Case of the Mondays: Muschamp Goes From Gator Bait to Dog Bait
by Ricky Dimon - 11/4/2013
Florida head coach Will Muschamp suffered yet another Georgia-Florida loss. Miami (FL) lost its best player for the year. The Buffalo Bills lost to an undefeated opponent in a game that it arguably should have won. Now it’s time for some wound-licking before action continues on the gridiron next weekend.
All odds provided by Sportsbook.ag unless otherwise indicated.
Will Muschamp. When he’s with Georgia, the Dawgs lose. When he’s with Florida, the Gators lose. Muschamp simply cannot buy a win when it comes to the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. He is now 0-7 lifetime; 0-4 as a player and 0-3 as a head coach. He went winless at UGA from 1991-94, and his current losing streak at UF reached three on Saturday after a 23-20 loss. Florida trailed 20-0 early only to storm back and trail by just three points throughout most of the fourth quarter, but it could get no closer. Georgia ended the game with a 15-play drive that took up every second of the remaining 8:17. Florida is a -10 home favorite over Vanderbilt this weekend.
Duke Johnson. Saturday was not supposed to go well for Miami. The Hurricanes were underdogs at Florida State by three touchdowns. However, nobody could have expected the weekend to be that terrible. Not only did the previously-undefeated ‘Canes lose to still-undefeated FSU 41-14, but Johnson also suffered a broken ankle and is out for the rest of the season. Johnson was injured after getting stuffed on a fourth-down attempt late in the third quarter. The sophomore running back had 145 carries for 920 yards and six touchdowns on the year before going down. Miami is a -7 home favorite over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Fantasy owners who benched Nick Foles. Woe to any fantasy football owner who had Foles sitting on his or her bench this week. All he did was enjoy arguably the best day of quarterbacking in the history of the NFL—not to mention one of the most lucrative performances in the history of fantasy football. In Philadelphia’s 49-20 rout of Oakland on Sunday, Foles tied the NFL record by becoming the seventh player to throw for seven touchdowns in a game. He did it while completing 22-of-28 passes for 406 yards, good for a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He also did it all in three quarters before watching most of a meaningless fourth from the sideline. If you took the “under” in that game, you’re also feeling rather crappy right now…but nothing could have been worse than not starting Foles. The Eagles are +6000 to win the NFC Championship.
Buffalo Bills. It was all right there for Buffalo to improbably become the first team to pin a loss on the Kansas City Chiefs this season. Playing at home, the Bills led 10-3 at halftime. Even when it was all over, they had allowed a mere 210 yards of total offense to Kansas City while racking up 470 of their own. Somehow, though, Buffalo squandered its lead and ultimately lost, 23-13. That “somehow,” of course, is turnovers. The Bills committed three and the Chiefs none. KC returned two of those gaffes for touchdowns—the first on a 100-yard interception trek by Sean Smith and the second after a fumble recovery by Tamba Hali. Kansas City is now 9-0, leaving Buffalo at 3-6. The Chiefs are +500 to win the AFC Championship and +1200 to win the Super Bowl.
Sixers fans. If there’s such a thing as losing by winning, the Philadelphia 76ers are doing it. They were supposed to be the worst team in the entire NBA, and it was speculated that they would go into season-long tank mode in order to maximize their chances of bagging Andrew Wiggins in next year’s draft. All of that was before the official arrival of Michael-Carter Williams. Through the first three games of his career, MCW is averaging 20.7 points, nine assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.3 steals per game. Even more amazing is that the Sixers are 3-0, with stunners over Miami and Chicago among their three victories. The season may be a marathon as opposed to a sprint, but Philly is likely on course to kiss its Wiggins chances goodbye sooner rather than later. Philadelphia is a +7 home underdog vs. Golden State on Monday.
Chelsea. The Blues topped Manchester City 2-1 late last month in Premier League action, but November is off to a rough start. Chelsea suffered a 2-0 road upset at Newcastle on Saturday. Combined with Arsenal’s 2-0 win over third-place Liverpool, Chelsea is now five points back of the Gunners at the top of the table. Fifth-place Manchester City is a +200 favorite to get on track and win the title; Chelsea is the second choice at +275 (odds provided by Bovada Sportsbook).
Matt Kenseth. A week not only makes a big difference on the pitch but also on the track. Kenseth had surged into a tie for first in the Sprint Cup Chase with a runner-up finish at Martinsville, but on Sunday he stumbled to fourth at Texas Motor Speedway. Worst of all, co-leader Jimmie Johnson won the race. The No. 20 was second behind JJ some of the way, but he was hit with penalty for speeding on pit road and never seriously contended afterward. Johnson now has a seven-point lead on Kenseth with two races to go. Kenseth is +250 to win the title; Johnson is a -500 favorite.
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