The last thing you need after four days of overindulgence is more.  We’re air frying the nuggets again today to keep them light.

1.  Black Friday really was.  The world learned of yet another unwelcomed foe.  Omicron.  It’s been said that it’s anywhere from 2x to 10x times more contagious. Maybe it has different symptoms.  And, supposedly it’s milder in its attack on the body.  The stock market didn’t react too mildly.
2.  Joe Biden shut down travel to/from eight African nations due to this new variant.  This measure is 100% opposite of the position Biden had as a candidate when then President Trump did the exact same.  Biden said then, “this new ‘African Ban’ is designed to make it harder for black and brown people to immigrate to the US.  It’s a disgrace, and we cannot let him succeed.”
3. Maybe we should just follow the science? The trouble with that is we can’t figure out exactly what the science is.  Dr. Anthony Fauci seems to know more than any skeptics.  He said Sunday, “But if they get up and really aim their bullets at Tony Fauci they’re really criticizing science because I represent science.”  When people talk about themselves in the third person they usually have a high opinion of themselves.  Tony “Science” Fauci.
4.  Well, will the “vaccines” which maybe aren’t vaccines work against this latest round of virus mutation?  National Institute of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins said Sunday that current coronavirus vaccines will “most likely” be effective against the newly-discovered omicron variant, but that it is too soon to tell for sure.  Sounds like a yes, a no, and a maybe if you follow the science.
5. Down under in Australia where no one without a vaccine is allowed to enter nor leave the country, Omicron has been detected in multiple cases.  Either their border is leakier than they would like or the vaccine may not be all that they think it is.  If you follow the science it sounds like science fiction.
6. Speaking of leaky borders, we assume that the Biden Administration feels like the variant can travel by air, hence the ban, but not by land, hence the continued policy of allowing illegal aliens (we’re pretty sure that you can’t use that term anymore, but we didn’t feel like looking it up in the new rulebook) into the US without a jab or two.   It’s hard to follow some of the science.
7. Did you know that the White House and Congress have no vaccination mandates in place?  Working for the government must create some form of natural immunity.  At least all employees in companies of 100 or more have to get the poke. That includes the USPS, though the employee union is fighting it.
8. Levi Strauss has well over 100 employees.  And, some might have concerns in addition to ole Omicron.  They are offering employees the opportunity to engage in a “fireside chat and Q&A” with a “racial trauma specialist” following the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse on November 19.  The email stated, “pain and trauma of race, identity, and belief-based tragedies is a reality that many of us are struggling with on an ongoing basis. It can feel physically, mentally, and emotionally draining to continue to relive these moments and I want you to know, it’s okay not to be okay.”
9. Making matters worse, the jean maker is headquartered in San Francisco, home of the homeless, the addicted, and flash mobs that steal lots of Levi Strauss jeans.  Maybe a corporate name change to reset is needed?  How about Levi Stress?
10. On an only slightly lighter note, did Lincoln Riley run from the SEC competition, or does he see a golden opportunity to do at USC what three coaches since Pete Carroll have failed to do?  Ole Petey got out of the City of Angels just ahead of the probation police crackdown on giveaways to parents.  In a dozen years since, coaches Kiffin, Sarkesian, and Helton led the once very proud program to three Holiday, one Cotton, and one Rose Bowl, and little else.

Post-holiday Mondays are always stressful.  We hope that our fireside chat helped.

As Wall St pundits preach, “pigs get fat, but hogs get slaughtered.”

Last week, Abby felt queasy about the games and lines and stayed conservative.  The strategy paid as the bleeding was minimal and required only a small bandaid.  Therefore, through four weeks the tale (tail) of the dog is 12-9 won/lost, 19-10 bones won/lost, and the hunch bet extended its winning streak to 4-0!

The matchups and the spreads get more interesting this week as key conference matchups abound.

1.  Arkansas at Georgia -18 — Speaking of hogs, Arkansas gets slaughtered this week.  Why?  Three reasons.  One, it makes no sense that they are underdogs to the Bulldogs by 18, so they will.  Two, Georgia is elite.  Three, Abby loves UGA the Bulldog mascot.  Two bones.
2.  Houston +5 at Tulsa —  Abby loves to spot (not the dog) a team that she feels is a live underdog to win straight up.  One bone.
3.  USC -7 1/2 at Colorado —  Does USC deserve to be favored over anyone by a touchdown or so on the road?  No.  Vegas knows something.  Abby knows when Vegas is trying to buffalo (see what she did there?) the betting public.  Two bones.
4.  Washington at Oregon St -2 1/2–  Who are these guys behind the dark visors?  Quick, name one Beaver?  Thought so.  They play hard for four quarters, Washington sometimes does not.  One bone.
5.  Ole Miss +14 1/2 and under 79 1/2 at Alabama —  Vegas has both the points and the total set way high to try to drum up some Rebels and under action. Abby will bite on the bait. Can Mississippi stay within two touchdowns vs. Goliath?  Can the scoreboard operator keep up with this offensive explosion?  “Yes and yes,” she barks.  One bone on Ole Miss and two on under.
6.  Baylor at Oklahoma St. -3 — Baylor is getting better but on the road.  Oklahoma St is getting better and is home.  One bone.
7.  Miss St. at Texas A&M -7 — Another Bulldog, this one from Starkville, travels to College Station.  Abby expects A&M to bounce back strong.  Two bones.

Auburn visits a rainy Death Valley Saturday night.  LSU can’t run the ball and Auburn can’t pass the ball.  Abby expects both Tiger teams to force the action on D.  On a hunch take under 56 on the total.

Seven games, eight bets, twelve bones, and a strong hunch.

Woof!

BBR’s world headquarters are Texas-based.  Texas passed laws this week that allow virtually anyone to get a gun ASAP and virtually no one to get an abortion unless it’s ASAP.

Because of that our staff had much to say about content this week and our monthly meeting ran long this AM.  It puts us precariously close to the daily writing deadline.  The real reason that we’re late is that one of us had too many baby back ribs and beers yesterday, but we digress.

Brief, opinionated college football nuggets follow.

1.  Should we start engraving Alabama’s name on the national championship trophy already?  Maybe.   Probably.  Bama had Miami down by 30ish at halftime before the sub door became a turnstile in the second half.  Bama’s second team basically tied Miami’s first team.
2.  Georgia might jump to spot #2 today with a stifling defensive effort over Clemson 10-3.  If we can’t start engraving, can we jump the SEC Championship game already?  It’s about the journey on the way to the destination supposedly.
3. Penn St and Wisconsin was another low-scoring affair.  Penn St won 16-10.  We wondered aloud late in the game if either realized that the forward completed pass was a legal NCAA play.  Wisconsin must have bought a few of those Texas guns.  They shot themselves in both feet several times.  A late leaping Penn St. pick sealed Whisky’s fate in a packed Camp Randall Stadium.
4. One bettor in Vegas got the vibe that week one might be lower scoring than years past.  He wagered a measly $10 on a 14 game parlay.  He took 14 games, all under.  The first 13 won.  Ole Miss and Lousiville under 75.5 last evening is all that stood in his way from collecting $80,000!  The Black Bears formerly known as Rebels won 43-24.  Voila!  80k.
5. Since the magical 15-0 2019 national championship season LSU has won 5 and lost 6 games.  The latest was a beating administered by UCLA Saturday.  Ed Orgeron fired both coordinators after last year, their first year.  In comes two new ones.  The team lacked prep, pep, effort, and communication in game one of 2021 looking just like all of 2020.  Orgeron is now officially on the dreaded hot seat and rightfully so.
6.  It was a big PAC 12 win over the SEC for UCLA.  Conversely, Montana beating Washington 17-7 was a big PAC 12 loss.  In fact, the north division had six losers against weak to middling out of conference foes.  Jeez.  Only Oregon won and was mediocre in doing so beating Fresno St. 31-24 in Eugene.  The south division fared much better.  USC, Utah, UCLA,  Arizona St, and Colorado all won.
7. Oklahoma, known as Chokelahoma by its detractors, nearly choked away a homefield 34-14 halftime lead to hurricane displaced Tulane.  An onsides kick near the game’s end was recovered by Tulane as they trailed only 40-35.  But, the Sooners held on.  Some “experts” picked them to win the national championship this year.  Good luck.  They still have no D.
8. Notre Dame survived overtime v Florida St. as the Seminoles forced it with 18 unanswered points.  Is Notre Dame not as good as advertised, or is Florida St. better than advertised? How about both?  Our guess is that Head Coach Mike Norvell will have the once-proud Seminoles legitimately back in the ACC mix by 2022.
9. Mack Brown’s ACC North Carolina team looked shell-shocked at Virginia Tech.  The Tech faithful filled the stands and roared for 60 minutes.  NC, overanked at #10 lost and their offensive line looked slow, lost, dazed, overweight, short, and tired. That’s no way to go through life. And, that’s a bad combo for Heisman hopeful QB Sam Howell who struggled mightily to avoid the beatdown that Tech’s front seven eventually administered.
10.  It’s tough to read too much into week one, but we did so anyway.  Oh, and Bob Stoops is now a part of the Fox NCAA broadcast team.  He’s, well, not good.

It’s only a four-day workweek to get us to football week two.  Get after it.

Guess what’s back in all of its pomp and circumstance?  College football.  Fans included.

Guess who’s back for year four with all of her picking prowess and expertise?  Abby.  Her fans included.

Abby and college football. Red beans and rice.  Our President and leadership.   Well, two out of three isn’t bad.

Abby starts year four having won more bones than she lost in each of her first three years, a record worth wagging your tail about. Remember one bone hypothetically represents an $11 wage to collect $10 unless it’s a money line bet which can have very different odds that we will post.   Now we go to the picks.

1.  Georgia + 3 v Clemson (Game played in Charlotte, NC) —  Abby’s going big right out of the chute.  She feels strongly that this is Georgia’s year to win the SEC and howl loudly in the playoffs.  Plus UGA is one of her favorite mascots.  She loves barking underdogs.   A straight-up win wouldn’t surprise her in the least, but there isn’t too much value in +$135.  Two bones.

2.  North Carolina -5 1/2 at Virginia Tech — Can NC unseat Clemson as the ACC Champion?  Yes.  Mack Brown returns a Heisman candidate at QB and 18 starters from last year’s team.  Two bones.

3.  Army +2 1/2 at Georgia St.— This will feel like a home game for the Army after 20 straight years of serious business.  Either you stop their unique running attack or you don’t.  Georgia St. won’t.  One bone.

4.  Rice at Arkansas -20 —  This one is simple.  Rice is a very bad football team.  Arkansas is getting better monthly under Sam Pittman.  His offensive line will control the ball for 40 of the 60 minutes in this game and wear the Owls out.  Two bones.

5.  Texas Tech at Houston pick — It’s put up or shut up time for Dana Holgerson in year three with his fat $4 million per year deal with Tillman Fertitta.  He’s redshirted many and has gotten many more from the transfer portal.   He starts off 2021 on a high note.  Take the Cougars in a close one.  One bone.

On a hunch take LSU at UCLA under 66 points.  LSU’s 2020 much-maligned D will be much improved in 2021.  And, expect LSU to run 55/45.  UCLA will not have much success throwing the ball either.

Woof!