NFL Week 11 In Review

A wild weekend in the NFL…..

The 1972 Miami Dolphins are breaking out the champagne and celebrating, as there will be no undefeated team in the NFL, for the 35th year in a row. The Indianapolis Colts lost to Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys, 21-14. I found myself rooting for both teams, as Peyton Manning is quarterback for my fantasy team. He threw two touchdown passes, but also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Marion Barber scored two touchdowns for the Cowboys, whose season has been resuscitated by the emergence of the Rib Man. My fantasy team wound up winning anyway, and the Cowboys got a big win, making me very happy.

The Colts need to be afraid, very afraid, because of what lurks out on the West Coast. San Diego is the real deal. The Chargers got a huge win last night in Denver, 35-27. San Diego trailed 24-7 in the third quarter, before making their comeback. The great LaDainian Tomlinson scored four touchdowns for the Bolts. Denver was exposed as a team without a quarterback. The Broncos need for Jay Cutler to be ready now, as Jake Plummer is not the answer in Denver. The Broncos appear to be headed for wild-card purgatory, while the Chargers are really, really good. I think they can beat the Colts in either Sandy Eggo or in Naptown.

Another team to be reckoned with in the AFC is the Baltimore Ravens. B-More won their 8th game yesterday by handling the Atlanta Falcons, 24-10. Jamal Lewis scored three rushing touchdowns for the Ravens. The Ravens also got 212 return yards from B.J. Sams. The Ravens are the third team in this three-team race in the AFC.

In the NFC, all roads lead through Chicago. Da Bears went 2-for-2 in New York, blanking the Jets, 10-0. This was a great game if you like lots of defense. The Bears did not score until kicking a field goal in the third quarter. The Bears are now 9-1, and are looking like a lock for the playoffs, if not more. Some team is going to have to freeze themselves in Chicago in January in order to make the Super Bowl.

The New Orleans Saints had an awful game on Sunday. Other teams would call it a disaster, but the Saints endured a real-life disaster last year. The Saints were drilled by the Bengals, 31-16. Rookie of the First Half of the Year Marques Colston was injured in the first half, taking his previous seven touchdown catches with him. The Saints missed him, and hope that he will be able to return. Carson Palmer and Chad Ocho Cinco Johnson connected on three touchdown passes for Cincinnati. Is it too late for the ‘Nati to make a run?

Elsewhere in the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers won their second consecutive game, holding off their hated rival Cleveland Browns, 24-20. Ben Roethlisberger threw a 4-yard shovel pass to Willie Parker for the game-winning touchdown with 32 seconds left. The Steelers inch back up to 4-6.

For the second year in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles will have to finish the season with another quarterback. Donovan McNabb suffered a torn ACL in the second quarter of Sunday’s 31-13 loss to the Titans. The Eagles are in a heap of trouble. The Titans are an interesting team, and are much more competitive with Vince Young at quarterback.

It was homecoming on Sunday in Houston, as the Texans invited all ex-Oilers as well as other Houston area NFL alumni for events surrounding their game with the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo once again created a nightmare for Houston football fans. Lee Evans was the man for Buffalo on Sunday, as he caught two long touchdown passes, and compiled 265 yards on 11 catches, to set a team record. The Bills beat the Texans, 24-21, on a last-minute touchdown pass from J.P. Losman to Peerless Price. The Texans are now 3-7.

Break up the Dolphins! Nick Saban’s team won their third game in a row, defeating the reeling Vikings, 24-20. The Dolphins move to 4-6, as they begin to live up to preseason expectations.

Their division rival bounced back in a big way, as the New England Patriots beat Green Bay like a rented mule, 35-0. Brett Favre suffered an arm injury in the second quarter. The ageless Vinny Testaverde finished the game for the Pats in mopup duty.

The Kansas City Chiefs, as expected, defeated archrival Oakland, 17-13. The game marked the returns of Trent Green as quarterback of the Chiefs, and Aaron Brooks as quarterback of the Raiders. The Chiefs are in the mix for a wild card berth in the AFC.

The St. Louis Rams were once the Greatest Show on Turf. That is far from the case now, as the Rams were shut out by Carolina, 15-0. The Panthers were helped even more by losses by the Saints and the Falcons, and now have a very good chance in the NFC South division.

Elsewhere in the South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their rematch of last week’s playoff game with the Redskins, 20-17. The Redskins started rookie quarterback Jason Campbell for the first time, and played their first game without injured RB Clinton Portis. It’s going to be a long end of the season for the Redskins.

In the 3:00 specials, San Francisco moved to an improbable 5-5, with a 20-14 win over the Seattle Seabags. The 49ers no longer suck. The Seahawks need Matt Hasselbeck back in the worst way. Seattle is still in first place in the NFC West, but have the Niners breathing down their backs.

In the other 3:00 special, the sorry Arizona Cardinals defeated the putrid Detroit Lions, 17-10. Matt Leinart got his first win as starting quarterback in Arizona. The Lions moved in front of the Cardinals in the race for the #1 pick in next year’s draft. This game definitely qualified as a Suck Bowl.

Mid-Major Wins of the Weekend

There were two wins by mid-majors that caught my eye this weekend.

Saturday, the Winthrop Eagles went into Starkville and defeated Mississippi State, 74-63. Winthrop is no pushover, having made the last two NCAA tournaments and five overall. MSU is wishing they hadn't scheduled them.

Today, the Monarchs of Old Dominion traveled up to D.C. and shocked 8th-ranked Georgetown, 75-62. Old Dominion is no slouch either, coming off a trip to the semifinals of the postseason NIT last year, and an NCAA appearance in 2004. They are also members of the Colonial Athletic Association, home of 2006 tournament darling George Mason. The Hoyas wish they had scheduled St. Leo, as they often did in the 80's.

Half a BCS Mess

Who's Number Two?

The Ohio State University took care of business on Saturday, with a wild 42-39 win over Michigan. Both teams went to the air early and often. Woody Hayes was turning over in his grave. Bo Schembechler was turning over at the funeral home, as he hasn’t been buried yet. Those two coaches made this game famous with three yards and a cloud of dust. The Buckeyes can book their reservations for the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona on January 8. The race for the other spot is a mess.

Michigan has a chance to join them, but they need some help. They would really be helped if their little buddies from Notre Dame beat USC on Saturday. USC played a lethargic first three quarters before pulling away to defeat Cal, 23-9. At this point, Michigan remains #2 in the BCS rankings. It remains to be seen if USC wins over Notre Dame and UCLA would help them pass Michigan in the BCS rankings.

Also players in this #2 mess are Florida and Arkansas. Both teams have games this week, as Florida plays Florida State, and Arkansas plays LSU. The winner of their duel in the SEC championship game has an outside chance to end up as the #2 team.

If USC wins out, it’s hard to argue with them due to the strength of their non-conference schedule. They would have wins over Notre Dame, Arkansas, and Nebraska, in addition to their Pac-10 title. Michigan has proven themselves worthy, but USC’s non-conference schedule should be enough to carry them to the #2 spot.

BCS Projections

BCS NCG: TOSU vs. USC
Rose: Michigan vs. Notre Dame (rematch)
Fiesta: Texas vs. Boise State
Sugar: Florida vs. West Virginia
Orange: Arkansas vs. Georgia Tech

Big XII Rankings

1. Texas: Needs win over A&M to stay in this spot.
2. Oklahoma: Needs win by Texas Aggies and win over Oklahoma Aggies.
3. Nebraska: Getting ready for Kansas City.
4. Texas A&M: Sooners will be cheering for Aggies on Friday.
5. Texas Tech: Good win over OSU.
6. Oklahoma State: Inconsistent, but facing their Super Bowl with OU coming to Stillwater.
7. Missouri: What was that brainlock in Ames?
8. Kansas: Fighting Manginos need win over Mizzou this week.
9. Kansas State: Followed up Texas win with loss to hated archrival KU.
10. Baylor: Season mercifully over.
11. Colorado: Improved from beginning of season to end.
12. Iowa State: Sent coach McCarney out a winner.

NFL Picks-Week 11

Last Week: 7-9 Season: 88-56

Another mediocre week. Let’s see what Week 11 brings….

Indianapolis at Dallas: The Colts are 9-0. They have slept through many of those games, such as last week against Buffalo, winning 17-16. They have shown the ability to get up for big games, such as the one two weeks ago against the Patriots. The Cowboys are woefully inconsistent. Tony Romo appears to be the real deal at quarterback. I’m really tempted to pick the Cowboys here, but my better judgment says no. Pick: Nap-town
Buffalo at Houston: The Texans are coming off their third win of the year, surpassing last year’s win total. The Bills aren’t a very good team. Neither are the Texans. Pick: Houston
Atlanta at Baltimore: Michael Vick had a brain fart last week, committing three turnovers against the Browns. Now, he faces the Ravens’ defense. Good luck with all that. Pick: Baltimore
Chicago at New York Jets: Da Bears play their second game at the Meadowlands in two weeks. No, the Bears didn’t sell mini-season ticket plans for games in New York. This is a road game against the J-E-T-S, who upset the Patriots in the slop last week. The Bears go two for two in the Jersey swamp. Pick: Da Bears
Cincinnati at New Orleans: The disappointing Bengals travel to the Big Easy to take on the surprising Saints. There will be a lot of points scored here. The Saints will score a few more. Pick: New Orleans
Minnesota at Miami: Two teams going in opposite directions. The Dolphins are starting to get it together, winning their last two games with starting QB Joey Harrington. The Vikes have slid back into mediocrity. Pick: Miami
New England at Green Bay: The Pats have proven to be mortal, losing their last two games in a row. The Pack has been a better road team than home team. The opposite is true for the Pats. Something has to change. Pick: Green Bay
Oakland at Kansas City: One of the great AFL rivalries resumes. The Raiders have won two games, which is two more than many expected at the beginning of the year. The Chiefs welcome back QB Trent Green. The Chiefs are a better team. Pick: Kansas City
Pittsburgh at Cleveland: These teams have identical 3-6 records. Both teams won last week. This one is worthy of a coin flip. Pick: Pittsburgh
St. Louis at Carolina: The Barbecue Bowl. I prefer St. Louis ribs. Carolina has a better football team, though. Pick: Carolina
Tennessee at Philadelphia: The Vince Youngs visit the City of Brotherly Love. A long season continues for the Titans. Pick: Philly
Washington at Tampa Bay: Rematch of a playoff game from last season. This year, both teams will have to buy a ticket or watch TV to see a playoff game. RB Clinton Portis is now out for the season for the Redskins. Pick: Tampa Bay
Seattle at San Francisco: The 49ers have won four games. Think they wouldn’t like to have that first Arizona game back? The Seahawks return RB Shaun Alexander this week. That should be enough for Seattle. Pick: Seattle
San Diego at Denver: A good one on Sunday Night Football. Both teams are 7-2. One will win the division, the other will be a very good wild card team. This is a tough pick, but I’ll go with the home field and Denver. If we’re lucky, it’ll snow in Denver Sunday night. Pick: Denver
New York Giants at Jacksonville: Both teams have been bitten by the injury bug. The Giants lost last week to Da Bears, while the Jags lost to the sorry Texans. The Giants are a little better, and should be able to bounce back. Pick: Giants

A Michigan Man

Word has come that legendary former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler died today at the age of 78. This comes on the heels of the biggest Michigan-Ohio State game ever.

Coach Schembechler won multiple Rose Bowls and Big Ten championships, and sent many players to the NFL. I best remember him in his capacity of athletic director, as the Wolverines' basketball team was set to play in the NCAA tournament. Michigan coach Bill Frieder took the same position at Arizona State, but wanted to coach Michigan through the tournament. An upset Schembechler turned him down, and told the press, "I don't want an Arizona State man coaching the Michigan team. I want a Michigan man to coach the Michigan team". Schembechler hired Steve Fisher as interim coach, and Michigan won six games in a row to win the national championship. Fisher then stayed on as permanent head coach.

Though Bo came from Miami of Ohio, he made his mark at Michigan. He was truly a Michigan man. The Maize and Blue Nation will miss him.

College Picks-Weekend of November 18

Last Week: 14-6 Season: 152-68

Pomona-Pitzer surprised me with their rout of archrival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

It’s shaping up to be a big week in the world of college football…

Oklahoma at Baylor: If this game were in September, I’d be scared to death. Baylor has been wrecked by injuries, and the Sooners continue to overcome adversity. OU rolls. Pick: OU
Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: I don’t know the over-under on this one, but over would be a safe pick. If this were in Stillwater, I’d say OSU in a rout. It’s in Lubbock, and anything can happen. I think OSU is a better team. My gut says Tech. Pick: Tech
Kansas State at Kansas: The Wildcats shocked the world last week with their unexpected upset of Texas. The Jayhawks need this one to become bowl eligible. The Cats get better every week. Pick: K-State
Missouri at Iowa State: The Telephone Trophy is on the line. This is Dan McCarney’s farewell as coach of the ‘Clones. The Cyclones haven’t been very good this year. Mizzou is pretty decent. Pick: Missouri
The School Up North at The Ohio State University: This is the Game of this Century, to date. This is one of the top 5 rivalries in college football, and brings added stakes, as Michigan is ranked #2, and Ohio State has been ranked #1 all season. This game lives up to the hype. Normally, the winner goes to the Rose Bowl. This year, the loser will head to Pasadena. Not a bad consolation prize. Winner goes to the BCS championship game, and the loser can still wind up there if it's a close game and the polls and computers line up right. Michigan covers the spread, but Ohio State wins the game. Pick: Buckeyes
Auburn at Alabama: Still the best intra-state rivalry anywhere, no matter how good or bad the teams are. People in the state of Alabama live for this game 365 days per year. Auburn crashed hard last week in a whipping at the hands of Georgia. Bama has been mediocre all season. Auburn has created a history of winning in Tuscaloosa since Alabama moved their home game to campus from Birmingham. Auburn has a better team. Mike Shula can’t be feeling real secure in his job right now. Pick: Auburn
California at USC: Cal is coming off of a shocking upset loss at Arizona. USC pounded Oregon last week. The Trojans are coming into their own after being upset at Oregon State. I’m afraid this one might be ugly for Cal. Pick: USC
Maryland at Boston College: Huge game in the ACC Atlantic Division. Winner still has a shot at the ACC championship game. Maryland has been living on a wing and a prayer, but has been winning. This one is in Boston. Pick: BC
Iowa at Minnesota: The battle for Floyd of Rosedale. Iowa has been a huge disappointment this year, and quarterback Drew Tate is questionable for this game. Minnesota narrowly escaped with a win over North Dakota State, and has since handily defeated Indiana and Michigan State. The Gophers would become bowl eligible with a win in the HHH Dome. Iowa is melting down. Pick: Gophers
Indiana at Purdue: This one is for the Old Oaken Bucket, and for the first time in several years, the Hoosiers have a chance to win. Purdue is 7-4, and has had a decent season. The Hoosiers have been stumbling of late, but a win would make them bowl eligible. The Bucket stays in West Lafayette. Pick: Purdue
Tennessee at Vanderbilt: Phat Phil’s Big Orange are on a two game losing streak. They also lost to Vandy last year, which very seldom happens. This won’t be a blowout, but the Vols won’t let Vandy beat them two years in a row. Pick: Tennessee
Virginia Tech at Wake Forest: Wake Forest controls their own destiny in the ACC Atlantic Division. The Hokies can’t win the Coastal division, but they can spoil Wake’s run at the Atlantic crown. How real is Wake Forest? I don’t know. Pick: Hokies
West Virginia at Pittsburgh: Thursday night game at the Ketchup Bottle. The Backyard Brawl. WVU is too strong for Pitt. It might not be close. Pick: West Virginia
Rutgers at Cincinnati: Ambush alert for the Scarlet Knights, as the Bearcats are capable of the upset. Rutgers will get a battle and then some. They should have enough to win the game, though. Pick: The State University of New Jersey
Arizona at Oregon: Wildcats are coming off the biggest win of Mike Stoops’ tenure, an upset over Cal. Oregon got smashed by USC at the Coliseum. Can Mike Stoops do what his brother didn’t, win at Oregon? Not this time. Pick: Oregon
N.C. State at North Carolina: Is this a basketball game? Just kidding. One coach is cleaning out his office, and the other one will probably do the same soon. UNC has one win all season, over I-AA Furman. The Wolfpack have three wins. The Tar Heels are coming off an ugly 7-0 loss to Georgia Tech. They score this week, and actually outscore their rival. Pick: UNC
Miami at Virginia: Both programs have seen their better days. Now, this is just a spare 12:00 EST game on Lincoln Financial Sports (the ACC regional TV network). Both schools have produced a ton of NFL players. Problem is, they’re all in the NFL now. Pick: Virginia
Washington at Washington State: The Apple Cup. Washington has been sliding for the last month. WSU has been inconsistent, and got spanked last week by Arizona State. Washington usually wins this game when they are not supposed to. My gut says Huskies. Pick: U-Dub
South Florida at Louisville: Louisville is coming off of a demoralizing loss at Rutgers, after blowing a 25-7 lead. South Florida will give the Ville all they can handle. The Cardinals have more talent, however. Pick: Louisville
Yale at Harvard: Winner has a chance at a share of the Ivy League championship. Yale can win it outright with a win and a Princeton loss. Both teams are 7-2 overall. When in doubt, go with the home team. Pick: Haahvud

Mid-Major Win of the Night

It is next to impossible for me to give college basketball the commentary it deserves on a nightly basis. However, certain things get my attention, none moreso whan when a David beats a Goliath, or when a "mid-major" beats a school from a power conference.

Last night, the Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts went into Lawrence and shocked the Kansas Jayhawks, 78-71. This is huge for them, as this win most likely keeps them out of a 16th seed if they make the NCAA tournament. ORU is the real deal. They'd probably beat my Sooners by 20 right now.

Coach Scott Sutton will have his pick of big-time jobs in the next couple of years, if he so desires.

Remember the Titans? That was ORU's nickname, before they dropped out of Division I in the late 80's. When they returned to D-1 in the early 90's, they picked up the nickname of Golden Eagles. I personally prefer Titans. Once a Titan, always a Titan.

Big News In Tally

Jeff Bowden has resigned as offensive coordinator for the Florida State Seminoles.

Wow. I refuse to speculate on what happened here, but the big goose egg against Wake Forest sealed his fate. This buys his dad a couple more years and gives him the opportunity for a well-deserved farewell tour if he so chooses.

The Bowden-Paterno race remains in full swing. The last one standing is the winningest coach in Division I-A history.

Basketball Season Already?

This is old news, but it is basketball season. College hoops has been going on for a week, and the NBA has been playing for close to a month. I am going to plead ignorance at this point.

In my advancing age, I have a hard time keeping up with more than one sport at a time, unless it is in the middle of playoffs, or if I have a fantasy team. I haven’t played fantasy basketball in a few years, so I haven’t had reason to keep up with the NBA on a daily basis before the playoffs. I do know my Dallas Mavericks had a four-game losing streak last week.

College basketball is at times the best sport out there. The NCAA Tournament is the best sporting event going. However, I have a hard time getting up for the regular season until conference play starts in January. There will be interesting non-conference games in November and December, but there will also be plenty of mismatches between power schools and schools running on a shoestring budget. Basketball has even more bodybag games than football. But, one of the cool things about college hoops is the sheer amount of “mid-majors”, and the opportunity for them to beat big schools in both the non-conference schedule, and in the Big Dance. I couldn’t tell you who is ranked in the Top 25 at this point, but I did see a headline that Vermont went on the road and beat ranked Boston College. That’s great. I have the most fun following teams on their run to the Tournament. The fun for me is the journey to the Dance. The Dance is just icing on the cake.

Last weekend, as I saw the ESPN ticker, I had to stop and remind myself that those were basketball games at the bottom of the screen. In my football mindset, I didn’t expect Texas to play Alcorn State, because I was watching them play Kansas State.

If college basketball coaches decided to move the start of their season to January, I wouldn’t complain a bit.

NFL Week In Review-Week 10

This weekend saw a lot of exciting action, some high-scoring games, and a demonstration of parity in the league.

The one team in the league with only one win is one that many expected to do great things, the Arizona Cardinals. The Dallas Cowboys went out to the desert and got a 27-10 win over the hapless Cardinals. The Rib Man, Tony Romo, threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns as the Cowboys cruised to victory. The Cowboys return home to face the undefeated Colts.

The Houston Texans got an unexpected win, defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars for the second time this season, 13-10. David Carr was knocked out of the game with an injury, and Sage Rosenfels came off the bench to guide the Texans to a win. Sage might have been a better quarterback all along. The Jags’ backup, David Garrard, threw four interceptions in a nightmare game on the banks of the St. Johns River.

Steve McNair had a successful return to Tennessee, as the Ravens came from behind to defeat the Titans, 27-26. The Titans continue to improve as Vince Young gains more experience. The Ravens are now 7-2, and own the AFC North division.

William Tecumseh Sherman, the pride of Ohio, burned Atlanta to the ground during the Civil War. The Cleveland Browns are the pride of part of Ohio. They didn’t exactly burn Atlanta yesterday, but they did shock the Falcons with a 17-13 win at the Georgia Dome. Michael Vick had a brain fart, throwing two interceptions and losing a crucial fumble. The Browns are now 3-6, while the Falcons are 5-4.

Ohio’s other team took part in a shootout. The Bengals scored 41 points yesterday. Trouble is for them, San Diego scored 49 against them. The Chargers are an offensive juggernaut. Yesterday was the third time the Chargers have scored 40 or more points in a game this season. They are now 7-2, and in a dogfight with Denver in the AFC West.

Upriver in Pittsburgh, the Steelers engaged in a shootout of their own, defeating the first-place New Orleans Saints 38-31. Fast Willie Parker rushed for 213 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints dropped to 6-3, but are still in first place in the NFC South.

The Philadelphia Eagles returned to the win column with a 27-3 win over the Washington Redskins. The Redskins and my fantasy team took a major blow, as Clinton Portis suffered a hand injury. His future status is unknown. Donte Stallworth was on the receiving end of an 84 yard touchdown pass from the Eagles’ Donovan McNabb.

The Northeast received a load of major showers yesterday. Nowhere was this more evident than Foxboro, as the New England Patriots played in the slop against the New York Jets. The Jets apparently are better built for slop, as they upset the Pats, 17-14. The Pats are crashing back to earth. The Jets are now just a game behind the Patriots in the AFC East.

Their AFC East buddy Buffalo Bills went to the dome in Indy, and gave the Colts all they wanted, before Indianapolis won, 17-16. The Colts are 9-0, but are not thumping inferior teams as they did last year. Still, 9-0 is 9-0. They’ll take it.

The Miami Dolphins won their second consecutive game, beating the visiting Chiefs 13-10. The Dolphins may finally be asserting themselves and starting to meet pre-season expectations, after a woefully slow start.

The San Francisco 49ers are still not a very good team. However, they found a way to win their 4th game of the season yesterday, with a 19-13 win over Detroit. Frank Gore broke a 61-yard run for a touchdown, and had 148 yards in the first half before leaving the game with a concussion. The vaunted Detroit offense did not show up.

The St. Louis Rams traveled to Seattle, and lost to backup quarterback Seneca Wallace, 24-22. Josh Brown kicked a 38-yard field goal for the win. The Seahawks remain in 1st place in the NFC West.

The Green Bay Packers continue to improve. The Minnesota Vikings are crashing, and crashing hard. The Pack went into the HHH Dome and nipped the Vikes, 23-17. Brett Favre is still crazy after all these years, and is still productive after all these years.

The Denver Broncos went out to Oakland, and had a narrow escape. The 7-2 Broncos pulled out a 17-13 win over the Raiders. The Raiders are still in contention for a high draft pick in the spring.

The Sunday Night extravaganza matched the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants, in the first of NBC’s flexible-scheduling choices for Sunday Night Football. The Bears thumped the injury-scarred Giants, 38-20. Devin Hester returned a missed field goal for 108 yards and a touchdown. This is a tie for the longest play in NFL history. The Bears placed themselves in much better position to game home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Big Orange Jacket

I am going to take this opportunity to use this part of my blog to talk about something very loosely related to college football.

My wife and I lost a friend this past weekend to cancer. I first met Steve Maness over 11 years ago when my wife and I were dating. He sang at our wedding. He also added to the comedic value of our wedding video when interviewed during the reception, when he said in his Tennessee drawl, "This food is butt-kickin' good!"

Steve was a passionate person, and fun for everyone to be around. He was a native of west Tennessee, and his love for the Vols never ended, even as he spent two decades in Texas. We would invite him to our place for watch parties, and he was in his finest form during the Miss America pageant and when the Tennessee Volunteers were playing. During the Vols’ heyday in the late 90’s, we would have parties with the express intent of watching Steve watch Tennessee. It would be hilarious to watch him yell at Peyton Manning, Tee Martin, Phil Fulmer, or whoever the Big Orange target would be at the time. As would be expected, he thought Steve Spurrier was the Antichrist. We hosted a watch party at our house for the 1999 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, in which the Vols defeated Florida State for their most recent national championship. Steve walked into our place with the most obnoxious looking deer hunter-orange jacket, with a Tennessee football helmet on the back. Those of us not from Tennessee could not help but laugh. After all, we weren’t there just for the Tostitos, the Vols, or the ‘Noles. We were there to watch Steve watch the game. He was in rare form that night, especially as the Big Orange won the crystal football.

Steve was about much more than the Big Orange, though. He was a well-rounded individual, and was first and foremost a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He was an accomplished musician and soloist. He was also a scholar, with a PhD in New Testament, and taught graduate classes in Greek. For his day job, he worked in the financial industry for a mortgage company in Dallas. With varying interests and talents such as those, I would call him a Renaissance man.

Steve fought cancer off and on for the past four years. After what was apparently a successful surgery last week, he was unexpectedly found dead of a heart attack last Saturday. He never married, but leaves behind his parents and a world of friends, on whom he had enormous impact.

Heaven is richer today. Steve is in a place where there is no death, no pain, no suffering, and no sin. His gain is our loss.

On a side note, I’m no fan of the Vols, but I want the jacket.

A Wild Day

Wow. The BCS got thrown for all sorts of loops, with chaos in the Top 10. The Game of this Century is set up for Saturday, with #2 Michigan set to travel to the Horseshoe to play hated archrival #1 Ohio State. A lot of things happened this weekend, all of which contribute to the greatness of college football.

First, on Thursday night, the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey broke through with a win over #3 Louisville, 28-25. Rutgers trailed 25-7 before coming back to win on a Jeremy Ito field goal. Speaking of Ito: Can you believe it’s been 11 years since the O.J. trial? I digress. Rutgers is still undefeated at 9-0.

Saturday was a wild day in the Top 10. The Florida Gators needed two blocked kicks to hold off Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks, 17-16. The Ole Ball Coach is snakebitten this year, with close losses to Auburn, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Florida. The Gators will find themselves third in the BCS standings this week.

The Texas Longhorns experienced disaster. As Texas took a 7-0 lead over Kansas State on a Colt McCoy quarterback sneak, Colt suffered a broken clavicle. Texas from there looked rusty, suffering turnovers and blocked punts, and allowed KSU to take a 42-21 lead. Texas closed to within 42-35, before K-State added a field goal, and Texas scored to make the final margin 45-42. Texas lost its chance at the national championship game, but can still win the Big XII South with a win at home over Texas A&M. I laughed this game off. However, injuries can turn things around in a heartbeat.

I predicted the Georgia-Auburn game would be ugly. I didn’t expect it to be ugly in favor of Georgia, as the Bulldogs ruined the season of War Eagle, winning 37-15. Auburn has now suffered two butt-kickings on their home field. Georgia salvaged some respectability for their season, after losing to the Wildcats of Kentucky in Lexington the previous week.

Out West, the Cal Bears were caught looking ahead to next week’s showdown with USC, as they were stunned in Tucson by the Arizona Wildcats, 24-20, in the biggest win in Mike Stoops’ tenure in the desert. Cal can still win the Pac 10 by winning their remaining games with USC (good luck with all that) and Stanford.

The world turned upside down in Tallahassee last night. Florida State played Wake Forest. One team was ranked 18th, the other was unranked. The game ended in a score of 30-0. Wake Forest is the ranked team, and they won 30-0, for FSU’s first shutout loss since 1971. Things are not well in Tallahassee. Bobby Bowden is protecting his son, offensive coordinator Jeff, at all costs. The wolves are out down there, with good reason. Coach Bowden is a legend, and deserves to leave/retire on his own terms. He built that program from nothing. However, he needs to see the train wreck that has developed here. At this point, whenever it may happen, he is going to leave his program in shambles. A terrible shame. At the same time, Wake Forest is the real deal. They are a team of destiny.

BCS Projections

BCS NCG: Ohio State vs. Michigan (rematch)
Rose: Notre Dame vs. USC (rematch, but the Rose would kill for ND if they can’t get a Big 10 team)
Fiesta: Texas vs. Boise State
Sugar: Florida vs. West Virginia
Orange: Arkansas vs. Wake Forest (this one is wide open)

Big XII Rankings

1. Texas: Shocking defeat in the Little Apple, but is still the best team here.
2. Oklahoma: Sooners keep overcoming adversity, defeating Tech with a third string running back.
3. Nebraska: Champions of the North Division, and a threat in Kansas City.
4. Oklahoma State: Took Baylor down Route 66.
5. Texas A&M: Lost second heartbreaker in a row at home.
6. Kansas State: Improving quickly, and pulled upset of the season over Texas.
7. Missouri: Good, but not great.
8. Texas Tech: See Missouri.
9. Kansas: Can salvage a bowl with win over K-State or Mizzou.
10. Baylor: Injuries have sucked the life out of the Bears.
11. Colorado: Finally out of the cellar.
12. Iowa State: On track for 0-8 in the conference, and a new coach around the corner.

NFL Picks-Week 10

Last Week: 6-8 Season: 81-47

Really bad week last week. Time to bounce back.

Dallas at Arizona: The Cowboys follow up last week’s brain fart with a trip to the desert to play the woeful Cardinals. The Cardinals are a bad team. But, the Cowboy circus is coming to town, so anything can happen. Give me the Rib Man and company. Pick: Dallas
Houston at Jacksonville: The Jaguars are really good at home, and are looking for revenge of an earlier loss in Houston. The Texans are woefully inconsistent, and should have beaten the Giants last week. I’m not picking against the Jags at home. Pick: Jacksonville
Baltimore at Tennessee: The Ravens are cruising along at 6-2. The Vince Youngs had a bad day last week in a thumping at the hands of Jacksonville. Steve McNair has a successful return to Tennessee. Pick: Baltimore
Buffalo at Indianapolis: The Colts went 14 games before losing last year. They go undefeated for at least 9 games this year. Pick: Indy
Cleveland at Atlanta: I’m glad we’re not getting this game sent to us. Great candidate for a Sunday afternoon nap. Pick: Atlanta
Green Bay at Minnesota: Rivals meet for the 856th time. Brett Favre has played in 800 of those games. Vikes coming off of anemic, embarrassing performance in San Francisco. They can’t have two dud games in a row. Pick: Minnesota.
Kansas City at Miami: The Dolphins woke up from the dead last week to shock the Bears in Chicago. The Chiefs have their offense rolling behind backup quarterback Damon Huard, and are a surprising 5-3. Pick: Kansas City
New York Jets at New England: Rematch of earlier game won by the Patriots. This one won’t be much different. Pick: Pats
San Diego at Cincinnati: The most memorable game between these teams was in 1981, when the Bengals braved subzero temperatures in Cincinnati to defeat the Chargers and advance to Super Bowl XVI. It’ll be a lot warmer in the ‘Nati on Sunday, and there won’t be quite as much on the line, but it’s still a big game for the Bengals, with the season on the line. Pick: Cincy
San Francisco at Detroit: Speaking of Super Bowls, the Niners beat the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI, played in Detroit, or nearby at the Pontiac Silverdome. The 49ers are a long way from the Super Bowl these days, but they do have three ugly wins. The Lions hit the win column last week, as well. Make that two in a row for Motown. Pick: Detroit
Washington at Philadelphia: Redskins got a big win last week against the Cowboys. The Iggles have been very inconsistent, and need to get a streak going. Donovan McNabb comes up big this week. Pick: Philly
Denver at Oakland: The Raiders have two wins, which are two more than many expected early in the season. The Broncos got a big road last week against the struggling Steelers. Broncos continue to roll against the hated Raiders. Pick: Denver
New Orleans at Pittsburgh: When this game was scheduled, it would not have been a surprise for one team to be 6-2, and the other to be 2-6. The surprise is that the Saints are 6-2, and the defending champion Steelers are 2-6. This has ambush written all over it. But I’m not biting on that. Saints win. Pick: New Orleans
St. Louis at Seattle: Winner is in 1st place in the NFC West. Seahawk studs Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck are listed as doubtful. It then becomes a question of which Rams team shows up. I’m guessing that the Seahawks come through at home. Pick: Seattle
Chicago at New York Giants: Both teams were looking ahead last week, as the Bears lost, and the Giants should have lost. This will still be a good game. The Giants have been looking better against better competition, and are playing at home. Pick: G-Men
Tampa Bay at Carolina: The Bucs have two wins, and one of them is over the Panthers. Lightning won’t strike twice. Pick: Carolina

College Picks-Weekend of November 11

There’s another big Thursday night game, so it’s another week for early picks.

Last Week: 12-8 Season: 138-62

I missed on Colorado School of Mines vs. Mesa State. It gets worse, as I picked Republicans over Democrats in both houses last night. Two years until the mother of all elections….

Texas Tech at Oklahoma: The Sand Aggies make their first trip to Norman since last year’s Big XII officiating debacle on the Plains, where Tech scored the winning touchdown on a questionable series of calls/no calls/booth reviews. Sooners take no prisoners. Pick: OU
Baylor at Oklahoma State: The Bears’ season is in a tailspin. The Cowboys are back home after being thumped by Texas. OSU can score points on anyone, except Texas. Pick: OSU
Nebraska at Texas A&M: Nebraska, for all intents and purposes, won the North last week over Missouri. The Aggies lost a close one to OU at home. The Ags bounce back here for win #9 in Fran’s make-or-break season. Pick: A&M
Texas at Kansas State: Yeah, right. Pick: Texas
Iowa State at Colorado: Worst game of the year in the Big XII Conference. One coach on the way out, the other on the way in. Cyclones have tanked the season. Pick: CU
Louisville at Rutgers: One week after winning the biggest regular-season game in school history, the Ville travels to undefeated Rutgers. Can the Ville defeat undefeated teams two weeks in a row? Yes. Will they? No. Rutgers shuts the Louisville critics up. Pick: Rutgers
Tennessee at Arkansas: The Vols had a good thing going until last week, when QB Erik Ainge was injured and Phat Phil’s Big Orange lost to the LSU Tigers. Now, they head for the hills of Arkansas, where the Hogs are having a fine season of their own. The Razorbacks continue to roll, at least for one more week. Pick: Arkansas
Ohio State at Northwestern: Buckeyes had a close call last week at Illinois, while Northwestern got their biggest win of the season to date at Iowa. Buckeyes continue to look ahead to the showdown with Michigan, but have enough to get through this one. Pick: Ohio State
Miami at Maryland: The Canes have much more important things on their mind, such as the murder of a teammate this week. No matter what, this would be the year of the Terp in this one. Fear the Turtle. Pick: Maryland
South Carolina at Florida: The Ole Ball Coach returns to the Swamp for the first time with the Gamecocks. He doesn’t have half the team at SC that Urban Meyer does at Florida. Pick: Gators
Notre Dame at Air Force: Air Force is fresh off a 43-7 pasting of Army, which could have been a lot worse. This could be a dangerous trip for the Irish. Talent prevails, though. Pick: Notre Dame
Alabama at LSU: The natives are restless in Tuscaloosa, as the Tide lost to SEC bottom-feeder Mississippi State last week. LSU saved their season last week, with a big win over Tennessee in Knoxville. LSU is a better team this year. Pick: Tigers
Wake Forest at Florida State: This is where we find out if the Deacons are for real. The ‘Noles have their worst team in 30 years, but are still dangerous at home. By the way, Bobby Bowden is a deacon, also, in a Baptist church in Tallahassee. He’s not a demon Deacon, though. FSU comes up big for the second week in a row. Pick: Seminoles
Oregon at USC: Big game at the Coliseum, the first of three this month for the Trojans, in addition to a date at the Rose Bowl with UCLA. The Men of Troy have lost one game to a team from Oregon. They won’t let it happen again. Pick: USC
N.C. State at Clemson: Another stop on the Chuck Amato death watch for the Wolfpack. Clemson finds itself as another middle-of-the pack ACC team, in a year when it was all there for the taking. Clemson has a better team this week. Pick: Clemson
Georgia at Auburn: The oldest rivalry in the South resumes. Georgia has been very disappointing this year. Auburn has the one loss to Arkansas. This might get ugly. Pick: Auburn
Minnesota at Michigan State: Minnesota is coming off a surprising blowout win over Indiana. Michigan State is playing out the string under lame duck coach John L. Smith. Flip a coin on this one. Pick: MSU
Vanderbilt at Kentucky: Cats need this one to become bowl eligible. Vandy is competitive, and will keep it close. Kentucky wins, though. Pick: UK
Wisconsin at Iowa: Hawkeyes are melting down fast. Wiscy is rolling through every team not named Michigan. Pick: Wisconsin
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Pomona-Pitzer: Battle of the Claremont Colleges. C-M-S is shooting for a winning season, while P-P has won two games all season. Pick: C-M-S

NFL Week In Review-Week 9

My take on the Cowboys-Redskins game is found elsewhere on this blog.

The New York Football Giants were nearly caught looking ahead to next week’s game with the Bears, as they scored a late touchdown to sneak past the Houston Texans, 14-10. Tiki Barber, the league’s leading rusher, finally scored his first touchdown of the season. David Carr bounced back for the Texans after last week’s benching, scoring a rushing touchdown. The Giants are in command of the NFC East with a record of 6-2.

Somewhere, Nick Buoniconti is smiling. The Miami Dolphins, winners of one previous game, defended the legacy of their 1972 undefeated team by defeating the previously undefeated Chicago Bears, 31-13. This is not the first time the Dolphins have beaten an undefeated Bears team, as they stopped the 1985 Bears juggernaut in a famous Monday Night game at the Orange Bowl. Joey Harrington is turning into a good NFL quarterback.

Harrington’s former team, the Lions, got a big win over the Atlanta Falcons, 30-14. Kevin Jones had two rushing touchdowns for Detroit. Mike Martz, the offensive coordinator, is a mad scientist, and has turned the Lions into an offensive machine. For one day, their defense cooperated, and they got their second win of the year.

The Buffalo Bills won the Snowplace Bowl, defeating the Green Bay Packers, 24-10. This game will prove to be totally irrelevant, as neither team is headed anywhere this year.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in big trouble. They are now 4-4, and trail the Baltimore Ravens by two games in the AFC North, after a 26-20 loss to the Ravens in Baltimore. The Ravens are a force to be dealt with in the AFC.

Another AFC North team in even bigger trouble are the Pittsburgh Steelers. They fell to 2-6, with a 31-20 loss to the Denver Broncos. The Steelers are headed nowhere fast. The Broncos had a big day from Javon Walker, who had over 200 total yards, 2 receiving touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown. The Broncos are looking strong out West in the AFC.

Also looking good out West are the San Diego Chargers, who overcame a slow first half to defeat the Cleveland Browns, 32-25. The Chargers are now 6-2, as well.

Trent Green may not have a job when he comes back from injury. The Chiefs have now won 5 games with backup QB Damon Huard calling signals. The Chiefs won the Show Me Bowl yesterday over the St. Louis Rams, 31-17. Kansas City is in Missouri, while the Chiefs put the Rams into Misery.

Don’t you think the Jaguars would like to play all their games at home? Behind backup quarterback David Garrard, the Jags made the Titans look like a high school team, crushing them by a score of 37-7. The Jags are All-Pros at home, and dogs on the road.

Elsewhere in the Sunshine State, the New Orleans Saints won their sixth game of the year, as they thumped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-17. Marques Colston, the pride of Hofstra, caught another touchdown pass, and is the Rookie of the First Half of the Year, if there is such a thing. Sean Payton would qualify as Coach of the First Half of the Year.

Yesterday, in San Francisco, a snoozer of a game was staged. I don’t know if it was played, but there were two teams on the field doing something. The 49ers, as bad as they are, now have three wins, after defeating the Vikings 9-3 in a field goal festival. I am so glad our local Fox station decided to pick up the Cowboy game, as they were originally scheduled to show this barnburner at 3:00.

Finally, the Sunday Night game lived up to billing, as the Colts bumped their record up to 8-0, with a big win at New England. Peyton Manning had a couple of touchdown passes, and Tom Brady threw four interceptions. Most of the football world is now saying: “So what? Show me something in the playoffs.” That is where the Pats have the Colts: 3 rings to none. The Colts are the regular season’s team. It remains to be seen if it will transfer to the playoffs.

Big XII Rankings, BCS Projections, And Assorted Ramblings

It was an interesting weekend in college football. There were no major earth-shaking developments, unless you consider the money Las Vegas bookies made off of Ball State and Illinois as those squads fought hard against Michigan and Ohio State.

The Oklahoma Sooners went down to a hostile environment in College Station, and took care of business against the Aggies. Coach Bob Stoops returned to his riverboat gambling ways and made two dangerous play calls, showing confidence in his team. The first was after the Sooners had taken a 14-3 lead, and the Sooners attempted an onside kick. The Aggies recovered, but the message was sent. The second gutsy call occurred late in the game, with the Sooners trying to run out the clock in their own territory. On 4th and inches at their own 30 yard line, Stoops eschewed the punt, and called for a run. The Sooners converted the 1st down, and won the game 17-16.

A surprise is developing in Lexington, Kentucky. Fans and boosters have been calling for the head of coach Rich Brooks for, well, ever since he was hired. Brooks is best known for being the coach of the St. Louis Rams before Dick Vermeil won the Super Bowl, and for building the Oregon program before Mike Bellotti took it to another level. The Wildcats knocked off the reeling Georgia Bulldogs yesterday, giving the Wildcats their biggest win of the year, and putting them one step closer to a bowl. Brooks and staff appear to have saved their jobs, as well.

Elsewhere in the SEC, Sylvester Croom most likely saved his job as coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, with a stunning 24-16 upset over Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Croom, one of the first African-Americans to play for Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant at Bama, was passed over for the Bama job in favor of Mike Shula. He has had a rough go of it at probation-riddled Mississippi State. In the meantime, the seat under coach Shula has become warm. Alabama should never lose to Mississippi State. But, USC should never lose to Oregon State, and they did. In these, the days of 85 scholarships, anything can happen, and usually does.

Discussion of the SEC would be incomplete without mentioning how LSU saved their season, as the Tigers of Less Smiles got out of Knoxville with a win over Phat Phil’s Big Orange of Tennessee. Tennessee lost quarterback Erik Ainge, which proved to be the slight difference in the game. The Vols still have games remaining against Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky, and their rebound season is far from complete. LSU is always dangerous.

The Louisville Cardinals made a statement on Thursday night at the Pizza Box with their win over West Virginia. They have an opportunity for an encore, as they visit undefeated Rutgers on Thursday night.

BCS Projections:

BCS NCG: Ohio State vs. Michigan (rematch)
Rose: Notre Dame vs. Cal
Fiesta: Texas vs. Boise State
Sugar: Florida vs. West Virginia (winner of three-way tie with Louisville and Rutgers)
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Auburn

Big XII Rankings

1. Texas: No one in this conference can touch them.
2. Oklahoma: Have not missed a beat without Adrian Peterson.
3. Texas A&M: Following up OU loss with big home game with Nebraska.
4. Nebraska: Best of a bad bunch in the North.
5. Oklahoma State: Got spanked in Austin.
6. Missouri: Better than the dregs in the North, but not great.
7. Texas Tech: Hung half a hundred on Baylor.
8. Kansas State: Bowl eligible in Ron Prince’s first season.
9. Baylor: Struggling with injuries.
10. Kansas: A win over either of hated rivals KSU or Mizzou makes them bowl-eligible.
11. Iowa State: The death march for Dan McCarney is well underway.
12. Colorado: Dan Hawkins wishes he was still in Boise.

Don't Blame The Rib Man

I’ll review college football later, and the NFL tomorrow. This debacle in D.C. is too fresh not to address.

Tony Romo played a pretty good game. Terrell Owens cost the Rib Man a big play, though, in dropping a sure touchdown pass on what would have been a 70-yard bomb, and would have resulted in a 26-12 lead.

I’m really peeved at the Glorified Gym Teacher, or the New Jersey Con Man. That would be Bill Parcells. With a 6-5 lead in the second quarter (the most unstable of football scores), he decided to go for two, to create a three-point margin. Forget the “card”, or the tool that tells coaches to kick for one point or to go for a two-point conversion in certain situations, depending on the point spread. Don’t use the card in the first half! The Cowboys went for two, and missed. The Cowboys put themselves in a position where they were chasing those lost points for the rest of the game. Therefore, they were tied at the end of the game with a chance to win on a Mike Vanderjagt field goal. However, Vandy’s field goal was blocked by Sean Taylor, who promptly ran the ball back into Dallas territory. To add insult to injury, there was an incidental face mask penalty on the return, so Washington had an untimed down, and was in field goal range as a result of the return. Rookie kicker Nick Novak kicked a field goal, and the Redskins won the game.

This is the beginning of the end of the Big Bill era. Parcells has brought the Cowboys from the level of sucking to the level of mediocrity. However, the team does not appear to be ready to move to the level of greatness which Jerry Jones and Cowboy fans expect. I bet Jack Del Rio would leave Jacksonville to come back to the Cowboys. I wouldn’t mind seeing the return of Sean Payton, either, based on early returns from New Orleans. Heck, while talking about the Saints, let’s bring back Gary Gibbs. He can be the second ex-OU coach to be the head man in Dallas. This ship is in big trouble. Big Bill needs to go back to Jersey.

Week 9 NFL Picks

Last Week: 7-7 Season: 75-39

Dallas at Washington: Cowboys enter Game 2 of the Tony Romo era on a one-game winning streak, after pounding the Panthers in the second half for a 35-14 win. Bill Parcells did what Joe Gibbs has not done: replace his aging veteran quarterback, as Mark Brunell is still the quarterback in Washington. The Rib Man continues to grill, and the Cowboys sweep the hated Redskins. Pick: Dallas
Houston at New York Giants: David Carr is still the quarterback of the Texans, for now. He was benched last week, but has the dreaded vote of confidence and will be starting Sunday in the Jersey swamps. The Giants have won four games in a row by double-figure margins. This one should be no different. Pick: NYG
Kansas City at St. Louis: Winner gets to paint their team colors on the standing columns at the University of Missouri, located halfway between the two cities. Just kidding. The Chiefs have won four games with backup QB Damon Huard. The Rams were manhandled last week by the Chargers. This is the NFL, which means nothing is consistent. The Rams have home dome advantage. Pick: St. Louis
Atlanta at Detroit: The Lions have shown an ability to ring up yards and points, but only have one win to show for it. The Falcons are tied for first place in the NFC South. This is a potential shootout. The Lions can’t outscore the Falcons, though. Pick: Atlanta
Cincinnati at Baltimore: Huge game in the AFC North. Ocho Cinco needs to come up big for the Bengals. The Ravens would open up a two-game lead in the division with a win. The Ravens still have a strong defense, and have the home field. Pick: Baltimore
Green Bay at Buffalo: What are they playing for here, a golden snowball? The NFL would have done well to schedule this one in late December. The Packers are showing improvement. The Bills are just plain mediocre. Pick: Green Bay
Miami at Chicago: The Dolphins are the biggest disappointment in the league this year. The Bears are the most impressive team so far. This is a mismatch. Pick: Da Bears
New Orleans at Tampa Bay: Bucs return home to face the quick-starting Saints. The Saints suffered a crushing defeat last week at the hands of the Ravens. The Bucs have been strong at home, with wins over the Panthers and Eagles. Pick: Bucs
Tennessee at Jacksonville: David Garrard is back as starting QB in Jacksonville. The Titans have improved since Vince Young became their starting QB. The Jags need a win in the worst way. They get it here. Pick: Jacksonville
Minnesota at San Francisco: The Niners are awful. The Vikings are coming off a whipping by the Patriots. I know better than to pick San Francisco. Pick: Vikings
Cleveland at San Diego: The Browns won a game last week. I hope they enjoyed it, because San Diego is a step up in competition. The Chargers cruise. Pick: San Diego
Denver at Pittsburgh: This was supposed to be a marquee game. The Steelers have been a bad team recently, losing games like last week’s game against the Raiders. The Broncos have been stout on defense, until the Colts came to town last week. The Broncos have been better all year, and get revenge for last year’s AFC championship game. Pick: Denver
Indianapolis at New England: Regular season game of the year, to this date. The Colts are still unbeaten, and the Pats only have the hiccup loss to Denver. The Patriots keep replacing skill position players year after year, and continue winning. Bill Belichick is a mad scientist. Both teams leave Gillette Stadium with one loss. Pick: Pats
Oakland at Seattle: The Monday Night extravaganza brings a team known to some (Mike Rhyner) as the Greatness to the Northwest for a matchup with former division rival Seattle. The Seahawks are still missing QB Matt Hasselbeck and RB Shaun Alexander in a huge way. The Raiders are still not very good, despite the two defensive touchdowns in last week’s win over the Steelers. Pick: Seattle

College Picks-Week of November 4

We’re in the homestretch, with conference championships, BCS bowls, and coaching jobs on the line. Two BCS conference jobs are already being vacated (North Carolina and Michigan State), with more on the way. We also have a de facto national championship semifinal this week, necessitating the early picks.

Who are these people out there already screaming that a team with one loss should be in the BCS national championship game over an undefeated team from the Big East? If a Big East team escapes undefeated, they will have most likely defeated two other teams with 10 wins, plus at least two other bowl teams. It’s a little early to have this argument, as I still think West Virginia, Louisville, and Rutgers will all defeat each other before it’s all said and done. Plus, Pittsburgh looms as a spoiler for either West Virginia or Louisville. The Big East has proven itself as a legitimate BCS conference. It has improved markedly, especially considering the losses of Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College.

Last Week: 13-7 Season: 126-54

Picks for the week:

Oklahoma at Texas A&M: Saturday night at Kyle Field. A&M’s biggest game to date. OU got a huge road win last week at Missouri. The good fortune continues for the Sooners. Pick: OU
Oklahoma State at Texas: OSU came up huge last week at home against Nebraska. The past two years, they have rolled up big leads on Texas, only to lose. Saturday’s game in Austin shouldn’t lack for scoring, either. The Horns can outscore the Pokes, though. Pick: Texas
Missouri at Nebraska: Most likely for the championship of the Big XII North, which is similar to playing for the championship of District 20-5A. Winner has inside track to a game with Texas in Kansas City on the first weekend of December. Nebraska has shown more ineptitude, but has the home field. I can’t pick against the Huskers at home. Pick: NU
Baylor at Texas Tech: Baylor lost a game last week against A&M, and also lost QB Shawn Bell for the season due to injury. This hurts the Bears. Tech blew a lead against the hated Longhorns. Tech salvages some pride here. Pick: Tech
Kansas at Iowa State: KU bounced back with a win last week over the hapless Buffs. Iowa State was thumped by K-State, and coach Dan McCarney’s job is on the line after 12 years in Ames. The Jayhawks are a little better than the ‘Clones. Pick: KU
Kansas State at Colorado: K-State is inconsistent. The Buffs are improving, but competitive, especially for a team with one win. K-State needs one more win to become bowl eligible. They get it here. Pick: KSU
West Virginia at Louisville: The biggest game in the history of Thursday Night Football, as the Mountaineers visit the Pizza Box for a tilt with the undefeated Cardinals. The Cardinals definitely will miss star RB Michael Bush, who was injured in the first game of the year. WVU has rolled over opponents with their spread option attack, featuring RB Steve Slaton. WVU is the real deal. Pick: West Virginia
Maryland at Clemson: Clemson really shot themselves in the foot last week in Blacksburg. The Terps have bounced back from an early-season blowout at West Virginia and are now in contention for a division championship in the ACC. The Tigers bounce back here. Pick: Clemson
Penn State at Wisconsin: Don’t look now, but Wisconsin is a quiet 8-1. Orlando or Tampa will be a very nice trip for the Badgers on New Year’s Day. Badgers win again this week. Pick: Wisconsin
Virginia at Florida State: Florida State is reeling. The vultures are circling in Tallahassee, and are looking for someone’s head on a platter, preferably offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden. His father Bobby will protect him to the utter end, though, and may retire over the whole situation. Meanwhile, the ‘Noles struggle, and may not make a bowl. UVa got a win last week over N.C. State. FSU wakes up this week, and gets a win. Pick: Florida State.
TCU at UNLV: The Passin’ Rebels are in the tank, with no relief in sight, losers of seven in a row. TCU is looking for a late season spark, after a letdown in losses to BYU and Utah. Frogs win here, and it won’t be just Vegas luck. Pick: TCU
LSU at Tennessee: LSU got a raw deal from the SEC schedule makers, with road trips to Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, and an improved Arkansas in the same season. This week, they get the Big Orange. Phat Phil’s team is two points away from an undefeated season and the national championship debate. LSU has run up big margins against lesser competition, but has come up short against quality teams. This game will retain that form. Pick: Tennessee
Georgia at Kentucky: The Bulldogs continue to struggle on the offensive side of the ball. Kentucky has a reasonable shot at a bowl game, with winnable games against Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Monroe remaining. This will be closer than it ought to be, but Georgia has a bit more talent, and better coaching. Pick: Georgia
Washington at Oregon: The Huskies started well, but have now lost four in a row, including overtime losses to Cal and Arizona State. The Ducks are home, and will be more than up for their hated rival. Pick: Oregon
Tulsa at Houston: Big game in Western division of C-USA. Tulsa has been rolling through the conference for the second year in a row. There will be plenty of points scored in this one. Pick: Tulsa
Boston College at Wake Forest: Who would have thought that this game would have division, conference, and BCS implications? How much longer does the roll continue for Wake? We’ll soon find out. BC is just a little better. Pick: BC
Arkansas at South Carolina: The Hogs have rolled since their opening day blowout loss to the other USC. The Gamecocks have come up short in their big home games with Auburn and Tennessee. The third time is the charm for USC-East. Pick: Gamecocks
Arizona State at Oregon State: OSU-West got a huge, huge, huge win last week over USC. Arizona State escaped with an overtime win over Washington. The success continues for the Beavers. Pick: Oregon State
Purdue at Michigan State: How does Michigan State respond after the blowout loss to the Hoosiers and subsequent dismissal of its coaching staff? Good question. Pick: Purdue
Mesa State at Colorado School of Mines: Mesa has two wins, Mines has four. Mines is playing at home. Pick: Colorado School of Mines

NFL Week In Review-Week 8

Wow. It’s midseason, and quarterback issues are making their annual trip to the forefront, due to both injuries and poor play. 10 of the 32 teams have already started multiple quarterbacks this season. It is definitely the impact position in the National Football League.

The most high-profile quarterback change has occurred in Dallas, as Drew Bledsoe was benched in favor of the Rib Man, Tony Romo. Romo struggled in the first half, before directing the Cowboys to a second-half blowout, as Dallas defeated the Carolina Panthers 35-14. This was a season-saving win for the Cowboys. It remains to be seen if this is the beginning of great things for the Rib Man, or if it is a blip on the radar in the tradition of Cowboy backups such as Clint Longley and Jason Garrett. I picked against the Cows at my peril. I played with fire and got burned.

Another quarterback controversy is flaring in Houston, as David Carr was benched after an awful first half against the Titans, throwing an interception, taking four sacks, and losing two fumbles, including one returned for a touchdown. Sage Rosenfels threw three touchdown passes, but it was not enough, as the Texans lost to Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans, 28-22.

From first to worst? Ben Roethlisberger is having an awful season, and the Steelers are right there with him. Big Ben was sacked five times, threw four interceptions, and had two of them returned for touchdowns, as the sorry Oakland Raiders defeated the Steelers, 20-13. The Steelers have joined the race for the #1 pick in the draft. Could Ben be benched in favor of Charlie Batch?

The leader for the #1 pick in the draft is the Arizona Cardinals, who have already changed quarterbacks, and are playing rookie 1st round pick Matt Leinart. The Cardinals’ defense allowed not one, but two 100-yard rushing days, as the Green Bay Packers rode Ahman Green and Vernand Morency to a 31-14 win. I hope Edgerrin James likes all that money he’s making in Arizona, because he left a Super Bowl contender to go to the worst organization in football. They have a nice new stadium, which amounts to putting lipstick on a pig.

The Baltimore Ravens came up big, as they went down to the Big Easy and whipped the Saints, 35-22. The Saints came up with some garbage time points to make it respectable. Steve McNair is still a quality quarterback, something that has been lacking in B-more.

The Atlanta Falcons went to Cincinnati and pulled out a 29-27 win over the Bengals. Michael Vick threw for three touchdown passes, as he comes into his own as a passing quarterback. Chad Johnson had a touchdown catch, after taking the field for warm-ups with “Ocho Cinco” as the nameplate on the back of his jersey. Highlights showed an upset Carson Palmer ripping the patch off, to reveal the normal “C. Johnson” above the number 85. Is he trying out for a gig on ESPN8-The Ocho?

The Philadelphia Eagles laid the biggest egg. Their high-powered offense could only manage six points at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags were missing QB Byron Leftwich, and won with backup David Garrard. Garrard was last seen directing the Jags into the playoffs last season, as Leftwich was injured.

Don’t look now, but Damon Huard has won four games as the starter in Kansas City. The banged-up Seahawks went into Arrowhead without their two main offensive weapons, and lost to the Chiefs, 35-28. Larry Johnson scored three touchdowns for the Chiefs.

The 49ers are awful. The Bears are good. The expected rout occurred yesterday in Chicago, as the Bears crushed the Niners, 41-10. A once-proud franchise in San Francisco has gone to the dogs. This Cowboy fan doesn't mind that, at all.

Tiki Barber and the Giants won the Barber Bowl, defeating Ronde and the Bucs, 17-3. Just another day at the office for the Giants, as Tiki Barber ran between the 10 yard lines, and Brandon Jacobs scored from the goal line. The Giants lead the NFC East.

The Chargers took care of business against the Rams, winning 38-24 in San Diego. LaDainian Tomlinson had a normal day, with two rushing touchdowns and a touchdown catch.

Prior to Sunday’s game with the Colts, the Broncos had given up two touchdowns all season. The Colts went to Denver and scored 34 points, defeating the Broncos, 34-31. Peyton Manning had three touchdown passes for Indianapolis. This goes a long way toward the Colts attaining home-field advantage in the playoffs, and avoiding a trip back to Denver and a possible snow storm in January.

The sad-sack Browns got their second win of the season, defeating the Jets, 20-13. The Jets’ offense was pretty non-existent, as their lone touchdown came on a kickoff return.

A Good Day To Be OSU, A Bad Day To Be USC

Schools with the initials OSU went 3-0 yesterday.

The #1-ranked Buckeyes from The Ohio State University rolled over hapless Minnesota, 44-0. Another day at the office in Columbus.

Oklahoma State knocked off Big XII North leader Nebraska 41-29. The Oklahoma Aggies are a force to be reckoned with, especially in Stillwater. Nebraska, once again, is not quite ready for prime time. The Big XII North is awful, again.

And, in the upset of the day, and possibly the season, Oregon State defeated USC, 33-31. The Beavers led by as much as 33-10, before the Trojans rallied to close to within two points. USC scored in the last 10 seconds of the game, but the Beavers denied the two-point conversion to save the win. It was definitely a goalpost game in Corvallis. Definition of goalpost game: a big win in which the home team’s fans have reason to swarm the field to tear down the goalposts.

In Columbia, the other USC also lost to an orange-clad team, as Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks lost to Phat Phil’s Big Orange of Tennessee, 31-24. Tennessee continues their rebound season.

The SEC, at the moment, is staring at a championship game between Arkansas and Florida. This year, a 3rd place game between Auburn and Tennessee would be well worth a doubleheader. Both are top ten teams, and have a chance to make a BCS bowl without making it to the championship game.

The ACC, on the other hand, is looking at either Boston College, Wake Forest, or Maryland on one side of their championship game, to play Georgia Tech. Good luck selling tickets in Jacksonville for that. Wasn’t this expansion intended to put Florida State and Miami together for a championship game every year?

BCS Bowl Projections
BCS NCG: Ohio State vs. West Virginia
Fiesta: Texas vs. Boise State
Rose: USC vs. Michigan
Sugar: Florida vs. Notre Dame
Orange: Boston College vs. Auburn

Big XII Rankings
1. Texas: Escaped with a win at Tech. Should talk with travel agent about reservations for Kansas City in the first weekend in November.
2. Oklahoma: Big win at Missouri. Even without Adrian Peterson, the best team outside of Texas.
3. Texas A&M: Saturday night at Kyle Field against OU should be quite the spectacle.
4. Oklahoma State: Big jump after big win over Nebraska.
5. Nebraska: Took two steps backward yesterday in Stillwater.
6. Missouri: Maybe they’re not all that after all.
7. Texas Tech: Just missed big upset over Texas. Have slipped a tiny bit from past years.
8. Baylor: They would own the North division.
9. Kansas State: One more win puts them into a bowl.
10. Kansas: Back in the win column after some rotten luck.
11. Iowa State: Looking more like some of the pre-McCarney teams.
12. Colorado: Long year in Boulder.

NFL Picks-Week 8

Last Week: 8-5 Season: 68-32

Dallas at Carolina: The Cowboys are mired in yet another quarterback controversy. Drew Bledsoe has been benched in favor of Tony Romo. I like some of what I see in him, but ultimately, I'm afraid this is another in a long line of spare quarterbacks for the Cowboys. Meanwhile, the Panthers are a pretty decent team. It's easy to forget that the Cowboys are 5-0 in the regular season against Carolina. That's because they are 0-2 in the playoffs against them. I have a bad feeling about this one. Pick: Carolina
Houston at Tennessee: What was once a candidate for the Suck Bowl is turning into a decent (not great) matchup. The Texans now have two wins. The Titans have one win, and have shown marked improvement with Vince Young at quarterback. The Titans break out the Oilers' Columbia blue and win this one in Music City. Pick: Titans
Atlanta at Cincinnati: There should be some fireworks here. Michael Vick comes off his first four-touchdown performance. The Bengals got a big win last week against Carolina. The home field is safe here. Pick: Cincy
Arizona at Green Bay: The Packers are starting three rookies on the offensive line. They got a win last week in Miami. The Cardinals are one of the great disappointments so far this year. Birds do not fly north for the winter, nor do they belong in Green Bay. Pick: Green Bay
Baltimore at New Orleans: Irresistible force (Saints' offense) vs. immovable object (Ravens' D)? Almost. The Saints have so much going for them so far this year. The roll lasts at least one more week. Pick: New Orleans
Seattle at Kansas City: The AFC West Reunion tour continues for the Seahawks. Seattle is in big trouble, as Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander are still injured. There is a big difference between them and their replacements, Seneca Wallace and Maurice Morris. Speaking of backups, the Chiefs have won three games with Damon Huard at quarterback following the injury to Trent Green. Seahawks are in big trouble. Pick: Kansas City
Jacksonville at Philadelphia: The Jaguars are coming off an embarrasing loss to the Texans, while Philly was beaten on a 62 yard field goal last week. The Jags continue to struggle on the road. Philly bounces back. Pick: Eagles
San Francisco at Chicago: The 49ers are the worst two-win team out there. Those wins are against the sorry Cardinals and the sorry Raiders. Da Bears are having one of those seasons where everything goes right. Chicago moves one step closer to destiny. Pick: Chicago
Tampa Bay at New York Giants: The Bucs have new life with new rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski. The Giants mangled the Cowboys last week. In the last Barber Bowl, Tiki gets the win over brother Ronde. Pick: G-Men
St. Louis at San Diego: This is not a baseball game. It's a good football game. The Rams have been a surprise up to this point. The Chargers are strong, but were shocked last week in Kansas City. The Bolts bounce back this week. Pick: San Diego
Indianapolis at Denver: One of the best games of the year. The Broncos have given up two touchdowns all season. The Colts are still unbeaten. What gives? Outdoors, on grass, in the mountains-don't doubt the Broncos. Pick: Denver
New York Jets at Cleveland: The Jets aren't the greatest team out there. But, they have been winning games against teams they are supposed to beat. The Browns are yet another one of those. The misery continues in Cleveland. Pick: Jets
Pittsburgh at Oakland: Ugh. The Steelers are struggling. But, they get some medicine in the sorry Raiders. I'm glad I won't be watching this one. Pick: Oakland
New England at Minnesota: Good Monday Night game. The Pats continue to win. The Vikes have been a nice surprise. This one's in the dome. Pick: Minnesota

College Picks-Weekend of October 28

A little late on the picks this week, as I was out of town yesterday. For the record, I was in Las Vegas interviewing for a job. I didn’t get the job, but I won $70 on slots in the airport, so it wasn’t all for naught. I caught a red-eye back to Texas, so I am running on airport and airplane sleep. Bed will be good tonight.

It’s tough to find 20 games worthy of picks this week.

Last Week: 14-6 Season: 113-47

Oklahoma at Missouri: Missouri is a solid team, but this is their toughest test to date, even as OU is without Adrian Peterson. The Sooners desperately need for something good to happen for them. This is the week it does. Pick: OU
Texas at Texas Tech: Texas loses every four years in Lubbock, losing out there in 2002, 1998, and 1994. This isn’t one of the better Tech teams, though. The pattern ends here. Pick: Texas
Texas A&M at Baylor: Both teams are 3-1 in the Big XII. A&M was the beneficiary of a bad snap last week in Stillwater, as the Texas Aggies won in overtime, 35-34. Baylor is vastly improved. The Bears win this week, and it won’t be an upset. Pick: Baylor
Nebraska at Oklahoma State: OSU lost a heartbreaker in OT last week against A&M. Nebraska had their hearts broken by the Longhorns. Nebraska is a little better than OSU, though the game is in Stillwater. Pick: Nebraska
Iowa State at Kansas State: These second-division games in the Big XII North all look alike now. Iowa State is banged up after a brutal stretch of schedule. K-State is at home, and has shown signs of improvement at times this season. Pick: K-State
Colorado at Kansas: KU is reeling, after losing a rash of close games. Colorado is improving, ever so slightly. KU gets things right this week. Pick: KU
Georgia vs. Florida at Jacksonville: No matter what CBS, ESPN, the SEC, or the universities say, this is still the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Georgia is struggling as the worst 6-2 team in America. Florida is shaping up as the best team in the best conference in the nation. Pick: Florida
USC at Oregon State: Is this an ambush waiting to happen in Corvallis? Almost, but not quite. OSU-West will give SC a battle, but SC will squeak by, as has become normal this year. Pick: USC
Tennessee at South Carolina: The Vols have bounced back in a big way this season. However, this game has one X-factor: Phil Fulmer is the coach for Tennessee, while his nemesis Steve Spurrier is the coach for the Gamecocks. Spurrier owns Fulmer. Spurrier doesn’t have half the team Fulmer does this year, but his magic continues. Spurrier is a mad scientist, and the ‘Cocks are at home. Pick: USC-East
Wyoming at TCU: Cowboy Joe comes to Texas to play the Frogs. Wyoming has won 3 conference games, while the Frogs are 0-2 in the Mountain West. The Frogs get back on track this week against a conference opponent. Pick: TCU
Miami at Georgia Tech: The Larry Coker death watch continues. Miami is in a tough spot this week, as Georgia Tech is having a good season, and stands a great chance of being in Jacksonville for the ACC championship game. Pick: Georgia Tech
Kentucky at Mississippi State: Not the best game in the SEC this week. Both teams stand a good chance of finishing last in their respective divisions. But, this shapes up to be a competitive game. Pick: Kentucky
Wake Forest at North Carolina: Wake Forest is ranked 22nd, North Carolina fired their coach this week. Wake is a team of destiny. Pick: Wake Forest
Ohio at Kent State: Battle for 1st place in the MAC Eastern Division. Kent State has come out of nowhere this season to roll through their MAC schedule. Pick: Kent State
BYU at Air Force: The Y is undefeated in conference play. Classic matchup between passing team and running team. The Falcons last week gave up the first win to San Diego State, and now head to Provo. Pick: BYU
Washington State at UCLA: Bruins had their hearts broken last week at Notre Dame. Now, the Bruins attempt to bounce back. They’ll do so. Pik: UCLA
Illinois at Wisconsin: The Fighting Ron Zooks take their show on the road to Madison. The Badgers have only one loss. They’ll still have one loss after Saturday. Pick: Wisconsin
Syracuse at Cincinnati: Cuse hits the road, and goes to Cincinnati. No, the university’s football games are not on WKRP. Pick: the ‘Nati
N.C. State at Virginia: A coach on the hot seat (Amato, NC State) vs. one that should be (Groh, UVa). The Wolfpack come out and play well this week. Pick: NC State
Upper Iowa at University of Mary (N.D.):They play football in Bismarck, North Dakota. The thought of being at this game makes me cold. Besides, how can I pick against the mother of Jesus? Pick: Mary

All That, For This?

As I write, the Cowboys are losing to the Giants, 26-7, at the end of the third quarter. Barring a Staubachesque comeback, the Cowboys are on the receiving end of a butt kicking.

Was tonight the end of the Drew Bledsoe era? He really stunk in the first half, doing his best imitation of the Statue of Liberty, taking sack after sack while throwing more picks than a frustrated guitarist. Bill Parcells replaced Bledsoe with the Rib Man, Tony Romo, for the second half. Romo promptly threw an interception (off a tipped ball) deep inside Dallas territory, to set up a touchdown for the G-men. Since then, he is making some things happen with his mobility. On both sides of the ball, though, the Cowboys look a day late and a dollar short. Bill Parcells didn't sign up for this. He is in danger of living up to his nickname of the Glorified Gym Teacher.

Terrell Owens just caught a touchdown pass to narrow the deficit. He has been a pretty good receiver, but his value really comes by providing opportunities for Terry Glenn to come up big. That does not totally justify the money Jerry Jones is paying him. But, Jerry is all about the buzz, and T.O. brings plenty of buzz. Something is missing here, especially with the investment Jerry has made in Big Bill and T.O.

It looks like Tony Romo is the quarterback of the near future at Valley Ranch. The alternatives can't be worse. Good luck to Tony. By the way: the ribs are good!

NFL Week 7 In Review

Another trip around the NFL….

The Pirate Ship in Tampa was the scene of a bizarre game yesterday. Donovan McNabb threw 5 touchdown passes. Three of them were to Eagles. The other two were to Ronde Barber of the Bucs, who returned two interceptions for touchdowns. The Bucs won on a 62-yard field goal by Matt Bryant, the third longest in NFL history. With that kick went my chances in survival football, as I’m done in week 7.

Pittsburgh and Atlanta have wild games whenever they get together. In their last meeting four years ago, they played to the last regular season tie in an NFL game. Yesterday, they lit up the scoreboard, and 46 year old Morten Andersen hit the game winner for the Falcons in overtime, 41-38. Hines Ward caught three touchdown passes for the Steelers in his return to Georgia. Michael Vick accounted for three touchdowns for the Falcons. The Falcons also knocked out Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The defending world champions are now 2-4.

Another team that is now 2-4 is the Houston Texans. The Jacksonville Jaguars really stunk yesterday, and made the Texans look like the ’72 Dolphins. The Texans won going away, 27-7. Maybe they should wear red more often.

Speaking of the Dolphins, the ’06 edition is not nearly as good as they were expected to be. Brett Favre and the Packers went down to Miami and outscored the Dolphins, 34-24. The Dolphins have won one game all year. They are in contention for the top pick in the draft.

Another wild game occurred in the Jersey swamps, as the Jets moved to 4-3, with a 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions. The Jets are taking care of business against the teams that they are supposed to beat.

The Cincinnati Bengals perhaps saved their season, with a comeback win over the Carolina Panthers, 17-14. The Bengals needed it desperately to keep up with the Ravens in the AFC North. The Panthers end a four game winning streak.

The New England Patriots continue to do what they are supposed to do. They were able to handle the Buffalo Bills, 28-6. Buffalo is pretty mediocre. The Patriots are winning their games in a weak division.

Kansas City was host to a thriller, as they were able to hold off the Chargers, 30-27. LaDainian Tomlinson threw a touchdown pass for the Chargers. However, Lawrence Tynes made up for a missed extra point with a game-winning field goal.

The Denver Broncos did their job, going to Cleveland and winning, 17-7. The Broncos gave up only their second touchdown of the season. However, they were able to score two touchdowns, as their offense begins to wake up.

The Indianapolis Colts stayed undefeated, with a 36-21 whipping of the Washington Redskins. Two of the Redskins’ touchdowns were on kickoff returns. Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes. I was a happy camper, as he is quarterback of my fantasy team.

The Seattle Seahawks are hurting. Already missing star RB Shaun Alexander, they lost QB Matt Hasselbeck to a sprained knee. The Minnesota Vikings took advantage of the circumstances, and beat the Seahawks, 31-13. Chester Taylor set a Vikings record with a 95 yard run for a touchdown.

The Suck Bowl took place in Oakland yesterday, as the Raiders escaped the winless column with a 22-9 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are reeling, and now are on track for another high draft pick, to go along with their talented skill position players. Same old Cardinals. A skunk by any other name still stinks.

More Rumblings

This weekend could be described as the week of the near miss. Oklahoma State, UCLA, Washington, and Nebraska all barely missed upsets over ranked opponents. Texas A&M beat OSU in overtime, as the Cowboys had a botched snap on an extra point in overtime to lose 34-33. Notre Dame came back to beat UCLA on the last play of the game, 20-17. Washington forced overtime with Cal on a catch of a Hail Mary pass, but could not get past the Bears in overtime, and lost 31-24. Nebraska had Texas beaten, but fumbled with two minutes to go in their own territory, allowing Texas to score at the end of the game to win, 22-20.

Duke barely missed winning their first game, losing to suspension-riddled Miami, 20-15. The Blue Devils had the ball on the Miami 5 yard line at the end of the game, but threw an interception to give the ‘Canes the victory.

The Bowl Championship Series picture is shaking out slowly, but surely. There are 7 undefeated teams: Ohio State, Michigan, USC, West Virginia, Louisville, Rutgers, and Boise State. Boise, if they finish undefeated, will most likely be in a BCS bowl. Ohio State and Michigan are on a collision course with each other for the biggest game in the history of their historic rivalry. USC is mortal, but has managed to beat every team they have played to date. West Virginia and Louisville play next Thursday night at the Pizza Box in Louisville. Both teams still have to play Rutgers.

Big XII Rankings for this week:

1. Texas: Escaped Lincoln with a win. Can begin making hotel reservations for Kansas City in first weekend of December.
2. Nebraska: Had their chances to beat Texas, but still a tad bit better than the rest of the league.
3. Oklahoma: AD-less Sooners have their biggest test Saturday in Columbia.
4. Texas A&M: Lucky to escape Stillwater with a win.
5. Missouri: Chance for their biggest win to date with Sooners coming to town.
6. Texas Tech: Not as good as in previous years, but got road win at Iowa State.
7. Baylor: Last time the Bears had 3 conference wins, they were in the Southwest Conference.
8. Oklahoma State: Outplayed A&M, only to lose heartbreaker.
9. Iowa State: Beaten up by tough schedule: Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Tech.
10. Kansas: Blew big lead at Baylor. 3-5 could very easily be 7-1. Snakebitten.
11. Colorado: Anemic offense did very little in Norman.
12. Kansas State: New coach, growing pains, long season.

NFL Picks-Week 7

Last Week: 8-5 Season: 60-27

New York Giants at Dallas: This week’s Monday Night extravaganza comes from the future site of the Irving Industrial Park, at the corner of highways 114, 183, and Loop 12, also known as Texas Stadium. Both teams need this one bad. Both are 3-2, and are trying to keep up with the Iggles. Can Drew Bledsoe stave off a quarterback controversy, with the Rib man waiting in the wings? Will T.O. show up? Or, will Tiki Barber torch the Cowboys on their home field? Pick: Dallas, of course.
Jacksonville at Houston: They’re calling it Battle Red Day in Houston. It’s the day the Texans wear red jerseys, and the fans are asked to wear red. They need a gimmick, because they’re still a bad team. The Jaguars have shown signs of greatness, but have still not won a road game. That changes this week. Pick: Jacksonville
Carolina at Cincinnati: The Panthers are hot, having won four in a row after losing their first two games. The Bengals come off a loss at Tampa Bay. The Bengals need this one desperately. Pick: Cincinnati
Detroit at New York Jets: The Lions won their first game last week, while the Jets beat the sorry Dolphins. The Jets continue to beat up on weak sisters. Pick: Jets
Green Bay at Miami: This smells like week-old cheese. Both teams are bad. Miami has switched to Joey Harrington at quarterback. I don’t know if that will help them. Brett Favre can still sling it. Green Bay will outscore the Dolphins. Pick: Green Bay
New England at Buffalo: The Patriots are head and shoulders above the rest of their division, again. The Bills are pretty mediocre. The Patriots go for the sweep. Pick: New England
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay: The Bucs got their first win last week, behind rookie quarterback and ex-Toledo Rocket Bruce Gradkowski (How’d the MAC become the cradle of quarterbacks?). Philly keeps finding ways to win. Pick: Philly
Pittsburgh at Atlanta: The Steelers got a big win last week. The Falcons lost a lead and the game to the Giants. The Steelers are too inconsistent. The Falcons are at home. Pick: Atlanta
San Diego at Kansas City: The Chargers have been impressive with new QB Phillip Rivers and all-world RB LaDainian Tomlinson. Trent Green is still out for the Chiefs, leaving Damon Huard at QB. The Chargers are on a roll. Pick: San Diego
Denver at Cleveland: The Broncos have a great defense, and are struggling on offense. The Browns are struggling, period. As the Broncos return to Cleveland 20 years after “The Drive”, they won’t need magic. They’ll just win. Pick: Denver
Arizona at Oakland: McAfee Coliseum will need a post-game check for toxic waste, due not to a bomb threat, but to the suckiness of the teams involved. Arizona has more talent than the Raiders, but they are snakebitten after the events of the last two weeks. Oakland is a bad team, but this is one of their best chances for a win this year. Pick: Oakland
Minnesota at Seattle: Seattle got a big win in St. Louis last week. The Vikings aren’t bad, but won’t be able to pull this one off in Starbucksville. Pick: Seattle
Washington at Indianapolis: The Redskins are fresh off giving the Titans their first win of the year. Their fortunes won’t change this week. The Colts are rested and ready to go. Pick: Indy

Baseball: It's Not What It Used To Be

Last night, the St. Louis Cardinals used a 9th inning home run from Yadier Molina to defeat the New York Mets in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. The Cardinals now hop on a plane to Detroit, to meet the Tigers in game 1 of the World Series.

This series illustrates how much baseball has changed in my lifetime. When these two teams last met in the World Series, it was 1968, and I was in diapers. Both teams won their leagues in the last year before divisional play. There were no division series or league championship series, but the best team over 162 games won the pennant and went to the World Series.

Turn the clock to 2006. The Tigers led the American League Central Division for almost the entire season, until the final weekend. They had a series at home against the Kansas City Royals, the team with the worst record in baseball. Detroit needed to win only one game to clinch the division. The Royals swept three games from the Tigers, including a comeback from a 6-0 deficit in the final game. What did it cost the Tigers? They got to be the wild card team, and had to play the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs, instead of hosting Oakland. In the old days, they would have stayed home, with 95 wins. Instead, they got hot, winning the last three games against the Yankees, and sweeping four games from the Athletics.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, led the weak National League Central division for the entire season. With two weeks to play, they had an 8 ½ game lead over the Houston Astros. They lost 8 games in a row, and the lead shrunk to ½ game, before they split a four-game series with Milwaukee to salvage a division championship. They advanced to the post-season with a record of 83-78. They would have finished 13 1/2 games out of first place in their old division, the National League East. They were given up for dead in the post-season, but beat San Diego 3 games to 1, then beat the Mets in a 7 game series to advance to the World Series.

What does this prove? Baseball has changed, especially with the addition of the extra division and the wild card. The best team in the regular season does not always win at the end, especially in the convoluted post-season. Anything can happen in a best-of-5 or best-of-7 series, and usually does. It’s all about timely hitting and pitching.

I’ve bombed one prediction already, as I picked the Yankees to beat San Diego in the World Series. I’ll take a do-over on that one. Detroit in 5.

College Picks-Weekend of October 22

College Picks-Weekend of October 22

Last Week: 12-8 Season: 99-41

Improved a little on the picks, but there is still room for improvement…

Here it goes for this week:

Colorado at Oklahoma: Colorado is coming off of their first win. Oklahoma is missing franchise RB Adrian Peterson. This won’t be a total blowout, but OU wins.
Texas at Nebraska: The Huskers are not quite ready for prime time. Texas has won in their two previous trips to Lincoln in Big XII play. Make this a third. Pick: Texas
Texas A&M at Oklahoma State: Ag Bowl II. OSU is probably more of an agricultural school than Texas A&M these days. However, this isn’t fertilizer science or agronomy, it’s football. Both teams won last week. It comes down to the A&M offense vs. the OSU defense. A&M milks the clock and wins the game. Pick: A&M
Texas Tech at Iowa State: Last week, Tech became the first team to lose to Colorado. Iowa State has gotten through a murderer’s row of a schedule, with Texas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma in consecutive weeks. They obviously do not have friends in the conference office. Tech continues to struggle. Pick: Iowa State
Kansas State at Missouri: Missouri returns home after suffering their first loss. Tigers bounce back here. Pick: Mizzou
Kansas at Baylor: KU is now in a free fall, having lost their first three conference games. Baylor improves every week. I hate Dr. Pepper, but I think Baylor will win this week. Pick: Baylor
UCLA at Notre Dame: Notre Dame gets the other guys from Los Angeles. UCLA can’t keep up with the Irish. Pick: Notre Dame
Alabama at Tennessee: No longer played on the Third Saturday in October, but a huge game, no matter the records. Tennessee is very good this year. Bama is a disappointment. Pick: Tennessee
Georgia Tech at Clemson: Possible preview of ACC championship game. Ramblin’ Wreck have not lost since opening game against Notre Dame. Clemson has not lost since a week 2 hiccup to Boston College. The game is in Death Valley, giving Clemson the advantage in a close one. Pick: Climpson
Rutgers at Pittsburgh: Scarlet Knights take their unbeaten record to the Ketchup Bowl to take on once-beaten Pittsburgh. Pitt is the best team Rutgers has faced to date. Both teams leave this one with one loss. Pick: Pittsburgh
West Virginia at Connecticut: Mountaineers on a collision course with Louisville. They should handle UConn. Pick: West Virginia
Wisconsin at Purdue: Wisconsin only has one loss. Purdue will wind up in a bowl somewhere. Wiscy is a little better than the Boilermakers. Pick: Wisconsin
TCU at Army: TCU has been beaten up bad the last two games by the two teams from Utah. After the week off, they venture to the banks of the Hudson River. Army will give TCU all they want, but TCU has too much talent. Pick: TCU
Washington at California: Washington is much improved. Cal has bounced back well after their opening loss to the Vols. Pick: Cal
Boston College at Florida State: The Eagles are ranked 22nd, and the Seminoles are not ranked. How the mighty have fallen. FSU has pride, and pride will carry them this week. Speaking of pride, the Seminoles will be wearing black uniforms, in honor of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Pick: FSU
UTEP at Houston: Speaking of free fall, that describes the Cougars. After barely losing to the U in Miami, Houston has since lost to Louisiana-Lafayette and Southern Miss. UTEP is talented and well-coached. The game is in Houston, but that won’t matter. Pick: UTEP
South Carolina at Vanderbilt: Vandy is coming off an upset of Georgia, the first time they have defeated a ranked opponent in 58 games. The ‘Cocks aren’t as good as Georgia. The ‘Dores continue to improve. Pick: Vandy
Louisville at Syracuse: Louisville is rolling along, and has a big game next week at the Pizza Box against West Virginia. The ‘Cuse has improved a lot as they have changed to the old-school uniforms. This one is in the dome, and the Ville better be ready. Pick: Syracuse
Miami (or what’s left of them) vs. Duke: Not quite half of Miami’s team were suspended as a result of last week’s fight with Florida International. Duke hasn’t won a game all year. Miami is down, but their mix of starters and reserves should still be able to handle the Dukies. Pick: Miami
Blackburn (Ill.) at Maranatha Baptist Bible College (Wis.): Maranatha has won three games, and Blackburn has won two. Maranatha has the home-field advantage. Pick: Maranatha

Don't Count Your Cardinals Before They Hatch

As I wrote last night, the Arizona Cardinals had a 23-3 lead over the Bears in the 3rd quarter. The Bears made a rendezvous with destiny, as they scored two defensive touchdowns, then went ahead on a Devin Hester punt return. The Cardinals gave Neil Rackers a chance to win the game with a 40-yard field goal, but he missed.

That game defined the term "finding a way to lose". This is the second week in a row the Cardinals have blown a 14-0 lead to lose a game. The Curse of Bidwill lives on. No matter the city: Chicago, St. Louis, Tempe, or Glendale, the Cardinals still stink.

The Bears are pretty good, though. The road to the Super Bowl goes through Chicago.