? If you're Quinn Ewers and- Yeah, maybe you do... I'm just throwing Miami out there as an example. Like, like, but Cam Ward was not a first round pick or a top 10 pick before he went to Miami.
38:33
He put up great numbers and like maybe that's something a team like Miami or, or Florida, so that's why I think Florida State did, did grab someone.
38:40
But like, "Hey Quinn, come make more money than you're gonna ever make on your rookie deal in the NFL. Play a year and maybe you have the same type of success that, that Cam did or whoever else, uh, worked their way up."
38:51
So, uh, he might not be done in college yet. Yeah. Jim Daniels. I mean, yeah, I, I, why wouldn't you- That-... if you're him? 'Cause i- I mean, his stock's only gone down this year, right? Right.
38:58
Weren't we ta- we were talking about him as possibly the first- Yep... quarterback off the board. I got, I have, I have 20 to 1 Heisman tickets on him.
39:04
That's what I, I mean, I worry about laying the points with Texas, which I, I did. I, the, my big concern is can I trust Quinn Ewers in this game?
39:10
It's, it's such a new world with, and obviously a whole new world with, uh, what you were just describing. So many more options of these players.
39:16
Uh, and that was juxtaposed against, uh, Jackson Dart who [laughs] announced that he was available for the- [laughs]... that he's gonna go to the draft. I'm like, "Bro, you don't have to announce it."
39:25
[laughs] "You can just go." Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. Um, Ohio State/Oregon. Let's get to the good ones with actually short spreads here. Yeah. Ohio State/Oregon. Yeah, I- Where Stormy is on the sideline for this again.
39:36
I know she is. Yeah. And I think she's on the Ohio State sideline, I think. I think I've heard- Oh, okay... her tell Jeff the other day on, on, on the show. I grabbed Oregon plus two and a half here. Nice.
39:47
And I think the, the, the biggest reason why, and again, sometimes maybe I read too much into the emotional side of things, it's going to be very hard for Ohio State to play pissed off and angry against the world like they did on their home field against Tennessee a couple of weeks ago.
40:03
Uh, that, that, that was a game purely driven on emotion and being pissed off, that everybody said they sucked, that they lost to Michigan again.
40:11
A- and they didn't know how they were gonna respond, and they did, and they kicked the crap out of Tennessee.
40:15
I just worry about in this environment now where people are kinda like, "Oh, O- okay, Ohio State really is that good," and now, and yeah, they're favored again just like they were, uh, at odds in a couple of weeks b- a couple, uh, months ago.
40:26
Oregon is gonna have Birch back on defense. Oregon didn't necessarily play a great game in that first game either. And, and look, Ohio State, it was, it was a coin flip game.
40:35
I think if these teams played 10 times, they probably both win five each. But I, I just, I think the emotional edge in this game, and certainly the rest advantage in this game, allows Oregon to heal up.
40:47
The last time we saw Oregon's defense, they weren't great, so, uh, we'll see if they can improve. But, uh, I, I think Oregon get- getting the points here i- is the way I ultimately I did it.
40:56
I will say, uh, full disclosure, part of that is me holding some Ohio State futures- Hmm...
41:03
that, uh, if Oregon wins, I can kinda, okay, wash, wash my hands with, and if they move forward, I'm still holding those futures.
41:09
But, but I do think, um, the, the signs point to Oregon potentially being on the right side. Do you believe that this is the de facto national championship? Do you believe the winner of this game wins it all?
41:19
Uh, yes, I do. Yeah. I, I think a lot of people feel that way. Should the committee have done the seeding differently- Oh, absolutely... knowing that they should've, yeah.
41:30
Oh, they, they, they, they, they, the seeding was completely screwed up. Like Ohio State should've been the five seed. Uh, Penn, uh, and, uh, Texas should've been moved down. Like y- well, well let's talk about the best.
41:41
We, we, we can, we can hash this out at any time. [laughs] Okay. No. [laughs] Well, you- No, no... you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna call Tim Brando and I'm gonna have the conversation with him.
41:48
The fact that, the fact that you've had... Now, now I'm wound up again, so now I have to calm down. Sorry. Apologize.
41:52
The fact that you have the two teams that lost the conference title games, Texas and Penn State, that had easier roads to the semis than Oregon and Georgia, the teams that won the conference titles, uh, i- is ridiculous.
42:06
How they saw their rankings and slotted them into what a projected bracket might look like and said, "Yeah, nailed it. This is perfect. This is exactly what we needed," is beyond me Interesting. Uh, interesting.
42:19
And also interesting that someone like you is not on a committee like that, nor do you have a Heisman vote. [laughs] I just wanna... But I'm, it's just, it's- Yeah... I'm not trying to rile you up.
42:26
It just, it's amazing to me. No, no, no. I, I, I appreciate that. Yeah. And, and again, sometimes I think that maybe I, like, care too much and put too much thought into it.
42:35
Uh, and, and just my thought process might not be right. But I, I, I don't know. I, I'll, uh... And that's what I said about the, when I talked about the teams getting in in the seat.
42:43
I'm like, "Look, I just want the best possible method to get the best possible teams in, whomever they are." If you think Indiana and SMU are the two best team, but, well, uh, teams to get in, fine.
42:52
If you think Ole Miss and whomever, fine. I, I just wanna make sure we're doing everything we can to get it right. All right. One more game. Obviously- Yep... the Superdome in New Orleans. Notre Dame and Georgia.
43:03
I'm looking offshore here. I'm seeing Georgia as a one-point favorite. Um, DraftKings had Notre Dame as a one-point favorite. Yeah. I'm looking to see if it still is that case. He- I, I see, I see.
43:14
Yeah, and I see a lot of picks too. Lot of pick 'em out there. What are your thoughts? I am a little con- Look, I just can't get over, like, the fact that this game is where it is line wise.
43:27
Like, you just think back to all the game... And I have to look, was gonna look this up, uh, a little this afternoon.
43:31
Like, the, the spreads for Notre Dame in these big top five type games, BCS, College Football Playoff type games.
43:37
Like, this is the most respect Notre Dame has gotten in a game like this, uh, that, that I can remember for a team that hasn't won a game like this in a hell of a long time.
43:47
And which led me to believe, like, Notre Dame might be the right side here. And I talked to a couple of people who, who I really trust, that I talk to throughout the year.
43:54
Someone who is familiar with the Georgia program, who's, like, seen them practice and been out there. And, and I said to him, like, "Wow, Notre Dame's getting a lot of, lot of support." And he's like, "Really?"
44:03
He goes, "Let me tell you." He goes, "I go- I've been to practice for the last two years. Watching, I've seen Gunner Stockton throw against our ones on defense. He can play." So, like, he's like, "Don't let that..."
44:17
He's like, he, he's like, "He's gonna be, he's gonna be fine." So, like, he, that he feels pretty good that Stockton's gonna be able to play.
44:23
Uh, and talked to another person who, uh, is fa- uh, covers the sport and watches both games, former player. And I said the same thing, posed him the same question about, "Is Notre Dame the right side here?"
44:33
And he's like, "I'm surprised you would think that. Because aren't they kind of the same team right now with, with Stockton and a running quarterback and, and great running backs?
44:42
And doesn't Georgia just have better players?" So, like, he kinda just reduced it to that. Hmm. So that ultimately led me to land on Georgia.
44:50
And, uh, the other interesting thing was how the Georgia players have come out and basically said, uh, "Gunner Stockton's one of us. He's not into these materialistic things."
45:02
And it really makes you wonder if this is gonna be like another... Remember how it was like, how can you play Jake Fromm when you got JT Daniels? Mm. How can you play Stetson Bennett when you have Justin Fields?
45:12
Like- Stetson Bennett. Yeah... it feels a little bit like this. Like, the Georgia locker room might finally have their guy. So we'll see if he can go out and play tonight, uh, like I think they expect him to. All right.
45:22
Let's go, Dogs. I did, I did, I did like Georgia. Let's go, Dogs. Last thing. Uh. Five seconds. A yes or no. Will Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss score a million points tomorrow? Yes. Yes. That's what I thought.
45:31
More than a million. More than a million. And the Chan- Brentford double Chan versus Arsenal. Brentford's gotten the result in eight of their nine home games this year.
45:37
Plus 160 and home against Arsenal on the double Chan. Thank you, sir. You're welcome.
A Numbers Game
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