🏈 Can You Be VSiN's Next Average Joe Champion?

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September 1, 2026 6:02am EDT

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September 01, 2026 | Read online

Starting Today: Channel 189 is the new home of VSiN on SiriusXM. If you already have VSiN as one of your favorites on your SiriusXM radio, you don’t need to do a thing.

🏈 “I’m at the ready.”

I checked in with Clyde Walker, last year's Average Joe Contest champion, to see how he was doing. Health issues kept him from coming to Las Vegas as part of his first-place prize last year.

Of course, the big prize for winning the Average Joe title is a berth in the Circa Friday Football Invitational.

So I asked Clyde if he was ready.

“Yes sir. I’m at the ready.”

Clyde, a West Virginia resident and former Florida State quarterback in the mid-1970s, won last year's contest with an impressive 81-49-2 ATS record.

Now he'll join 24 other handicappers in the Circa Invitational, which begins with Week 1 of the NFL season.

For the rest of you, it's time to take your shot.

Registration is now open for the 2026 Average Joe Contest, sponsored by EdgeBoost. It's free to enter.

The format is mostly unchanged: Make seven picks ATS or on totals each week from the college and pro football menu. The biggest change this year is that we'll use action points to break ties.

👉 Full Rules, Prizes & Registration for the Average Joe Contest →

🏆 Meet the 2026 Circa Friday Football Invitational Field →

🎥 The $18.7 Million Finale Is Wednesday

The finale of Circa Survivor: The Quest for $18.7 Million airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.

If you're not caught up, now's the time.

🎥 Binge the First Six Episodes →

And if you're entering the Circa football contests, VSiN fans still get $50 off FootballContest.com proxy service with promo code VSiN.

👉 Sign Up for FootballContest.com Proxy Service →

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🏈 Are the Bears Going Over or Under?

One of the fun things about our new 46-page NFL Betting Guide 2.0 is that our experts don't always agree.

Take the Bears.

Pauly Howard is betting Chicago Under 9.5 wins, pointing to last year's +22 turnover differential, 33 takeaways and remarkable success in games they trailed in the final two minutes as reasons to expect regression.

Kelley Bydlon is going the other direction — at least on the offense. He's betting the Bears Over 415.5 points, believing Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson can build on an offense that finished ninth in points per game last season.

And Jensen Lewis is even more bullish: Bears +330 to win the NFC North.

That's just one team. The updated guide has new Best Bets from VSiN hosts and analysts, all 32 team updates, Week 1 betting systems, contest strategies and a Circa Survivor blueprint.

👉 Download the VSiN NFL Betting Guide 2.0 →

🏈 T-Shoe Has 3 Bets for Week 1

After getting our first taste of college football, Tyler Shoemaker has run the Week 1 numbers through his T Shoe Index and come up with three bets:

🏈 Houston -20.5 vs. Oregon State

📉 West Virginia-Coastal Carolina Under 56.5

📉 Wyoming-Colorado State Under 47.5

So Tyler is laying a big number with Houston — and looking for a pair of lower-scoring games.

👉 See Tyler's Reasoning and Week 1 T Shoe Index Projections →

🏈 Everything You Need for CFB Week 1 →