Steelers/Packers “Game for the Ages?”

(article is a celebrity submission by Aaron Zirkle)

Being a spectator at the December 20th offensive death match between the Packers and the Steelers, or should I say Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger, one thing can be concluded; “This was the game of the year.” Not only did this game have a quarterback surpass 500 passing yards (Big Ben 503) for the first time in the NFL this year, and only the 3rd time this decade, but the game combined for 868 passing yards. The most by two quarterbacks in any single NFL game this year.

Having these two heroic performances seasaw back and forth for victory was really something special. Based on both single game performances by one quarterback, and the combined performance by both quarterbacks this is something rarely seen. The overall statistics can help actually appreciate how good this game was. In the 15 weeks of this year’s NFL season, there have only been 4 performances by a quarterback that exceeded 400 passing yards: Big Ben (417), Rivers (436), McNabb (450), and Stafford (422). Only five games had quarterbacks combined for 700 plus passing yards, the highest being 786 by Campbell (367) and Brees (419) in week 13.

If you’re a lover of quarterbacks and team’s winning games by throwing the ball, my heart goes out to you if you missed this game. It truly was a game for the ages. Along with the statistics, the lead changed four times in the last eight minutes of the fourth quarter, including a touchdown as time expired. Despite the heartbreak of being a Green Bay Packer fan watching this game unfold as it did, I am able to take a step back and truly appreciate the year’s best NFL game to date.

NFL All-Decade 1st Team Defense

Peter King put out his All-2000's team on sportsillustrated.com this week. King is a great writer, and I usually respect his work, but I have to disagree on a number of his selections. He tried to make a case for Mike Vrabel to be 1 of the 2 best OLBs in the NFL in the 2000's. Little to much Patriot love for me. It seems he focused too much on recent performance, and not a much on the entire decade. It was almost as if he though about it long enough for his Hot Pocket to heat up.

If you are wondering how I came up with my selections, I decided more on personal statistics then team success. I know present the REAL All-Decade team.

DE
Jason Taylor

10 Seasons
579 Tackles
110 Sacks
7 INTs
38 Fumbles Forced
3 Touchdowns

Taylor, a native of the Pittsburgh area, had more sacks than any other player during the 2000's. He was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. His athleticism transformed what the prototype D-end is now.



DT
Warren Sapp
8 Seasons
349 Tackles
54.5 Sacks
3 INTs
9 Forced Fumbles

Sapp really came into his own starting in 2000 when he recorded 16.5 sacks, an insane number for a defensive tackles. Much like Taylor, his athleticism at his position was something rarely seen before. Sapp would have made an All-Decade trash talk team too.

DT
La'roi Glover
9 Seasons
385 Tackles
58.5 Sacks
2 INTs
11 Forced Fumbles

Glover manged to 1-up Sapp and actually had 17 sacks in 2000. A journey man through the decade, he continued to put up solid numbers year in and year out. A true pass rushing defensive tackle.


DE
Michael Strahan
8 Seasons
485 Tackles
89 Sacks
14 Forced Fumbles

Strahan played like Hall of Fame DE Reggie End. A strong side, run stopping end that was great a rushing the passer. (a rare thing to see) In route to averaging 11 sacks a season, he broke the single season sack record in 2001 with 22.5. Helped shut down the 18-0 New England Patriots in one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets ever.


OLB
Derrick Brooks
9 Seasons
1035 Tackles
9 Sacks
17 INTs
16 Forced Fumbles
6 Touchdowns

Brooks never was a blitzer averaging only 1 sack per year. He was however, the most versitile linebacker the league may have ever seen. Recorded over 1,000 in 9 years as an outside linebacker. Was elected Defensive POY in 2002 and went to to lead the leagues best defense to a dominant performance in the Super Bowl.

ILB
Ray Lewis
10 Seasons
1146 Tackels
22.5 Sacks
21 INTs
12 Forced Fumbles
2 TDs

Lewis has a nose for the ball and loves to make the big hit when needed. A motivational leader has been cirticized for his warm up antics, but manages to always be making the play. Defensive POY in 2000 and Super MVP later that year.

ILB
London Fletcher
10 Seasons
1343 Tackles
15 INTs
12 Forced Fumbles
2 TDs

The undersized Fletcher has 200 more tackles than any other player this decade, and leads the NFL yet again so far this year. He has been consistent year in and year out and always ends up around the football.


OLB
Joey Porter
10 Seasons
576 Tackles
88 Sacks
12 INTs
22 Forced Fumbles
1 TD

THE blitzing linebacker of the 2000's. He was a force playing in the Pittsburgh 3-4 defensive skeem. After being shown the door, Porter went to Miami and still can be a nightmare for QBs.

CB
Champ Bailey
10 Seasons
799 Tackles
39 INTs
146 Passes Defended
1 Sack
3 Touchdowns

Helped create the term "shut-down corner" which is now WAAAAY overused to describe a good cover corner. As good in couverage as Deon Sanders, but is more than willing to get in there and make a hit. Lead all CBs in INTs, and would have had more but teams stopped throwing his way.

CB
Ronde Barber
10 Seasons
813 Tackles
34 INTs
160 Passes Defended
21 Sacks
7 Touchdowns

Barber became the quintisential blitzing corner in the Tampa 2 skeem. Had an obscene 21 sacks as a corner to go with 160 passes defended.

S
Ed Reed
8 Seasons
454 Tackles
46 INTs
97 Passes Defended
5 Sack
6 Touchdowns

An instant impact player since being drafted out of the "U" in 2002. Loves to make big returns out INTs, fumbles and missed field goals. The 2nd best ball-hawking player this decade.


S
Darren Sharper
10 Seasons

657 Tackles
57 INTs
114 Passes Defended
6.5 Sacks
9 TDs


Definitely the best safety of this decade and my choice for the Defensive Player of the Decade. Has 11 more INTs than any other player over the last 10 years. Has been booted from teams twice, but continues to excel. Is now helping revive the Saints defense down on the bayou.

NFL All-Decade 1st Team Offense

Peter King put out his All-2000's team on sportsillustrated.com this week. King is a great writer, and I usually respect his work, but I have to disagree on a number of his selections. He tried to make a case for Mike Vrabel to be 1 of the 2 best OLBs in the NFL in the 2000's. Little to much Patriot love for me. It seems he focused too much on recent performance, and not a much on the entire decade. It was almost as if he though about it long enough for his Hot Pocket to heat up.

If you are wondering how I came up with my selections, I decided more on personal statistics then team success. I know present the REAL All-Decade team.

QB
Peyton Manning
10 Seasons
3,5o4 completions
41,439 yards
306 TDs
133 INTs
The most prolific passer of the decade. Has more than 11,000 passing yards more than Brady and almost 100 more touchdowns. 3 MVPs and is currently making a strong case for # 4.



RB
Ladanian Tomlinson
10 Seasons
12,321 rush yards
135 TDs
521 Receptions
3867 receiving yards
15 Touchdowns

Ladanian Tomlinson did to the 2000's what Barry Sanders did to the 1990's. Broke the single season record for touchdowns, won league MVP and is the fastest player ever to 150 career touchdowns.

FB
Lorenzo Neal
10 Seasons

Blocked for Corey Dillon in the early part of the decade, Tomlinson till 2008, now blocks for Ray Rice in Baltimore. Needless to say, some of their success can be attributed to his hard work.

WR
Randy Moss
10 Seasons
762 Receptions
11803 Yards
116 Touchdowns

Other than when he gave up on playing during his time in Oakland, Moss has been virtually unstoppable. Broke the single season record for receiving TDs in 2007. Has more TD receptions than anyone else during the 2000's.


WR
Torry Holt
10 Seasons
861 Receptions

12462 Yards
68 Touchdowns

Because of how bad St. Louis has been over the past few years, people forget how amazing Holt has been. Has more receptions and yards than any other receiver in the 10 years span (70 more catches than Harrison, 569 more yards than Moss).

WR
Terrell Owens
10 Seasons
772 Receptions
10305 Yards
112 Touchdowns

He might be annoying, but Owens has been a physical phenom for the last 10 years. A strong physical receiver with break away speed. He is 2nd only to Moss in TDs, and that is by just 4.

TE
Tony Gonzalez
10 Seasons

817 Catches
9840 Yards
66 Touchdowns

This was the easiest pick of all the positions. No one comes close to Gonzalez in production.


OT
Walter Jones
10 Seasons

8 time Pro Bowl selection

One of the 2 biggest reasons that Shaun Alexander was able to have so much success in Seattle. Open holes big enough to drive an 18-wheeler through. Helped take Seattle to Super Bowl in 2006.


OG
Steve Hutchinson
9 Seasons
6 time Pro Bowl selection

The other reason Alexander was so great in the northwest. It was close between him and Will Shields, but I have Hutch the nod. He will get another Pro Bowl selection this year to tie Shields with 7. Plus Steve now blocks for an even better running back in Minnesota, Adrian Peterson.


C
Kevin Mawae
10 Seasons
6 time Pro Bowl selection

Has the same number of Pro Bowls as Matt Birk, but Kevin Mawae was much more dominant. He reinvented the Center position. Before him, you never saw centers pulling. Now they all have to be athletic enough to do it. This year, he is blocking for the speed demon Chris Johnson.

OG
Alan Faneca
10 Seasons
8 time Pro Bowl selection

Spent most of the 2000's with the Steelers. Won a Super Bowl ring and cleared the way for Jerome Bettis to run into the record books. Now is still dominating next to Nick Mangold for the #1 rushing ranked New York Jets


OT
Jonathan Ogden
10 Seasons
8 time Pro Bowl Selection

Like Jones, has been to 8 Pro Bowls out of 9. Completely consumed the left side of the line of scrimmage. Helped Jamal Lewis get over 2000 yrds in a season.



K
Matt Stover
10 Seasons

FGs: 269/309 (87%)
XPs: 303/303
Points: 1110

The most accurate kicker in NFL history (at least to me) made an obscene 87% of his field goals during the 2000's and NEVER missed an extra point.

NFL All-Decade 2nd team

Peter King put out his All-2000's team on sportsillustrated.com this week. I do respect him a writer, but I disagree with some of his choices. I have decided to present the 1st and 2nd All-Decade team. (Statistics up through week 13 of 2009 season)

2nd team (# of seasons play in 2000's)
Offense

QB- Tom Brady (10) : 2602 completions; 30084 yards; 219 TDs; 96 INTs
RB- Shaun Alexander (9): 9453 rush yrds; 100 TDs; 1520 rec yards; 12 TDs
FB - Tony Richardson (10): Blocked for both Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson in KC
WR- Marvin Harrison (9): 791 rec; 10166 yrds; 95 TDs
WR- Hines Ward (10): 796 rec; 9818 yrds; 71 TDs
TE- Antiono Gates (7): 467 rec; 6060 yrds; 55 TDs
OT- Orlando Pace (10): 6 Pro Bowls
OG- Will Shields (7): 7 Pro Bowls
C- Matt Birk (10): 6 Pro Bowls
OG- Larry Allen (7): 6 Pro Bowls
OT- William Roaf (6): 5 Pro Bowls

Defense:

DE- Julius Peppers (8): 375 tackles; 79 sacks; 5 INTs; 30 Forced Fumbles; 2 TDs
DT- Richard Seymour (9)- 392 tackles; 43 sacks; 2 INTs; 4 FFs
DT- Kevin Williams (7)- 322 tackles; 48.5 sacks; 4 INTs; 4 FFs; 2 TDs
DE- Patrick Kearney (10) - 435 tackles; 80 sacks; 3 INTs; 20 FFs
LB- Keith Brooking (10)- 1092 tackles; 18 sacks; 11 INTs; 6 FFs
ILB- Brian Urlacher (10)- 1058 tackles; 37.5 sacks; 17 INTs; 8 FFs; 1 TD
ILB- James Farrior (10)- 1068 tackles; 24 sacks; 10 INTs; 15 FFs; 1 TD
OLB- Julian Peterson (10)- 700 tackles; 50.5 sacks; 8 INTs; 20 FFs
CB- Charles Woodson (10)- 578 tackles; 37 INTs; 105 Pass Defended; 11.5 sacks; 6 TDs
CB- Ty Law (10)- 525 tackles; 32 INTs; 98 DEF; 3 sacks; 4 TDs
S- Brian Dawkins (10)- 702 tackles; 22 INTs; 111 DEF; 17.5 sacks
S- Troy Polamalu (7)- 453 tackles; 20 INTs; 70 DEF; 7 sacks; 1 TD

K- David Akers (10)- 253/306 FG (83%); 382/387 XP ; 1141 points

Comparions of NFL teams to pop culture figures

Teams seem to each take on a personality. They sometimes seem to take on the personality of a celebrity. Lets take a look as some of them.

AFC East
*New England Patriots: Brad Pitt
Continues to excel. Loved by the media on all ends. Constantly in the spot light. Has its downs but always comes back strong.
*New York Jets: Jessica Biel
Have plenty of redeeming qualities and a great asset, but never seem to be able to put it all together.
*Miami Dolphins: Madonna
They were very popular and successful in the past. Recently have not had nearly the success. Had a few down years. Now use unusual means to remain relevant and competitive.
*Buffalo Bills: Mario Lopez
Highly popular, loved and adored in the early 90’s. Since has been mediocre taking whatever they can to get by and remain in the limelight.

AFC North
*Pittsburgh Steelers: Robert De Niro
A usually hard-nosed persona has lightened up recently and adapted to the changing world. Still performing at a top level.
*Baltimore Ravens: Mark Wahlberg
A tough in-your-face personality. Has an off year every once and a while, but perennially strong.
*Cincinnati Bengals: Nick Nolte
Has fallen on hard times recently. Shows signs of resurrection but you can feel another collapse coming if they don't stay focues
*Cleveland Browns: Rosie O’Donnell
Just plain ugly. Never has been good and is getting worse.

AFC South
*Indianapolis Colts: Will Smith
Has been a picture of success for the last decade. Year in and year out, they create winner after winner. Don’t have many weaknesses and will continue to succeed in the future.
*Tennessee Titans: Colin Ferrell
Manages to fool everyone into thinking they are good by having a solid performance every once and a while. Completely awful at points and show their true colors.
*Houston Texans: Jessica Alba
Everyone always has big hopes for them, but they usually just end up being average.
*Jacksonville Jaguars: Sarah Michelle Gellar
Has had a few good things here and there. Never spectacular. Has also had a few bad things too.

AFC West
*Denver Broncos: Justin Timberlake
Young, popular and successful. Got dumped by an ex, to only move on to another and succeed. Seem to lack many weaknesses and should be successful for years to come.
*San Diego Chargers: Charlize Theron
Always looks good. Consistent year in and year out but never can stand above the rest. Will need to make some drastic changes and go ugly to win the big one.
*Oakland Raiders: Michael Douglas
Historically great in the past. Things seem to be getting worse year after year. Looks like they are almost dead at this point.
*Kansas City Chiefs: Lindsay Lohan
Has been up and down for years, now is just plain terrible. Has long road ahead to recovery.

NFC East
*New York Giants: Barack Obama
Vastly supported yet very polarizing. As many people hate him as well as love him. Recently lost some support due to poor performances, but still as solid as ever.
*Philadelphia Eagles: Bruce Willis
Have been tough and consistently solid for the past 20 years or so. Still great today.
*Dallas Cowboys: Jennifer Love Hewitt
Loved by some, hated by others. Continues to be popular over the last 15-20 years. A lot on the surface, but yet to do anything of significance. Not much beyond outer shell and media hype.
*Washington Redskins: Paris Hilton
Lots of money. No real amount of talent but continues to be in the public eye and is always in the news.

NFC North
*Minnesota Vikings: Charlie Sheen
Have faced legal trouble in the past. Are doing great as of now.
*Green Bay Packers: Jennifer Aniston
Team everyone loves to love. Everyone is pulling for them since the biggest thing to happen to them left them for another.
*Chicago Bears: Bill Murray
Was awesome in the 80’s. Haven’t done much recently except 1 good year.
*Detroit Lions: Hugh Grant
Will always be associated with 1 particular VERY embarrassing thing from their past, not matter how much success they may have in the future.

NFC South
*New Orleans Saints: Shia LeBeouf
Recently became popular. Seems to be unstoppable at this point. Puts big numbers on the board every time out.
*Atlanta Falcons: Megan Fox
Jumped onto the scene as the new hot thing. All over the media. Still yet to prove they are for real and will be successful for a while.
*Carolina Panthers: Jennifer Lopez
Have been successful since entering the scene in the 90’s. Recently been publicly scrutinized for decision making.
*Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tobey Maguire
Other then a short time frame in the 2000’s, they never really have been good.

NFC West
*Arizona Cardinals: John Travolta
After years of poor performance, shocked the world with an impressive improvement when taking advantage of a little good luck.
*San Francisco 49ers: Robert Downey Jr.
Was great in the 90’s. Had a very public falling out and years of hardship. Has drastically changed themselves as they push towards the top again.
*Seattle Seahawks: Keanu Reeves
One minute can put up something great. They next be absolutely terrible.
*St. Louis Rams: Pamela Anderson
Couldn't be stopped a few years ago. Now they are terrible and really only have 1 thing worth looking at.

Weekly Predictions: Week 10

ESPN is making a case that "there already is a playoff system in college football, because every week has must win games." Although I disagree, they do have a valid point. There are games every week that work out like a playoff game. But did you want to see Iowa's National Title hopes go down the tubes to Northwestern, or would you rather have seen them play a top 10 team???

Every week SI.com does a top 16 tournament bracket. I reccomend a 12 team bracket with the top 4 teams getting first round byes (just like the NFL). Imagine the intensity of Selection Sunday, held the day after the conference championship games. It would be just like college hoops. It could still be done by committee, and they could get rid of the BCS rankings system.

Anyways, lets take a look at the "playoff" games for this weekend.

NCAA
#25 West Virginia @ #5 Cincinnati (-9)
Notre Dame @ #12 Pittsburgh (-6.5)
Another big weekend in the Big East. The top 3 teams in the Big East (Cincy, WVU, Pitt) all play each other between now and Dec. 5th. It will come down to which defense will show in Cincinnati.... The one that shut down South Florida in Tampa, or the one that gave up 42 points and tons of yards to UCONN?
picks: Cincy 30-24; Pitt 27-13

#16 Utah @ #4 TCU (-19.5)
The biggest game in TCU in a looooooong time. They have a dominant defense, strong running game and an decent QB. Utah only has 1 loss this year, in Eugene to Oregon, so they are no slouch.
pick: TCU 20-10

#10 Iowa @ #11 Ohio State (-17)
Will Terrelle Pryor be able to get by the Hawkeye defense? How will a red-shirt freshman do on the road in Columbus? This game will come down to turnovers and big plays on special teams.
pick: OSU 20-13

My Heisman pick for this week
Case Keenum - QB Houston
Last week: 40/60, 522 yrds, 3 TDs
Season: 325/458, 3815 yds, 28 TDs, 5 INT

Keenum had another 500+ yards passing last week in a last second win over Tulsa. Traling 45-37 with :21 left in the game, Keenum threw a 1 yd TD pass. They failed the 2 point conversion. After recovering the onsider, Keenum completed 2 passes to move within long field goal range. Freshman kicker Matt Hogan nailed a 51-yarder to win 46-45.
Pat Forde from ESPN has stated that people need to "get on the Case" for Keenum for Heisman. All which I have been saying for the last 6 weeks.

Bowl Projections
This is not exactly how I think they will end up, this is how I think they should end up.
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati
Sugar: Florida vs. TCU
Fiesta: Boise St. vs. USC
Rose: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Champ: Alabama vs. Texas

NFL
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-7)
Just a year ago, this game would have been looked at as a joke. This year, it is to be in the driver seat in the AFC North. 2 physical, talented teams that can beat you with the run or the pass. 2 good defenses that are both trying to pull the "disrecpected card" on the season. The Bengals have beaten the Ravens twice, proving they are for real. Pittsburgh has won 5 straight games and destroyed Denver in the second half Monday night. Both teams are fighting injuries on defense.
pick: Pit 23-17

Philadelphia @ San Diego (-3)
Both teams aer 5-3. Both have beaten the New York Giants. Both are loaded with talent and have shit-for-brains head coaches. This game will come down to poor clock management, and Andy Reid seems to have that down to a science.
pick: SD 27-23

Dallas @ Green Bay (+3)
How many sacks will DeMarcus Ware have this game... 6? 9? Green Bay gave up 4 sacks to Tampa, who is absolutely terrible. I am a huge Aaron Rogers supporter, but he holds the ball waaaaaay too long (kinda like Roethlisberger used to do).
pick: Dallas 31-17

New England @ Indianapolis (-3)
The great debate continues. Brady vs. Manning. Which is the better QB. Manning has 3 MVPs, 1 ring and a Super Bowl MVP. Brady has 1 MVP, 3 rings and 2 Super Bowl MVPs. Look for this to not stand up to the hype. Peyton will keep Indy in this game, but injury holes in their secondary will eventually be the end of them.
pick: NE 34-24

Hot Chick of the week:
Gisele Bundchen

Since her hubby is playing in the biggest NFL game of the weekend, we will show her being hot.

NFL Mid-Season Report

Lets take a look as some of the predictions I made on August 4th for the 2009 NFL Season.

Team most likely to have a major drop off from last year:
My picks: Dolphins, Cardinals, Panthers, Broncos
Resutls: Somewhat correct
Dolphins and Panthers are both at 3-5, and will most likely miss the playoffs.
Cards are 5-3, Broncos 6-2. Both teams lead their division. Cards are a week to week project, Broncos seem to be slipping the last 2 weeks.

Player most likely to have a down year:
My Picks: Jay Cutler - QB Bears; Anquan Boldin - WR Cardinals
Result: Pretty close.
Cutler is sitting at 4-4 and watching his old team excel at 6-2. He is having a statistical drop off and will probably miss the playoffs.
Boldin is on pace for less catches, but the big difference: 2008 season - 11 TDs 2009 Season 1TD

Player most likely to have a return to All Pro:
My picks: Larry Johnson - RB Chiefs; Joseph Addai - RB Colts
Results: Major strike out
Addai is the lead running back on the 4th worst rushing attack in the NFL.
Johnson is a complete disaster. After gay-bashing reporters and whining about his coach, he has been released and may not end up on another team this year.
(side note: he still have potential to get picked up by a good team and have a good last 8 weeks)

Team most likely to shock the NFL:
My picks: San Francisco 49ers; New Orleans Saints
Result: Jackpot
49ers started 3-1 but have lost 4 straight. They have an easy schedule so should finish around .500
Saints are 8-0. Enough said.

Break-out Player of the Year:
My picks: Leon Washington - RB Jets; Jonathan Vilma - LB Saints
Result: Not quite there

Washington was having a good year until he broke his ankle last week and is out for the year.
Vilma is a major contributor on a majorly turned around team. He is on pace for over 100 tackles and is a factor in the run-game. Not a lot of big plays out of him yet.

Pro Bowl selections:
I will review the Pro Bowl players at the end of the year. To early to tell.

5 Bold Predctions for the 2nd half:
1) Neither the Saints or Colts will finish 16-0. (ok that one is not that bold)
- The Saints have the easier schedule remaining but still play at Carolina, at Atlanta and have New England and Dallas at home.
- The Colts have no running game and are pretty hurt in the secondary. They will probably loose this weekend when they host New England. They also still have at Houston, at Baltimore, and Dever and the Jets at home.

2) Chris Johnson will break the rushing record this year (2,105 yards)
- Here is their schedule for the remainder of the season: (look at the bad defenses)
Buffalo, @ Houston, Arizona, @ Indy, St. Louis, Miami, San Diego, @ Seattle
He already has 959 yards and Houston and Indy are the only teams remaining really playing good defense.

3) The New York Giants will finish 8-8
- They are falling apart. They have an injured QB and a depleted secondary. But, most importantly, their bread and butter; running the ball and pressuring the QB with a 4-man rush; is not working... at all. Their schedule is not set up for help either:
Atlanta, @ Denver, Dallas, Philadelphia, @ Washington, Carolina, @ Minnesota
The will have to win 4 of those to finish with 9 wins. Its gonna be tough.

4) The Houston Texans will make the playoffs
- PLAYOFFS!!! That's right. Their last 2 difficult games (Indy, NE) are both at home. If they can learn to hold onto the ball, they can finish the year with 10 or 11 wins. They now have 2 good running backs, a solid defense, and the best WR in football with a pretty good QB throwing to him.

5) 7 teams will finish 4-12 or worse
Washington, Detroit, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Cleveland, Oakland & Kansas City
Looking at their upcoming schedules, there is no way I see anyone one of these teams getting enough wins to get beyond this except MAYBE Washington.

Final Predictions:
AFC
1. Indianapolis: 14-2 **
2. New England: 13-3
3. Cincinnati: 12-4
4. Denver: 11-5
5. Pittsburgh: 12-4 *
6. Houston 10-6 *

** Conference Champ
* Wildcard

(Pittsburgh and Cincinnati split the season series. Cincy wins tie-breaker with a better division record.)

NFC
1. New Orleans: 15-1 **
2. Minnesota: 13-3
3. Philadelphia: 11-5
4. Arizona: 11-5
5. Dallas: 11-5

6. Atlanta: 10-6

** Conference Champ
* Wildcard

(Philadelphia and Dallas split season series. Philly wins tie-breaker wtih better divisional record)

I will make playoff and Super Bowl picks at the end of the season.

Weekly Predictions: Week 9

I have decided against picking all the games for a while. We will just do the important games with some analysis.

NCAA
Uconn @ Cincinnati (-16.5)
Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (-21.5)
Louisville @ WVU (-20)
3 games of much lesser opponents. All of the remaining possible Big East champs play weak teams at home. If any of them should slip, it opens the gates for the other 2 to get into a BCS Bowl.
picks: Cincy 31-10; Pitt 27-13; WVU 45-17

LSU @ Alabama (-7.5)
This is going to be another defense struggle for both these teams. Neither has been overly effective this season on offense. Look for a low scoring rumble between these 2.
pick: Alabama 14-10

Ohio State @ Penn State (-3.5)
This outcome of this game will seal the fate of the other within the Big 10. If OSU pulls off the upset, PSU goes to 2 losses in the Big-10 and has no chance of winning it. If Penn State wins, the Buckeyes pick up their second loss on the season and still have Iowa to play. These teams are evenly matched, except at QB. Daryll Clark is what Terrelle Pryor needs to be in 2 years.
pick: Penn State 20-14

Oregon @ Stanford (+6.5)
Oregon could have a major let down a week after wiping the field with USC last Saturday in Eugene. Despite being a push over for the last 15 years, Stanford can be dangerous at home (google USC @ Stanford: 2007)
pick: Oregon 33-20

My Heisman pick for this week:
Case Keenum - QB Houston
Last Week: 44-54, 559 yds, 5TDs

Season: 71% comp, 3293 yds, 25 Tds

Keenum leads the nation in both passing yds and passing touchdowns. He has a huge test this week at Tulsa. If he can pull out a win, his name will move toward the top of other Heisman Boards


BSC Bowl Projections:
This is not exactly how I think they will end up, this is how I think they should end up.
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Penn State
Sugar: Alabama vs. TCU
Fiesta: Boise St. vs. Cincinnati
Rose: Oregon vs. Iowa
Champ: Florida vs. Texas


NFL
Baltimore @ Cincinatti (+3)
Vegas put the line at Baltimore giving points for a reason. They are coming back healthy after a bye week and whooping up on 6-0 at the time Denver. This is the kind of game that Baltimore wins and Cincy looses.
pick: Baltimore 24-20

Houston @ Indianapolis (-9)
ESPN has been saying "this is the biggest game in Texans history!" I will agree under 1 circumstance, they win. If they do, Houston will be 3 games over .500 (6-3) ever. Within 1.5 games of the division and at the forefront of the wild-card race. Can they slow down Peyton. (Bonus fun fact: Houston leads the NFL in defensive 3 and outs)
pick: Indy 24-22

Miami @ New England (-10.5)
The Wildcat is dwindling and exposing holes in the Miami defense. They only gained 104 yrds out of the "cat" last week against NY. Brady will expose a porous Dolphins D, control the clock with long drives and run away with this game.
pick: NE 27-17

San Diego @ NY Giants (-4.5)
2 surprisingly struggling teams this year face off in chilly New Jersey. As I have stated before, this was my projection for the Super Bowl... (whoops!) Now each is fighting for their playoff lives. Weather could be a huge factor in this game.
pick: NY 20-17

Dallas @ Philadelphia (-3)
5-2 vs. 5-2. The Cowboys have crept back into the NFC East with a favorable schedule. (at KC, Atl, Sea) The Eagles blew a game in Oakland and should be 6-1 right now, with their lone loss to undefeated New Orleans. Just like Cincy-Balt, this is the kind of game that Philly wins and Dallas looses.
pick: Philly 34-27

Pittsburgh @ Denver (+3)
Huge game jockeying for position in the AFC. Denver got destroyed by Baltimore last week. They still have Philadelphia, SD, NY Giants and Indianapolis left on their schedule. They need this game more than they think.
Pick: Pittsburgh 16-13

Hot Chick of the Week:
Kate Hudson

Her boyfriend finally broke his playoff drought and got himself a World Series Ring last night. We will celebrate by showing her.

Weekend Review: Week 8

Really bad weekend for picks. Really bad.

NCAA
spread: 9-12
season: 62-64-1

5 notes from the weekend
1) The ending of the Houston-Southern Miss game was insane. With the game tied at 43 and Houston driving with :21 to go, Southern Miss showed blitz and jumped offside. The cornerback stopped because he thought the play was over. Keenum throws a perfect strike to a wide open receiver. Houston wins 50-43 (fun fact: there were over 1,300 yards of offense in this game)
2) Virginia Tech decided to lay an egg and blow any chance at a BCS bowl by loosing to a bad UNC team.
3) Iowa has the feel of a “we refuse to loose” to them. They had 3 touchdowns of over 80 yards, scored 28 points in the 4th quarter, and went from possibly getting upset at home by Indiana to winning by 18.
4) Tebow looked like Tebow as Florida rolled Georgia in Jacksonville. That game was over 10 minutes into it.
5) Is all the love I have given to Tony Pike too much? It is just the system that Cincinnati has installed and all the credit goes to coach Kelly??

NFL
spread: 3-10
seasson: 58-57-1
picks: 7-6
season: 77-39

5 notes from the weekend
1) I am not good at picking games against the spread this week.
2) The Jets defense only allowed 164 yards and 9 points to Miami. The Dolphins had 2 kick return TDs and 1 defense TD to win.
3) Kurt Warner threw 5 INTs and lost a fumble. Glad to have you back big guy.
4) The Titans and Jaguars combined to rush for 522 yards on Sunday.
5) The Saints are a really good running team, with an awesome passing game.

Weekly Predictions: Week 8

This has been a season of steam rolling. There were 6 games decided by 28 points or more last week. Vegas said it took its biggest hit on record because of so many blow outs.
Tough week for picks this week though. There are some actual good games in the NFL. I am loving the road teams in college.

NCAA: (picks in bold. Home team in CAPS)
VIRGINIA TECH (-16.5) over Unc: NC has been terrible this year, and things are not gonna get better in Blacksburg.
Wvu (-3) over SOUTH FLORIDA: A promising South Florida looked very pedestrian getting blown out by Pitt last week. WVU will not make the same mistake it did last week, taking a weaker opponent lightly.
Cincinnati (-16.5) over SYRACUSE: They can't wait to start playing basketball games in the Carrier Dome in up-state New York.
Central Michigan (+6) over BOSTON COLLEGE: I got LeFevour.... and the only prescription.... is more David LeFevour.
Duke (+7) over VIRGINIA: I was in Charlottesville on Halloween for a home game 3 years ago... not that intimidating.
Indiana (+17.5) over IOWA: Iowa can't seem to blow anybody out. They are 2 seconds from loosing the Big 10. They will win, but not by more than 17.
NC State (+9) over FLORIDA ST: 2 highly inconsistent teams. Who knows what will happen so I take the points.
Georgia Tech (-11.5) over VANDERBILT: Tech will run for at least 300 yards this game.
Ole Miss (-4) over AUBURN: The Tigers have gotten progressively worse after an awesome start.
Georgia (+15) over Florida: The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will be close as long as Georgia doesn't turn the ball over and let the game get away from them. Florida's offense is still struggling and Tebow is looking not-so-divine anymore.
Cal (-6.5) over ARIZONA ST: Cal came back strong after that 2 game embarrassment against Oregon and USC. They will continue this as Javid Best gets his feet back under him.
Michigan (-7) over ILLINOIS: Zookville is the worst team in the Big 10 not in the state of Indiana.
OKLAHOMA ST (+9) over Texas: This game will come down to QB play. McCoy has not looked great this year despite a good week last week.
Penn State (-14.5) over NORTHWESTERN: PSU went to the Big House and proved they are a team to be reckoned with despite the cake schedule.
FRESNO ST (-17) over Utah State: Fresno has the nations leading rusher. Expect 200 yards.

Miss St. (+3.5) over KENTUCKY: Miss State has played both Florida and LSU tough this year. Kentucky was down by 30 after the first quarter against Florida.
South Carolina (+5.5) over TENNESSEE: The under for this game is set at 40 for a reason. No offense means close game.
OREGON (+3) over Usc: Game of the week: This game has so many BCS implications its ridiculous. Eugene is one of the hardest places in the country to play.
Michigan St. (-3.5) over MINNESOTA: Michigan St.= good. Minnesota = bad.

Pick of the week:
WISCONSIN (-6.5) over Purdue: Don't think I am fooled by a win against Ohio State, Purdue.
HOUSTON (-6.5) over Southern Miss: Farve's college team will have a tough time on the road against the Heisman candidate.

Heisman Leader this week:
1. C.J. Spiller - RB Clemson-
108 rushes 547 yds 3 TDs

18 catches 267 yds 2 TDs

9 punt returns 182 yds 1 TD

12 kick returns 459 yds 3 TDs

If you are keeping track at home, thats 1455 totals yards and 9 TDs. He has a play of over 60 yards in every game this year. If he were on a better team, he would be at the top of everyone's list.

2. Mark Ingram -RB Alabama
3. Case Keenum - QB Houston
4. Kellen Moore - QB Boise State
5. Jimmy Clausen - QB Notre Dame

BCS Bowl Projections
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Penn State
Sugar: Alabama vs. TCU
Fiesta: Boise St. vs. USC
Rose: Iowa vs. Oregon
Championship: Florida vs. Texas

NFL (picks in bold. Home team in CAPS)
Denver (+3.5) over BALTIMORE: This is gonna be a field goal game.
CHICAGO (-13) over Cleveland: Chicago needs to come out and roll a bad team, just like they did to Detroit earlier this year.
Houston (-3.5) over BUFFALO: Buffalo's offense is not good enough to keep up with Matt Schaub and the Texans' explosive offense.
GREEN BAY (-3) over Minnesota: I just don't think the Pack will let Favre come in and take this. Too much riding on this game.
INDIANAPOLIS (-12) over San Francisco: This is an awfully high line for this game, but Matt Ryan torched SF's secondary, and NOONE can stop Peyton Manning so far this year.
Miami (+3.5) over NY JETS: Miami is gonna deviate some from the wildcat and throw some 4 wide on them.
DETROIT (-3) over St. Louis: Detroit has more talent and they are at home.
Seattle (+9.5) over DALLAS: This is the kind of "let-down" game that Dallas has every year. Remember when Steven Jackson ran for 160 yards and 3 touchdowns. Trap game last year. Trap game this year.
SAN DIEGO (-16.5) over Oakland: This is just an easy one to see coming. Second straight blow out for the Charger offense.
Jacksonville (+3) over TENNESSEE: Look for the pair of hyphens, Mike Sims-Walker and Maurice Jones-Drew, to tear up that terrible secondary.
ARIZONA (-10) over Carolina: Cards picked off Eli 3 times last week. Look for 3 more against "Jakey Jakey About to Make ANOTHER Big Mistaky" Delhomme.
NY Giants (NL) over PHILADELPHIA: Philly has a lot of holes on that offensive line that the Giants pass rush will expose. Westbrook is probably hurt still too.
NEW ORLEANS (-10) over Atlanta: This could become a shoot out, and New Orleans has proved it's defense can stop good offenses. Atlanta has not.

Picks
Bal, Chi, Hou, GB, Ind, Mia, Det, Dal, SD, Jax, Arz, NYG, NO

Hot Chick of the week:
Kim Kardashian
In honor of Reggie Bush's leap/hurdle from the 5-yard line, we will show is girlfriend. (always worth a look)

Weekend Review: Week 7

I have always been a bigger fan of the NFL than NCAA. Maybe it's because the Steelers won the Super Bowl last year. Maybe it's becuase both of my fantasy teams are tanking. But either way, have you noticed how much more fun it has been to follow college football so far??

Finally got back to .500 on the college football lines.

NCAA
Spread 12-8
Season: 53-52-1

5 Notes from the weekend:
1) TCU’s defense looks better every week. They have a very serious chance to run the table.
2) When the fuck did Pitt become so good? Am I imagining things?
3) Just as Alabama started showing they are the best team in the country, they lay an egg against Tennessee… AT HOME!!!
4) There is a good chance the best team in college football is not in the SEC.
5) It is hard to get a young team, like Miami FL, to play consistently week in and week out.

NFL
Spread: 8-4-1
Season: 55-47-1
Picks: 9-4
Season: 70-33

5 Notes from the weekend:
1) Before the Saints game stated I said “Darren Sharper will intercept Henne for a touchdown today.” When the score was 24-3 I said, “No need to worry. A Drew Brees lead Saints is not out of this game.” They once again proved they don’t have to throw every down to win.
2) Brad Childress really knows how to loose games. Say what you want about Favre’s 2 turnovers, Childress had terrible play-calling in that game.
3) Once again, very good teams look very good against very bad teams.
4) If you look at the stat lines from the Vikings-Steelers and Patriots-Buccaneers games, they are almost identical. But scores are MUCH different.
Offensive Yards: Minn. 423 Pit. 281 (Score: Pit 27, Min 17)
Offensive Yards: NE 415 TB 261 (Score NE 35, TB 7)
5) The Eagles, Colts, Bengals, Bills, Jets, Chargers and Packers combined to commit 0 turnovers this week. They forced a combined 23 turnovers. Needless to say all of them won.

Weekly Predictions: Week 7

Love some of the lines this week for teasers.

NCAA (picks in bold. home team in CAPS)
Gerogia Tech (-5) over VIRGINIA: Tech is a much better team.
MIAMI (FL) (-7) over Clemson: Clemson sucks and has to travel to Miami. This line should be higher.
Central Michigan (-8) over BOWLING GREEN: Maybe I have swine flu, because I have got LeFevour.
South Florida (+6.5) over PITT: I dont think Pitt is a touchdown better than the Bulls. Look for that solid SFU defense to keep this game close.
WEST VIRGINIA (-7.5) over Uconn: Tough week in Storres is not gonna get any better with a trip to Morgantown.
SOUTH CAROLINA (-13) over Vanderbilt: The other USC plays some solid defense, especially at home.
Oklahoma St. (-9.5) over BAYLOR: There is no one on Balyor that can move the ball.
Alabama (-14) over TENNESSEE: Expect Alabama to show how much better they are than Florida. Look for their defense to score 2 touchdowns against the Vols terrible QBs.
Oregon (-9.5) over WASHINGTON: Oregon continues its dominance of the PAC-10 this year.
MICHIGAN (+4.5) over Penn State: The Lions have had trouble in the Big House in recent years. Their defense will keep them close, in a low scoring game in cool rainy Ann Arbor.
ARIZONA (-7.5) over Ucla: Zona QB Nick Foles has been great recently.
Louisville (+18) over CINCINNATI: Loves the Bearcats, but not when Pike doesn't play. If he does, flip this pick.
MISSISSIPPI Sy (+22.5) over Florida: I am still not sold on Florida yet. They win on the road, but not big.
HOUSTON (-16) over Smu: My man-crush on Case Keenum continues. Look for him to put up big numbers on a poor SMU squad.
Auburn (+7) over LSU: Auburn has struggled the last 2 weeks offensively, but they bounce back in Baton Rouge.
Tcu (-2.5) over BYU: The Horney Toads knocked BYU out of the BCS buster status last year. This year its TCU's #4 ranked defense vs. BYU's #6 ranked scoring offense. Defense should prevail on a chilly Saturday night in Provo.
STANFORD (-6.5) over Arizona St: The Cardinal is a force to be reckoned with in the PAC-10.
KENTUCKY (-14.5) over UL Monroe: Any SEC school is atleast 2 touchdowns better than any SubBelt team.

Pick of the week
MARSHALL (-7) over Uab: Marshall played WVU well. UAB is terrible. This line should be higher.
Pick of the week II
Iowa (NL) over MICHIGAN ST: I don't know if there is a good reason for there to be no line on this, but Iowa is for real.

NFL
San Diego (-4.5) over KANSAS CITY: Charges showed they can move the ball against Denver. Expect them to continue to improve against a bad KC defense.
Indianapolis (-13) over ST.LOUIS: Peyton Mannnigs stats at halftime: 13/16 287yrds 4 TDs.
Chicago (+1.5) over CINCINNATI: The Bengals begin to unravel.
Green Bay (-7) over CLEVELAND: Over 10 Browns players have come down with a bad flu. Expect this to be a 3 touchdown game.
Minnesota (+4) over PITTSBURGH: Take the under on this game (45)
New England (-14.5) over Tampa Bay: The game is in London. Brady loves shitty weather. Tampa doesn't.
HOUSTON (-3) over San Francisco: I am just not sold on San Fran yet. Houston is a tougher place to play than people admit.
NY Jets (-6) over OAKLAND: Oakland is getting too much credit for Philly laying an egg. Look for another huge rushing day out of Jet running backs.
Buffalo (+7) over CAROLINA: Just too high of a line for 2 really bad teams.
New Orleans (-6) over MIAMI: Until New Orleans doesn't cover, I am gonna keep picking them.
Atlanta (+4) over DALLAS: I fucking love this line. How is Dallas a 1 point favorite on a neutral field???? REALLY????
NY GIANTS (-7) over Arizona: Giants defense makes adjustments and roars back to beat up on Warner.
Philadelphia (-7) over WASHINGTON: This line should be closer to 10. Only New England bounces back from a loss better than Andy Reid's Eagles.

Winners
SD, Ind, Chi, GB, Pit, NE, Hou, NYJ, Car, NO, Atl, NYG, Phi

Sexy Girl of the Week
Fergie (Stacey Fergeson)
Rumor has it she is the newest person to buy a piece of the Miami Dolphins. J-lo and Fergie should have an ass-off at halftime. I know I would finally watch Dolphins games.

College Football: Halftime Season Report

We are slightly past the Midway point of the College Football Season and about half way through the conference schedules. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories of the year so far.

Injuries:
So far this college season, there has been no bigger story than injuries. Say what you want about LeGarret Blounts punch in the season opener, or the suspension of Dez Bryant being bigger, they are not. Big name players injured so far this year:

*Sam Bradford - QB Oklahoma (2008 Heisman winner/Out for season)
*Matt Grothe – QB South Florida (2nd all time in yards in Big East history/Out for season)
*Darren Evans - RB Virginia Tech (#1 running back/Out for season)
*Jermaine Gresham – TE Oklahoma (rated best TE in college football/Out for season)
*Tim Tebow – QB Florida (huge tool, but starting QB for #1 team in country, 2007 Heisman winner and 2 time BCS champion/only missed 1/2 game)
*Tony Pike – QB Cincinnati (15 Tds, 3 INTS/missed 1/2 game. Could miss more)

Heisman:
It is still early to be talking Heisman, but here are my top 3.
1. Mark Ingram - RB Alabama
135 rushes- 905 yrds- 8 TDs
(Had 246 yards Saturday night against a good South Carolina defense. Completely took over that game.)
2. Tony Pike- QB Cincinnati
1,633 yds- 15Tds- 3 INTs (Left last Thursday nights game @ SFU early because he reinjured his left arm. If he returns soon and leads them to an undefeated season, he will be hard to beat.)
3. Case Keenum - QB Houston
2,464 yrds- 19TDs- 4 INTs (Leads the country in yards and touchdowns. If Houston was still undefeated, they would be in the top 10, and he would be my #1)

OH MY GOD!!!! NO TEBOW!!!!! I know he is 2nd in the nation in efficiency, undefeated and has over 400 yards rushing. But he is yet to play that WOW game that will vault him into the top 3 in my mind.

Upsets:
Officially there have been a lot of upsets this season. But the longer you look at it, there weren’t really that many “upsets” of schools. Allow me to explain.
#3 USC went to Seattle and was "upset" by unranked Washington
#4 Ole Miss went to South Carolina on a Thursday night and were “upset.”
#5 Penn State was “upset” when #17 Iowa came to Happy Valley
#5 Oklahoma St. was “upset” by unranked at the time Houston U.
#7 Ohio State went to Purdue and were “upset.”

The real situation is that these teams really aren’t that good. There are no dominant teams in college football. Texas barely beats teams it should blow out. Same thing with Florida. Only Alabama has put the hammer to teams this year, but they don’t have that good of a passing game. Which leads me to my next point…

Rankings:
I honestly believe there should not be a single poll released before the first weekend in October. There should be a good month of games before anyone decides who the #1 team in the county truly is. Preseason ranking puts teams near the top that never deserved to be there. Look at all the high seeded teams that have been knocked off. Here we are 6-7 weeks later and most of those teams are no longer in the top 10. Look at the rankings before week 1 and the rankings now.

Preseason
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. USC
5. Alabama
6. Ohio State
7. Virginia Tech
8. Mississippi
9. (tie) Oklahoma State
9. (tie) Penn State

Today (BCS)
1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Boise State
5. Cincinnati
6. Iowa
7. USC
8. TCU
9. LSU
10. Miami (FL)

Therefore, 6 teams have dropped out of the top 10 is 7 weeks. 6 TEAMS!! 5 of those 6 teasm already have 2 losses this season. Guess those preseason polls were not correct. If Florida would not have been ranked unanimous #1 to start the season, I don’t think they would be now.

Bowl Projections:
BCS bowls and who I see playing in them.

Orange: Miami (FL) vs. Penn State
Sugar: Florida vs. Cincinnati
Rose: Oregon vs. Iowa
Fiesta: Boise St. vs. USC
Championship: Alabama vs. Texas

I don’t see the Big 12 getting 2 teams this year. It’s Texas, then the rest of the conference. USC will loose to Oregon on the road and the Ducks will win the Pac-10. I wanted to find a way to put TCU in, but they still have BYU and Utah on the schedule. They would have to end up playing in the Fiesta bowl. Plus, the bowls won’t put 2 not majors in a major bowl, especially the same game. Not to mention, it would accomplish nothing for the mid-major conferences to have them playing each other.

It is going to be very interesting to see how the last 7 or so weeks of this season play out. Can Iowa run the table? Can Cincinnati? Who will win the SEC title game and go to the National Championship? Will this be the year Kirk Herbstreit gives an STD to a 21 year old college girl and gets caught? Can’t wait to watch.

Weekend Review: Week 6

NCAA
Spread: 11-7
Season: 41-44-1

5 Notes from the weekend:
1) Terrelle Pryor might be the most over-hyped college football player in the last 10 years.
2) Virginia Tech has become perennial choke artists.
3) If Tony Pike is out more than a week, Cincinnati will be in trouble. Their backup, Zach Collaros, can run, but they will need to be explosive in the passing game to continue to compete.
4) BCS rankings are out, and Alabama should be #1. Florida has not played well the last 2 weeks and is riding the coattails from their preseason ranking.
5) TCU stats from Saturday: 46 carries 275 yards 3 TDS
They had 14 different people with a rushing attempt in the game.
They outgained Colorado St. 499-182.
They play BYU in the biggest game for that program in a while this weekend.

NFL
Spread: 6-8
Season: 47-43
Picks: 9-5
Season: 61-29

5 Notes from the weekend:
1) Baltimore’s defense is not that good. Especially at cornerback.
2) It is official. Washington has the worst offense in the NFL.
3) Different season, same Philadelphia Eagles. Losing games because they abandon the run. At no point did they need to give up on what was an effective running attack.
4) Cincinnati is in trouble. They seem to not be able to handle success, and Antwan Odom, their best defense player who was off to a monster year, is out for the season.
5) Coolest thing no one talked about this weekend. Chad Johnson (that’s right I will still call him that) partnered up with a local Cincinnati business (Motorola) to buy up the remaining 1,500 tickets to keep the game from being blacked out in the Cincy area. It is rare a player does something like that.

Another good weekend in gambling for me:
NFL
Parlay:
Houston (money line +190) and
Kansas City (money line +220) WON $83

NCAA
Mississippi St. (-3.5) WON $18.18

Weekly Picks: Week 6

Missed Week 5. Too busy of a week. Lets look into Week 6.

Picks

NCAA (picks in bold. Home team in CAPS)

Cincinnati (-2.5) over SOUTH FLOIRDA: I am still riding the Tony Pike train. SFU keeps it close, but Cincy should pull this out.
RUTGERS (+3) over Pitt: The Moustache Man is bound to blow a game they should win.
Texas (-3.5) over Oklahoma: Bradford is still a little shaky and the Sooners are banged up at the skill positions. Vegas will set the over/under high. Take the under. This game is about defense.
Ohio State (-13.5) over PURDUE: OSU's offense is not good enough for them to beat good teams. But their defense is good enough to destroy bad teams.
WISCONSIN (+2.5) over Iowa: Iowa is just not good enough to remain undefeated
Georgia (-8) over VANDERBILT: Memories of Cutler are long gone.
AUBURN (-13.5) over Kentucky: The Tigers rebound after a poor performance against Arkansas.
PENN STATE (-16.5) over Minnesota: See Ohio State
WEST VIRGINIA (-20) over Marshall: The battle of the ONLY 2 schools in the state is very one-sided.
SOUTH CAROLINA (+17) over Alabama: Tide will roll, but South Carolina defense will keep this low scoring. At no point will it seem like Bama won't win this, but not by more than 17.
NOTRE DAME (+10) over Usc: I hate to admit it, but Clawson can sling that ball. USC will sqeak this one out, and Charlie Weiss will sqeeze in 4 Arby's sandwiches at halftime.
California (-3.5) over UCLA: Coming off the bye, expect the Golden Bears to get back on track. Javid Best is still the #1 player in the country in my eyes.
Houston (-17) over TULANE: I know Houston has not been that great the last few weeks, but Case Keenum is still awesome.
NEBRASKA (-10.5) over Texas Tech: Ndamukong Suh will be the #1 player in the NFL draft next year. But on Saturday, he will be a nightmare for whoever Tech puts in the shotgun.
GEORGIA TECH (+3) over Virginia Tech: This is the kinda game that Va. Tech likes to loose and fuck up their season.
OKLAHOMA STATE (-7) over Missouri: Mizzu's early season success blew up last week. Ok St. just has too much talent for them to rebound.
Miami (FL.) (-14.5) over CENTRAL FLORIDA: Miami has beat good schools this year. They should beat up on CFU.

PICK OF THE WEEK
Mississippi St. (-4.5) over MIDDLE TENNESSEE ST: This line blows my mind. How the fuck is the line this low?!? Mississippi St. was 1 yard away from beating the #4 team in the country!! Did 3/4 of the team come down with AIDS???

NFL (picks in bold. Home team in CAPS)
Kansas City (+6.5) over WASHINGTON: I hate to say it, but the Skins are gonna loose this game.
Houston (+4.5) over CINCINNATI: Cincy just came off 5 straight heart attack games. They have the Bears and Ravens at home the next 2 weeks. Everyone say it with me.... TRAP GAME!!!
PITTSBURGH (-14) over Cleveland: Polamalu is supposed to be back. What do you think the over/under on Derek Anderson completions this week is... 4????
Baltimore (+2.5) over MINNESOTA: I keep doubting that fucker Favre and he keeps playing well, but this is their first real test. We saw last week how good San Fran actually is.
JACKSONVILLE (-10) over St. Louis: Vegas is getting killed by Rams lines this year.
Philadelphia (-14) over Oakland: Vegas is also getting killed by Raider lines.
NEW ORLEANS (-3.5) over NY Giants: Game of the year so far. I honestly see this coming down to secondary play, and the Giants have been banged up there all year.
TAMPA BAY (+3.5) over Carolina: There are only 2 home underdogs in the NFL this week. Tampa is the only 1 that will cover. Tampa is squirlley.
GREEN BAY (-13.5) over Detroit: Just watch the Lions crumble in the second half, especailly if Megatron is hurt.
SEATTLE (-2.5) over Arizona: Healthy Hasselbeck. I think a late Warner INT ends this game.
NY JETS (-9.5) over Buffalo: WOW are the Bills bad. I am guessing 9 Jets sacks.
NEW ENGLAND (-9) over Tennessee: Brady finally gets the timing back with his receivers against a very poor Titans seconday.
Chicago (+3.5) over ATLANTA: This will be a good game. Another "Future of the NFL" game with 2 great young QBs. The team that runs the ball better will win this one. Atlanta wins by 3.
SAN DIEGO (-4) over Denver: Champ will shut down Vincent Jackson. Watch for Antonio Gates to have a big day.

Winners:
KC, Hou, Pit, Bal, Jax, NO, Car, GB, Phi, Sea, NYJ, NE, Atl, SD

Sexy girl of the week:
Faith Hill.
Has she ever looked better then she does in the opening promo for Sunday Night Football?? Good work NBC.

Baseball Playoff Preview

Lets review what my predictions come out to from about 2 months ago.

NLDS (winners in bold)
My pick:
Cardinals vs Dodgers
Giants vs Phillies

Actual:
Cardinals vs. Dodgers
Rockies vs. Phillies

The 3 division winners wern't hard to predict. I thought that the pitching for the Giants would hold out, but their offense just was too poor.

ALDS (winners in bold)
My Pick:
Rangers vs. Yankess
White Sox vs. Angels

Actual:
Twins vs. Yankees
Boston vs. Angels

Alot of changes went down. White Sox stunk. Tigers collapsed. Boston got healthy.

Now my predictions for the rest of the playoffs. (winners in Bold)

NL:
Cardinals vs Dodgers (in 3)
Rockiers vs. Phillies (in 4)

Cardinals vs. Phillies (in 6)

This comes down to offense and the Phillies have the better one. 4 of the best pitchers in basbeball will duke it out, but Philly has better depth to the rotation, even though their bullpen is shaky.

AL:
Twins vs. Yankess (in 3)
Boston vs. Angels (in 4)

Boston vs. Yankess (in 7)

I know that Boston probably has a deeper rotation, and they have a better bullpen. The Yankess just have such a dominant offense its hard to go against them. I think Burnett has a great series to give them the edge.

World Series:
Phillies vs. Yankees (in 6)

I know I picked the Phillies 2 months ago, but that was before their bullpen completely fell apart. They will probably loose 2 games becuase of their bullpen and the Yanks walk away with this. Baseball writers will give the series MVP to Mrs. Minka Kelly.