Friday Four-Pack 11.28.25
The Kirk Minihane Show is over. UConn has to reset football program. NFL Picks heating up? MutStack Notes. A Christmas Tree story.
Note from Owner of MutStack.com, Dave Portnoy:
The world has never needed the MutStack more than they need it now. With the Kirk Minihane Show ending, there is a real power vacuum in the Minifan world. There are a lot of lunatics who are going to vie for power I’m sure. The delicate relationship between Barstool and the Minifan universe hangs in the balance. Only Mut can ensure a peaceful transfer of power and maintain the peace. That’s a lot of pressure for a bald little man.
Note from the founder of MutStack.com, Mut:
Yeah, tough week for Minifans like me. But Kirk is not dead, and he’ll continue to be the one we Minifans turn to. I can’t wait for the Live Show in March in Laconia, NH. Kirk said he’s still planning on some sort of Minifan golf event. KMS Basketball sounds like it could happen (had a setback with the knee, not great). It sucks the show is over, but Kirk is not going anywhere. Minifans know they can turn to MutStack for boring takes on everything.
My video ramblings on the end of KMS are below.
Also, note the banner. 20% off the ENTIRE store right now, Store.BarstoolSports.com.
I am here to announce that the Mutnansky House is not just a fake tree house in 2025, but we’re a “put the tree up before Thanksgiving” House. In fact, the tree went up last week. It might even be earlier next year.
For years, we got our real Christmas tree on the day after Thanksgiving. My wife, my boys, and I would go to a nearby tree farm and pick one out. We’d ride in a little tractor. Get some hot chocolate. We made a big day out of it.
Then, out of the blue last year, my wife decided we were going fake tree. I was furious.
Turns out she was right as usual.
No cleanup, no cat drinking from the base. And they have the little pine-stick thingies you can hang from the tree and get the same smell. But more importantly, you can put it up early.
Because once we turn the clocks back and it gets dark at like 4:30 in the afternoon, I turn into an asshole. Just walking around in a bad mood. I for sure get affected by seasonal depression, and this is a part of it.
The tree makes things brighter. It’s not fully decorated or anything, but it’s a shining light in the house when it’s DARK IN THE AFTERNOON.
And we’ve taken it a step further - the outdoor Christmas lights have been up for weeks. Again, those little lights have done something for me and my mood.
The kids like it too, which is a bonus. They’re not quite grown out of it, but they are getting to the end of the age where Christmas is…well, special. Looking back, we could have started this Fake and Early Christmas tree thing earlier, and they would have loved it.
I used to mock people who tried to push Christmas ahead of Thanksgiving. Turns out like my wife with the fake tree, they were right.
I hope you were able to spend some time with family on Thanksgiving. If you come to our house for Turkey Day at some point, be prepared to see the Christmas tree already up. No apologies.
Meanwhile, my favorite podcast is over. UConn needs a new football coach, and one name being floated…yikes. NFL Picks plus MutStack Notes.
All ahead in this week’s Four-Pack.
You heard Dave. The world needs MutStack now more than ever. Subscribe by hitting the blue button.
Also, still free.
On the end of The Kirk Minihane Show…
Boy, my hair was gross. There is a promotion for the Barstool Store Black Friday sale in this newsletter because of Kirk - I don’t have the job without him. He’s been my friend for many years - I was floored when he called to tell me the show was ending on Tuesday.
I wrote about Kirk’s last show and his announcement that he would end KMS. You can read that here—some additional Friday morning thoughts.
Just a lunatic Minifan rambling along in his office.
I’m the Chelmsford version of Menners.
On the next move for UConn Football…
It CAN’T be Matt Patricia, right? RIGHT?
Like, no doubt he’s a super-smart defensive mind. Was great working on the defense in New England with Bill Belichick. And now he has the Ohio State defense #1 in the country heading into their Saturday showdown with Ohio State.
But as the head coach of the Lions? Disaster. 13-29-1 in Detroit. Alienated players. Yelled at media members to stop slouching in their chairs. Then he returned to run the New England offense for Belichick. With Josh McDaniels and rookie Mac Jones, that unit ranked seventh in the NFL in points per game. The next year, Year Two Mac, with Patricia running that unit, they fell to 16th in points per game and were 20th in passing YPG. It also broke Mac, who has finally found his footing with Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers.
If Mike Vrabel ever went looking for a defensive coordinator, sign me up for Patricia back in New England. But I’ll be less enthused if he comes home to take the UConn job. Matt and his pencil can stay in Columbus, where he already makes $2.5 million. So yeah, the money would be an issue in Connecticut.
Who gets the gig? No idea. I prefer an offensive-minded coach who can recruit players who want to play in that offense—or, more importantly, players who view UConn as an attractive portal destination. NFL experience helps there, as players seek out a coach who can (hopefully) get them ready for the next level.
Chip Kelly fits that bill. His offenses at UNH were well ahead of their time, and then again at Oregon. Has NFL experience. If he were the choice, I’d be thrilled.
But as I wrote when the news came that Jim Mora was leaving for Colorado State on Wednesday morning, UConn needs to find a conference home. The school has always prioritized what’s best for basketball. If they continue to do that and stay Independent in football, there’s an annual ceiling; in fact, there’s a ceiling on the whole program.
Would that mean landing in a conference that’s not perfect for basketball? Maybe. The school has seemed unwilling to do that in the past. Obviously, the ACC is the perfect fit and would solve many problems. But I don’t know what their expansion timeline is.
If this reads like the ramblings of a frustrated UConn alum who has loved this season of UConn football and wants to see the program stay relevant, well, that’s because that’s precisely what it is. There is a world where UConn is a national power in basketball and football, I truly believe that. But it will be tricky.
Jim Mora did a tremendous job rebuilding the UConn football program. I thought for sure he’d get better offers than Colorado State. But it sounds like he has ties to the Deputy AD there and really wanted to get back west. With the future of UConn football up in the air and Colorado State moving to the Pac-12, I get it. Kinda.
Patricia, Chip Kelly, Brian Kelly, Gordon Sammis, or Brian Belichick. Big picture, the conference landing spot for the Huskies matters more than the guy who next patrols the sidelines for the football team.
Also, again, not Matt Patricia.
On your Week 13 NFL Picks…
Week 12 Results: 2-1 | ATD A.Hooper ❌ | Dallas ML ✅
On the Season: 15-21 | ATD bets 3 for 12 | ML Dog 3 for 6 👀
Hunter Henry scored - we told you he would - but Hooper was the play. Had plenty of Red Zone plays, and he was out there. A winning week! Let’s keep it going. Odds from DraftKings as of Friday morning.
The Side
STEELERS +3.5 VS BILLS (-118). Mike Tomlin auto-bet for me. Tomlin is WILD 67-41-5 ATS as an underdog. As a home dog, how about 23-8-3 ATS - almost 75%. As a home dog off a loss? 13-4 ATS. Bills OL is a mess, and they might be down both starting tackles on Sunday. Even if Aaron Rodgers misses, I’ll be betting this.
The Total
BUCS VS CARDINALS UNDER 43.5 (-105). Baker Mayfield is dealing with a shoulder, but Jay Glazer says he’ll play. If he does, he won’t be 100% and the Bucs will be smart about they much they let him run around and throw. The Bucs already play slow - 6th slowest SEC/SNAP per FTN’s Pace Stats. They’re expected to get RB Bucky Irving back for this one, and again, against an Arizona defense 12th worst against the run (DVOA), they should be able to grind this thing out on the ground. Jacoby Brissett has been on another planet - how long can this heater really last? This total has moved down by 1 point over the last 24 hours.
The Prop
CAM WARD OVER 10.5 RUSH YARDS (-112). They’re finally letting Ward run a little in Tennessee. He has over 30 yards on the ground in each of his last two games. The Jags D has allowed the 7th most rushing yards to opposing QBs.
The ATD #1
Audric Estime (+800). This is contingent on Alvin Kamara missing. Devin Neal will probably get first crack at RB1, but Estime should be in the mix. Neal has also been limited in practice all week. Estime has scored 2 NFL TDs and got goal-line work in Denver (where he played last). It’s gonna hurt when we get vulchered by Taysom Hill, but at this price, I’ll play. Note, this was 13-1 Wednesday AM.
The ATD #2
Keenan Allen (+235). Allen has scored a TD against the Raiders in three of the last four games, including earlier this year. He and the Chargers have cooked against the mostly Vegas zone defense, per advanced stats available to MutStack.com
The ML Dog Mut Says Is Barking
JETS +120. Without Drake London (doubtful) and with Kirk Cousins starting, the Falcons should not be favored on the road against anyone, including the Jets.
On your weekly MutStack Notes…
⚾ If Sonny Gray is the first of multiple Red Sox upgrades, you’ll get no complaining from me. If it’s just Gray and let’s say Alex Bregman, we’ve got a problem. We broke down he trade in a Breaking News version of Dirty Water this week. Plus a full episode from Tuesday, where Bregman vs. Bo Bichette was in focus. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
⚾ FWIW, Scott Boras mouthpiece, Jon Heyman reported, “Red Sox are looking to sign 2 of these 5 bats… “The Red Sox are considering signing up to two of these five big-time lineup enhancements: uberpopular Kyle Schwarber, plus Pete Alonso, Kazuma Okamoto and J.T. Realmuto, as well as last winter’s big pickup Alex Bregman.” That better be the plan, as the 2025 AL East champs made the biggest splash of the week, signing Dylan Cease to the 7-year, $210 million deal. The Jays’ payroll is now at about $260 million, and the Sox have no excuse not to match or better that this offseason.
🎙️ WFAN’s PM host Keith McPherson announced Monday he was leaving his full-time position with New York’s #1 sports radio show. A few weeks ago, I wrote here that the sports radio rumor mill had Craig Carton set to make his third return to WFAN in the next few weeks or early 2026. McPherson’s exit clears a spot to move pieces and put Carton back in afternoon drive. I have not seen anyone else write about this, but I’m confident in my sources.
🏈 Let me go on record and say the Giants are a concerning matchup for the Patriots on Monday night. They have an excellent defensive line, and Drake Maye will be missing two starters up front, including Will Campbell. Just get out of there healthy and into the bye week.
🏈 Week 14 Bye Weeks are pretty stupid.
🏈 I'll say I’m shocked at how wide-open the AFC appears. What the hell was that from the Ravens on Thursday night???
🏈 Josina Anderson posted this week that at least two teams want to talk to Bill Belichick about their head coach opening. Jordon Hudson taking to social media to suggest she’s going to sue Pablo Torre is just one of many reasons I don’t believe the Anderson report.
Alright, that’s enough Stack for today.
Good luck with all your bets this weekend. And thanks for reading.
Now, buy something from the Barstool Store! 20% off everything! Seriously. Go!
No Mutstack Merch for Black Friday is a crime against humanity. The old owner was so much better than current ownership.
Man I’m late to this four pack. Got too distracted by family, turkey, and beer and forgot to place bets all weekend. Any picks you like for tonight’s game?
Also, silver lining about KMS ending is that you can’t be voted off the show. RIP to one of greatest podcasts on the internet.