COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The first 8 weeks are in the books, and the Greatest Pool in the History of the World is enjoying/enduring one of it’s most volatile years in recent history. Week 8 drew a collective “meh” with the top point-getter this week under 40 points. So the scrunched-up standings are a bit scrunchier, the bye weeks are major pains in the asses, and a mistake (beware the double loss) becomes that much bigger. WIth lots of big showdowns on the horizon, the 2026 CFB Pool is very much up for grabs.

Captain GOP wins the week with a meager 36 points. Kansas State and Troy take losses, the Captain rides the #1 team in the land with a 16 point double win out of undefeated Miami.

Beef sits in 2nd place. Virginia starts his week with a home loss to Duke and Texas Tech takes a double loss, getting upset in the Gamblers Anonymous/Sorsby Bowl. Utah continues to roll, one of the 3 remaining undefeated teams, getting a ranked bonus win over Houston.

Navin’s in 3rd – a last second double game switch from BYU (loses to UCF) to UConn (cover win over UMass) pays off. Disclaimer: last-minute changes generally end very, very poorly for Navin.

Sergio rounds out of top 4. JMU, UNC, and Tennessee take losses, the Vols getting outscored 10-0 in the last minute of the game at So Carolina. SMU gets a big double win.

FlaInt loses at home for an early-week loss for Milburn. Miss State and Central Michigan lose in bye-induced starts. Okie State routs Prime for a nice double win. He’s in 5th, 10 points clear of the Group of Pizza.

The GOP:

Champ posts an 0-5 week vs. the spread, matching Johnson’s futility from a week ago. Baylor, Louisiana, and Iowa suffer losses, the Hawkeyes playoff talk can end. Now. Indiana gets a double win at Michigan getting defensive points, but the hook denies the cover points.

From the penthouse to the GOP, Wile E.‘s latest plan was a classic stick of dynamite exploding in his own hands. Double USC, they lose to Sconny, scoring less than 10 points for a -6 loss. Meanwhile,Texas (usually doubled) beats ranked Ole-Miss. Air Force also takes an L to Wyoming.

The good news: Johnson beat last week’s -5 point debacle. The bad news: He scores 4 points to become this week’s debacle. Missouri St, Bowling Green, Iowa State, and TCU all suffer defeat, the TCU loss a double-gamer at the hands of West Virginia (9.5 underdog). At home. Maybe Lincoln Riley can bring in Sonny Dykes in 2027.

Igor in last place. Igor struggle. South Alabama. Clemson. Oregon. Losers. Alabama win double. No cover.

One can only imagine the CFB Gods reaction after reading Bronko’s picks for week 7:

CFB GODS:
We believe in nothing, Bronko. Nothing. And tomorrow we come back and we cut off your chonson. (Vandy gets beat at home by Arkansas)

Bronko:
Excuse me?

CFB GODS:
We said “We’ll cut off your johnson”! (Bowling Green loses at home to Ball State)

CFB GODS:
Just you think about that, Bronko. Yeah, your wiggly penis, Bronko. (Oklahoma loses at home to Kentucky)

CFB GODS:
Yeah and maybe we stomp on it and squoosh it, Bronko. (Georgia loses 2X game at home to Auburn)

Maybe Bronko was cheeching Acapulco gold, Maui wowie, Panama red, sinsemilla, and mootah prior to his weekly submission, accompanied by Paul Harvey’s “Ode to a common man”. And while Bronko is a name that is anything but common, a -5 weekly score results in a “Farewell” to that moniker. And a welcome to one of the most common of all, Johnson. (Play with that as you’d like.) You probably won’t go blind. Johnson falls from 2nd place all the way to 8th.

Beef moves into a tie for the lead. Nebraska gets 2 points for covering a road loss at Oregon, Fresno State loses at SDSU. Utah holds off a pesky Colorado for a road double win.

Captain GOP continues to bail water, losing his second double game of the year with Pitt losing to Boston College. Back to back 28 point weeks, he’s hanging on precariously.

Sergio moves from 8th place to 3rd powered by Ohio State’s 24 point double win at Indiana. 55 points to win the week, the only blemish- Temple loses at home to Charlotte.

Navin moves from 7th place to 4th posting the only 6-0 week. New Mexico doesn’t cover in Hawaii (looking ahead to NDSU or at the Hawaiian girls or both?) LSU, Wake, and Ohio all get defensive bonus points.

Dropping just one spot, Champ sits in 5th, one point clear of the GOP. Memphis loses by 2 touchdowns to Tulane in his double game. Baylor takes a -4 point loss at home to TCU.

Milburn leads the GOP, sliding back with the Notre Dame double loss in Provo. FIU and Oklahoma State also lose.

Texas drops another double game for Wile E. FAU gets beat by 28 points against Army. He slides to 7th place.

Igor remains in the basement. Alabama and ECU take losses. Oregon squeaks by Nebraska for an 8 point double win.

Did you know?

Five of the top seven teams in the AP poll lost on the same day for the first time in the 90-year history of the poll.

Notre Dame is now 0-9 in its last 9 true road games vs. Top 10 opponents.

This week’s “Separation Saturday” made for a “Shoehorn Saturday” in the GPHW. 44 total points separates first from last in the pool.

Last week’s cellar-dweller, Milburn, beat 3 guys by more than 44 points this week. 6-0, 6-0 vs. the spread. An 18 point win from Notre Dame in his double game. Mizzou and FIU post defensive points. 61 points for the week, he climbs from 9th to 5th, only 13 points out of the lead.

We have a new co-leader. Bronko gets 54 points on 5 wins led by a 24 point double win from Georgia. Ranked, Cover, and Road bonus points. Florida State is cooked, getting drubbed at Louisville for his lone loss. He moves from 5th to first place, tied with…

Captain GOP. Kansas State and Pitt lose at home, Northwestern wins by 31 and doesn’t cover in his double game. 28 points for the week, our braggadocious captain is in put-up or shut-up territory as the October squeeze is on.

Jumping from 6th to 3rd – Beef gets 5 wins and 46 points. A gallant start of the Huskers provided early hope, but faded late. Sound familiar, Husker fans? Underdog UCLA delivered a big upset at Autzen. Ole Miss gets 18 points in a double win at Vandy.

Champ drops 3 games this week and slips to 4th place. NDSU endures FBS loss #1, head coach and QB might have some ‘splainin’ to do this week. Va Tech and Cal lose late. Indiana ekes out a double win in Lincoln.

Texas has an Arch problem, and that’s a big problem for Wile E. 2 crucial picks late doom his double game. App State and Toledo both held to single digits in home losses. He falls from 3rd to 6th, and into the Group of Pizza.

LSU thwarted a good week for Navin, losing his double game at Kentucky. Florida gets blitzed at home. 4 wins, 27 points for the week, he sits in 7th.

Sergio posts the rare 0-6 vs. the spread week. Temple and Arkansas State take L’s, 34.5 was too many points to cover for Ohio State in a double win over Maryland.

Back to the basement for Igor. The Ducks lose again, a double loss at home (-6 points) to UCLA. Alabama and Tulsa lose as well. A pool-low 15 points for the week.

Getting to the midway point of the season. Tough conference games on the horizon. Who do you trust enough to start? For a lot of us, the old confidence meter on the squads is waning.

Week 5 didn’t provide the litany of nail biters we’ve seen in prior weeks, but it certainly shook up the GPHW; Greatest Pool in the History of the World. Scores ranged from 48 (Sergio) to 16 (Beef). The leader of the GOP is only 10 points out of 3rd place. She’s tightening up fellas, gonna be a fun ride.

Captain GOP hangs on to the top spot, but the old eyebrow-raising decisions that marked his existence to date resurfaced. He doubled Miami, not the steam-rolling, point-producing, South Beach juggernaut, but the MAC version. In a league game. Nuff said, CFB Pool battle scars we’re all too familiar with. He still manages 32 points on 5 wins, including Miami’s 41-13 win at Clemson.

Champ’s Bison picked up right where they left off, posting another shutout and earning a ridiculous drill bit trophy. Memphis picks up a 20 point double win. Illinois and late-substitution pick Texas State take losses. He sits in 2nd, 4 points back.

Wile E. posts the only 6-0 record this week and is in 3rd place. USC survives Washington for a meager 8 point double win, Air Force gets defensive points holding Navy to 9 points as the Zoomies are looking good for the 2026 Commander-in-Chief’s trophy

Bronko scratches 24 points out of a 4-2 week. Georgia beats Vandy for the 2X win, but no cover. (8 points) His Wolverines lost to the Gophers (he’ll take that) and WKU get run at New Mexico State. He moves to 5th.

A big leap for Sergio, jumping from 8th to 4th. The Buckeyes roll into Kinnick and take a resounding W, good for 22 points. (ranked,road,cover). USF loses at home to Temple for his one loss.

Beef falls back to the GOP in 6th place. Virginia gets blasted by FSU, AZ State, C Carolina, and Hawaii all take losses. Texas Tech’s 20 point double win over Prime salvaged the week.

Navin chased points the week, but the Gators went back to their Billyball ways and had a Napierian showing at Mizzou. He picks up 5 wins, including an 18 point double effort from surprising Wake Forest.

Igor claws out of the cellar. In a meager way. 4 wins. UMass and Tulsa drop home games. Alabama get a big road,ranked,spread win, good for 20 points.

Canio sang a forlorn song this week. From afar (on his bench) his Beloved claim an epic, historic victory. Louisville and Penn State lose for the 2nd straight week, and Mississippi State found out that yes, Alabama is back. 3 losses. And back to last place.

Return to GO. Do not collect $200. Welcome to the pool…

Milburn

5 guys posted 50+ points this week. And cellar-dweller Igor led the way, hitting the 60 point mark.

Oregon’s win at USC was good for 22 points for Igor. UMass gets a 10 point win at Sac State, Alabama and UNLV get cover wins. He moves to 7th place in his effort to claw out of the GOP.

Captain GOP stays perfect on the season (24-0), the last unblemished record. Miami is racking up double points over the cupcakes. Boise gets a nice roadie at W Michigan. 56 points for the week – Looking tough a month in, can he sustain?

Champ is right on his heels, 23-1 on the season, scoring 52 this week. Louisiana gets a big 20 point double win – and Iowa tallies 10 in the upset at Ann Arbor. Indiana was a bit shaky beating Northwestern at home.

Beef sits in 3rd place. 50 points for the week – even with Ole Miss’s loss in the Swamp. 5 wins AND covers including an 18 point from Utah at Iowa State.

Bronko moves up to 4th posting his 2nd straight 50+ point week. 4 teams get defensive points and Georgia routs Oklahoma for an 18 point double win. Also – Nice win at Washington! Ski. U. Mah. Must have been an awesome night at Husky Stadium.

Wile E. slides to 5th place scoring 36 points. USC loses at home to the Ducks. The Longhorns win his double game but no cover.

Canio dips to 6th. 3 losses – Penn State to Wisconsin, Louisville to Wake, and Washington to Minnesota (bitterswee- ah, the rub of the CFB pool) A pool-low 25 points, back in the GOP.

Sergio is in 8th. The Buckeyes finally don’t cover a monster spread vs. Illinois, Tennesse loses but covers at home. Gotta keep chasin’ points.

Navin sits in last place. Navy kicks off the week with a loss at UAB – another no-cover double win out of Houston as Navin doubles the wrong team every week.

The pre-season jostling is winding down. Get rid of the FCS fodder! Indiana, play someone! We’re 3 weeks in and haven’t had one train wreck to laugh at. But as we all know – Winter’s coming.

Bronko takes the top spot in week 3, the only poolster to break the 50 point mark. Georgia gets an SEC road-cover win. Wash St, TCU, Iowa St, and Oklahoma get defensive bonus points. The Sooners don’t cover his double game win.

Captain GOP stays perfect on the season. Miami gets a non-cover double win at Wake Forest. Northwestern pummels Colorado for a solid 9 point win. Cincy and Boise State looked shaky in their wins.

Canio and Wile E. are also 18-0. Canio sits in 2nd led by Penn State’s shellacking of Buffalo in his double game. Wile E. sweats out a USC win at Rutgers and Texas has the letdown with a no cover double win vs. UTSA.

Champ slides a couple spots to 3rd this week. Texas A&M gets upset at home by Kentucky, the Bison get a no-cover double win in Sacramento. Shutouts by Indiana and Iowa buoyed the week.

Beef is now tied for 3rd place- Virginia loses to West Virginia. He gets a a nice head-to-head win over Navin with Ole Miss beating ranked LSU. Utah gets a 20 point double shutout win.

Sergio gets a couple losses this week. SMU loses at Louisville and ODU gets deposed by East Carolina. He scores a pool-low 32 points sitting in 7th place. Ohio State continues to cover ridiculous point spreads.

Louisiana kicked Navin’s ass this week. LSU loses to Ole Miss, La Monroe loses to FCS SE Louisiana.

Igor’s double game lasted about 7 hours – a lot of work for a no-cover Bama win over FSU. His Ducks took out some frustration, big potential points on the board next week when Oregon travels to USC.

Week 2. We get the first major upset (a double whammy for Igor) and a good ol’ fashioned duel in Texas (Wile E gets the edge over Sergio).

But let’s kick this off in the Colorado Mountains. Watch out G6!, the mighty Bison have arrived. Champ rides the alma mater into Fort Collins and pulls off a big road double win to go to 3-0. The Bison are racking up some points and have helped vault Champ to the top of the standings. Add a shutout by Indiana as they roll creampuffs and defensive points from South Carolina and Baylor.

Captain GOP slides to 2nd place, besting 6 FCS squads. NC state gets a shutout and the Miamis get defensive points, the Hurricanes in an embarrassing double win over Fla. A&M.

Silver lining for Canio’s beloved’s tragic day was going 6-0 in the pool. Notre Dame shuts out Rice – Penn State gets defensive points in a double win.

Wile E. goes 6-0, 0-3 vs. the spread. He gets 6 ranked bonus points in the Texas showdown win over the #1 Buckeyes, but it’s a -4 in the odds column. USC and Marshall also post non-cover W’s.

The biggest mover this week is Beef, moving up to 5th place. Virginia, Coastal Carolina and Nebraska get defensive bonus points, the Huskers in a double win over BGSU. Nebraska- Kings of September.

The Ohio State – Texas duel looked so good for Sergio, but the plot took an unfortunate twist in the 4th quarter. 3 Longhorn TD’s – one can only imagine the stream of vindictiveness going through Sergio’s head Saturday night. The Buckeyes did cover, earning 4 points in a loss. JMU, Sconny, and UNC post defensive points.

Navy loses at FAU to hand Navin a loss. LSU had the sandwich game (Clemson-L Tech-Ole Miss) and posted a lackluster double win.

Oklahoma lost to it’s B1G doppelganger Michigan (Overpaid, overrated mediocre QB, great D) dealing Bronko loss #2 on the season. TCU gets defensive points and Georgia is looking like the Dawgs of old.

It’s getting late early for Igor. The Ducks are looking pretty busty 2 games into the season with a daunting schedule ahead. Clemson bounces back and Bama looks solid in a win at Kentucky.

What a debut for Captain GOP! The perpetual bottom feeder is living in the penthouse this week. 3 of his teams get defensive pts., and (much to Sergio’s chagrin) Ga. Southern gets a shutout in his double win. 54 points for the week. Does Cap have staying power?

Defending champ Wile E. answers the call with 2 shutouts, 2 defensive point wins and a 16 point double win out of Texas is his double game. Big week 2 showdown with Ohio State on the horizon. Will be a statement game for sure.

Canio gets a big double win from the Irish. 3 teams get defensive points (including The Beloved) and Penn State opens the Campbell era with a shutout. But with Canio, tragedy always looms.

Champ is off to his usual 50+ Week 1 total. He gets 3 shutout wins and 1 win with defensive points. NDSU gets a great debut with a (16 point) shutout win over Florid- err.. Fordham. Iowa and Texas A&M also get shutouts.

4 defensive point bonus wins including a double win and cover by Ohio State (as a 51 point favorite) has Sergio in 4th place. The Buckeye vs. Longhorn match-up is up next. Who’s balls are bigger? We shall see in Week 2.

Game 1 – week 0 – Dublin, Ireland. TCU takes a dump on Irish soil and loses to start Bronko’s season. He rallies and gets defensive points from Georgia and Vandy. Oklahoma gets a shutout in a double win over UTEP. That’s a 20 point doubler – tops in the pool.

Poolsters who are mired in mediocrity have a hard time getting rid of nicknames. Outside of winning in his rookie year – Cletus hasn’t done much of anything to distinguish himself, outside of being a perpetual Nebraska drafter. He lives, breathes, and eats Nebraska. And what’s Lincoln’s favorite food? Beef.

Beef survives a couple nail biters. Auburn gets a skinny 1 point win over Baylor; Ole Miss wins on a walk-off field goal against Louisville. Neither team covers. Arizona State gets defensive points.

Wake Forest set the tone for Navin this week – giving up 14 points late in the 4th quarter to not cover vs. Akron. Houston followed suit. 0-2 vs. the spread. BYU gets defensive points in his double game, along with Kansas.

A week 0 loss by UNLV to Memphis at home kicked off Igor’s season and his lineup didn’t exactly rally. 5 wins with 1 cover – Defensive points from Delaware and So Miss. Oregon looked a bit shaky (maybe Boise looked better than expected?) and didn’t cover in his double game. Someone has to start in the basement.

21 teams get defensive bonus points. 9 teams get shutout wins. That’s as many in a week that I can remember. By a long shot. Loading up on wins, lacking marquee match-ups. The new era of college football.

A hearty Congratulations to the 2025 Champion of the Greatest Pool in the History of the World! Armed with a seemingly endless supply of gadgets and good football teams, Wile E. bested the field with a resounding stretch run. He took the lead in week 10 and closed it out going 17-2 down the stretch. It’s a long-time coming for Wile E. From Junkyard Dog and Dr. X, Chief Wahoo and Dwight to Reggie, OJ, and PJ, it’s a long, long line of losing seasons. And hopefully that makes the 2025 Championship taste that much sweeter. Texas Tech ties the bow on the season with big win – Cover, Ranked, and Defensive points. And he had the Dawgs resting on the porch.

There was no movement in the standings in the final week. The Group of Pizza is locked in for the 2026 Draft.

The draft order is set. On the clock…

Canio.

(pictured here at Open Mic Night, Northfield, MN. Nov. 27,2025)

His 2025 CFB Pool story was remarkable for its intense verismo, raw emotion, and devastating plot – somehow navigating a path to finish worse than Igor. Canio gets the double win of the year with the Hoosiers knocking off Sergio’s Buckeyes in a head-to-head final showdown. But Igor answers with a double win out of top-pick Boise State – holding off Canio by 3 points.

The “modern era” in the Greatest Pool in the History of the World started in 2004 with a fitting champion – Keith Jackson (Mike). Yes, there were champions prior. Talked about and debated in draft rooms and on Bowl Days, these titles are “mythical”, unsubstantiated by historic records.

The GPITHOTW has its very own Cubs, Red Sox, Browns, long-suffering, snake-bit loser. Wile E. may be the most fitting nickname ever as he chased, and chased, and chased his title. While there is a mathematic possibility, he’s a virtual lock for his first title heading into Championship week.

Wile E. is running away from the field with another solid 5-1 week. Texas Tech gets a road shutout at West Virginia for 11 points. The Dawgs get defensive points.

Navin jumps to 2nd place powered by 5 road wins including a double win from the Tide in the Iron Bowl.

Champ slips to the 3rd spot. The Irish win by 29 and fail to cover in his double game. San Diego State falls to New Mexico.

Bronko continues to climb the standings. another 6-0 week, he’s posted 111 points in the last 2 weeks. The Ducks get a road, cover, double win at Washington. USF and Hawaii get defensive points.

Cletus and Sergio are locked in a tight battle to avoid the Group of Pizza.

Cletus loses his double game as his Aggies can’t shake the Longhorns. #1 pick Penn State gets a rare win.

Sergio‘s team has a split personality. There’s the 14-0, 236 point double wins (Ohio St) and the 46-20 rest of his team. Chasing points, he gets losses from LSU, SMU and Auburn.

Safely in the GOP: Squirrel, Igor, and Operaman.

Squirrel wins his double showdown in the Texas win over the Aggies. Memphis and UTSA take home losses.

Igor’s Mormons secure a conference championship bid with a double win over UCF. Marshall drops a home game to Ga Southern.

Operaman has one more verse in his swan song. He will bid adieu with his final pick next week. His Hoosiers continue to steamroll the fodder on the schedule.