Ole Miss Faces Situational Challenge and the Greatly Improved Florida Gators
Carnage hit the Circa Survivor contest in Week 2 as both the 8.5-point favorite Buccaneers and seven-point favorite Chargers went down, wiping out a massive chunk of the field. More than two-thirds of the entries are now gone. Exactly what they deserve, in my humble opinion. I’ll never understand why Survivor continues to attract more attention than the Circa Millions. Survivor is basically a lottery ticket dressed up as strategy. People love to talk about nuance, game theory, sequencing, and all the rest of it, but at its core there is an enormous amount of randomness involved and very little room for sustained skill to separate itself. That is why the growth of Survivor compared to the relative stability of the Millions feels like such a sign of the times. The Millions rewards actual handicapping. Over a long enough sample, the better bettors can separate themselves from the field. Survivor gives you one mistake, one bad bounce, one favorite that doesn’t show up, and you’re done.
I was also deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Chris Spatola. Far too young. Hopefully, at some point, there will be clarity surrounding the cause of death, because when no information is released it inevitably creates unnecessary speculation. Chris was talented, sharp, articulate, and by all accounts a genuinely decent person. He had the kind of presence that made broadcasts better, and he brought intelligence without making the game feel overcomplicated. He really had it all, which makes the news that much harder to process.
We’ll also be updating our WNBA power ratings heading into the playoffs. All eight postseason teams are good, but every one of them is flawed, which should make this a wildly interesting and entertaining postseason. Minnesota has clinched the No. 1 seed, so the bracket is finally starting to come into focus. The rest of the matchups will be finalized Thursday night, and once they are, we’ll have a much clearer picture of where the real betting edges may be.
Circa Survivor Carnage is Deserved
Lynx Secure #1 Seed as Valkyries Lose to Fire
