GOTY: FTC Bowl, October 17

That would be Game of the Year, Fire The Coach Bowl. Rutgers (1-4) at Maryland (2-3). 

That would be Greg Schiano in his seventh season vs Mike Locksley in his eighth. 

That would be SHIA Stadium vs SECU Stadium.

That would be the two "additions" to the B1G Conference, class of 2014.

That would be the athletic department that has lost $517M since its move to the B1G vs the one that merely has lost $4M-$5M in each of 2024 and 2025 (cumulative net not available for Maryland).

I don't know if there has ever been a game where both coaches face the axe if they lose.

That would be an $18M buyout vs merely a $9.2M buyout.

However much, less, or not at all, money the B1G has made since strangely adding these two woebegone sports programs to its portfolio, they have been a competitive embarrassment and the schools themselves have been shamed on the field and Rutgers in particular has a debt that is almost 10% of the entire budget of the university.

There is more than a coach at stake in this game. For Rutgers it is the fiscal integrity of the university. Call it the Shame Game.

Line Drops Again! Pitt now -3.5 vs UNCCH

Look at that! Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee. Isaias is my favorite hurricane. GO ISAIAS!

 

First Big 🌬️! Hurricane Isaias. And look where it's NOT hitting!

 

Yep, feel pretty lucky to have ended up on Miami Beach in Flor-a-die.

Oct. 8, 2023-present Nazraeli Genocide. Killed: 81,416; Wounded: 174,500; Displaced 2,000,000

What is the worth of Palestinian CIVILIAN life to Nazrael?

...officers said that the army permitted the killing of up to 15 or 20 civilians when targeting a junior Hamas operative, and more than 100 in some attacks on senior commanders. 

+972

NAZA is an acronym for nezek agavi, Hebrew for "collateral damage." It refers to the estimated number of civilian casualties considered acceptable by the Israeli military. "Twenty NAZA" would mean that up to 20 civilian deaths were approved in the elimination of a single target. For one high-value target, a figure of 500 NAZA was approved — the population of a small Israeli town...

npr

Gaza genocide Wikipedia

No. 25 Pitt has dropped to -4 against UNC-CH at noon Saturday in a lonely field beyond Fort Pitt

Naked "Orange Plague" Statue of Trump on back of Frail Elderly man on Display Outside European Parliament

 

The most-hated American in history.

Protesting Occurrences October 7, 2026

Protesters ejected from raucous Trump rally in Texas

At least 10 people were either ejected from the venue by authorities or appeared to walk out after interrupting the rally...as Mr. Trump mocked the protesters.
...

Less than 10 minutes into Mr. Trump's speech, a person stormed away from the stage while yelling. At one point, a man in a red hat grabbed that person's hair and appeared to get into a physical altercation, leading other rallygoers to separate the two.

For the next hour, several other people were walked out of the venue by law enforcement or security... In some cases, Trump supporters and demonstrators were separated after physically tangling with each other.

At least one person was handcuffed before law enforcement led him out.

👁

Meteorological Occurrences

 

Alabama, Georgia prepare for storm to hit Saturday's game

Espo

I'm not aware of any college or pro tackle football games getting delayed this past weekend, but the week prior there were. This is the biggest college game to be affected if it is. Weather is so unpredictable. We here in South Florida were to have daily rain for ten days. That was last week. We haven't had a drop yet.

Polling Occurrences

AP/NORC presidential approval:

-69%

+31%

Trumpie sad. Gets booed.

October 7-present. Murdered: 2,046; Wounded: 3,400; Captured: 251

 

Dr. Ana and I were at FIU today. I didn't eat till just now. Woofed down a skirt steak, black beans and rice, and plantains. Sometimes you just want Cuban.

*Insensitive Occurrences October 6, 2026

Israeli documentary ‘NAZA’ opens in the US, reigniting debate over the war in Gaza

AP

No, not the day before October 7. *Changed from "Genocidal".

4-on-4? 4-on-4 Black Hole!

The Miami Heat's "4-on-4" offensive dynamic refers to the extreme spatial advantage and simplified defensive math created by Giannis Antetokounmpo's overwhelming paint gravity. [1, 2]

The 4-on-4 Effect

Paint Gravity: Giannis Antetokounmpo's immense pressure driving downhill forces multiple defenders to collapse, effectively reducing the opposing defense to four players scrambling against four perimeter options.
Preseason Debut: During the Heat's 129-105 preseason win over the Toronto Raptors, this gravity resulted in Giannis recording 7 assists in just 14 first-half minutes.
Perimeter Spacing: Shooters like Andrew Wiggins benefit directly, spacing the floor and capitalizing on kick-out passes when the defense overcommits inside. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

System Principles

Pace and Space: Miami plays at a blistering speed, [speed of light?] pushing hit-ahead passes instantly to cross half-court faster and attack before the defense can set.
Circular Flow: Rather than relying heavily on traditional pick-and-rolls, the offense uses continuous circular rotation, filling open gaps as players drive and kick.
###




The circular movement is the remnant of the Memphis "wheel" offensive. I would call this the "Black Hole" offense. Basketball matter swirls around the massive "supernova" at the center, drawing defensive players in, creating 4-on-4 space. This is Erik Spoelstra bricoleur genius. He created positionless basketball. He imported the "wheel". Now he has developed the Black Hole 4-on-4.

As readers know from last year with the 14-7 start, the undersigned believes whole-heartedly that players dictate scheme and produce wins, schemes without players do not produce wins and will be figured out eventually by the opposition. The Memphis "wheel" was and we missed the playoffs getting bounced in the play-in. I know of no more pithy definition of a great coach than that he can take hisn and beat yourn and take yourn and beat hisn. Spoelstra is always learning and creating. When his Big Three lost their first Finals, Spo went to Oregon to talk to football offensive revolutionary Chip Kelly. Two straight rings followed. The Black Hole is a boon for Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson, but what about Bam? I have no mention of where Bam fits in the space-and-kick of the Black Hole. This is Adebayo's team. He's the captain. What's his role when supernova Giannis creates the gravity for the Black Hole. I can imagine Bam being open for power drives and pitch-off dunks but I haven't read Bam's role yet. The he focus of the potential with the spacing of the Black Hole has been on the wing shooters.

Plague Occurrences, October 5, 2026

Russia plays down plague fears and denies lab accident, says scientist died of "pneumonia of unknown origin"

CBS

No reason to doubt them, right? Rooskis are honest. 👀

Political Occurrences October 5, 2026

So far in the last month before the mid-term elections Trumpie has campaigned in "ruby-red territory such as Oklahoma and Alabama. His upcoming stop, Grand Island, is located in Nebraska’s solidly conservative south-central region." AP

Why would he be preaching to the choir? I offer two joint reasons:

1) Gopies are behind in every contested Senate race. Trumpie knows it and doesn't want to be associated with "losers".

2) Trumpie does not want to get booed. He knows he is unpopular and is not going to go anywhere where there is the danger of a hostile or even lukewarm reception. 

Why do we debate the existence of God?

If you believe in God and such belief makes a difference in your life then God exists.

If you don't believe in God and such non-belief makes a difference in your life then God does not exist.

If the existence or non-existence of God makes no difference in your life why argue about it?

What is the cash value in your life of God's existence? Of God's non-existence?

How would your life be different if there is a God? If there isn't a God?

What does it matter if there is a God or is not a God?

Pitt (25) is -4.5 against UNCCH. I'm surprised. We have new QB, Black Feet played IPTAY and "Lakers" close.

Rus Flus? White House Monitoring Suspected Plague Outbreak in Russia

 

Trumpie, you could win the Nobel Prize for this if you don't for your mysterious brain.

Trump, Did You Win? Or Was That Your Mysterious Brain?

Nobel Prize in Medicine for Work on Mysteries of Brain

Public Occurrences October 4, 2026

Democracy in America November 3;

RCP Senate snapshot Oct 4, 30 days from election, excluding tossups:

God's Righteous Party in blue. 46-45, 9 tossups.

RCP no-tossup Senate snapshot map:

God's Righteous Party in Blue 53-47, a Senate majority with two votes to spare. Pick up 6 Senate seats

House:

God's Party 226 (218 to win control) Grand Old Phascists 185, 24 tossups. If R's win all 24 tossups they they would have 209, and still lose to Blue easily.

10:01 pm:

Trumpist Bolsonaro Son Leads Leftist Lula in Brazil Presidential Election

Pitt 25th in AP Poll

That's a move up of seven places. 

Nebraska is not close despite being 5-0 also. The "Huskers" received 48 votes (Pitt got 162), only good for thirty-first. Nebraska was at thirty-three in last Sunday's poll. It's surprising. Nebraska clocked East Lansing Spartak last week in Michigan and beat another B1G team, Maryland, yesterday. Pitt has beaten UCF, a Big XII, team in a lonely field beyond Fort Pitt, awful Syracuse (ACC), also at home. The eye test I guess, and the win over Va. Tech, ACC, 30th last week in one of the toughest, most intimidating stadiums in the country in Blacksburg, did it. 

The "Panthers" season is in doubt with the injury to Mason Heintschel. North Carolina comes to the lonely field next week. Pitt started the 2024 season 7-0 behind QB Eli Holstein. We were ranked 18th on November 22. We then lost our last six games (including bowl). 

I have belief in this team even without Heintschel. We have won five different ways so far this season. We have good receivers for whomever is pitching, good running backs, and a defense that until Va. Tech I thought would be the difference in making us a legit top-25 team. We're not going to lose the rest of our games, so I don't expect a second-half El Foldo as we did in 2024.

After UNC we play at Pigeons (dub), at Miami (Elle), home to Georgia Tech, home to Half Ass U, at Louisville, at California. We're not going to lose all of those. 

Mayfield return hinges on when QB can grip football

ESPN lede

That seems like a key metric.

FT at Shia Stadium R 15 I (6) 47

Covering the point spread that I bet on with a deep, heavy blanket.

R 7 I (6) 37, 3:62 3rd🖕

 

He did. Thank you, Schiano.

R 4th and 11 R 24. PUNT THE FUCKING BALL YOU FUCKING MO-RON.