2025 Record
Blaine Duncan: 3-4 (Week Two: 2-2)
TD Wood: 3-4 (Week Two: 2-2)
Mallory McCormack: 3-4 (Week Two: 2-2)
Greg Bosworth: 2-5 (Week Two: 1-3)
Each Friday afternoon, four esteemed writers from The Alabama Take grab their crystal ball, pick three college games and one from the NFL addition, and hope for the best as the games play out. Play along! Use their bets! Or, if you really want to win, pick against them!
Blaine Duncan (host of Taking It Down)
Andy Griffith once said, "It doesn't take courage to be a winner. It takes courage to be a good loser." Did I say there was no way that Kent State and Texas Tech could score a combined sixty points. I was erroneous. Texas Tech scored sixty points on their own. The cupcake games had other teams scoring well above seventy points. This week, though? Maybe not as many.
Friday Night Special - Kansas State at Arizona (+1.5) - I love to bet on K State! Thanks, Fred Rococo! Hell, even long before Fred, I’ll jump on the purple haze. They were trustworthy to grind out a cover. But they’re not the same team this year, and Arizona getting a point-and-a-half at home is too tempting on a Friday night.
UConn (-9.5) at Delaware - No, this isn’t just to appease Donovan, who probably coaches for them since he lives in Connecticut. This is one game that shocks me because it even has a line! Usually, those are off the board! The Huskies got – bear with me here – a moral victory against Syracuse last week, and they don’t look like a bad team. Surely they can beat the Delaware Bidens. Hell, even Trump did that.
Vanderbilt at South Carolina (-3) - This is the first of many for LaNorris Sellers and Co. They’ll be facing that good quarterback Diego Luna, I think his name is. He beat Alabama last year. But Vanderbilt can drop some games. I like that the Gamecocks get the Commodores at home here. I expect South Carolina to feel like they’re on a roll, have the confidence to get a full touchdown victory, and move on to tougher challenges which they will face in the SEC.
NFL Game of the Week
Falcons at Vikings (-3.5) - The Falcons lost their first game, and they were too promising then. The Vikings got their first win and it was on the road. Now they’re back at home, and I suspect they’ll get a touchdown win against the dirty birds.
TD Wood (host of Takin' On Sports)
I should’ve known not to trust the Bengals. Anyway, the schedule looks a little more fun this weekend, with a couple of big early season conference games and rivalries on the agenda.
Oregon (-27.5) at Northwestern – Oregon good, Northwestern bad. It’s as simple as that.
Appalachian State (-3.5) at Southern Miss – I like the matchup of the Mountaineers offense versus the Golden Eagles defense in this one. Charles Huff may yet turn Southern Miss around, but he has a lot of work to do to get there.
Duke at Tulane (-1.5) – Darian Mensah comes back to New Orleans, leading his new squad against the one he left this offseason. I’m all in on the Green Wave making the CFP this year, so this is one they can’t afford to drop – especially when they travel to Ole Miss next weekend.
NFL Game of the Week
49ers (-3) at Saints – It’s going to be a long, rough season for the fans in New Orleans (hop on that Tulane bandwagon!), and I like San Francisco for a bounce back season. Mac Jones gets the start for the visitors with an injured Brock Purdy, and I think we’ll see the benefit of being in a Shannahan offense.
Mallory McCormack (host of The Staredown)
So this year instead of sitting at a gas station writing this, I’m in lovely Oxford, Mississippi preparing for the Rebels to take on the Hogs of Arkansas. But no worries, that’s not one of my picks this week. Instead I feel like going random because Arizona State was supposed to be a sure thing (ugh as much as I hate to say it: SEC! SEC! SEC!), and my others were just ok. Except the Bills. What a game. Also can we start taking bets on when Jaxson Dart is going to start for the Giants? I said game 8 at the beginning of the season, any takers on the O/U for that?! Ok I’ve said enough, now to get to picks.
Wisconsin at Alabama (-21) - Bama finally had a Bama score last week. Wisconsin is a big name but only because of their history. Bama scores big again.
Georgia (-4) at Tennessee - I’m not shying away from this, even though I want to. But I can’t. I know Tennessee feels good but Georgia is Georgia. And their issues last weekend will be fixed.
Eastern Michigan at Kentucky (OVER: 48.5) - Thank you to the nicest fans I’ve encountered in a while for an away game. Kentucky has some magic in their offense. And I think that they will score. Often.
NFL Game of the Week
Seahawks at Steelers (-3) - Last week was the revenge game for the QB that everyone loves to hate. This week DK will get his shot at his former team.
Greg Bosworth (host of Takin' On Sports)
All of the games last week fell apart in the last couple of minutes, or it would have been a beautiful weekend! 🙄🙄 Ah, the joys of sports betting.
Georgia (-4) at Tenn - Everyone seems to think this is the year the Vols finally beat Georgia. It’s going to be a raucous atmosphere in Neyland, and though it will be much closer than the last handfull of games in this series, it’s hard not to see the Bulldogs covering the 4 point spread. They haven’t exactly lit up the world against lesser competition but that is nothing new for Kirby’s team. It will be a close must watch game but add another W for the guys in red and black continuing the long streak. It’s to the point until Tennessee pulls it off I just don’t believe in them.
USF (+17.5) at Miami - USF going into the Swamp and getting the huge upset win last week may be the best thing going for the Canes. There’s no way they wouldn’t have their full focus on the upstart Bulls, right? I think the Canes win but that point spread is way too big in my mind. However, if somehow Alex Golesh’s team pulls off the unthinkable for the second week in a row can we please get them a game against Florida State somehow?
Florida (+7) at LSU - Talking about the Gators, you would think they’ll be ready to go like they were last year when their backs were against the wall. The players seem like they love Napier so I expect a great effort in Baton Rouge. The problem is the Tigers are looking for revenge and I’d be shocked if they don’t get that. It takes a special type of effort to win in Death Valley at night, but I do think the Gators keep it close.
NFL Game of the Week
Giants at Cowboys (-5.5) - Both teams are looking for their first win in an important divisional game. Nothing would be worse than starting 0-2 in the division, but it seems that is where the Giants are heading. The Cowboys defense should look much better against a washed Russell Wilson. Dallas showed enough last week to make me believe they can beat a bad Giants team by 6 or more
Note: All games are against the spread. Odds are taken from MGM Grand Sportsbook.
