We Pick Week 10 NFL Winners

We catalogue more than two dozen erstwhile college football programs that were once national powers but have been discontinued. I recount the principal causes for their dissolution, including fiscal exigencies, wartime suspensions, institutional reallocation of priorities, Title IX compliance, and academic or ethical scandals. We narrate exemplar cases that span a century of change, from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and its Pop Warner–coached, Jim Thorpe–starred teams to Carnegie Tech, Washington & Jefferson, the University of Chicago, Santa Clara, and the University of San Francisco. I describe pivotal moments such as Washington and Lee’s 1954 academic scandal, Boston University’s 1997 budgetary reallocation, Gonzaga’s suspension after Pearl Harbor, and San Francisco’s 1951 decision grounded in racial integrity. We emphasize the enduring legacy of coaches and players who entered college and professional halls of fame and affirm our commitment to preserving and recounting these histories for contemporary audiences.Don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-StarsDrop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.Contact us directly at [email protected] our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. We present a careful catalog of twenty-five historic college football programs that were once national powers and are now defunct or reduced in status. I describe programs that won championships, hosted legendary coaches, and produced Hall of Famers. We note examples such as Carlisle Indian Industrial School with Pop Warner and Jim Thorpe, Washington and Jefferson at the Rose Bowl, Carnegie Tech upsetting Notre Dame, and the University of Chicago under Amos Alonzo Stagg. We explain common causes for decline: fiscal pressures, stadium costs, institutional decisions to de-emphasize athletics, wartime suspensions, Title IX requirements, and local competition from professional teams. I emphasize the persistence of these teams in the historical record and we invite reflection on how institutional priorities reshaped college football over time.

November 12 marks the anniversary of the inaugural college football contests for Kentucky A&M (now the University of Kentucky) and for Penn State. I recount how Kentucky took the field in 1881 without a coach or uniform and lost a rudimentary rugby-style contest before growing into the Wildcats after a landmark 1909 victory. We describe Penn State’s disputed 54–0 report versus Bucknell on that same date in 1881 and how the program rapidly established defensive dominance. I outline key moments that followed for both schools, including Kentucky’s undefeated 1898 “Immortals” and Penn State’s development of famed players and the Nittany Lion identity. We place these origin stories within a broader gridiron timeline and invite listeners to reflect on how these early games shaped each program’s long-term legacy. I present this material plainly and directly to commemorate the historical significance of November 12 for college football.Don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-StarsDrop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.Contact us directly at [email protected] our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. I trace the nascent emergence of collegiate football in Kentucky with meticulous attention to chronology and cultural consequence, beginning with the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky’s formative steps in November 1881. I recount how a group of students, inspired by local contests the year prior, organized without formal coaching, uniform standards, or institutional nomenclature, and how their inaugural contest against Kentucky University (later Transylvania) culminated in an idiosyncratic 1 to 7¼ goals scoreline under the rudimentary rugby-derived conventions of the era. I delineate the incremental professionalization that followed — adoption of coaches, uniforms, and structured practice — and highlight the seminal 1898 “Immortals” squad, which, despite diminutive average physical stature, achieved the singular distinction within Kentucky program history of an undefeated, untied, and unscored-upon season. I further explicate the galvanizing moment in 1909 when coach Edwin Sweetland’s team traveled to Urbana and upset the University of Illinois, an outcome that prompted civic celebration and, notably, the bestowal of the “Wildcats” sobriquet by the university commandant. I situate that appellation within a broader narrative of identity formation and media amplification, demonstrating how an ephemeral phrase, once amplified by press and populace, attained durable institutional significance and contributed to the program’s eventual elevation within the Southeastern Conference. Throughout, I emphasize the interplay between local contestation, emergent sporting rules, and the symbolic consolidation that transforms episodic victories into lasting traditions.

I present our Week 10 NFL predictions and the game-by-game picks that form the main focus of this broadcast. We begin by addressing the Thursday night matchup between Washington and the Giants and announcing our selections for that game. We predict several upsets, with Ed backing the Patriots over the Lions and the Falcons over the Chiefs, while I offer alternative viewpoints on a few contests. My co‑host and I also pick winners for the key Sunday games, including Texans at Browns, Vikings at Packers, and Bengals at Pittsburgh, and we outline the rationale for our choices. We assess the league at midseason, noting that some teams appear to be conceding their seasons, that trades are altering team motivation, and that divisional races are unstable, particularly in the NFC South. We invite listeners to compare their picks with ours and to visit pigskindispatch.com for further history and upcoming predictions.Don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-StarsDrop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.Contact us directly at [email protected] our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. We commence with an exhaustive appraisal of Week 10 prognostications and the metrics that underpin our selections. I recount that we are inexplicably tied at 82–53–1 on straight-up picks through nine weeks, while our spread records diverge markedly; Ed has produced a sustained advantage against the spread and quantified it in hypothetical units, whereas I have suffered a protracted downturn. I articulate our specific game calls and the rationale that informed them: I am steadfast in selecting the Giants to prevail on Thursday in New York despite Ed’s reluctant wager on Washington driven by desperation; both of us anticipate a mild upset with the Patriots over the Lions; we split on Atlanta versus Kansas City with Ed favoring the Falcons and I retaining confidence in the Chiefs; we coalesce on Houston over Cleveland; we diverge on Green Bay–Minnesota with Ed projecting a narrow Packers victory and I endorsing the Vikings outright; Jacksonville is favored by both of us to win but to varying margins; we differ on the Colts–Dolphins contest with Ed favoring the home Colts and I preferring Miami. I conclude by enumerating our late-week selections: Saints at home, Bills to dominate the Jets, Seahawks overcoming the Raiders, Rams to contain the Cardinals, 49ers to outpace Dallas, Bengals to avenge and beat Pittsburgh late, and a contrarian pick that the Chargers will secure their first win in Baltimore on Monday night. I invite listeners to compare their wagers with our assessments and to consult pigskindispatch.com for further content.

I state that November 11 marks the inaugural contests for three venerable college football programs: Alabama (November 11, 1892) and both Ole Miss and Oregon State (November 11, 1893). We describe Oregon State’s first game at the State Agricultural College of Oregon, organized by William H. Bloss, when seventeen players defeated Albany College 62 to 0 before about 500 spectators who paid a dime each. I recount Ole Miss’s origin under Dr. Alexander Lee Bondurant, who formed an athletic association and coached the inaugural squad to a 56 to 0 victory over Southwest Baptist (now Union University) on November 11, 1893. We relate that Alabama’s earliest game occurred on November 11, 1892, when William G. Little introduced the sport after returning from the Northeast and the university team, then informally called the Cadets, opened with a 56 to 0 win over a Birmingham all‑star high school aggregation. I emphasize that these origins and decisive scores render November 11 a significant date in college football history, and we continue to commemorate such anniversaries through our articles and timeline resources.Don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-StarsDrop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.Contact us directly at [email protected] our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

Ed Kleese joins us as we assert that Week Nine of the 2026 NFL season produced a remarkable concentration of historically significant performances and record-setting occurrences that form the principal subject of our discourse. We documented anomalous low-output phenomena, most conspicuously the Baltimore Ravens' net passing nadir of 57 yards against Jacksonville, a performance so anachronistic that it invited comparisons to the proto-era contests of the 1920s despite transpiring in 2026. We also chronicled ascendant achievements, including the Joe Burrow–Ja’Marr Chase tandem recording their nineteenth 40-yard touchdown connection to ascend into the pantheon of all-time duos, and the Bengals’ aerial efficiency exemplified by a complementary number-one receiver in Tee Higgins. I delineated the marked resurgence of C.J. Stroud, whose regimen of high-value completions and a 22-to-4 ratio of big-time throws to turnover-worthy attempts manifests a dramatic reversal of prior decline. We highlighted the sprinting back Jamar Gibbs attaining his sixtieth career touchdown in four seasons, a feat that aligns him with LaDainian Tomlinson and places him one behind Terrell Davis, thereby intimating a potential rewriting of early-career rushing records. Finally, we observed ancillary historical notes of consequence — from Minnesota’s offensive implosion under Carson Wentz to the Raiders’ dubious parity with an NFL record of consecutive 30-plus point concessions — and we intimate that this assemblage of extremes will render Week Nine a durable footnote in pro football annals.Don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-StarsDrop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.Contact us directly at [email protected] our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

Timothy Brown explains that the rule requiring the kicking team to kick the ball at least ten yards was instituted to disable the dangerous flying wedge. He describes how a Harvard coach named DeLand arranged multiple players into a phalanx behind a dribble kick so one runner could be shielded by a mass of blockers. We note that the wedge was highly effective but caused severe injuries when defenders attempted to break it and were trampled. I outline that early reforms used the ten‑yard kick rule as an indirect remedy and that later direct bans followed: in 1910 pushing, pulling, and interlocking arms were outlawed, and in 1932 a five‑player spacing rule was adopted to limit wedge formation. I state that the NCAA later limited wedge size in 2012 and prohibited two blockers coming together on returns in 2019. We conclude that many modern kickoff and return rules exist primarily to prevent the hazardous wedge tactics that emerged in the 1890s.The conversation is based on Tim's recent article titled: Shooting Down The Flying Wedge - https://www.footballarchaeology.com/p/todays-tidbit-shooting-down-the-flyingDon't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-StarsDrop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.Contact us directly at [email protected] our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

We state the main point at the outset: Gus Dorais and Knute Rockney transformed the forward pass from a little-used rule into a decisive offensive weapon. I describe how they spent a summer at Cedar Point practicing throws to a moving end and perfected passing fundamentals. We explain how coach Jesse Harper embraced the idea and how rule changes made the forward pass practical. I recount the November 1, 1913 game at West Point when precise passing led Notre Dame to a 35 to 13 victory and stunned observers. We trace Dorais’s later career at the University of Detroit and his long effort to teach the passing game to others. We conclude that their work forced the rest of football to learn both to throw and to defend the pass.Don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-StarsDrop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.Contact us directly at [email protected] our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

We explain that eight different schools won the Southeastern Conference title during the 1950s, and we examine why that balance of power never happened again. I recount how coaching changes, tactical innovations, and recruiting and probation issues drove yearly shifts in champions. We describe the roles of figures such as Robert Neyland, Bobby Dodd, Johnny Vaught, Shug Jordan, Paul Dietzel, and Bear Bryant in shaping the decade. I highlight landmark seasons and games, including Auburn’s dominant 1957 season and LSU’s 1958 national title, to show how fragile sustained dominance was. We show how Bear Bryant’s return to the SEC after 1959 began to alter that competitive balance.Don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-StarsDrop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.Contact us directly at [email protected] our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. We chronicle the tumultuous landscape of Southeastern Conference football across the 1950s, presenting a decade in which supremacy rotated with bewildering frequency and no single program could sustain prolonged dominion. I recount the pivotal contests and seasonal arcs that produced eight distinct conference champions—Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Ole Miss, Auburn, LSU and Georgia—and I delineate how singular games, strategic innovations and administrative decisions precipitated sweeping shifts in competitive balance. The narrative attends to landmark moments such as Auburn’s 40–0 rout of Alabama on November 30, 1957; Alabama’s earlier 55–0 victory; and the consequential hiring of Bear Bryant, each episode functioning as an inflection point within a broader pattern of ephemeral ascendancies and abrupt declines. I emphasize the era’s fractured orthodoxy of power, the episodic national recognitions for programs later tarnished by postseason bans, and the cumulative effect of coaching migrations that redistributed tactical knowledge and personnel across the conference. We further synthesize the decade’s statistical and institutional textures, noting the proliferation of coaching laurels—seven different AP SEC Coaches of the Year—and the manner in which Tennessee’s Robert Neyland served as both architect and progenitor of a coaching diaspora whose disciples reshaped rival programs. I place these developments in context by tracing consequential seasons (Tennessee’s 1951 national title; Ole Miss and Auburn’s dominant defenses mid-decade; LSU’s 1958 championship under Paul Dietzel) and by clarifying how probationary penalties, scholarship practices and administrative upheavals interwove with on-field performance to yield a decade uniquely defined by parity rather than prolonged dynastic control.

Ed Kleese joins us again as we discuss the games for Week 9 of the NFL season and give our predictions for the results.Don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-StarsDrop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.Contact us directly at [email protected] our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

Yes, a historic game this past week takes us back to when FDR was President.Ed Kleese joins us in the wacky games, plays, and history made in week 8 of the 2026 NFL season.Don't forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website. Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-StarsDrop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.Contact us directly at [email protected] our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.