Virginia Cavaliers

2026 Pigskin Picks of Profundity…Week 1

Typically we don’t engage in college football’s “Week Zero”, but I found enough compelling matchups to go ahead & get this pigskin party started. Unfortunately, your humble Godfather of Cyberspace has been laid up (again) for reasons y’all don’t need or want to know about, which means I am focused on inconsequential diversions like football. Can I exceed last season’s record of 53-70?? Who knows?? Can Zach secure another season victory while also boosting his 56-67 mark?? Perhaps. We’ll see.  

North Carolina vs. TCU (-7.5)

A year ago the Horned Frogs annihilated the Tar Heels by a 34 point margin in Chapel Hill. UNC, under the guidance of (alleged) legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick, went on to finish 4-8. They’ve hired well-traveled Bobby Petrino to be the offensive coordinator and (hopefully) improve their 19.25 points/game, which was 120th nationally. TCU was 9-4, including an overtime victory over USC in the Alamo Bowl, and finished in the middle of the pack of a highly competitive Big 12. The game kicks off from Dublin, Ireland at noon on Saturday, and though it might be closer than last season, I think the favorites will handle their business. Zach doesn’t believe Belichick’s particular skillset translates well to college football.

My Pick: TCU

Zach’s Pick: TCU

North Carolina State at Virginia (-5.5)

I have high hopes that the Wolfpack, who were 8-5 and finished last season with a win over Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl, can be even better this year. Quarterback CJ Bailey returns for his junior campaign after throwing for over 3100 yards & 25 touchdowns last year. His 68.8% completion rate ranked him 15th nationally in 2025. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers were 11-3, but lost the ACC title game in overtime. They return 65% of their production from last season and will have former Missouri QB Beau Pribula under center. NC State will win alot of games, but I don’t  think this will be one of them. Zach foresees a high scoring game and won’t be surprised if NC St. pulls off the upset.

My Pick: Virginia

Zach’s Pick: NC St.

New Mexico State at Florida State (-31.5) 

Mike Norvell enters his 7th season at the helm in Tallahassee, although I’m not sure why. Norvell is the Seminoles’ third coach since the legendary Bobby Bowden retired in 2009, but he has a collective record of 38-34. This is probably a crucial year for him…or atleast it should be. The Aggies were equally atrocious a season ago, finishing 4-8. Florida St.’s brand may have lost some cache in recent years, and I don’t know if they’ll be any more successful this season, but they’ll probably defend the home field with relative ease this weekend. The points make Zach a bit squeamish, but ultimately he’s leaning toward the favorites to cover.

My Pick: Florida St.

Zach’s Pick: Florida St.

Hawaii at Stanford (-4)

Stanford hasn’t been relevant in college football since QB Andrew Luck departed in 2011, and they haven’t had a winning season since 2018 (unless you want to give them credit for the Covid abbreviated 2020 campaign). Conversely, the Rainbows finished last season with a bowl victory and a 9-4 record. Hawaii defeated Stanford with a walkoff field goal in Honolulu a season ago, and I expect another competitive game Saturday night. Zach concurs.

My Pick: Hawaii

Zach’s Pick: Hawaii

Memphis at UNLV (-5.5)

The Tigers are a middle-of-the-pack AAC team that finished last season 9-4 and lost the Gasparilla Bowl. As a matter of fact, they ended the year on a four game losing skid. The Runnin’ Rebels finished atop the Mountain West last season, a conference that looks very different now after several teams departed to form a new Pac 12. UNLV was 10-4, but lost their final two games, including the Frisco Bowl. I used to love these kinds of games. It’s a 10pm kickoff, which means after all of the marquee matchups are over and the day seems to be done…BAM…more football. Now though, I’ll be fortunate to stay awake thru the 3rd quarter. At any rate, I believe the home team favorites will come out on top. Zach is anticipating yet another high scoring shootout, and he also likes the home team.

My Pick: UNLV

Zach’s Pick: UNLV

2025 Pigskin Picks of Profundity…Week 15

It seems like just yesterday we were talking about season openers, yet here we are on the cusp of Championship Weekend in college football. That’s our focus for now…we’ll get back to the NFL next weekend. There’s alot happening, with the coaching carousel, playoff maneuvering, and bowl bids going out soon, but the games this weekend are meaningful and will have tentacles that reach into the future. Enjoy.

Observations from Last Week:

  • I was pleasantly shocked by Cincinnati’s Thanksgiving night upset of the Ravens. Five turnovers almost never bodes well, and it’s unusual to see Baltimore make so many mistakes. Sadly, my Steelers couldn’t take advantage of the early holiday gift.
  • Clearly WVU’s fandom is transactional. Sure, it’s been a terrible season, but it was embarrassing to see the sparse crowd gathered at Mountaineer Field on a lovely November afternoon for a game against a Top 5 opponent. Why would any talented athlete want to matriculate to Morgantown??
  • Can we just go ahead & split NCAA Division 1 football into two levels with two championships?? The Power 4 conferences (and Notre Dame 🙄) can argue about 16 playoff spots (although conference title games should be Round 1…kind of the reverse of four teams getting first round byes), while the rest would have a legit opportunity to compete for something meaningful.
  • Puka Nakua, in addition to having a cool name, is perhaps the best receiver in football right now. 
  • The needs in fantasy football & real football are frequently at odds. Running back tandems, deep receiving corps with multiple talented pass catchers, and prudent game management with an emphasis on time of possession, strong defense, & field position are all beneficial to actual NFL teams, while causing fantasy owners headaches.

My Season: 45-44

Zach’s Season: 41-48

Conference USA Championship 

Kennesaw State (-2.5) at Jacksonville State

I’ll be honest…I am completely out of my depth with this one. I have atleast heard of Jax St. since that is where Rich Fraudriguez had been slumming before he came crawling back to coach at West Virginia (I wish he’d just stayed put). Kennesaw is apparently located on the outskirts of Atlanta. They only began playing football in 2015 and joined C-USA last year, while Jax St. came into the conference in 2023. The 8-4 Gamecocks beat the 9-3 Owls a few weeks ago, and I see no reason that’ll change. It’s a Friday night kickoff on CBS Sports Network in case you have absolutely nothing else happening in your sad little life. Zach agrees.

My Pick: Jacksonville St.

Zach’s Pick: Jacksonville St.

Sun Belt Championship

Troy at James Madison (-22.5)

I really wish my Marshall Thundering Herd were playing in this game, but they couldn’t even achieve bowl eligibility. Hey, atleast their former coach, who left town like a lil bitch a year ago and took most of the players with him to Southern Miss, failed to lead his team to the title game, so that’s nice. At any rate, the 11-1 Dukes only have a respectable loss to Louisville blemishing their record, while the 8-4 Trojans have had a much bumpier road. The home team is winning the title, and I think they’ll cover as well. I can’t believe we’re still talking about “style points” in 2025, but James Madison needs to impress a bunch of people if they hope to grab the Group of Five participation trophy berth in the playoff. Zach concurs.

My Pick: James Madison 

Zach’s Pick: James Madison

American Athletic Championship

North Texas (-2.5) at Tulane

The Mean Green not only have a kickass nickname, but come in with an impressive 11-1 record. Their only loss was an absolute beatdown at the hands of South Florida way back in October. The 10-2 Green Wave (also a cool moniker) have victories over Northwestern & Duke, which is probably why they seem to be favored to snag the Group of Five token playoff spot if they win the AAC title. Both head coaches will be moving on to greener pastures (sorry, I couldn’t resist), but kudos to them for finishing the task at hand. This is being given a prime time Friday night slot on ABC, which is impressive. Tulane won a regular season matchup between the two a season ago, but we all know how much things change from year to year in college football. I usually lean toward the home field advantage in these scenarios, however, I think the visiting favorites get a close win and just barely cover the points. North Texas is apparently hiring former WVU head coach Neal Brown, so hopefully they get to enjoy one last hurrah before he asks their fan base to “trust the climb”…downward into mediocrity (at best). Conversely, Zach feels like Tulane has been battle tested with a tougher schedule, and he believes they’ll come out on top in a shootout.

My Pick: North Texas

Zach’s Pick: Tulane

Mountain West Championship

UNLV at Boise State (-3.5)

This will be the third consecutive year that these teams do battle for the conference championship, with the Broncos winning both previous meetings. 8-4 Boise also won the regular season matchup by more than three TDs. The 10-2 Rebels beat UCLA back in September, which would’ve been more noteworthy three decades ago. Boise has been here before. It’s part of the routine for them. Former Florida & Mississippi St. coach Dan Mullen is in his first season at the helm in Vegas, and he might have an opportunity to build something…if he sticks around, but that’ll have to wait. Boise will be moving to the rebuilt Temu Pac 12 next year, so this is their final opportunity to win an eighth Mountain West title, and I’d be surprised if they blow it. Zach thinks it’ll be tight, but also likes Boise to emerge victorious.

My Pick: Boise St.

Zach’s Pick:  Boise St.

MAC Championship 

Western Michigan (-2.5) vs. Miami (OH)

I haven’t kept up with MACtion since my Thundering Herd left the conference two decades ago, but I remember watching some fun games back in the day. Both teams are 8-4, with both, oddly enough, righting the ship after being 0-3 out of the gate. WMU’s last defeat came at the hands of the Redhawks right before Halloween. This is a neutral site game in Detroit, kicking off at Noon on Saturday, and I expect Miami to defy the odds by once again coming out on top. Zach is pulling for Miami simply because Ben Roethlisberger went there, which sounds good to me.

My Pick: Miami (OH)

Zach’s Pick: Miami (OH)

Big 12 Championship 

Texas Tech (-13.5) vs. BYU

As much of a downer as it has been watching my Mountaineers ineptly try to compete in the Big 12, I will begrudgingly admit that the rest of the conference is (mostly) entertaining to watch. The 11-1 Cougars suffered their only loss to the 11-1 Red Raiders about a month ago. Tech’s lone perplexing defeat came at the hands of Arizona St. in the final 30 seconds of the contest. I really think it’ll be a fun game…maybe the best of the entire weekend. Tech is hoping to lock in a first round bye in the CFP, while BYU needs a win to secure a berth. I’m not bold enough to predict a winner, but do feel confident in anticipating the game will be won by single digits. Zach agrees.

My Pick: BYU

Zach’s Pick: BYU

SEC Championship

Georgia (-2.5) vs. Alabama

Oh for f*^k’s sake 😱!! There seemed to be a real opportunity for the SEC to offer something new & fresh this season, but Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Texas all fell short, so now we’re getting this matchup for the fourth time since 2018. You have to go all the way back to 2013 to find an SEC title game with neither team. Perhaps I am in the minority, but it has become tedious. When they met near the end of September the 10-2 Tide rolled in the first half en route to a three point victory in Athens. This is a neutral site game in Atlanta, which isn’t as big of a home field advantage for the 11-1 ‘Dawgs as one might assume. I still think there are weaknesses in both teams, and neither will ultimately win the national championship, but it’ll be Georgia walking away with their sixth conference crown since the turn of the century. Zach believes coaching makes the difference, and Kirby Smart > Kalen DeBoer.

My Pick: Georgia

Zach’s Pick: Georgia

ACC Championship

Virginia (-3.5) vs. Duke

Ugh 🤦🏻‍♂️. The ACC is already the most prosaic of the “power” conferences, and they couldn’t even  treat us to a title game featuring slightly more appealing teams like Clemson, Florida St., Miami (FL), SMU, or Virginia Tech. Hell, even if UNC was involved we could poke fun at Belichick & his teenage concubine. Anyway, the Cavaliers are 10-2 and just beat the 7-5 Blue Devils a couple of weeks ago. This is a neutral site game in Charlotte, and though I think Duke will put up a better fight in the rematch, it’ll be Virginia winning their first conference championship since 1995. Zach likes Virginia to win the ACC then get beaten decisively in the CFP.

My Pick: Virginia

Zach’s Pick: Virginia

Big Ten Championship

Ohio State (-5.5) vs. Indiana 

This is the big one. #1 vs. #2 before we even get to the CFP. The winner will obviously be the top seed in the playoff, while the loser could conceivably miss out on a first round bye. Very few are questioning the credentials of the unbeaten Buckeyes, except for some who point to games against lesser opponents like Grambling & Ohio U., which is fair criticism. Conversely, despite being undefeated this year and having been a playoff team a season ago, Indiana is still perceived as a basketball school. This is the prime time game on Fox Saturday night, emanating from Indianapolis, and I would LOVE for it to be epic. An instant classic. Win or lose, I would love to watch the Hoosiers prove their doubters wrong and show everyone that they belong on this big stage. Unfortunately, I believe this Ohio St. team is head & shoulders above everyone else. They have too much talent & depth. If they are challenged at all in the postseason it’ll be because of a key injury or some other calamity. Barring that, I’d be stunned if they don’t hoist their 40th Big Ten title & tenth National Championship. In a bit of a shocker that I did NOT see coming, Zach reluctantly agrees that OSU is the best team in the country and should be heavily favored to win it all.

My Pick: Ohio St.

Zach’s Pick: Ohio St.

March Madness 2018

Did y’all see the dumpster fire that was the NCAA Selection Show this past Sunday evening?? First of all, I tuned in to CBS at 6pm for the bracket reveal because…well, that’s where it’s always been!! For decades!! I understand that CBS & Turner Sports entered into a partnership a few years ago. The best part it is that games are shown on CBS, TBS, TNT, &…for some odd reason…Tru TV, which is cool because one can pretty much watch every single game if your channel flipping skills are up to par. The negative aspect is that we are forced to endure Turner’s NBA lineup of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, & Kenny Smith. I don’t necessarily have anything against those guys, but it’s a “world’s colliding” kind of thing. ESPN doesn’t have Kirk Herbstreit & Lee Corso on the Sunday Night Football pre-game crew. Fox doesn’t have Terry Bradshaw & Howie Long analyzing college bowl games. Stay in your lane. After four months of college basketball it’s a little weird to have NBA guys suddenly pop up to break down March Madness as if they’re experts. Having said that, it’s not a huge deal. However, what was done to the Selection Show a couple of days ago was sinful. After finally locating the show on TBS I tuned in to see them listing all of the automatic qualifiers in alphabetical order, and then start to announce at-large teams the same way. What?!?!?!?? What kind of BS was that?!?!?!?? Where were the damn brackets?!?!?!?? What about the seedings & matchups?!?!?? My understanding is that they eventually got around to all of that, but too late for this guy. I changed the channel and decided I’d watch ESPN’s analysis a bit later. Then…as I have learned to do in such situations…I logged onto Twitter and located the appropriate hashtags. Now THAT was entertaining!! Dear TBS…in case you haven’t heard by now…America collectively despised your idiotic Selection Show. It was almost unanimously reviled. Hopefully the powers-that-be hear the cries of despair from disillusioned basketball fans and next year everything will go back to the way it’s supposed to be, allowing us to forget 2018 like a drunken night back in our youth when we may have done something particularly vile & unlawful but somehow escaped illness, injury, & incarceration, thereafter successfully blocking it from our consciousness.

At any rate, you’re here for my two cents on the tournament. Unfortunately I am unable to put up actual brackets, so we’ll just improvise. I’ve italicized first round winners, and any further predicted upsets are discussed in the comments. I only do one bracket and use it for any & all “competitions” I may enter. My picks are based on minimal research, elementary understanding of college basketball as a casual fan, and my infamous vibes, which longtime citizens of The Manoverse know are mostly unreliable. I don’t give a rat’s petoot about play-in games because I think they are stupid. This year’s field was supposed to be wide open, but to be honest I think you’ll see a lot of chalk, especially in the first two rounds. There are probably ten or twelve teams at most that are legit title contenders, which I suppose still leaves us with plenty of opportunities to be entertained. With the godawful Selection Show behind us I think we can look forward to a really fun few weeks of Madness.

 

 

East

1       Villanova                                                   16     LIU-Brooklyn or Radford

2       Purdue                                                      15     Cal St.-Fullerton

3       Texas Tech                                               14     Stephen F. Austin

4       Wichita St.                                                13     Marshall

5       West Virginia                                           12     Murray St.

6       Florida                                                       11     UCLA or St. Bonaventure

7       Arkansas                                                   10     Butler

8       Virginia Tech                                             9       Alabama

Let me give a shout out to my Marshall Thundering Herd for making the Big Dance for he first time since 1987, which was even before I arrived on campus in the early 90’s. I’m predicting a big upset in Round 1, with Stephen F. Austin upending Texas Tech, and a milder surprise with Butler upsetting Arkansas. How in the world the Red Raiders are a #3 while my WV Mountaineers are a #5 is beyond comprehension. I have Villanova vs. Purdue in the regional final, with the Wildcats making it to the Final Four. Boring?? Perhaps. Predictable?? Sure. But I bet almost everybody in America sees it happening the same way.

 

 

West

1       Xavier                                                        16     Texas Southern or MC Central

2       North Carolina                                          15     Lipscomb

3       Michigan                                                    14     Montana

4       Gonzaga                                                   13     UNC-Greensboro

5       Ohio St.                                                     12     South Dakota St.

6       Houston                                                     11     San Diego St.

7       Texas A&M                                               10     Providence

8       Missouri                                                     9       Florida St.

I have three first round upsets in this region…Florida St. over Missouri, Providence upending Texas A&M, and San Diego St. taking out Houston. I’m picking Gonzaga to beat Xavier and Michigan to defeat the Tar Heels in the Sweet 16, with the Wolverines then winning the regional final over the Zags to make it to the Final Four.

 

Midwest

1       Kansas                                                      16     Pennsylvania

2       Duke                                                           15     Iona

3       Michigan St.                                              14     Bucknell

4       Auburn                                                       13     College of Charleston

5       Clemson                                                    12     New Mexico St.

6       TCU                                                           11     Syracuse or Arizona St.

7       Rhode Island                                            10     Oklahoma

8       Seton Hall                                                 9       NC St.

I have straight first round chalk here, with the exception of a very slight upset of the Wolfpack over Seton Hall. The only other thing I’ll say about the first round is that the Oklahoma Sooners 100% absolutely should NOT be in this tournament. The “experts” can spin things any way they choose, but the Sooners getting a bid ahead of their in-state rival Oklahoma St. is absolutely criminal. The Cowboys defeated Oklahoma head-to-head 2 out of 3 times this season, plus they beat Kansas 2 out of 3 times. If that’s not good enough I’m not sure what possibly could be. ESPN has fellatiated freshman guard Trae Young all season, to the point that college basketball fans everywhere loathe an 18 year old kid. He led his team to a rather pedestrian 18-13 record, so I’m left with the impression that he is mostly hype & potential, a guy that the geniuses in Bristol, CT decided to promote as Steph Curry 2.0 but who has been unable to live up to the concocted storyline. He probably needs to stay in college another year or two, but instead he’ll enter the NBA Draft where a team will waste a first round pick on him and he’ll become an epic disappointment. Anyway, after Round 1 I have Kansas meeting Duke in the regional final, with the Blue Devils advancing to San Antonio.

 

South

1       Virginia                                                      16     Maryland-Baltimore County

2       Cincinnati                                                  15     Georgia St.

3       Tennessee                                                  14     Wright St.

4       Arizona                                                      13     Buffalo

5       Kentucky                                                   12     Davidson

6       Miami, FL                                                 11     Loyola-Chicago

7       Nevada                                                      10     Texas

8       Creighton                                                  9       Kansas St.

I have two mild upsets in the first round…Texas over Nevada and Kansas St. beating Creighton. The Big 12 is the best basketball conference in America and I think going thru those battles the past few months will have benefits now. I’m picking Kentucky over Arizona, Miami to beat Tennessee, & Texas with another upset over Cincinnati in Round 2. As a matter of fact I am picking the Longhorns to make it all the way to the regional final before falling to top seed Virginia.

 

 

So I am left with a Final Four of Virginia, Villanova, Duke, & Michigan…two #1’s, a #2, and a #3. I foresee a title game pitting Duke vs. Michigan, with the Blue Devils cutting down the nets for the seventh time in 27 years, the last championship being in 2015. That oughta tick some people off.