Turn that gambling podcast off. You don’t have to sift through all those cold takes. Pencilstorm has you covered with Friday Bet$ For Realz. Every Friday this fall we will be posting actual bets being made by Pencil Storm staffers and friends. Remember the best bet is to never bet at all. On the other hand…winners play and player’s win. Let’s do this! 

Big $ (Pencil Storm Browns Beat Writer with The North Coast Posse)

Ok, I’m 8-1-1 and going with a deeper board this week, so the play may be to fade ole big $. You’re call, either way lets have fun:

Friday plays are a good time and Louisville is playing tough. Lou -3.5 -105

Much like many, I expect the ND bounce back Notre Dame -6, -105

James Madison is starting to assert itself in the fun belt. JMU -3.5 , even

Yeah, I saw the Oregon game, but I still love Prime … lets ride

Colorado +21.5  -110

Cant get a read on the TTUN v Nebraska spread, but i like 39.5 overs

Im taking the 39.5 over -105

Good luck, fade or tail

Brent Baver (Pencil Storm Buckeye Beat Writer)

Baver still recovering from OSU vs Notre Dame. See below.

OMG (Baller, Sharp)

NFL: Ravens ML, Eagles - 8.5

Colin Gawel (Pencil Storm founder, musician, former coffee shop owner, part-time radio personality)

Achtung!  I am not an actual gambler. I throw small numbers around and bet purely for entertainment value. 

Last Saturday, Rutgers throws a 76 yard pick six against Michigan and my parlay goes from an easy W to a push. At least it wasn’t a loss. I did hit on a non Pencil Storm pick with an Oregon/Utah parlay.

Some of you noticed I referred to Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh as “Coach Shithead” last week. You are right. That wasn’t nice. Just to prove there are no hard feelings and that my rabid Buckeye love combined with my raging Wolverine hate doesn’t always stop me from rational thoughts, I like Coach Numbnuts and Little JJ to cover the -17 against Nebraska this weekend. 

Also, I was at the Ohio State v Notre Dame game last week (story below) and if the Domers play anywhere close to that level again they should have no trouble covering -5.5 at Duke. Everyone keeps saying Duke is tough this year. Sure they are. Duke football Pfft…

Bonus pick: Since Big Money already hit the one above, I’ll take the Northwestern Mildcats +26.5 vs Penn State. I know. PSU is awesome and NW blows. However, college football is emotional game and good teams always lay an egg somewhere during the season. This one has all the trappings of said event. Noon start on the road in front of a lethargic crowd coming of a white out fueled whipping of the Iowa Hawkeyes in State College. PSU head coach James Franklin literally held practices in silence this week to prepare his squad for the quiet environment this Saturday in Evanston.

Fun Fact: Last week at Penn State, Iowa went 3 and out 8 times. They had a total 76 yards, and just 4 first downs for the game. 38 of those yards came on one play. Yikes.

Jeremy Porter (Musician, fast-food Mexican connoisseur, terrible gambler, Pencil Storm Co-Editor in Chief)

I split last week – Boise State did not cover and the under did not hit, but the 49ers covered with the over. I also lost on non-Pencil Storm picks with the Raiders, Rams, and last night with the Lions (got the money line but not the under). I’ve been experimenting more with player props this year. I had Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown scoring a touchdown last night, and 7 minutes in I was celebrating my victory.

NCAAF – I like Nebraska with the points over Michigan, but I can’t bet against my Wolverines (Go Blue yeah! Amirite?) so I’ll parlay UM money line with the over (39.5) which seems a little low at +100.     

NFL is tough this week – tons of very evenly-matched games. Did I mention the Lions are 3-1 and alone atop the (admittedly dismal) NFC North? Anyhow, Chiefs -8.5 on the road against the pathetic Jets parlayed with Mahomes throwing for 225+ yards. The Chiefs are one of those teams that cost me way more money than they make me, but I keep going back, like that sorry sucker at the Indian casinos in northern Michigan on Sunday morning, drinking well whiskey and smoking Marlboros, betting his rent money on that last hand, hoping to see the blackjack.

Jeff Hassler (Pencil Storm webmaster)

OK! I AM 2-1 RIDING THE BAKE SHOP AND I’M NOT STOPPING NOW! MR.MAYFIELD GOING TO HAVE A LITTLE FUN ON THE BAYOU IN THE BIG EASY IN THE SUPERDOME. BUCS +3

AND I LIKE AUBURN +14.5 V GEORGIA AND TEXAS -16.5 V KANSAS

Ben Galli (Pencil Storm NBA Beat Writer)

NFL: Miami vs. Buffalo Over 53.5 Miami has scored 36, 24, and famously 70 points in their three games this season. The Bills have had scoring outputs of 16, 38, and 37 of their own. And I think both these teams are just finding themselves on offense. I get it's a divisional game between the likely two best teams in the AFC East so some forecast a lower scoring affair. Both Miami and Buffalo's lowest outputs of the season were, in fact, against division foes. But I have a feeling this will be the most fun game to watch of the early season and I think both teams reaching the 30's is a real possibility. Buffalo has won the last two matchups between these teams 34-31 (in the Wild Card Game) and 32-29 respectively. Think the Dolphins get on the right end of this one.

NCAAF:  Utah +3.5 over Oregon St. There's probably a reason they haven't announced it yet but I have a feeling star qb Cameron Rising is gonna return this week for Utah and I think if that happens, it's the Utes in a laugher. Even if injury still keeps him out, Utah has found itself very capable in backup Nate Johnson's hands and I see a 3-1 Beavers team granted a bit too much favor against the undefeated #10 Utes. Utah should easily cover.

Brian Phillips (Host CD92.9 Morning Show)

Florida +1 at Kentucky. Sure the Wildcats are 4-0, but who have they played? Florida meanwhile took care of Tennessee. I'll take the Gators as a slight dog, and probably on the moneyline too.

Clemson -6 1/2 at Syracuse. This is a let down spot for the Tigers after blowing it against Florida State. Syracuse is sneaky at home too. Hoping this gets to 7, but 6 1/2 is fine with me as well. I’m taking the Orange and the points.

Colin’s Random Thoughts On OSU vs Notre Dame

I don’t normally venture into writing about Ohio State football for obvious reasons. As in, there are about 1,000 people already doing it and most of them do it better than myself. Including Pencil Storm Buckeye beat writer Brent Baver who really knows his stuff. However, I happened to be at Notre Dame stadium (with my son Owen) to watch one of the more interesting and epic college football games ever played. So here goes.

- The stakes were huge for Notre Dame and you could feel the energy in the pregame tailgate  (which was an A+ atmosphere) and the stadium. This was a legitimate chance for the Irish  to finally pull off a  signature win over a power house program. Their last was Florida State in….1993. More importantly, this was likely the Domers last chance to defeat the dreaded Buckeyes in South Bend. The Buckeyes last visited (and won) in 1996 and I don’t see them returning to town again anytime soon. Especially with the new, super-sized version of the Big Ten Conference coming online in 2024. *The game was the highest rated college football game on NBC since that game in 1993.

- ND transfer QB Sam Hartman was starting his 50th college football game. OSU QB Kyle McCord was starting his 4th and in the most hostile of hostile environments. On paper this was a huge advantage for ND but they seemed reluctant to turn Sam loose. Being at the game, it was obvious McCord was having some trouble seeing the field and looked rattled like a first year starter should. However, He also made some of the toughest, clutch throws in the history of Ohio State Football. 

- Granny Holtz got under OSU coach Ryan Day’s skin with the “not physical like Woody” talk but both teams made very curious decisions regarding toughness. There were five drives ending 4th and 1 plays in this game. These were the play calls. 

ND ran QB Hartman to the outside twice and both failed.

OSU attempted an end around and a pass. Both failed. 

OSU ran off tackle to win on the last play of the game. It worked. 

But…as you may have heard, Notre Dame only had 10 men on the field for the final two plays. Obviously, this is unacceptable and a huge botch. But in my opinion, there were two other decisions intentionally made by Coach Marcus Freeman and his staff that were more damaging to the Irish’s chances to avoid heartbreak and win the game. 

1) With 2:28 left in the game, ND stud RB Audric Estime ran 11 yards for a first down. Ohio State was down to two timeouts. One more first down and the game is over. Just run the ball and make the Buckeyes burn their timeouts and the game is practically over. The Irish did neither.  

Inexplicably, Estime was removed from the game and never touched the ball again. I was so puzzled after that fact I checked to see if there was an unknown injury but he was completely healthy. Estime is a huge hoss, one of the best power backs in America and the OSU defense was reeling. D Ends JTT and Jack Sawyer had played, get this, every single play of the game.  Without Audric on the field, Notre Dame ran three plays including an incomplete pass that stopped the clock giving the ball back to Kyle McCord and company with time and a time out to spare. Thank you Coach Freeman.

2) After that failed ND series, with just 51 seconds left and holding onto their last time out, OSU was facing 3rd and 7 at the ND 39, when.. Coach Freeman called a timeout to regroup his defense. You who needed to regroup more? A flustered first year starting QB calling plays into a crowd louder than having a jet engine in your huddle. Owen and I looked at each other and said instantly, “that was a huge mistake”. Coach Day is the best offensive mind I’ve seen at OSU by a long shot. You do not give him a chance to talk to his rookie QB if you don’t have to. He uses everyone on the field (See: Cade Stover) OSU regrouped and converted a game saving 4th and 6 that opened the door for last second comeback victory.

-Lots of people asked about the crowd. There were a good amount of Buckeye fans in the stadium but it was definitely a home game for the Irish. It was especially noticeable in the parking lots before the game. See photo below. Of course we took a little flak from the home fans, as should be expected, but overall everyone was reasonably cool. However, the game was so tight, that there was never really a moment for either side to comfortably talk trash. For example, the dude next to me bad mouthed TreVeyon Henderson moments before he ripped off a 61 TD run. Lesson learned. The ending was a nightmare unfolding in super slow motion for Irish fans. I almost felt sorry for them. Almost. A couple dick head Buckeye fans were running their mouths on the way out, but there was really no call for that considering OSU had just ripped the hearts out of home crowd. It was somber to say the least. It was a great game. An all time classic. Owen and I were lucky to have been invited.

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