Last weekend produced some of the most exciting, meaningful football games that I’ve seen in some time. Sure, we see fantastic finishes just about every weekend in college and pro football, but with teams’ seasons on the line, it’s on another level.
Here are a few thoughts before we get to this week’s picks:
-How lucky has the Fiesta Bowl been of late? Their three semifinal games since 2019 were 29-23 (Clemson over Ohio State in ’19), 51-44 (TCU over Michigan in ’22), and 31-27 (Miami over Ole Miss in ’26). I’ve been at all three and it’s safe to say that these have all been college football at its best.
-Ole Miss fans are wild…but I have to appreciate their dedication. As for the game itself, Miami had an incredible gameplan to keep the Rebels’ offense off the field but in the fourth quarter, as the defense got more tired, they were very lucky to hang on. If that game had gone to overtime, Miami wasn’t winning. Heck of a game winning drive by Carson Beck though.
-I’m done picking against Indiana. Curt Cignetti is an all-time genius / wizard for what he’s done in two years as Hoosiers head coach.
-As a Packers fan, I’ve had enough of Matt LaFleur. Sure, he’s a fine head coach and he’s found a way to sneak Green Bay into the playoffs just about every year. But his second half gameplan against the Bears was a fireable offense. They dominated in the first half, up 21-3, then the offense decided to go into a conservative shell. It’s time for a clean break. The Packers should try to trade their head coach and recoup a high pick or two from a desperate team (Miami). Maybe I’m naive in a way, but I have a hard time seeing this guy leading Green Bay to a Super Bowl title even though next year’s edition is on Valentine’s Day (would be a great storyline for the NFL with Jordan Love).
-I still can’t believe the Eagles lost to the 49ers. While Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts just won a Super Bowl last year, the hot seat is going to get turned up in 2026.
While it’s been a miserable college football season picks-wise, more specifically the postseason, it would be nice to close on a 3-0 run with my best bets. Heck, I’m taking last week’s winnings and trying to double up.
CFB Best Bets
Last Week: 2-0 (+2.0u)
Overall: 49-61-1 (-20.22u)
National Championship Game: Under 47.5 (-110) – 2 unit play
I’ve doubted Indiana long enough and now I’m done. This team is absolutely for real and they’re going to prove it in Miami’s home stadium on Monday night. The Hoosiers’ defense has only given up more than 20 points twice: at Penn State and in garbage time against Oregon in the Peach Bowl. Don’t expect Miami to find a ton of success against that unit. On the other side, I think the Hurricanes will keep the game close before Fernando Mendoza leads Indiana to two fourth quarter touchdowns and an improbable National Championship to say the least. Indiana 27, Miami 17
As for my NFL Divisional Round picks, find my writeups here on CBSSports.com. After a 3-3 Wild Card weekend, I’m picking a couple of surprising upsets, including one that will ruin a preseason futures bet of mine (Bills vs. Rams in the Super Bowl).
One other quick note, if you’re a golf fan, I’m back hosting the Tuesday night Early Wedge Best Bets Show for SportsLine. Our first episode can be found here. Certainly an unexpected turn of events to say the least for me, but I can’t be more thrilled to work with Sia, Patrick, and Jason once again.
Good luck with all of your picks this weekend!
Cohen's Corner 