In this week’s episode of THE WINDOW: Sports betting podcast, Matt Russell (@mrussauthentic) opens the show exactly the way you might expect, by breaking down the experience of losing THE WINDOW’s entry in the Circa Survivor contest on the absurdity that was the Cardinals choke-job to the Titans. 

Matt goes down the board of NFL games in Week 5, looking back at whether the handicap for the game was “Right or Wrong”. Through the lens of Survivor, he looks at the difference between sniffing out upsets by the 49ers and Patriots compared to the Arizona fiasco. Plus, why even losing player props — particularly long shot touchdowns — can be graded by opportunity. 

MAYBE YOU MISSED IT?

• College Football’s big games of Week 6

• The “Saturday 7”: Best bets for Week 6

• Thursday Night Football betting preview: 49ers-Rams

• NFL Week 5 best bets for Sunday (

• The Player Prop Express for Week 5

• Monday Night Football betting preview: Chiefs-Jaguars

Then, in a podcast-only segment, Matt checks in on the season-long futures markets and awards, noting some rogue numbers still available on preseason bets already made, while adding a commonly brought-up name for MVP that still has some value given what’s happened to those previously considered to be the favorites, like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Justin Herbert. 

To close, Matt looks back at Week 6 in college football, where we actually benefited from a pair of “bad beats,” only to also see the RUMP suffer on another choke-job, without even the benefit of a #significanttosome 17-point lead. 

Meanwhile, both Penn State and Texas take a second loss, and why conference defeats are so much more punitive. 

Plus, not much happened with regards to the Heisman Report on the field, but some rumors are swirling about the recent return of one of our best bets for the award. Matt breaks down why he doesn’t even want to see our “sweet boy” back just yet, but if he is on the field Saturday, we won’t complain!

Lastly, Matt discusses THE WINDOW’s NHL betting project for the 2025-‘26 season, which opens tonight!

It’s time to head to THE WINDOW, let’s go!