Week 1 Gems

Okay, okay. You’re right. That’s not Notre Dame Ohio State now. That’s Eddie George and 7/11 of the 1995 Fighting Irish defense chasing him. And it’s a beautiful thing, isn’t? The green grass of early fall. Two of the best uniforms worn by two of the most storied programs in college football history. Going at it in September. The game in the photo above took place on Sept. 30, 1995. In 2022, just remove that zero from behind the three and – what’d’ya know!? – No. 5 Notre Dame (0-0) is visiting No. 2 Ohio State (0-0) in Week 1 of the college football season. Did neither one of these behemoths get the memo that Week 1 is for blowing out directional schools? How in the world are the Irish and Buckeyes playing on Sept. 3? Better yet, how is the No. 5 team in the country a 17-point dog in Week 1? Hey, nobody here is complaining. This is what college football could be every weekend if it weren’t such a mess. But that matchup isn’t the only good one on Saturday. No. 11 Oregon is taking on No. 3 Georgia in Athens; No. 23 Cincinnati is squaring off against No. 19 Arkansas; No. 7 Utah is boldly entering SEC country for a matchup against Florida, (and for a complete list of Week 1’s best games, check out the handiwork from our friends at USA Today). Clearly, the aforementioned schools are doing it all “wrong” by today’s standard protocol, but hey, we applaud them all nonetheless.  

We Tried To Tell Ya

On Tuesday, in this very letter, we tried to tell you. For the record, here it is, word for word: “There’s a long way to go for (Serena) Williams, an undeniable crowd favorite in Queens, but one thing is for certain: The further Williams advances, the money will come pouring in, and you can kiss 40/1 goodbye.” Ehem, Tuesday morning’s 40/1 – with the help of one win over the US Open No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit – is indeed long gone. Ready to hop on the Williams bandwagon now, you say? Well, it’s gonna cost ya. Today, just three days later, putting a unit down on Williams to win in her final curtain call, comes in at 12/1. Nobody here is suggesting that even at 12/1, Williams isn’t worth it; she very well might be. But it’s a bitter pill to swallow knowing you could have been paid more than three-times as much if you’d have just went ahead and listened. Perhaps the crowd’s enthusiasm at the US Open can propel Williams to her 24th Grand Slam title.  Or, maybe the fact that she and sister Venus were just eliminated from the doubles competition – thus giving Serena both rest and focus. Most likely yet is the fact that she’s still one of the greatest players to have grab a racquet. And by they way, we’re not necessarily suggesting that Williams is going to win. As was stated Tuesday – there’s a long way to go. The lesson, however, is that if you’ve got a hunch, bet it early. Because as soon as your hunch becomes popular, the payouts are about to shrink.

In the Know

1. Russ got paid.
2. Blindsided: From Jazz to Cav.
3. Could the CFB playoffs really expand?
4. The Williams sisters are finished.
5. Tommy Terrific speculation continues.

Newsletter News

Football season is upon us and as such, things are about to get cooking. Fear not, we’ve got you covered. Not only has your good buddy Steve Quinne prepped you with a wager-iffic preview of all 32 NFL teams (which can all be found at Football Central), but ol’ Steve-o and his friends (including the one and only Jay Kornegay) are about to change the way you receive this newsletter. Beginning Tuesday, we’ll send you “Kornegay’s Korner,” a collection of thoughts and observations from the past weekend and the week ahead. Thursday the crew will offer its rundown of the top college football games, while Friday it’s all NFL. We’ll update the games again on Sunday morning, and get your week off on the right foot with “Money Mondays.” So, if you’re getting the SuperBook Sports Newsletter, keep up the good work. Better yet, pass it along to a friend. See you on Tuesday.