2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 13

My day job and the column always collide around this time of year. I get into the "Accelerated deadlines" mode with ads, and with early football on Thursday we bring you the Week 13 edition of the coalition's picks a little early!

I called for the Thanksgiving heater to come a little early last week, and it did: I took six of eight disputed games from Adam and five of six from Joe; the two of them split their six disputed games. Adam advised me to cool my jets, and he has a point: he still holds a seven game lead, but there is a four way tie for second place now, and just ten games separate first from last place.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. We had no consensus picks last week, which was rare and might have partially explained why most of the group had a down week. As a whole, we went 4-0 on hero picks in Week 12, with the asterisk that three of them were mine and Adam had the fourth. The hit rate on these for the group as a whole is a hair over 60%; that is the best overall group rate since we started tracking these stats in 2016.

As I try to carry on momentum from last week, I won't be able to dig much into the deficit if I do at all as groupthink largely prevails. Adam disagrees with Joe and I on three games apiece, Joe and I dispute just two of the 16 tilts this week.

From all of us at Confessions of a Sportscaster, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Let's get to it.

2025 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Elimination Stage Round of 16 (Part 1)

When I started this project months ago, 88 teams entered between all the NBA champions since 1952, all the ABA champions, and some conference champions to fill out the field. We're now down to just 16 teams left.

All of our ABA champions are out, but three conference champions from the past 30 years are still alive. Meanwhile, half of our field left is champions from about the past 15 years, while we still have a little representation from the 1970s and 1980s still alive.

Seeding-wise, we had a lot less chalk in the Round of 32 than we did in the Round of 64. Just four of eight group winners remain (incidentally all in the top half of the bracket), while six of eight #2 seeds are still competing. The upset-minded teams at this point are one #3 seed, three #4 seeds, a #5 seed, and a #6 seed. At this point, anything can truly happen.

Maybe most incredibly as I started simulating series, I realized that the top four teams from Group A had all advanced to this stage. Group H was close behind with three teams in, but that includes one that finished in fifth place

As I did in each of the first couple rounds, this round will be broken up into a couple posts. Series being covered in Part 1 will be picked totally at random (with the caveat that I'm going down the selected list to not reveal any quarterfinal matchups at this point).

The up to date bracket, scores, and results from Group Play can be found here. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to it!

2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 12

The coalition is back for another go at it as we continue our quest to pick NFL games against the spread!

It was a fairly even week across the board. Joe and I split our two disputed games last week, while we each edged out Adam by the narrowest of margins; I took three of five while Joe took four of seven. Unfortunately for us that was just a dent as Adam's lead in the group remains pretty firm.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Adam again sent a note in our group text about this, this time asking why we're so bad on consensus picks. I'm... not sure what he was talking about, as we split the four this week and keep our pace of a narrow majority hitting. The hero picks this weeks were also split, with Tom hitting on his lone try while Geoffrey went 1-2 in his. Adam's strong performance remains pretty heavily the basis for his current lead, which sits at seven games on the closest person and just 11 with me bringing up the rear.

As I continue to hope for my Thanksgiving heater, it may come this week as I dispute a whopping eight of 14 games with Adam. Joe has six disputed games with each of us. Let's get to it!

2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 11

As the coalition returns for Week 11, I find myself still waiting for a heater that may never come.

I treaded water, I guess, as I split my four disputed games with Joe and only lost two of the three disputed games with Adam; Adam took four of seven from Joe last week. As a result I continue to fade from Adam, whose lead narrowed a bit on the whole but he still has a sizable lead on the rest of the group.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Adam sent a very #FirstWorldProblems text early Sunday afternoon complaining about missing on his second of two hero picks to start Week 10 by just half a point and bringing everyone all square for the week to that point. He still has the most successful hero picks on the season, but not the best rate even discounting Joe's perfect mark on a single game as Tom nailed both of his Week 10 hero picks. An even week on consensus picks also keeps us in the black on those games to help buoy everyone's records.

As we move ahead to Week 11, I have a chance to cut into the deficit as Adam and I disagree on five games. Joe and I dispute just two, while the two of them disagree on seven out of 15. Let's get to it!

2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 10

The coalition returns as we get ready to make the turn into the second half of the 2025 NFL season, and we have more picks to make.

Adam is back on his BS again... that, or I just had a really bad week. He swept all disputed games with both Joe and I, while Joe swept our two disputed games. As a result I'm now pretty cleanly in last place and hoping for my prophesied Thanksgiving heater coming a couple weeks early so I can get back into things. Adam, with his dominant showing, has now opened up a seven game lead for first place.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. We continue to do well in consensus games as we hit a bunch later in Week 9. Adam's lead largely stems from, like I said, his usual nonsense in hero picks as he hit on both of his from last week. As a group, we are 17-22 in such games, but just 7-18 if you take Adam out of the equation.

The desperate comeback is going to have to be a gradual one, as Adam and I disagree on just three games this week. Meanwhile Joe and I dispute four, and the two of them differ on half of 14 games. Let's get to it!