This week's ratings will be delayed while I bask in the glow of celebrity (and wait for the result of the Monday night La Tech - Rice game). Jean Jadhon interviewed me for a News 7 spot, which you can see at www.wdbj7.com. Scroll down and you'll see "Experts say ..." as a feature video, at least until they add new features. Kenneth Massey is also interviewed.

I thought that Jean edited a rambling interview into a very nice spot, and it can't be easy trying to make a math professor look good. But there are a couple of facts that I think are interesting that didn't make the cut. Both are related to how hard it is to make money betting football. The standard deviation of a college football game is about 16 points. That means that on the average almost one out of three outcomes differs by more than 16 points from the point spread. It also means that if you could predict games 5 points better than the point spread, you'd still only win 60%. At 60%, you'd have a lot of losing streaks. If you made the same size bets each time and kept track of your betting bankroll, over 90% of the time you'd have less money than you did at some point in the past. So it's like playing the stock market these days; over the long haul, you'll make a little money, if you're 5 points better than the experts. The second fact is that the point spread is determined by bettors who use rating systems like mine. I've always said that mine beats the spread 60% of the time, but I had only checked it a few times in the 90's. When I checked it this year, my system only won 51-52% of the time. The point spreads are much harder to beat than they used to be.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the Minton Car Fund is welcome to do so. You can designate which of the four of us you want your donation to help.

If you'll excuse me, I have some autographs to sign. (For Chase Mortgage and Adelphia and ...)