The Gamble-Tron is thankful for another winning season. And also pecan pie.

It’s everyone’s favorite week! Or it isn’t.

Hello from Maui, where we still are. We hope you all had a happy Thanksgambling, and that you got Ole Miss at -9.5. We didn’t see much football on Thursday, as we spent the morning snorkeling and the afternoon soaking up our final rays of island sun before we head back to the mainland on Friday. But we really wish we’d played the Egg Bowl under before doing so!

Anyway, we were able to eat well above our weight once again, but unfortunately, this year didn’t include a piece or three of pecan pie to finish things off. Hopefully y’all were able to partake in the greatest dessert the holidays are able to offer, and we definitely plan to make up for it around Christmas time. Meanwhile, we’ve got more gambling winners to hand out, and lord knows there’s at least none of you out there who are taking advantage of our continued hot streak.

Last Week: 10-5

Season Total: 106-80-2

Best Call(s) of the Week

Felt like nearly everybody was on Oregon State last weekend. Oh you, simple, simple little people. We knew better. We also wrote USC into the initial draft, taking two whole weeks to counteract our “never again” declaration. Welp, we made edits before publishing, and UCLA was one of them. Thank heavens we came to our senses.

Worst Call(s) of the Week

Not only did we fade the Cougs (heretofore a profitable venture), we also piled on with a Colorado prop that crashed and burned when Colorado turned the “quit factor” knob to 11. We’re happy to take both of those “Ls.” We also threw in Fresno State at the last second because we like an odd number of picks so as not to go .500. Not only did Fresno fail to cover, it lost outright! And it wasn’t close! Oy.

Wrong Side, Right Result Play of the Week

We didn’t know there was such a thing as Northern Alabama, let alone a Northern Alabama that had a football team. And yet, there it was, traveling to Tallahassee to face a CFP contender, and the number was inside six touchdowns. YES, PLEASE! Then, before we knew it, the mighty Lions roared out to a 13-0 lead! In nearly every instance, that’s a death knell if you’re laying huge points. Then FSU’s starting QB goes down. We’re done. OR WE ARE NOT!

Slowly, FSU scored, and scored. And with a few minutes to go, the ‘Noles led by 39. But the Lions weren’t quitting, and as they drained the clock, they moved the ball all the way inside the FSU 20. Oh well, we damn near got there, but it wasn’t to be.

OR WAS IT

I could not believe my eyes when looking at the final score. But my word, that does zero justice to just how things played out. That poor blocker for Northern Alabama got completely dessert-carted back into the holder.

WHATEVER WE’LL HAPPILY COLLECT!

So now we’re on to rivalry week, which is much easier to type than it is to say five times fast. (seriously, try it. You won’t get past three). This year’s Pac-12 edition, the last one ever, doesn’t seem to have a lot to offer in terms of drama – at least on the surface. There’s not one line below a touchdown, and several are well into double digits. But something tells me that’s a sign that things are about to get nuts. Well, except in the Apple Cup. We already know how that one’s gonna end. As for the others, let’s have a look, shall we?

Early Week Twitter Calls

Pac-(1)2 Picks

WSU at Washington (-whatever)

The Pick: Come on

Oregon State at Oregon (-13.5)

Oregon has been dominant for the last half of the season, but this will be its toughest test since playing at Washington. Meanwhile, here’s a list of the ranked teams the Beavs have beaten this year:

And yes, I realize Oregon is in a similar boat, but Oregon is playing on a far higher level.

The Pick: Ducks

Colorado at Utah (-20.5)

The Buffs may suck, but they’ve done a decent job (until last week) of staying inside the number as underdogs. But with most of the team either hurting, quitting or both, tough to see them competing here.

The Pick: Utah

Arizona at ASU (+10.5)

Glad we snagged this at 8!

Here’s what’s crazy – three years ago, ASU won this game SEVENTY TO SEVEN. Two years ago, ASU won by 23. Now, Arizona is a double-digit favorite on the road! Can’t say enough about the great job Jedd Fisch has done there, and man was I skeptical of that hire.

The Pick: See above

Notre Dame at Stanford (+25)

The final game in the history of the Pac-12 Network features one of the public’s favorite teams. Notre Dame is also playing. Get it??!! How funny that Larry Scott’s wet dream of getting the Irish on Pac-12 Nets would take 12 whole years to come true, and would be largely irrelevant when it finally did happen.

We should have jumped on this when it opened below a key number, but we remain undeterred. Stanford has played six home games this season. It is 0-6 (including a loss to Sacramento State), and has lost those six games by an average of 17 points. Too bad the Cougs didn’t play Stanford on the road this year! F**K

The Pick: Notre Dame

Cal at UCLA (-10)

Methinks this will be a bit of a come down after UCLA ran the garbage Trojans off the field last weekend. Thankfully the line crept back up to 10 for some push insurance.

The Pick: Cal

Other Games of Note

• Iowa +2.5 – I’m getting nearly a field goal in a game that probably won’t see more than 20 points? Sold!
• Georgia -13.5 (First Half) – Dawgs should run it up and start resting guys for the Bama game.

ENTER THE UNDERTAKER

• Penn State v. Michigan State Under 43.5
• Wisconsin at Minnesota Under 42.5 – PAUL BUNYAN WILL BE HACKING OFF SCORING CHANCES AMIRITE
• Northwestern at Illinois Under 47
• Maryland at Rutgers Under 45.5
• Kentucky at Louisville Under 50.5