2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 18

For the final time this season, the coalition is back to pick NFL games.

I alluded to this last week, but at this point I think we can concede the group title to Adam. While we each dominated Joe, with me sweeping our three disputed games and Adam taking four of five, Adam and I split our six disputed games for Week 17. The result is that Adam has a lead that, unless I cheat, go contrarian over the final 16 games, then get absurdly lucky, he's winning this thing. And I won't do that, so early on, congratulations to him.

Adam celebrated (I guess), with a long trip back home to Dallas, so due to that I only have his teams for this week, so we'll skip the writeups for Week 18. Joe has not provided them to me as of Friday night, but his will be added if I get them ahead of kickoff.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Adam missed his lone hero pick of Week 17 for a change, so his barb over text about skill did not carry over into the small Week 17 sample size while I hit on my lone one. As a group, we've hit at about a 59 percent clip on hero picks, though Adam does buoy that fairly heavily with his 19-8 mark in such games; the rest of us combine for a 31-27 record. The other stat line to help explain Adam's lead comes from split decisions, where Adam has the best mark to help boost his stock. Meanwhile, we went 0-3 on consensus picks, keeping us just above .500 for the year.

For our final go this season, Adam and I disagree on four games out of 16. Let's get to it!

2025 COAS Pigskin Pick ‘Em: Week 17

The coalition returns for its penultimate week of picking NFL games for the season!

The holidays threw everything for a loop so this is getting posted late, but the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, with the hope the football picks would soon be there.

It ended up being a solid week for me, but nonetheless Adam took three of four disputed games from me and four of five from Joe. For reference, I took two of three from Joe. Adam's lead in the group is now up to double digits, so I think he can start planning the parade again.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. The BS continues to be real as Adam hit on another two of his three hero picks last week, bringing him to a staggering 73 percent hit rate on those games with the highest volume out of any of us. Call it luck, call it skill, call it whatever, but that's a big reason for his sizable advantage. Meanwhile in consensus games, we're all still hitting around where we've been all season, so I can't complain on the whole.

As we look ahead to the Week 17 slate, including a number of holiday games, Adam and I disagree on six games, Joe and I on three, and the two of them on five out of 16.

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

2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 16

Just three weeks remain in the 2025 NFL season, so our quest of picking NFL games against the spread is nearing its conclusion for the year.

My attempt at a comeback hit a snag last week, as Adam took four of the six disputed games with me and Joe took three of four; the two of them split their six disputed games. As a result I find myself in the middle of the pack while Adam sustains his sizable lead in the group.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Hero picks remain the name of the game here, as Adam continues his BS with yet another hit, this one on his late change because Phillip Rivers. I missed my two last week as my attempt to take the points on a couple high line games backfired. Meanwhile we all only hit on one out of three consensus games, but we've picked enough that we're still hitting on an excellent clip in those.

And so with time running out as we enter Week 16, Adam and I disagree on four games, Joe and I on three, and the two of them on five out of 16. Let's get to it!

2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 15

We're coming down to the home stretch of the 2025 NFL season, which means the coalition is getting down to the nitty gritty part of the season.

The gap narrowed ever so slightly as I took four of seven disputed games from Adam last week; I also took two of three from Joe and the two of them split their eight disputed games. This seems about par for the course when we have a ton of disputed games, and as such Adam's lead in the group is holding pretty close to what it's been at seven games with 64 to play.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. It was a good week for hero picks on the whole, as Adam's BS continues with a 3-1 mark on the week, while Geoffrey hit on both of his. We also had a fair number of even splits last week, and I got back into more of a positive mark in those games, and consensus games continue to hit at around the clip we've been at for most of the year.

So as we look ahead to Week 15, Joe and I disagree on four games out of 16, while Adam disagrees with each of us on six games. Let's get to it!

2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 14

Well, the good news is I had my Thanksgiving heater. The bad news is it didn't really carry over as we move into the home stretch of the coalition picking 2025 NFL games!

Adam retains his lead over the group thanks in part to taking two of three disputed games with me last week despite his being on a cruise, though we each swept our sets of disputed games with Joe (two for me, three for Adam). His lead remains about where it has been for a good chunk of the season. That 15-1 Week 2 gave him the cushion and we just haven't been able to catch up yet.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. We had a decent consensus week once again to keep our pace, but it was a great week for hero picks, as in the six games last week where someone went hero, five of them hit; this included Adam hitting on yet another one as he's 13-5 when he does so this season.

As we move on to this next week, Joe and I are pretty well aligned with just three disputed games out of 14. Adam is a little more out there though, disputing seven games with me and eight with Joe. Let's get to it!

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!

2025 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Elimination Stage Round of 32 (Part 4)

Just four series remain in the Round of 32 in the NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions, but honestly, I don't know how we top the last four we covered.

After most of our Round of 32 games early on were resolved fairly quickly, we had three separate seven game classics between heavyweights in the last batch. Of those three, two of them were won by the lower seeded team. And with both of those series, both our #2 overall seed and our #3 overall seed are gone.

At this point, four of our matchups for the Round of 16 have been determined, and the remaining four will be decided with the results of this batch.

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 9

The coalition is back at it as we near the halfway point of the 2025 NFL season!

It was the most groupthink week I think we've ever had last week, that even included a couple late changes reducing it even further. It worked out for us, as we all split our two disputed games with each other. As a result, Adam's lead among the columnists remains where it was and just seven games separates first from last place among the entire group.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Due to the groupthink there were quite a few consensus picks last week, and we continue to have some good success there. And as a group, hero picks have hit at a very good rate, with Adam's usual success in those games being a large reason why he's at the top of the leaderboard.

So as we move on to this next week, Adam and I disagree on five games, Joe and I on just two, and the two of them on three out of 14. Let's get to it!

2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 8

The coalition is back at it as we enter Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season!

Adam mentioned over text when I passed along our disputed game count for last week that it was a heavy one and that he expected we'd split. Sure enough, he and I split our six disputed games; Joe had a better week though as he swept our two disputed games and took five of eight from Adam.

The bad news for me now is that I'm tied for the bottom of the group standings, though not for having a bad week. It was just that others had a better week, as six games still separate me and Adam, though his lead for the whole group is down to just four games.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. After hovering around .500 in consensus picks, we hit on all four of ours this past week, which was a big reason why the whole group finished above .500 for the week. Adam's lead once again stems from his continued success in hero picks, though he split his two from last week.

As we look ahead to the new week, we have one of the more groupthink-laden set of picks in column history. All told, we disagree with each other on just two games apiece. Let's get to it!

2025 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Elimination Stage Round of 32 (Part 3)

We're down to 24 teams left as the NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions rolls on!

Both of our teams that have won tournament championships were in action in the last batch of games, and as part of that, our defending Champion of Champions was unceremoniously swept out of their title defense. The two-time champion in the 1996 Chicago Bulls, however, remains alive to try and reclaim its throne.

After a set with a couple of upsets though, we were back to chalk in the last set as the higher seeds all prevailed, and all of them with relative ease. The batch of games we're doing today is pretty heavy with group winners, so we'll see if they continue to prevail to maintain home court advantage for yet another round.

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 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Elimination Stage Round of 32 (Part 2)

The Round of 32 is underway in the NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions, and already we've seen a little upheaval.

Our two most recent NBA champions held serve in their series, showing continued dominance for the modern era of the NBA. But we also saw that the gap between teams is closer than it might appear, as we lost both a 2 seed and a 1 seed in the first set of games.

In the Round of 64 the way I'd shuffled series it was set up so that no matchups for the next round would be determined in the first half. The shuffle didn't work out that way this time, but that's okay as if this were happening in reality games would be going on at the same time and we may have some matchups determined sooner than others.

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 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Elimination Stage Round of 32 (Part 1)

We started with a playoff field of 64, and now that has been cut in half as the NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions rolls on.

Chalk largely ruled in the Round of 64, as we only had five upsets: three five seeds and two six seeds were able to advance to the Round of 32, otherwise all the teams that finished in the top four of their respective groups held serve. Meanwhile from a historical perspective, the two teams that have won previous Tournaments of Champions are still alive, as are two of the three runners-up, and all of our previous semifinalists. By era, only two teams from before 1980 remain alive, and all but two champions from 2009-onward are still in contention.

Now the road gets a little bit harder as we move to the Round of 32. Since every group's top two finishers remain alive, those teams will continue to carry home court advantage into this round of play. As we did in the Round of 64 (though I don't think I ever specifically mentioned it), all series are best of sevens played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format.

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 7

As the NFL season rolls on, so to does the coalition's quest to pick NFL games against the spread.

This past week was kind of a mixed bag. Joe was tied for the week's best mark in the group as he took three of four from me and three of five from Adam, Adam took four of seven from me. As a result, Adam moves a tiny bit further ahead of me while Joe pulls into what is now a three way tie for second, with the rest of the group just one game behind us.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. The status quo of the group remaining just a hair above .500 on consensus picks continues; meanwhile it was a good week for hero picks, with four of the five from last week hitting, raising the group's record when going hero to 17-11 through six weeks. Geoffrey is the only one below .500 in such games, and Adam's lead is largely based on his usual nonsense of picking the most hero games and winning more often than not.

As we look ahead to Week 7, Joe and I disagree on just two games, while Adam is more in his usual range of six disputed with me and eight with Joe out of 15. Let's get to it!

2025 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Elimination Stage Round of 64 (Part 8)

Just four series remain as we finish out the Round of 64 of the NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions!

12 of the 16 matchups for the next round are now set in stone. We had a couple more first round upsets in the last set of games, including a series that went the distance and a game that was easily the highest scoring of the tournament.

As we finish this round out, three of our four one seeds will finally get their series covered, as well the two-time Champion of Champions. Hopefully this round will be able to finish with some dramatic finishes as well.

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 6

The coalition returns for Week 6 of the NFL season, and I think it's official: The Great Reversal has begun.

I say this mainly because it was a pretty rough week for the group as a whole. No one finished above .500 for the week, a couple folks are now below .500 for the season, and yet just seven games separate first from last place. This bears out what happened in the column last week: Joe and I split our two disputed games, while Adam narrowly won the week, taking five of nine from each of us.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. As you would figure from the nine disputed games figure, Adam had several hero picks this week, but he ended up missing on a couple. As tends to be the case, his volume is higher than the rest of the group and he's hit on enough that it's helped him to first place. I hit on my first hero win of the season (albeit in a much smaller sample size). Meanwhile our consensus game rate remains at just a hair over .500.

So as we look ahead to this week, Adam and I disagree on seven games, Joe and I on four, and the two of them on five out of 15. Let's get to it!

2025 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Elimination Stage Round of 64 (Part 7)

We're coming up to the end of the Round of 64 of the NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions, and in the last set of games, chalk went back to prevailing.

I'm not super surprised that most of the series we've done in this round so far have largely adhered to chalk. Just one five seed and two six seeds have advanced to the Round of 32 to this point. In terms of competitiveness, just three series so far have gone the full seven games and only six others have gone as many as six games.

Eight matchups for the next round of games are determined, and we'll set up four more in today's post.

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!