NFL Week In Review-Week 6

Another trip down the road known as the National Football League…

The first half of yesterday’s Cowboys-Texans game was one of the ugliest displays of football I’ve seen in a while. The Cowboys played to the Texans’ level and trailed 6-3 at the half. Big Bill must have said something at halftime, because the Cowboys crushed them in the second half to win 34-6. Terrell Owens caught three touchdown passes, including the first TD pass by Tony “Ribs” Romo. Texas Stadium-A Place For Ribs?

The Tennessee Titans got their first win of the season, going into Washington and defeating the Redskins. What is up with the Redskins? The Titans are improving in a hurry, with Vince Young at QB.

There was a barn-burner in St. Louis yesterday, as the Seattle Seahawks kicked a field goal at the end of the game to defeat the Rams. Torry Holt made an awesome juggling catch at full speed for the go-ahead TD, but the Seahawks had the ball last and won the game on an FG.

How about the Saints!?! Break them up! They’re 5-1. They have a very good QB in Drew Brees, a healthy Deuce McAllister, and two good rookies on offense in Reggie Bush and Marques Colston. They’re the real deal. Big win over the Eagles on Sunday.

The Carolina Panthers won their fourth game in a row, over the Ravens in Baltimore. They are starting to live up to pre-season hype.

Congrats to the Detroit Lions, on their first win of the season. The Tigers’ mojo did make it across the street to Ford Field for yesterday’s game.

Congrats also to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who also won their first game, over the tiger-striped guys from Cincinnati.

The New York Football Giants saved their season yesterday, with a comeback win over the Atlanta Michael Vicks.

The Jets sucked less than the Dolphins yesterday. Enough said.

Speaking of suck, the 49ers continue to define the word. No NFL team should give up 48 points to anybody, though the Chargers are a good team.

Any discussion of 40+ point games this week is incomplete without mention of Pittsburgh’s 45-7 rout of Kansas City. I don’t know if the Steelers will be back in the Super Bowl, but I know the Chiefs won’t be there.

The worst team in the league continues to be the Oakland Raiders, 13-3 losers to Denver. Al Davis needs to have mercy on all of us and sell the team. Commitment to Excellence? Just Win, Baby? Puhleeze. This is a joke.

The sorry Cardinals are taking the undefeated Bears to the woodshed as I write. There is hope in the desert. Isn’t it unstable, though, that they play in a stadium named for a university without a football team (University of Phoenix Stadium)?

Rumblings

Rumblings from the weekend in college football…

As I expected, Auburn bounced back from their unexpected loss to Arkansas to take care of business against the Florida Gators. This leaves one unbeaten team in SEC play: the Arkansas Razorbacks. It also leaves five undefeated teams in BCS conferences: Ohio State, Michigan, USC, West Virginia, and Louisville. USC has two tough games remaining, against Cal and Oregon. Ohio State and Michigan play each other at the end of the season, and West Virginia and Louisville play each other next Thursday night.

There were two upsets of significance in the Top 25 yesterday. The Vanderbilt Commodores went between the hedges and defeated the 16th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, 24-22. Vandy had lost 58 games in a row to ranked opponents before yesterday. The Bulldogs are struggling in a huge way. In Bloomington, Indiana, the Indiana Hoosiers shocked the #15 Iowa Hawkeyes, 31-28. Indiana is now 4-3. There are two non-conference losses the Hoosiers would like to have back, as they lost consecutive games to Connecticut and Southern Illinois while coach Terry Hoeppner was absent due to emergency brain surgery. If the Hoosiers can win two of their three games with Michigan State, Minnesota, or Purdue, they can make it to a bowl game for the first time since the Lincoln administration.

Down in Little Havana, there was a fight at the Orange Bowl, during last night’s game between Miami and Florida International. The video is here. The fight was instigated by a FIU player when he tackled the holder after an extra point was made. Chaos ensued. On the video, former Cane and color analyst Lamar Thomas represents The U with class, stating on the air that he’d like to get on the elevator, go down on the field, and take care of business, and that they ought to continue this in the tunnel after the game. Same old Miami we all know and love. Word for FIU: If you can’t beat them on the field, beat them off of it.

My Sooners beat Iowa State, 34-9, but it felt like a loss, as Adrian Peterson suffered a broken collarbone as a result of diving into the end zone, and is out for the season. If he is smart, he will declare for the NFL draft, and become an instant millionaire. The Sooners now have four dangerous road games in the Big XII, with trips to Missouri, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State. At this point, an 8-4 finish and trip to the Alamo Bowl looks like a successful season. What was once a successful 2003 recruiting class, featuring Peterson and Rhett Bomar, has disintegrated. These are not the best of times in Norman, Oklahoma.

Big XII rankings for this week:

1. Texas: Bevo rolls on. Next stop: Nebraska
2. Nebraska: Are they ready for Bevo?
3. Oklahoma: Currently here by default. Their season is radically changed with AD’s injury.
4. Texas A&M: What a difference two weeks make. Strong win to knock Mizzou from the ranks of the unbeaten.
5. Missouri: All good things must come to an end.
6. Baylor: Yes, they gave up 63 to Texas. However, they are better than the teams below them this week.
7. Iowa State: Has completed the toughest part of their schedule.
8. Texas Tech: Lost to Colorado. Enough said.
9. Oklahoma State: Big win at KU. Need two more wins for a bowl.
10. Kansas: Slipping fast at 3-4. Didn’t need yesterday’s loss.
11. Colorado: Finally gets a win. Will be hard to deal with the rest of the way.
12. Kansas State: Someone has to be in the basement, and this week is their turn.

NFL Picks-Week 6

Last Week: 12-2 Season: 52-22

Last week was a good week for me on picks, making me look like a genius. Let’s see how this week unfolds.

Houston at Dallas: This is a big game for people in Houston. Sports radio in Houston still talks about the 19-10 victory by the Texans over Dallas in their first regular season game four years ago. In Dallas, that was two coaches and almost an entire roster ago, or ancient history. The Texans got a win before their bye week, but they’re not as good as the Cowboys. The Cowboys aren’t as good as the Eagles, but they’re good enough to win this week. Pick: Dallas
Buffalo at Detroit: A mediocre team against a bad team. DET is a hopping place this weekend, with this game, and the American League Championship Series across the street. Some of that Tigers’ mojo spreads over to Ford Field for the Lions. Pick: Detroit
Carolina at Baltimore: The Panthers are winners of three in a row. The Ravens lost their first game in Denver on Monday night. Both teams should be in the playoffs. The Ravens still have that stout defense, and are the home team. Pick: Baltimore
Cincinnati at Tampa Bay: Just a few short years ago, the Bengals were terrible, and the Bucs were good. Now, the tide has turned. The Bucs have to beat somebody. This isn’t the week. Pick: Cincinnati
New York Giants at Atlanta: This one is worthy of a coin flip. Pick: Atlanta
Philadelphia at New Orleans: The Eagles fly into the Superdome coming off a big win over hated rival Dallas. The Saints are off to a nice start, at 4-1. My gut says Saints. Pick: New Orleans
Seattle at St. Louis: Big game in the NFC West. Shaun Alexander is still out for the Seahawks. That and the St. Louis home field advantage could be the difference. Pick: St. Louis
Tennessee at Washington: The Vince Young Show continues, this time in D.C. Clinton Portis runs all day on the Titans’ D, and the Titans remain winless. Pick: Washington
Kansas City at Pittsburgh. Kansas City has won two in a row with backqup quarterback Damon Huard. The Steelers have struggled out of the gate. That can’t last long. Pick: Pittsburgh
Miami at New York Jets: Yuck. Miami is terrible, and the Jets lost 41-0 to Jacksonville last week. Gee, who do I pick? Pick: Jets
San Diego at San Francisco: The Niners got a win last week against Oakland. San Diego is a lot better than Oakland. Pick: San Diego
Oakland at Denver: Yuck, part 2. The Raiders are the worst team in the league. Denver is a tough place, especially since they hate the Raiders. Mike Shanahan beats Al Davis’ team again. Pick: Denver
Chicago at Arizona: Monday Night Football comes to the new stadium in the desert, along with the most impressive team to date, da Bears. The Cardinals have struggled, as usual. Pick: Chicago

College Picks-Week of October 15

Long time, no blog…

Last Week: 10-10 Overall: 87-33

Bad week on the picks, as I picked 1 out of 6 winners in the Big XII. This will be a better week.

Iowa State at Oklahoma: The Cyclones appear to have slipped a notch, but are also in the middle of a brutal stretch of schedule. They have suffered losses to Iowa, Texas, and Nebraska, and visit Oklahoma next. The Sooners laid a big egg in the second half last Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. They get enough fixed to get a win this Saturday. Pick: OU
Baylor at Texas: The last time these teams met, Texas won 62-0 in Waco. It’ll be closer this time, but the better team will still win. Pick: Texas
Missouri at Texas A&M: Mizzou is still unbeaten, and coming off of a big win last week in Lubbock. A&M saved their season with a comeback win at Kansas. I’m still not impressed with A&M, though. Pick: Missouri
Nebraska at Kansas State: K-State has 4 wins, and is coming off of a comeback win over Oklahoma State. Nebraska looks like the best team in the North. Pick: Nebraska
Oklahoma State at Kansas: The Fighting Manginos could very well be 6-0. Instead, they’re 3-3. OSU is having problems on defense, and blew a big lead in their last trip to the Sunflower State. When in doubt, pick the home team. Pick: KU
Texas Tech at Colorado: The Buffs have still not won a game, losing in overtime to Baylor last week. The Red Raiders are smarting from last week’s loss to Missouri. Tech has more talent, and will bounce back. However, it won’t be a blowout. Pick: Tech
Florida at Auburn: Did Auburn fall apart last week, or what? Arkansas owned them. Meanwhile, Florida put a beating on LSU last week in the Swamp. ESPN is all over this one, as they are putting this one on most of their networks as ESPN Full Circle. ESPN2 will have a different camera view, there will be something on ESPN360 and ESPNU, and the original game will be on the Mother Ship. The game will not be on ESPN8, The Ocho, however. I look for War Eagle to bounce back here. Pick: Auburn
Michigan at Penn State: Star WR Mario Manningham is out for the Wolverines. The whole world is waiting for a showdown between undefeated Michigan and undefeated Ohio State. Not going to happen. It’s Saturday night in Happy Valley, and the Lions are up for the upset. Pick: Penn State
Virginia Tech at Boston College: Old Big East matchup, transported to the ACC. The Hokies are still stinging from that loss to the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. BC turned into powder at N.C. State, before handling the Maine Black Bears. This is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get. Pick: Virginia Tech
California at Washington State: When we last left the Palouse, USC barely escaped with a win. Now, it’s the Bears’ turn. Cal has been on a roll since losing their first game at Tennessee. This will be a good game. However, Cal is just a little better. Pick: Cal
Ole Miss at Alabama: Bama is struggling, having lost two conference games. Mike Shula is under fire, but the Auburn folks want him to stay, and even have a website to prove it: www.keepmikeshula.com. Ole Miss is not one of the better teams in the SEC. Pick: Alabama
Rutgers at Navy: Rutgers is undefeated at this point in the season for the first time in 30 years. Florida State and Miami are unranked, and Rutgers is ranked-go figure. Great turnaround. The Midshipmen aren’t so bad, themselves. The game is in Annapolis, and Navy is good enough to win on their home field. Pick: Navy
Syracuse at West Virginia: The Mountaineers march on. Pick: West Virginia
Wake Forest at N.C. State: The Deacons were undefeated, and had a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter last week against Clemson. They lost. N.C. State has bounced back since losing to Akron. Winner remains in contention for a trip to the ACC championship game. Pick: N.C. State
Tulsa at East Carolina: Staying in the Tar Heel State, the Pirates are improving, and host defending conference champion Tulsa. ECU stayed on the field earlier in the year against West Virginia. Tulsa is getting stronger every year. Pick: ECU
Arizona State at USC: The Trojans just keep rolling along. They’re young, but still plenty good enough to win. This might not be close. Pick: USC
Minnesota at Wisconsin: This is for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Wisky currently has the axe, and looks to hold on to it at home. I look for that to happen. Pick: Wisconsin
UCLA at Oregon: Oregon got spanked last week at Cal. They’re back home this week for some home cooking. Bruins are for dinner this week. Pick: Oregon
Maryland at Virginia: Both teams are slipping fast. I better draw straws on this one. Pick: Maryland
Bryant at Stonehill: It’s homecoming for the Skyhawks. Bryant is 4-2, and Stonehill is 1-5. Pick: Bryant

NFL In Review: Week 5

Cue the music, it’s time for another review of the weekend in the NFL….

The Terrell Owens road show returned to Philadelphia yesterday, and the Eagles were more than ready. T.O. played, and didn’t contribute much, but there were a lot of big plays on defense, especially for such a high-scoring game. The last series was particularly bizarre, as Drew Bledsoe threw a 50-yard pass on 4th and 14, and the Eagles were called for pass interference on Terry Glenn. This gave Dallas 1st and goal at the 6, down 31-24 with :34 to go. Two plays later, the Eagles’ Lito Sheppard intercepted a pass in the end zone and ran it back 102 yards for an Eagles touchdown, turning a potential tie game into a 38-24 Eagles victory. Bad for the Cowboys, good for my fantasy team.

The Colts nearly lost to the lowly Titans. Vince Young had a pretty good game, and the Colts needed two second half touchdowns to win, 14-13. Watching this, you’d never know one team was 5-0 and the other was 0-5.

The Washington Redskins went into the New Jersey Meadowlands, and played an ugly game against the New York Football Giants, losing 19-3. There’s not a whole lot notable about this game. I was more interested in the Colts game on CBS.

Break up da Bears! They’re 5-0, after whipping Buffalo, 40-7. They had the Bills skunked before a late-game touchdown by Buffalo. The NFC road to the Super Bowl leads through Chicago.

Don’t look now, but the Carolina Panthers have now won 3 in a row, after defeating the Cleveland Browns. The Panthers were helped by an interception return for a touchdown. Cleveland is looking competitive, but coming up just short on the scoreboard.

The Detroit Lions only gave up 26 points to Minnesota, after giving up 40+ points to the Packers and Rams. Problem is, they only scored 17. Word to the Lions: You’re supposed to break 30 when your defense improves its performance like it did.

Reggie Bush has been a factor for the Saints all year. Yesterday, he scored his first touchdown, on what proved to be a game-winning punt return against Tampa Bay. The Bucs have still not won a game. Maybe they should go back to the Creamsicle orange jerseys.

As I expected, the Packers had a little bit of a shootout with the Rams, but lost, 23-20. The Rams are 4-1. I’m not sure how legit that is, but you have to beat the teams you play, and the Rams are doing that.

The Patriots took care of business against Miami. The Dolphins are not a good team. They’re not as bad as the Raiders, but they’re not very good. The Pats will win the AFC East in a walk.

The Matt Leinart era has begun in Arizona. Unfortunately for him and the Cardinals, they continue their losing ways. Kansas City won its second game with backup QB Damon Huard, 23-20. The Cardinals were losers in Chicago, losers in St. Louis, and are losers in Phoenix. Maybe they should move to Bakersfield.

I thought the Jaguars would beat the Jets, but who expected 41-0? No NFL team should lose to another one by a score of 41-0. 41-0 in an NFL game is like 70-0 in college. The talent is supposed to be more spread out, and the coaches have an unwritten agreement to not run up the score. So, this wasn’t a matter of Jacksonville running up the score, but of the Jets being just plain awful yesterday. Yuck.

Speaking of yuck, the 49ers and the Raiders battled it out to see who sucked the most. The 49ers won the game, and the Raiders won the suck contest. The Raiders will win a game sometime this year, but they won’t be favored in any of them. The Niners would like to play the Raiders every week.

The Chargers broke out the AFL-era powder blue uniforms last night. The Steeler Nation invaded Qualcomm Stadium, with upwards of 25,000 Steeler fans in the house. Are there that many Pittsburgh fans in SoCal? Or, were all the flights from Pittsburgh to San Diego full? Those folks left disappointed, though, as the Chargers came up big for the win.

Tonight’s Monday Night extravaganza brings us the Ravens and the Broncos. The Ravens have been living large, winning their first 4 games, including comebacks against the Browns and Chargers. The Broncos are at home in the mountains, though. Who knows what we’ll get..

Big XII Rankings-October 8

1. Texas. Still here until someone beats them.
2. Nebraska. Looks to be the best team in the North, but Missouri will have something to say about that.
3. Missouri. They keep Showing Me. Big win on the South Plains. Need to follow it up with a win in Aggieland.
4. Oklahoma. Seriously disappointed with two losses, including one to hated archrival Texas.
5. Texas Tech. Follow up a win against the Aggies with a bad loss to Mizzou.
6. Texas A&M. Turned their season and perhaps Fran’s career around with a last-minute win at Kansas.
7. Kansas. Could very well be 6-0. Instead, with two overtime losses and the last-minute loss to A&M, they are 3-3.
8. Baylor. Learning how to win, have started 2-0 in the conference.
9. Iowa State. 3 losses to good teams in Texas, Nebraska, and Iowa. Have a lot to prove in the second half of the season.
10. Kansas State. Saved their season with a comeback against OSU.
11. Oklahoma State. There’s a big difference between Missouri State, Arkansas State, and Kansas State.
12. Colorado. Just missed on best chance to date for a win. Once again, close only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades.

The Curse of A-Rod

I have hated the New York Yankees as long as I have watched baseball, which is since I was a little boy. My hate has subsided to mere dislike as I have gotten older (I am annoyed even more by the Red Sox), but I still get tickled when the Yanks fall short.

Alex Rodriguez is a great player. He’s not worth $25 million per year, but no one is. However, he brings bad fortune everywhere he goes. In his early days in Seattle, the Mariners were good, but could not quite get over the hump to get to the World Series, in spite of having some pretty good teams. He took a lot of Tom Hicks’ money to go to the Rangers, and the Rangers immediately went into the tank, stayed there, and still have not recovered. He was such a failed bit with the Rangers that they paid the Yankees to take him off their hands, and are still paying part of his salary. That’s right: the money from those $5 hot dogs at Ameriquest Field in Arlington helps pay A-Rod to play for the Yankees.

So, A-Rod goes to Gotham to play for the Bronx Bombers, winners of 25 world championships, and with more money than Fort Knox to spend on players. The Yankees are stacked every year with talent at every position. They also are a mainstay in the post-season. However, after spending all that money on A-Rod and others, the Yankees have not won a world championship in six years, and have not been to a World Series in five years. A-Rod was still in Seattle when the Yankees last won a World Series. His curse has infected the Yankees. After today's event in Detroit, heads will roll.

These are the Yankees. The Yankees should do better.

The Debacle In Dallas

The Oklahoma Sooners played a great second quarter today against Texas, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Problem is, there are four quarters in a football game. The Longhorns manhandled the Sooners at the line of scrimmage, and won, 28-10.

The Sooners committed 11 penalties and 5 turnovers. That will get you beat every time, often by a wider margin than 18 points. As much as it pains me to say, Texas was better than us today.

OU has a long second half of the season ahead of it, with tough road trips to Missouri and Texas A&M, and grudge matches with Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. With the national championship off the table, and only an outside shot at a Big XII championship, all the Sooners have left to play for is pride, and the best bowl possible. They have a choice: to suck it up, or to just plain suck.

In the words of Jim Rome: Have a take, and don’t suck! The Sooners need to suck it up and play ball.

NFL Week 5 Picks

NFL Week 5 Picks

Last Week: 10-4 Season: 40-20

Dallas at Philadelphia: The traveling circus that is Terrell Owens returns to the City of Brotherly Love. T.O. is wearing a target bigger than the sign in front of SuperTarget. He’ll come through for the Cowboys. The Iggles have injury questions on both sides of the ball, but Brian Westbrook should be back. My heart says Dallas, my gut is torn, and my head says Philly. Pick: Philly
Buffalo at Chicago: Da Bears are da bomb. They are the real deal. The Bills are fair to partly cloudy. Not great, but not bad. The Bears stay undefeated. Pick: Chicago
Cleveland at Carolina: The Browns came back to beat the sorry Raiders last week. The Panthers are on the way back after an 0-2 start. Pick: Carolina
Detroit at Minnesota: Detroit has scored 68 points in the last two weeks. Problem is, they have allowed 81 in those two games. There’s no D in Detroit. The Vikes are an above-average team. In the old dome in Minneapolis, I’ll take Minnesota.
Miami at New England: The Dolphins have slipped into the muck of suckage. The Pats came up big last week with a convincing win at Cincinnati. I see no way the Dolphins can win here. Pick: New England
St. Louis at Green Bay: Sant Louis (as my dearly departed mother used to call it) is 3-1. They’re a shaky 3-1, but they have 3 wins. Green Bay is 1-3. The vultures are circling around Brett Favre. That only means that Favre comes up big. In a slight upset….Pick: Green Bay
Tampa Bay at New Orleans: The Bucs are struggling. The Saints come home. This is so hard to pick, because the Bucs are bound to break this winless streak sometime. However, they have no quarterback. So…Pick: New Orleans
Tennessee at Indianapolis: This has Survival Football written all over it, only I’ve already used the Colts. The Titans are a bad, bad team. Vince will get some yards in mop-up duty, though. The Colts are good, and stay undefeated. Pick: Indy
Washington at NY Giants: Huge game for the New York Football Giants, as they do not want to be left behind in the NFC East. The Redskins have bounced back after losing their first two games. I have to pick a road team, and this is a good time to pick one. Pick: Washington
Kansas City at Arizona: The Fighting Damon Huards made San Francisco look like a high school team last week. The Cardinals have all those offensive weapons. However, they’re still the Cardinals. A leopard doesn’t change its spots, and the Cardinals are forever cursed to be terrible. Pick: Kansas City
New York Jets at Jacksonville: The Jags are a great 2-2 team. The Jets are perhaps overachieving at 2-2. Pick: Jacksonville
Oakland at San Francisco: This is about as bad as it gets. It’s a grudge match for the Bay Area, but it will really go a long way toward determining the #1 pick in next year’s draft. Pick: San Francisco
Pittsburgh at San Diego: The Chargers lost a tough one in Baltimore last week. That won’t happen this week. Pick: San Diego
Baltimore at Denver: Steve McNair has a lease on life in Baltimore. The Broncos are pretty inconsistent. It’s Monday Night in Denver, though, and it’s hard to go against the home team. Pick: Denver

College Picks: Weekend of October 7

Last Week: 13-7 Overall: 77-23

Oklahoma vs. Texas: Big game for Texas. Really big game for the Sooners. OU has played two pretty good teams in Washington and Oregon. Texas has played the best team in the country, and three creampuffs. I really think OU will win the game. This isn’t a homer pick. Pick: OU
Nebraska at Iowa State: Both teams barely escaped last week, the Huskers against Kansas, and the Cyclones against Northern Iowa. Nebraska was fortunate last year in an overtime game in Lincoln. Nebraska has improved a little, and I’m not sure if Iowa State has. The ‘Clones have the home field. The Huskers have a better team. Pick: Nebraska
Texas A&M at Kansas: Beginning of the end for Coach Fran. The Aggies are pretty average. KU should have come out of Lincoln with a win last week. KU should come out of Larryville with a win this week. Pick: Fighting Manginos
Missouri at Texas Tech: Mizzou is unbeaten, and Tech would be unbeaten if they would have scheduled someone other than TCU in the third game of the season. The game is out on the plains of West Texas, which tilts the game ever so slightly in favor of Texas Tech. My gut says Tech. Pick: Texas Tech
Baylor at Colorado: Baylor got a win last week, which is something Colorado does not have as of yet. The Colorado losing streak stops here. Pick: Buffs
Oklahoma State at Kansas State: The Ag Bowl. K-State is on the way to its pre-Snyder days. OSU hasn’t shown a lot yet, but took care of business against some sorry teams. OSU has a few more athletes. Pick: OSU
Florida State at N.C. State: Not much offense on either side here. Take the under, if so inclined. N.C. State is playing for coach Amato’s job. FSU can’t lose another conference game. FSU has more talent. Pick: FSU
TCU at Utah: Both teams are reeling after unexpected defeats. TCU lost decisively to BYU, while the Utes were rolled by Boise State. Hard to get a feel for this one, but I’ll take the Frogs. Pick: TCU
Arkansas at Auburn: The Hogs will keep this close, but War Eagle is too much in the end. Pick: Aubrn
LSU at Florida: Should be a good one. LSU is really good, but I’m not sure if they can win a big game on the road. Pick: Florida
Michigan State at Michigan: Michigan is off to a really good start. Michigan State is in a freefall. Irresistible force does not meet immovable object here. Pick: Michigan
Tennessee at Georgia: Tennessee has bounced back this season. Georgia has struggled, but is still undefeated. The Bulldogs have the home field, but have had serious quarterback problems. Senior Joe Tereshinski comes back from injury this week. I’m not sure if that will be enough. I like Rocky Top in this one. Pick: Tennessee
Oregon at California: Cal has been rolling over opponents since their opening week loss at Tennessee. Oregon is still undefeated, thanks to Pacific 10 officials. This one is in Berkeley, and I like Cal. Pick: California
Clemson at Wake Forest: Huge game for the still-undefeated Demon Deacons. This will be close, but Clemson has too much talent. Pick: Clemson
Purdue at Iowa: Hawkeyes coming off drubbing at the hands of Ohio State. Purdue bouncing back from loss at Notre Dame. Iowa is a little too good for Purdue this year. Pick: Iowa
Pittsburgh at Syracuse: Syracuse has tripled last year’s win total. Pittsburgh is getting better every week, including last week’s whipping of Toledo. Pick: Pittsburgh
Navy at Air Force: Key to the Commander-In-Chief Trophy, won by Navy the last two years. Navy takes a step toward winning it this year, as well. Pick: Navy
Arizona at UCLA: A couple of mediocre Pac-10 teams meet in the Rose Bowl. Pick: UCLA
Penn State at Minnesota: Both teams appear to be down from previous years. This one is in the dome, and is a pure crap shoot from this vantage point. Pick: Minnesota
Ursinus at Case Western Reserve: Why this one? Why not. By the way, Ursinus is pronounced ur-SIGH-nus. Pick: Ursinus

Baseball Post-Season: First Round

In the middle of the greatness of football season, we still have baseball, which enters its postseason playoffs. With three rounds of playoffs, the postseason is no longer as special as it once was, and it drowns in the sea of 500 channels of cable & satellite, as well as the 800 pound gorilla known as the NFL. Nonetheless, there are some storylines worth addressing, and picks to be made.

Division Series

American League
Detroit vs. New York (AL): DET led the American League Central for the entire season, until the last day, when they blew a 6-0 lead to the hapless Royals, allowing them to be swept by a team that lost more than 100 games. DET has the wild card to fall back on, but they have to play NY. NY is there every year, but the Yankees haven't won a World Series in six years. DET is young, and NY has experience. Pick: NY, 3-1.
Oakland vs. Minnesota: MIN was the best team in the second half of the season. OAK had little trouble winning the West. MIN will have too much for OAK. Pick: MIN, 3-1.

National League
St. Louis vs. San Diego: The Cardinals very nearly pulled the biggest choke in the history of baseball, blowing an 8 1/2 game lead with 13 to play. Their lead got down to 1/2 game, but managed to split a four-game series with Milwaukee and hold off the Astros. The Padres held off the Dodgers and won the West on a tiebreaker. Pick: SD, 3-0.
Los Angeles vs. New York (NL): The Dodgers have played well in the second half of the season. NYM is struggling, now that ace Pedro Martinez is out for the playoffs. That can't help but hurt NYM. Still, NYM has a strong lineup, and should hold off the Dodgers. Pick: NYM, 3-2.

Championship Series

American League
NYY vs. MIN: When in doubt, go with the Yankees. NYY in 6.

National League
NYM vs. SD: If Pedro were healthy, it would be NYM in a slam dunk. Pedro is out, and I'll take the Padres in the upset in 6.

World Series
SD vs. NYY: Los Yanquis.

NFL Week In Review-Week 4

NFL Week In Review: Week 4

What’s with the blowouts? There were a lot of points scored today, and some one-sided affairs. There are some pretty good teams, and some really bad teams. Anything can happen on a given Sunday in the NFL, but there are some things that are more predictable than others in this league.

First, we start in Music City, U.S.A. I expected the Cowboys to beat the sorry Titans, but I didn’t expect 45-14. Thanks to our friends at the NFL, I didn’t get to watch this game. I’m sure Fox 26 in Houston would have liked to have shown hometown boy Vince Young in his first start against the Cowboys, but the NFL wants everyone to watch the Texans when they are on TV in their hometown. I knew Vince would struggle in his first start, but he had some good spots. Julius Jones and Terry Glenn had good games for the Cowboys. Good win for the Silver and Blue, and the T.O. circus returns to Philly next week. The Titans are a bad team.

While on the subject of blowouts, the 49ers soiled the legacy of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice with that awful goose egg they laid in Kansas City. The Chiefs, with backup quarterback Damon Huard, horsewhipped the Niners by a score of 41-0. Rarely does an NFL team lose 41-0. The Bay Area is starving for quality football. Dante Hall came up big for the Arrowheads, with a punt return and a catch for touchdowns.

What was that thud we heard from Cincinnati today? The Patriots, coming off a dreadful game against Denver, beat the Bengals like a rented mule. Props to Laurence Maroney, for breaking 100 yards, scoring a touchdown, and helping my fantasy team.

The discussion of blowouts is incomplete without mentioning the Sunday Night event in Chicago. The Seahawks were missing Shaun Alexander, and they may as well have been missing their entire team. Da Bears are the real deal, as they now have some offense to go with that defense.

Downstate and across the river in St. Louis, there was a shootout in the return of Mike Martz to the River City. My friends at Fox 26 were able to show this one, as it was the token 3:00 game on Fox. Yeah, it started at 3, and ended at 6:45, without going into overtime. Just a ton of passing, as the Rams beat Etroit, 41-34. Where’s Etroit? There’s no D in Detroit today, as they gave up 41, so it’s Etroit. Those teams went up and down the field all day, and the Lions even had a chance to chunk it into the end zone to tie it at the end. It was not to be, and the Rams are 3-1.

The Colts have played as many games in New York this year as they have in Indianapolis. Their trip to the Meadowlands to play the Jets ended well. They were given a scare by the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. Peyton Manning scored a rushing touchdown for the second game in a row, for the winner. The Jets almost won at the end on a multiple-lateral play, but fell about 25 yards short, and the Colts won 31-28.

Here in Harris County, the sad sack Texans beat the suddenly hapless Dolphins, 17-15. They tried to give it away, as the Dolphins scored in the last two minutes, missed a two-point conversion, then fumbled a recovery of an onside kick. Big win for the Texans, and they have a chance for as many as three more wins this year, with two games against the Titans and one against the Raiders still on the schedule.

The Raiders were competitive today, and actually had a 21-3 lead. However, they blew it, and Cleveland won, 24-21. I’m sure it was a competitive game, but there were games in the USFL and XFL that were competitive. That doesn’t mean it was a quality game. The Raiders are bad, bad, bad.

Atlanta put a whipping on the Cardinals, 32-10. What’s the over/under on Matt Leinart’s debut in Arizona?

The Carolina Panthers got win #2, 21-18 over the Saints. The Panthers are recovering from a slow start, and have Steve Smith back. The Saints are marching back to earth.

There was a barnburner in Landover, Maryland today, as Jacksonville and Washington lit up the scoreboard and went into overtime. Santana Moss picked overtime to catch his second touchdown pass. The Redskins needed the win, especially one over a quality team.

Just up I-95, the Ravens had a battle with San Diego. Last week’s comments apply here. Good teams find a way to win. The Ravens are a good team. Steve McNair is liking crab cakes, especially at 4-0.

Finally, the Bills beat the Vikings in Buffalo today. I got that pick wrong. The Vikings’ new uniforms are ugly, especially the road version with the white jerseys, purple pants, and white stripes. Bud Grant can’t be happy.

So Close, Yet So Far, and the Latest Big XII Rankings

Blogging while watching this sorry game between the Dolphins and the Texans. Thanks to the NFL's TV rules, the Cowboys-Titans game cannot be shown in Houston, because the Texans are home at the same time. So, it's the Dolphins and the Texans, or no football at all until 3:00 pm.

Last night was a fun night in college football, as there were three potential upsets brewing at the same time. Unfortunately, none of them came to fruition. The University of Houston outplayed Miami, but the Canes scored two touchdowns, and were able to win, 14-13. USC went up to the Palouse and barely beat Washington State, 28-22. SC is not invincible, but has tons of young talent. Oregon and Cal will give them all they want. And, Nebraska needed overtime to outlast Kansas, 39-32. The Huskers couldn't stop the Jayhawks, but KU botched an extra point early in the game which caused them problems later in the game.

Big XII rankings:

1. Texas. Still first, until Saturday in Dallas.
2. Oklahoma. Didn't lose to Open Date. Mad at the world, and primed to take it out on Texas.
3. Nebraska. Probably still the best team in the North, but looked very mortal against KU.
4. Missouri. Still undefeated, but must go out to the Plains of West Texas this week.
5. Texas Tech. Big win over A&M, which has become a regular occurence.
6. Kansas. Gave Nebraska all they wanted, and should have won the game.
7. Texas A&M. The vultures are circling in College Station.
8. Iowa State. Barely escaped against Northern Iowa.
9. Baylor. Put it together for conference win #1.
10. Oklahoma State. Also defeated Open Date. Winnable game at K-State this week.
11. Kansas State. Bad loss at Baylor, but OSU is a winnable game for them this week, as well.
12. Colorado. Improving, but must win to get out of the cellar.

Ready For Prime Time?

I'm flipping channels late last night, and ESPN2 was showing a high school football game from California between Oaks Christian and Venice. For what it's worth, Oaks Christian won the game, 47-17.

This is the second week in a row that Oaks Christian has been on national TV, as they whipped a team called St. Bonaventure (which ended a 27 game winning streak) last week on FSN. They feature Notre Dame commitment Jimmy Clausen, brother of former Tennessee QBs Casey and Rick, and USC commitment Marc Tyler, son of former Ram and 49er Wendell Tyler. As far as high school teams go, they are really good. The school has only been around since 1997.

High school teams are getting a lot of exposure these days, and there are at least two polls that declare a mythical national high school champion. Sponsors are stepping up to the plate and flying teams great distances to play out-of-state teams. Fox Sports Net has a high school game of the week, and ESPN2 regularly shows high school games. Kirk Herbstreit, of Ohio State and College Gameday fame, promotes an annual event which this year brought nine nationally known high school teams to Ohio to play top Ohio programs. There is a group of programs that have quickly established themselves as magnets for talent, as parents will move their children into particular school districts so they will have the opportunity to compete at the highest level, and be looked at for potential college scholarships. I really don't have a problem with it, but I also realize that the vast majority of high schools will stay with the status quo: to provide a competitive outlet for students, to boost school spirit, and to be rallying point for students and members of the community. A state championship is a pipe dream for 95% of schools in a given state, and a national championship isn't even on the radar screen.

As I saw Oaks Christian last night, I recognized that they have been available on my TV as many times this year (twice) as the Dallas Cowboys, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech. That's big time. That will change, of course, but it's still a big deal for a high school team to have its highlights on the Friday night news, much less be televised nationally.

I wish someone would fly them to Texas this year, though. It'd be good to see them stack up against a team like Southlake Carroll. :-)

Picks-Week 4

This week: 9-5. Overall: 30-16

Dallas at Tennessee: Just another week in paradise at Valley Ranch. Not really. The new face of the franchise almost offed himself on Tuesday, then came back to practice on Thursday. How unstable. But, the Titans are terrible, and the Cowboys should get their heads right with ball long enough to win. Pick: Dallas
Miami at Houston: Two bad teams. Miami has a win because they played a worse team in the Titans. Which quarterback will be sacked more often: Daunte Culpepper, or David Carr? The Texans’ defense is horrible. The Dolphins get well, at least for a week. Pick: Miami
San Francisco at Kansas City: The Joe Montana Bowl. The Niners are young, and improving, but not where they need to be yet. The Chiefs are missing QB Trent Green immensely. Still, the Chiefs should have enough for this week. Pick: Kansas City
Arizona at Atlanta: Kurt Warner is the QB in Arizona, at least for one more week. Michael Vick is the QB in Atlanta. Pick: Atlanta
Indianapolis at New York Jets: There is a Manning playing QB at the Meadowlands this week, but it’s not Eli. It’s Peyton, and he’ll take care of business against the Jets. Pick: Indy
Minnesota at Buffalo: The Vikings are coming off of a tough loss against the Bears. Likewise for the Bills against the Jets. The Vikes are just a little better than the Bills. Pick: Minnesota
New Orleans at Carolina: The Panthers rescued their season last week in Tampa. The Saints have already matched last year’s win total. The Saints have to be spent emotionally after the reopening of the Superdome. The Panthers are back to business. Pick: Carolina
San Diego at Baltimore: Great matchup. Both teams are undefeated, and someone has to lose here. The Ravens’ defense will mess with first-year starter Phillip Rivers, and stuff L.T. Pick: Baltimore
Detroit at St. Louis: The Lions are one of several bad teams. The Rams are inconsistent, yet 2-1. They’ll be 3-1 after this week. Pick: St. Louis
Cleveland at Oakland: One of the worst games of this or any year. What a dud game. The Raiders are dreadful. Ya gotta look out for Cle. Pick: Cleveland
Jacksonville at Washington: Both teams coming off losses. Jacksonville is a contender, and Washington is a pretender. Pick: Jacksonville
New England at Cincinnati: The Pats are coming off an unexpected loss. The Bengals are coming off a big win in Pittsburgh. The streak continues. Pick: Cincinnati
Seattle at Chicago: The Seahawks are in trouble, as Shaun Alexander is out with an injury. The Bears have a good team, for the second year in a row. Sunday night in Chicago, give me Da Bears.
Green Bay at Philadelphia: Whatever the over/under is on this game, take the over. There will be a lot of offense in this one. Philly outscores the Pack. Pick: Philadelphia

College Picks-Weekend of September 30

Last Week: 14-6 Overall: 64-16

The games become harder to pick as we move away from bodybag games and deeper into conference play. The 14-6 should have an asterisk by it, as Hardin-Simmons led Louisiana College 28-12 in the second quarter when the game was called due to lightning. The game was not restarted, and the game will not be made up. The statistics do not count for either team, but I will count it as a win, since HSU had a commanding lead and would probably have won by more.

Texas Tech at Texas A&M: The biggest game of the Franchione era. Lose, and Fran’s head goes on the chopping block. Win, and A&M goes to 5-0 and probably into the Top 25. Tech has been inconsistent. Will they go down to Aggieland and get the win? Before the season, I would have said yes. Tech’s loss to TCU didn’t worry me, as lots of teams would lose at TCU. Their lack of offense there concerns me a lot. The realtors in Bryan/College Station relax for at least a week, as Fran’s job is saved, and A&M wins.
Kansas at Nebraska: The Huskers had won 37 in a row over the Jayhawks until last year. Nebraska starts another streak this year. Pick: Nebraska
Colorado at Missouri: The Buffs have improved greatly, from a loss to Montana State in the opening week to a near-miss between the hedges at Georgia. Missouri went undefeated in their non-conference schedule. It’ll be closer than it ought to be, but Mizzou wins at home.
Kansas State at Baylor: Baylor is favored in a conference game for the first time since Dr. Pepper was invented. Well, not that long, but it’s been a while. This pick is a real crap shoot. I hope it’s not just plain crap. I don’t trust Baylor. Give me K-State.
Sam Houston State at Texas: Rhett Bomar is not eligible to play at Sam Houston as of yet. As if it would really matter. Pick: Texas
Northern Iowa at Iowa State: A no-win situation for the Cyclones. Northern Iowa is a strong Division 1-AA program. The ‘Clones have nothing to gain, and everything to lose. Iowa State’s program, though, has moved beyond losing games like this. Pick: ISU
BYU at TCU: I thought the Mountain West Conference was getting away from Thursday games with their new TV contract. Instead, CSTV/Versus/OLN/Public Access Cable/Channel 84 is having them play on Thursday night at 6 PM. That’s 6 PM Eastern Time. The game starts at 5 PM in Fort Worth, and 4 PM in Utah. Outrageous. Are they making them play early so they can show reruns of Survivor: Marquesas in prime time? The Y will give TCU a test, but the Frogs win at home. Pick: TCU
Ohio State at Iowa: tOSU’s toughest game before the end of the season clash with the School Up North. Iowa is good, and they’re playing at home under the lights. Ohio State’s the best thing going, though. If they can win in Austin, they can win in Iowa City. Pick: The Ohio State University
Auburn at South Carolina: Steve Spurrier has had quarterback issues, and the ‘Cocks only beat Wofford by 7 points, before creaming Florida Atlantic last week. Auburn slept through a scrimmage with Buffalo last week. War Eagle needs this one to stay unbeaten. I don’t know how the ‘Cocks will do here. Pick: Auburn
Alabama at Florida: The Tide goes down to the Swamp bruised after a double-overtime loss to the Hogs. The Gators are looking strong. Bama doesn’t have enough this week. Pick: Florida
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech: The Ramblin’ Wreck have a pretty good team. The Hokies are a little better, especially at home. Pick: VPI
Michigan at Minnesota: Minnesota always plays Michigan tough, and in recent years has created new ways to lose to the Wolverines. This year will be no exception. The Little Brown Jug stays in A-Squared. Pick: Michigan
Miami, Ohio at Cincinnati: Miami is usually better than UC. Cincinnati, though, has shown sparks of brilliance at times against Ohio State and Virginia Tech. The Bearcats put it together against their hated rivals. Pick: Cincinnati
Rutgers at South Florida: The State University of New Jersey has cracked the Top 25. How long will it last? USF isn’t chopped liver at home. Pick: USF
Houston at Miami: Things are upside down when Rutgers is ranked and Miami isn’t. The Canes are down, and Larry Coker is a dead man walking. The Coogs are undefeated, and have a chance to win this game. In the end, though, Miami has too much talent. Pick: Miami
Purdue at Notre Dame: Purdue is off to a good start after an off year. The Irish are coming off the “Comeback of The Century”. Aren’t all Notre Dame comebacks that great? The Irish will be a little flat. However, I can’t pick against them, as badly as I may want to. Pick: ND
Boise State at Utah: Ambush City. Boise State is ranked this week. That won’t last. Pick: Utah
Wyoming at Syracuse: Syracuse has won two games this year, doubling last year’s win total. This week will be win #3 for the Orange. Pick: Syracuse
Illinois at Michigan State: Many will question the quality of coaching in this game, as Ron Zook is on one sideline, and John L. Smith is on the other. The Green and White blew it last week, big time. However, they have more talent, and the home field this week. Pick: MSU
Slippery Rock at Clarion: Saturday night in the rocking metropolis of Clarion, PA. Slippery Rock has rolled over their three D-II foes thus far. Give me the Rock. Pick: Slippery Rock

Choke?

The title of this blog is College and Pro Ball. Baseball counts as pro ball, and this is the most exciting time of the year. Normally, by this time of year, I'm used to baseball being irrelevant, as I'm used to being around the mediocre Rangers. But, I live in a baseball town now (at least as far as Texas goes), and the National League has been mediocre all year.

The Astros have been pedestrian all year, and just went over .500 tonight. Last week, when the Cardinals came to town, St. Louis had a 7 1/2 game lead in the Central Division with 12 games to play. The Astros swept four from the Cardinals, are now on a seven-game winning streak, and the Cardinals are gagging on this lead. The Cardinals just lost to San Diego, while Houston beat Pittsburgh tonight.

If the Astros pass the Cardinals, it would be a worse choke than 1964, when Philadelphia blew a 6 1/2 game lead with 12 games to play, and the Cardinals won the National League pennant.

This is really strange. The Astros are within 1 1/2 games of first place, with five games to play. Wow.

Turnabout-or correction?

It turns out that Kurt Warner is going to be the starter this week in Arizona, after all. How long he will remain the starter, no one knows. He was the veteran quarterback in New York when the G-Men drafted Eli Manning. Eli was starting by mid-season that year.

But, the question is: does Kurt Warner still suck?

Best of luck to Kurt Warner.

Thanks to Zee for the tip!

End Of An Era

I earlier questioned the direction of the Arizona Cardinals. Well, it looks like Kurt Warner is about to be benched.

I love Kurt Warner. His is one of the great stories in the history of the National Football League, as he went from stocking shelves at Hy-Vee to Super Bowl MVP. He's a great guy off the field, also. But, as my wife and I have joked for the past couple of years, he sucks now. Four turnovers yesterday sealed it for him.

That's ok. He had a great run. He'll still be paid well to be a backup quarterback in Arizona.

As for Matt Leinart: He goes from having Reggie Bush and a set of great receivers at USC to being surrounded by Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin. To whom much is given, much is required.

NFL Week In Review-Week 3

A review of yesterday’s NFL action:

The Houston Texans continue to redefine the word suck. They got creamed yesterday by the Redskins, 31-15, in a game that could have been even worse. The Texans had a chance to get back in the game, as they returned a fumble for a touchdown, which would have cut the margin to 31-21. But, it was called back on a penalty for unnecessary roughness. The Texans have three chances for a win this year, as Oakland is on the schedule, in addition to two meetings with the Titans.

The New York Giants showed up for one quarter yesterday. Unfortunately for them, it was the 4th quarter. Seattle led 42-3, before calling off the dogs. The G-Men made it respectable and lost 42-30. Seattle looks really strong right now. They are the team to beat in the NFC after three weeks.

The Iggles showed up in the City by the Bay, winning comfortably over the 49ers. Brian Westbrook had three touchdowns, and the defense had a 98 yard fumble return. Philly is healthy, and they are back. You might could even call them the Dreaded and Feared.

What is up with Arizona? They have two great receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, a great running back in Edgerrin James, a still serviceable quarterback in Kurt Warner, and a brand new stadium. So far, though, they are the same old Cardinals. They found a new way to lose yesterday, as Marc Bulger of the Rams fumbled in Cardinals’ territory late in the game. The Cardinals were trying to set up a game-winning field goal, when Kurt Warner fumbled a snap, and the Rams recovered. The Cardinals are cursed, just as they were in Chicago and St. Louis.

I thought Cleveland was going to pull it off yesterday, but the Ravens found a way to win. Good teams do that. The Ravens are good. The Browns are not.

Speaking of Ohio, the Bengals went to Pittsburgh and got a big win over the Steelers. Carson Palmer was unconscious, throwing four touchdown passes. The Bengals are undefeated, and the Steelers are 1-2.

Chicago and Minnesota played an ugly one yesterday in the Twin Cities. Rex Grossman threw a touchdown pass to the Vikings, and one for the Bears. Lucky for him, the Bears won.

As many expected, Green Bay and Detroit had a shootout yesterday. Brett Favre threw for another million yards, and this time, the Packers won. The Lions are the most mediocre franchise in the NFL. I don’t know which is worse: being mediocre, or being sorry. At least when you're sorry, you have a chance for a good draft pick. Of course, ask the Houston Texans about high draft picks.

The Buccaneers had a horrible day yesterday. First, they lost their third in a row, 26-24 to the Panthers. Then, Chris Simms had to be rushed to the hospital, and was briefly in critical condition. He had been hit so hard that his spleen ruptured, and had to be removed. He is doing better, and should recover. The Bucs are in big trouble, however.

The Colts took care of business against the Jaguars. Peyton Manning had a rushing touchdown, on a quarterback bootleg around the right end from one yard out. I expected him to have a rough day, but he did pass for a touchdown and run for a touchdown. The Colts are still very good.

In the AFC East, the Jets went to Buffalo and took care of business. As long as they can stay healthy, they will be vastly improved over last year, when they went through five quarterbacks.

The Dolphins barely got their first win yesterday, squeaking by the Titans, 13-10. Daunte Culpepper has not fully recovered from his knee injury, and is a shell of his former self. Miami has a chance for another win next week, as they play the Texans.

Last night, the Patriots laid an egg against the Broncos. The Pats’ lack of receivers will come back to bite them. Speaking of receivers, Javon Walker had his coming out party, with 130 yards and two touchdowns. I need to put him back in my fantasy lineup after they come back from next week’s bye.

Big XII Rankings

This conference continues to define mediocrity. The conference just missed its signature non-conference win, as Colorado lost in the last minutes between the hedges at Georgia. Conference play gets into full swing this week, and the contenders will separate themselves from the pretenders.

1. Texas. At the top for now. Big game at Fair Park in Dallas in two weeks.
2. Nebraska. Thumping teams they would have struggled with during the last three years.
3. Oklahoma. Bounced back from the theft in Oregon to whip hapless Middle Tennessee.
4. Missouri. Undefeated and optimistic. Will challenge the Huskers in the North.
5. Texas Tech. Big game at A&M.
6. Texas A&M. Undefeated after four games with cream puffs.
7. Iowa State. Coming off losses to two quality teams in Iowa and Texas.
8. Kansas. Fighting Manginos are 3-1 and improving. Big game at Nebraska this week.
9. Kansas State. Stayed on the field with Louisville. Three wins in the Big XII put them into a bowl.
10. Oklahoma State. Lost on the road against Houston, their first legitimate opponent. Jury is still out.
11. Baylor. Tough overtime loss to Black Knights of Army.
12. Colorado. Close only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades.

Ralphie Went Down To Georgia and the Luck of the Irish

This was, as expected, a dud weekend in the world of college football. There were two notable near-misses, and a whole lot of other action that pretty much went according to form. The closest thing to an upset was the double overtime loss by the Crimson Tide in the hills of Arkansas.

The first disappointment of the day was the narrow defeat of the Colorado Buffaloes at Georgia. The Buffs, losers of seven straight, led for the entire game, until giving up a touchdown in the final minute. The game lasts 60 minutes, not 58. Ralphie, the Buffs' live buffalo mascot, made the cross-country road trip from Colorado to Georgia. It was his first road trip in 20 years, according to ESPN Gameday. That was surprising to me, because Colorado has had its best stretch of football in the last 20 years, including a national championship, a few conference championships, and several Big XII North championships. The Buffs still look to be the underdog in every remaining game, but they fought hard yesterday, and are improving. I doubt if they go 0-12.

The second disappointment of the day was in East Lansing, Michigan. I stepped out for a little while, when Michigan State had a comfortable 31-21 lead over Notre Dame. From what I have read, Michigan State started playing not to lose, and let the Irish back in the game. The Irish then returned an interception for a touchdown with less than 3 minutes to go for the go-ahead touchdown. The game also put Brady Quinn back on the map for Heisman Trophy consideration. ESPN was orgasmic in describing the comeback. I'm already sick of the Notre Dame lovefest. Barf. On the Spartans' side, coach John L. Smith's head goes back on the chopping block. A promising start now leads into a shaky entrance into Big 10 play. The Spartans will need to play well in the Big 10, or there will be a coaching change in East Lansing.

NFL Picks: Week 3

Last Week: 12-4. Overall: 21-11.

At this point, the NFL has 11 teams with a record of 2-0, and 11 teams with a record of 0-2. That leaves 10 teams in the middle at 1-1, and creates symmetry for the league, with an even number of teams at the top and bottom. Useless information for the most part, but the trends make a lot of the picks easier.

Washington at Houston: In which way is the city of Houston better off: a) with the hard-luck Oilers, b) without a team, or c) with the sorry Texans? Each point is debatable. The Texans continue to redefine the word suck. The Redskins haven't been much better. Clinton Portis is back this week for the 'Skins. Pick: Washington.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: Big early game in the AFC North. Cincinnati has some guys banged up. Pittsburgh returns home after laying a big goose egg in Jacksonville. The Steelers bounce back. Pick: Pittsburgh.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis: The Jags are one of the few teams that can hang with the Colts. I'm struggling with whether to play Peyton Manning in my fantasy league this week. This will be a good game. Home dome advantage comes into play. Pick: Indy
Chicago at Minnesota: The Bears have added some offense, and the Vikings have shocked the world by winning their first two games. The HHH Metrodome will be rocking. That won't be enough. Pick: Da Bears
Carolina at Tampa Bay: Both teams need this win desperately. The Bucs need an offense in the worst way, scoring three points in the first two games. This one could end up being 6-3, but I'll take the Bucs.
Green Bay at Detroit: The Pack is really hard to figure. Brett Favre threw for a million yards last week, but the Pack still lost. Detroit still hasn't won a game. Someone has to win here. Give me Detroit.
New York Jets at Buffalo: The Jets are vastly improved. That happens when you get your starting quarterback back from injury. Buffalo is surprising, as well. Pick: J-E-T-S
Tennessee at Miami: Yuck. The Dolphins have been disappointing. The Titans just stink. Daunte Culpepper throws the Titans into his inferno. Pick: Miami.
Baltimore at Cleveland: Or, Old Browns vs. New Browns. The Ravens are getting good play from QB Steve McNair, Jamal Lewis is back into form, and the Ravens' defense is playing well, as usual. The Browns are pathetic. Pick: Baltimore.
New York Giants at Seattle: Good game, replay of one of last year's better regular season games. The G-Men are coming off of an incredible comeback last week in Philly. I can't see it happening two weeks in a row. Pick: Seattle.
Philadelphia at San Francisco: The Iggles travel to the Left Coast after blowing a big lead last week against the New York Football Giants. The 49ers are better this year, but not as good as the Eagles. Pick: Philly
St. Louis at Arizona: New St. Louis vs. Old St. Louis. The Rams can best be described as inconsistent. The Cardinals have a new lease on life in their new stadium. They are an offensive juggernaut waiting to explode. Pick: Arizona
Denver at New England: The Broncos stagger into Foxboro coming off of an ugly 9-6 win over the Chiefs. The Patriots have a two-headed running back monster of Corey Dillon and Lawrence Maroney. On this Weekend in New England, give me the Pats.
Atlanta at New Orleans: Both teams are undefeated. The Superdome has been repaired, and the Saints finally return to the Big Easy for their first home game in two years. This may be the best atmosphere for a regular-season NFL game in years, perhaps ever. I'd love to have a ticket for this one. How can you pick against the Saints in this one? Pick: New Orleans.

College Picks-Weekend of Sept 23

Last week: 16-4. Overall: 50-10

Last weekend was the so-called "Separation Saturday". Teams such as Notre Dame, LSU, and Oklahoma were separated from the ranks of the unbeaten, Miami was perhaps separated from its dynasty of the last 20+ years, and officiating was never more in question than in two separate incidents in Auburn, Alabama and Eugene, Oregon. Still, we march on through the season, and this week shapes up to be a dud compared to last week.

Predictions:
Middle Tennessee at Oklahoma: Middle Tennessee gets a big check. Oklahoma gets a big win. Pick: OU
Iowa State at Texas: First Big XII game of the year. It won't be a blowout, but Texas wins.
Oklahoma State at Houston: Houston looks to contend for at least a division title in C-USA. OSU looks to contend for 4th place in the Big XII South, despite their wins over three Class 5A high school teams. Should be a good game. I'll go with the home team, U of H.
Louisville at Kansas State: Louisville comes off perhaps the biggest win in school history, but have temporarily lost their star QB and RB. They won't need them this week. The Ville comes out of the Little Apple with a win.
Southeastern Louisiana at Texas Tech: Puhleeze. Tech needs this scrimmage in a big way, after last week's debacle in Fort Worth. Pick: Tech
Louisiana Tech at Texas A&M: The Ags barely escaped against the Black Knights of the Hudson. Louisiana Tech will stay on the field with the Aggies, but the Aggies should have enough to hold them off. Pick: A&M
Ohio at Missouri: Frank Solich returns to the Big XII with his Ohio Bobcats. Mizzou is on a roll. Pick: Misery
Colorado at Georgia: When this was scheduled, this was thought to be a great intersectional matchup. The Buffs are now on a collision course with 0-12. Pick: Georgia
South Florida at Kansas: The Fighting Manginos lost a heartbreaker last week. This will be a tight game, but the Jayhawks are at home. Pick: KU
Army at Baylor: The Black Knights of the Hudson return to Texas. Baylor needs this one. They're at home, though Army should have a good crowd from nearby Fort Hood at the game. Pick: Baylor
Troy at Nebraska: Nebraska goes from playing the Men of Troy (USC) to the Men of Troy, Alabama. Troy could have and should have beaten Florida State. They had a bit of a letdown against the Ramblin' Wreck of Georgia Tech. Look for Nebraska to win the game, but Troy could cover the points. Pick: NU
Tulsa at Navy: Tough road trip for the Golden Hurricane, as they get set to defend the option offense of Navy. Pick: Midshipmen.
Arizona State at Cal: Winner remains in race for second place in the Pacifist 10 behind USC. I don't trust Arizona State. Pick: Cal
Wisconsin at Michigan: The Wolverines whipped Notre Dame last week. Therefore, they are already being projected by some to be 11-0 when they meet Ohio State at the end of November. I'm not jumping on that bandwagon just yet. They'll handle Wisky at the Big House, though. Pick: Meechigan
Penn State at Ohio State: JoePa takes his young Lions to the Big Horseshoe On The Banks of the Olentangy. The Ohio State University looks way too strong for the young Lions. Pick: TOSU
Notre Dame at Michigan State: The Irish are reeling. The Spartans are starting strong, coming off a road win at Pittsburgh. The Irish go 0-for-Michigan. Maybe they should schedule Eastern Michigan. Pick: Michigan State
Boston College at N.C. State: BC visits Tobacco Road. The Wolfpack are in serious trouble, after back-to-back losses to Akron and Southern Miss. BC is a pretty good team. Pick: Boston College
Air Force at Wyoming: Two evenly matched teams. Air Force nearly knocked off Tennessee in Knoxville. Wyoming is tough at home. Give me Cowboy Joe. Pick: Wyoming
Alabama at Arkansas: The Pigs are hot, having won two in a row over Utah State and Vanderbilt. The Tide is still undefeated, as well. Alabama has a better team. Pick: Alabama
Hardin-Simmons at Louisiana College: Battle between two more obscure Baptist colleges. Paige Patterson is a graduate of Hardin-Simmons. That is irrelevant to football. My wife and most of my in-laws went there, as well. That is also irrelevant to football. HSU is a Division III powerhouse in Texas. Pick: Hardin-Simmons

NFL Week In Review

This is not to be confused with a stroll down NFL Boulevard. I'm not going all the way down that street.

Could we see Adrian Peterson in the same backfield with Vince Young next year? If the Titans are as bad for the rest of the year as they were against the Chargers, it is a definite possibility. Of course, the Raiders and Texans are right there with them on the same level of sorriness. At least the Texans and Titans play each other twice. Of course, the Colts and Jaguars have four games each against both of those teams. That gives both of them a leg up in getting to the playoffs.

I missed the Giants' comeback against the Iggles, as Fox sent the 3:00 Arizona-Seattle game here, instead, so as to not compete with the sorry Texans' 12:00 game. Philly is going to wish they had that one for the rest of the year. The G-Men didn't need to start 0-2.

Speaking of 0-2, the Redskins have that record. Mark Brunell is a goat in Washington today. I'm just glad Dallas got that win.

Guess who's back? The Baltimore Ravens. Sure, they've played the slow-starting Bucs and the sorry Raiders, but they still look good. They even have a little bit of offense. The AFC North (I almost called it the Central, its former name) is pretty stout, with the Ravens, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. The Brownies don't stand a chance.

There was another 9-6 snoozer yesterday. Denver and Kansas City are the guilty culprits. It took overtime for Denver to find another field goal to win.

Look who else is 2-0: the Saints. They have a big, big game next Monday night, as they re-open the Superdome against the 2-0 Falcons. That would be a fun ticket.

The Buffalo Bills are officially not awful. They got a big win on the road in Miami. The Dolphins are quickly becoming victim to high expectations. Maybe Nick Saban should have had dinner with the President during training camp, when he was invited. It's obvious that time spent with football hasn't produced the desired results.

Just when you thought they were going away, the Patriots are 2-0. And, stud rookie Laurence Maroney helped my fantasy team by scoring his first NFL touchdown. The Jets aren't as bad as I thought they would be, now that Chad Pennington is back and somewhat healthy.

That's enough comments for now. Gotta get back to this scoreless game (3rd quarter) between the Steelers and the Jaguars.

Apology from the Pac-10

Hell froze over today in Walnut Creek, California. The Pac-10 Conference apologized for the blown calls in Saturday's game between OU and Oregon. They also suspended the game officials and replay officials one game.

It doesn't bring the win back, but their action acknowledges the error. This is more than the Big XII did after the Texas Tech debacle last year.

Of course, the B12 supervisor of officials quietly stepped down after the season.

The Sooners owe Washington a game in Seattle, scheduled for 2008. This action greatly increases the chances of that game remaining on the schedule.

The Pac-10 is the only conference that uses its own officials in home non-conference games against major opponents. All of the other major conferences use visiting or neutral officials in home-and-home series. For instance, OU used Big XII officials when they played at Alabama, and the Crimson Tide brought SEC officials to Norman when they played there. Hopefully, the Pac-10 will follow the rest of college football, and allow visiting officials in non-conference games.

Big XII Rankings and other related comments

Did I tell you this conference is pretty ordinary? The Big XII went 5-7 against the rest of the world this weekend. The league lost every time it met a quality opponent this weekend, losing to such teams as Oregon, USC, TCU, Iowa, Arizona State, Toledo, and Washington State. I don't know if Washington State is a quality opponent, but it was a road game against a team better than Louisiana Tech. That's 0-4 against the Pac-10. At least a conference team didn't lose to anyone like Rice or Florida Atlantic.

Rankings:

1. TCU. Wait a minute, they're not in the Big XII! However, they've now won their last four games against Big XII teams. They'd more than hold their own with Texas and Nebraska, also. The Frogs go to Austin next year. This year, they are on a collision course with the BCS, with their last tough game being against the Fighting Utes in Salt Lake City. Big win in a defensive struggle against Tech yesterday.
2. Texas. Best of a mediocre bunch at this point. Hung half a hundred on Rice yesterday.
3 (tie). Nebraska. Didn't embarrass themselves at USC last night, and covered the point spread. Still the favorite to win the North.
3 (tie). Oklahoma. Got screwed yesterday at Oregon, but should not have put themselves in that position. Still have a chance to be really good if they can get their heads right with ball, and can learn how to tackle for an entire game.
4. Missouri. Only undefeated team left in the conference. They've Showed Me that they won't lose to a mediocre team. Better than expected.
5. Texas Tech. What happened to that high-powered offense?
6. Iowa State. Tripped up by archrival Iowa.
7. Texas A&M. Almost, and should have, lost to ARMY. Army lost to Arkansas State. Fran's lucky to not be calling realtors today.
8. Kansas. Tough loss in double overtime at Toledo.
9. Baylor. Props for taking the road trip to Washington State. Didn't come back with the win.
10. Kansas State. I can't move them up with this schedule they're playing.
11. Oklahoma State. See Kansas State.
12. Colorado. Didn't lose to Arizona State by as much as I thought they would. Still, they'll be the underdog in every game from here on out.

Disgusted

I have been a fan of the University of Oklahoma for 35 years. My dad and his dad were fans of OU before I was even thought of. I have watched countless games, seen 4 of 7 national championships, scads of conference championships, and numerous All-Americans and NFL draft picks. I have celebrated great wins and agonized over ugly defeats. The Sooners snatched defeat from the jaws of victory today in Eugene, Oregon, as the Oregon Ducks won on the scoreboard, 34-33. I am still disgusted. Out of all the OU losses I have seen in 35 years, only three come close: the late loss at USC in 1981 which led to a stretch of mediocrity unseen in the Switzer era; the tie against Texas in 1984, when two questionable calls gave Texas the opportunity to tie the Sooners 15-15; and last year's debacle in Lubbock, caused by questionable officiating which allowed Texas Tech to win. Today's game had more on the line, as there was still a national championship on the table this early in the season. There is also a Heisman Trophy on the line, as Adrian Peterson gained 211 yards today alone, on his way to probably becoming OU's all-time leading rusher. I'm disgusted by the whole thing.

First, on the officiating: The onside kick late in the game was obviously touched by an Oregon player before it traveled 10 yards. Even the ABC announcers agreed with that. The officials blew the call, then the replay officials screwed up the call even more. These officials were looking for the replay officials to do their jobs for them, and the replay official did not oblige.

Second, on the result: As I watched Garrett Hartley line up to try the final field goal attempt, I thought that it was great that he kicked four field goals up to that point, but I also thought: "We shouldn't put him in the position to kick four field goals". The Sooners got stuffed twice inside the Oregon 10, including the series that put us up 33-20. When we went up by 13 instead of 17, I became a little afraid, because it left a cracked window of opportunity. Sure enough, the Ducks took advantage of it. You have to knock the other team out. Oregon was down, but not out. At the end, they had one of the biggest wins in the history of their school.

Third, on the implications: Adrian Peterson is awesome. He played his tail end off, only for his team to lose. 211 yards in a winning effort does a lot more for the Heisman hopes. This team needed this win to get its swagger back, something left in Miami at the 2005 Orange Bowl after being horsewhipped by USC. All that resulted is even more doubt. This team could run the table the rest of the way, or could lose two or three more games.

There is still a lot to play for. A national championship is probably not in the cards this year. However, this team has not won a Big XII championship in two years. There is still a conference championship there for the taking, especially as mediocre as the conference is this year. I am not a "national championship or bust" fan. We have 7 national championships in 110 years of football. That would be 103 miserable seasons, for those so inclined. Sure, a National Championship would be nice, but that takes luck as well as skill. We were unlucky today, and made mistakes that put us in the position to lose the game. This team needs to play a complete game, and to let the cards fall where they may.

NFL Picks-Week 2

Last week: 9-7. Once again, it's better to pick straight up, instead of against the spread.

This week's games:

Washington at Dallas: Clinton Portis is out, according to coach Joe Gibbs. Bad for my fantasy team, and bad for the Redskins. Pick: Dallas
Buffalo at Miami: The 'Phins are improved. Buffalo's not awful, but they're not great. Pick: Miami
Carolina at Minnesota: The Vikes are coming off of perhaps the surprise of the week, winning in the Monday Night extravaganza at Washington. Carolina is a favorite to go to the Super Bowl. Tough pick. I'll take the Vikings at home.
Cleveland at Cincinnati: The Battle of Ohio, Part I. Cincinnati is good. Cleveland is not. Cincy has uglier uniforms, but a much better team. Pick: Cincinnati
Detroit at Chicago: Detroit is playing outside on grass. Da Bears whipped the Packers last week. Not a good combo for Motown. Pick: Da Bears
Houston at Indianapolis: Lock of the week. Indy is good. Houston is not. Indy wins with half their brains tied behind their back.
New Orleans at Green Bay: The Saints open with two road games, but they are against sorry teams. Only question is: Are the Saints good enough to beat two sorry teams in a row? I'm not sure about that. Give me Green Bay.
New York Giants at Philadelphia: NFC East slugfest. Philly is on the way back, as Donovan McNabb has a new best friend: Donte Stallworth. The Eagles fly. Pick: Philly.
Oakland at Baltimore: Or is this Los Angeles vs. Cleveland? The Raiders are terrible. They just plain suck. They made the Chargers look like the '85 Bears last week. The Ravens have a much better defense than the Chargers. Lock of the week #2. Pick: Baltimore
Tampa Bay at Atlanta: The Bucs laid a big goose egg last week. The Falcons at least scored against Carolina. I lean toward the home field here. Pick: Atlanta.
Arizona at Seattle: Who would have ever thought this would be one of the better games of this or any week? The Cardinals are much, much improved. That won't be enough against the Seahawks. Pick: Seattle
St. Louis at San Francisco: The Rams opened with a win last week. The Niners appear to have bottomed out, but still aren't that great. Pick: St. Louis
Kansas City at Denver: The Chiefs have quarterback issues, big time. The Broncos failed to show up last week in St. Louis. They'll show up in Denver. Pick: Denver
New England at New York Jets: The teacher (Belichick) vs. the pupil (Mangini). The Pats are slipping, but have enough to handle the Jets. Pick: New England
Tennessee at San Diego: Tennessee is still rebuilding. The Chargers are pretty decent. Pick: San Diego
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville: Monday night in Jacksonville. Sounds like a trap for the defending world champions. Pick: Jacksonville

College Picks-Week 2

This week shapes up as the best set of games so far this year. It is the highlight of the non-conference schedule for some, and the SEC has some high-powered conference games this week.

Last Week: 18-2 Season: 34-6
There were a lot of easy games to pick last week. It'll be hard to go 18-2 again. I would have gotten creamed picking against the spread, though.

Oklahoma at Oregon: It's in the Northwest, and Oregon is a tough place to play. However, I'm going to make the homer pick of the week and pick the Sooners.
Nebraska at USC: Nebraska's not quite ready for prime time. I don't think the Trojans will embarrass them, though. USC.
Texas Tech at TCU: The Horned Frog Super Bowl. The first time two ranked teams meet in a regular season game at TCU since 1984. Give me the purple Kool-Aid, and give me the Frogs.
Kansas at Toledo: The Friday night special. The Jayhawks stunk up the field last week against Louisiana-Monroe. Toledo is a good team, as they are every year. Give me Max Klinger, and give me holy Toledo.
Iowa State at Iowa: The 'Clones have had the Hawks' number the last couple of years. Drew Tate is back for Iowa. Look for the Hawkeyes to get over the hump. Pick: Iowa.
Marshall at Kansas State: This is a tough one. Marshall got creamed by West Virginia, and beat Hofstra. K-State should have lost to Illinois State, and thumped Florida Atlantic. I'll take the home field and K-State.
Baylor vs. Washington State at Seattle: Both teams are coming off wins over inferior opponents. This is one Baylor has to have if they want to go to a bowl. However, I'll take Wazzu.
Texas at Rice: Puhleeze. Rice has been more competitive than expected, but this is Texas. Pick: Longhorns.
Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma State: Another school trying to join the Big 12? This is Howard Schnellenberger's return to Oklahoma. He was a failed bit then, and it'll be a failed bit now. Pick: OSU.
Arizona State vs. Colorado: Why don't the Buffs schedule Chadron State? Pick: Fighting Sun Devils.
Missouri at New Mexico: This is the type of game the Tigers are known to lose. New Mexico is looking for some pride and respect, as they have a loss to Portland State on their record. I'll go with Mizzou, though.
Texas A&M vs. Army at San Antonio: There will be a great halftime show, especially if Army brings their Cadet band. The game won't be so good. Army vs. Terrorists: Army. Army vs. Aggies: A&M.
LSU at Auburn: Tigers vs. Tigers. Lots of people like Auburn to do something special this year. I'll pick them this week.
Florida at Tennessee: Are the Vols back this year? I don't know. I'll take the Gators this week.
Michigan at Notre Dame: The networks love this one. If it were up to NBC and ABC, these two teams would play each other every week. Notre Dame is as good as advertised this year, unfortunately. Pick: Irish.
Miami at Louisville: We're looking at a Miami meltdown, and Louisville is the real deal. Pick: The Ville.
Clemson at Florida State: The Noles almost laid a huge egg last week against Troy. Clemson blew one at Boston College. In the latest Bowden Bowl, the old man wins. Pick: FSU
Maryland at West Virginia: Thursday night game. West Virginia rolls on. Pick: Mountaineers.
Michigan State at Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh is a sleeper in the Big East. The Spartans have a coach on the hot seat. The game is in the Burgh, and I'll take the Burgh.
East Texas Baptist at Howard Payne. Battle of the Baptists. Give me Howard's Pain. Pick: Howard Payne.

NFL Comments

I watched parts of yesterday's NFL action. Actually, I watched Yahoo GameTracker and StatTracker as much as I watched the real thing. Honestly, right now I care more about my two fantasy leagues than the real-life results in the NFL. That will change later in the year, as teams become more defined, and the playoff picture becomes clearer.

I know the Colts are still pretty good, because I was beaten in a fantasy league this week by a team that had 4 Colts plus the Colts' defense. That's 5 out of 8 available positions.

I'm glad we didn't get that Seattle-Detroit snoozefest on Fox down here. 9-6. Ugh!

Perhaps I spoke too soon in calling the Buffalo Bills awful. They should have beaten the Patriots yesterday. The last team I slammed like that was in 2002, when, on a fantasy football message board, I called the Patriots putrid after week 2. They went on to win their first Super Bowl that year. I doubt if the Bills do the same thing this year, but they weren't awful yesterday.

I missed the second half of the Cowboys-Jaguars game yesterday, so I can't comment a whole lot. The Cowboys played great in the first quarter, then went in the tank. The Jags may be pretty good again this year, though.

I bet Brett Favre is wishing he hadn't come back to play this year. The Pack got sacked yesterday by their hated archrival, da Bears.

Reggie Bush looked pretty decent yesterday for the Saints. It's hard to tell if it was him or if it was the opponent, but I'm glad he's on my fantasy team.

That's it for now.

Big XII Rankings

Texas really made my job harder after their performance against The Ohio State University. As a result, no one deserves to be ranked #1 this week. No one has earned it yet. This conference is so unimpressive at this point. OU and Nebraska go to the West Coast to defend the conference's honor this week.

(tie) 2. Texas. They still have more talent than everyone else, but they have to prove themselves all over again. Just like in the old days before Vince, Mack Brown is going to have to coach. That will be dangerous for them when they hit Fair Park in October. Back to earth for Bevo.
(tie) 2. Nebraska. The moment of truth is this week as the Children of the Corn hit SoCal for their game with USC. They've whipped two teams from Louisiana so far. This is an improvement over the first two years of Bill Callahan's tenure, when they struggled against similar teams.
3. Oklahoma. They looked pathetic in the first half against Washington. They looked good in the 3rd quarter, and pulled away from the Huskies. They'll need to play well Saturday at Oregon to win.
4. Texas Tech. Shaky overtime win at UTEP, but a win is a win. They have a big trip to Fort Worth this week.
5. Missouri. They Showed Me a little bit in beating Ole Miss like a rented mule.
6. Texas A&M. Halfway through their creampuff non-conference schedule.
7. Iowa State. Not great, but not bad, either.
8. Kansas. How do you barely beat Louisiana-Monroe? Not a good night for the Fighting Manginos.
9. Baylor. Beat Northwestern State like a drum.
10. Oklahoma State. Moving through their creampuffs easier than I thought they would. They had much less trouble with Arkie State than I expected.
11. Kansas State. Skunked Florida Atlantic.
12. Colorado. Will they win a game? The proud and mighty have fallen fast.

Observations

Observations on the day in college football:

Any day OU wins and Texas loses is a good day.

What a performance by the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University. They replaced 9 starters on defense, and still dominated Texas tonight. Texas obviously misses Vince Young, a once in a lifetime talent. 30,000 people are going back to Ohio very happy.

It was a night of near misses. 1) Troy almost beat Florida State, as the Seminoles had to score two touchdowns in the last 5 minutes to win. Their winning touchdown was set up by an interception with 2 minutes to go. 2) Air Force lost at Tennessee, when they were stopped on a 2 point conversion with a chance to take the lead. They lost 31-30.

Hats off to New Hampshire. They followed up last year's 1-AA playoff trip with a convincing win today over Northwestern. Northwestern is recovering from the shock of coach Randy Walker's untimely death just before the beginning of summer practice. Nonetheless, it was a big win for New Hampshire.

From the Insult to Injury Department: Last week, Colorado lost to Montana State. Today, Montana State followed that huge win up with a loss to Chadron State, of the Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The RMAC limits their schools to 28 scholarships, and Chadron State only has 22 football scholarships. This is compared with 63 scholarships for Division 1-AA, and 85 scholarships for Division 1-A. This begs the question, though: Who would win between Colorado and Chadron State? All is not well in Boulder, and not just because the Buffs lost to Colorado State today.

The NFL gets fully cranked up tomorrow. Go Cowboys!

College Picks: Week 1

Ok, this isn't really Week 1, but we're being consistent with the pros, who start this weekend. This week's picks:

Washington at OU: OU. The Huskies aren't ready for prime time yet. They're probably not even as good as last week's OU opponent, UAB.
The Ohio State University at Texas: TOSU. This will live up to the hype. The Buckeyes return the favor from last year's Texas win in Columbus.
Louisiana-Lafayette at Texas A&M: A&M. Lafayette is favored to win the Sun Belt. Maybe A&M should join that conference.
Texas Tech at UTEP: Tech. UTEP is pretty good, but Tech should be able to win this one. Look for a lot of points here.
Northwestern State at Baylor: Baylor. Is Northwestern State trying to join the Big XII? They played Kansas last week, and Baylor this week.
Oklahoma State at Arkansas State: OSU. Arkie State beat Army last week, and will give the Oklahoma Aggies all they want. OSU should win. I wouldn't put money on it, though.
Nicholls State at Nebraska: Nebraska. Are the Huskers trying to win the Louisiana state championship?
Colorado vs. Colorado State: Colorado State. I'm not picking Colorado for a while, after last week's debacle.
Ole Miss at Missouri: Missouri. This will be a pretty good game. Mizzou is at home, so I'll take them.
Louisiana-Monroe at Kansas: KU. Another Big XII school playing for the Louisiana state championship.
Florida Atlantic at Kansas State: KSU. K-State came dangerously close to being upset last week. FAU will be more competitive against KSU than they were against Clemson last week.
UNLV at Iowa State: ISU.
Penn State at Notre Dame: Notre Dame. I hate the Irish, but this is a pretty safe pick.
Georgia at South Carolina: SC. This is where the 'Cocks step up to the plate and take their place among the big boys of the SEC.
Arizona at LSU: LSU. This will be a tough game, but the Tigers should have enough in the tank to hold off 'Zona.
Tulsa at BYU: BYU.
UC Davis at TCU: TCU. The last time UC Davis played a Division 1-A team, they beat Stanford. TCU is a lot better than Stanford.
Minnesota at Cal: Cal. Will the real Cal please show up? They sure didn't last week in Knoxville.
Clemson at Boston College: Clemson
Edward Waters at Prairie View A&M: Prairie View

Last week: 16-4. I and a lot of others were disappointed in Cal's flop in Knoxville. The Vols wound up being pretty good. And, who would have thought that Colorado would lose to Montana State?

NFL Picks: Week 1

It’s a great day! Today is the first day of the National Football League season, as the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers host the Miami Dolphins.

Below are my picks for Week 1. All picks are straight up, with no point spreads.

Thursday:
Miami at Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh, though the Dolphins should be much improved.

Sunday:
Philadelphia at Houston: Yuck. Even with a new coach, I don’t trust the Texans. Philly in this one.
Seattle at Detroit: The Seahawks return to the site of their Super Bowl debacle. Detroit has a new coaching staff, a new QB, and maybe a new attitude. I’ll go with the known quantity here, and take Seattle.
Atlanta at Carolina: The Panthers are the pick of many to go to the Super Bowl. They look pretty good to me for one week, at least. Carolina.
Baltimore at Tampa Bay: Steve McNair is the new QB in Baltimore. The Bucs are pretty good again. I’ll take the home field and the Bucs.
Buffalo at New England. The Pats may not be back in the Super Bowl this year, but the Bills are going to be awful. This is my pick in Survival Football for this week, and I’ll pick the Pats here, also.
Cincinnati at Kansas City: This will be a good game. I don’t know the over/under, but the over would would be a good bet here for a betting person. As for a winner, I’ll take the Bengals.
Denver at St. Louis: This would have been a great game in 1999. In 2006, I’ll take Denver.
New Orleans at Cleveland: Yuck, Part 2. It’s a good thing it is really hard for an NFL game to end in a scoreless tie. The Saints added some talent this year, and Cleveland’s not very good. I’ll pick the Saints.
New York Jets at Tennessee: Yuck, Part 3. I’ll draw straws on this one. Titans.
Chicago at Green Bay. Will the Pack be back? Not this week. The Bears win on the road.
Dallas at Jacksonville: The Jags are still pretty decent. The Cowboys will be improved. I won’t pick the Cowboys every week, but I’ll pick them this week. It’s Super Bowl or Bust for Big Bill.
San Francisco at Arizona: The new stadium officially opens in Glendale, and the Cardinals have the perfect opponent: the sorry 49ers. Pick-Arizona.
Indianapolis at NY Giants: The Manning Bowl. Indy lost Edgerrin James in the off-season, which will be bigger than anyone realizes. This game is outdoors in the Jersey swamps, and for one night, Eli will have his brother’s number. Actually, Tiki Barber will carry the Giants. Pick: Giants.

Monday:
Minnesota at Washington: The first game of the first scheduled Monday night doubleheader. The Redskins had a good year last year, and should be decent again. Pick: Washington.
San Diego at Oakland: I’m not staying up for all of this one. Not for the Raiders. The Chargers will be decent, and the Raiders will not. L.T. will run all over Oakland. Pick: San Diego.

Twisted

I was having a twisted thought last night, as there was no football on TV, and there wasn't even any baseball on, as the Astros were rained out in Philly.

Twisted and unstable: I think college football should be played outdoors, on grass, on Saturday. However, I like those Tuesday and Wednesday night games from the MAC and C-USA in a weird sort of way. I guess that's why ESPN puts them on those nights, as there are people like me that will watch them. And, a conference like the MAC would rather have people in Texas watch them on TV than make it easier for alums to go to a game in a far-flung college town on a weekend.

Give me the MAC!

The power of the Worldwide Leader In Sports....

Ready for that two or three weeks of football every night...

Big XII Rankings

This week's Big XII rankings:

1. Texas. They're first until someone in the conference beats them. They'll probably lose this week, but Ohio State's better than anyone else they'll see all year.
2. Nebraska. The Huskers may be back, especially in a weak North. They have a moment of truth later this month as they travel to USC.
3. Texas Tech. They didn't hang 50 on SMU, but that may be improvement on SMU's part.
4. Oklahoma. They can move up if they take care of business against the U-Dub and win at Oregon.
5. Iowa State. They're not bad. Toledo's not chopped liver, and the 'Clones survived in overtime against them.
6. Texas A&M. The Aggies may be a little overranked here. They're going to have to prove something when the conference season gets here.
7. Missouri. The team from the Show-Me State needs to Show Me. (actually, a lot of other teams do, also)
8. Kansas. The Fighting Manginos continue to improve.
9. Oklahoma State. In the cupcake portion of their schedule, but they wouldn't have hung 50 on Missouri State last year, so they are improving.
10. Baylor. Continuing to improve, but disappointed in the loss to TCU.
11. Kansas State. Narrowly missed embarrassing upset loss to Illinois State.
12. Colorado. Dropped to the bottom with an embarrassing loss to Division 1-AA Montana State.

Props to the Big Sky

Yesterday, there were a lot of the so-called "bodybag" games in college football. These are games where a lower-level opponent, often from Division 1-AA, will play on the road at a higher-level opponent for a large payday, anywhere from 300,000 to 1 million dollars, without a return trip. For example, North Texas plays at Texas every other year, and plays at Oklahoma just about every other year for a big paycheck. Mid-to-lower level Division 1-A and Division 1-AA programs balance their budgets and fund sports with these bodybag games. The bigger programs normally get an easy win, and still laugh all the way to the bank. Fans get gouged, as OU is charging $57 per ticket for their game with Middle Tennessee State later this month.

The Big Sky Conference is one of the better leagues in Division 1-AA. This weekend, most of their members went on the road to pick up checks for games with Division 1-A opponents. Most of them took their licks, such as when powerhouse Montana was crushed by Iowa, 41-7, and Eastern Washington lost 56-17 at Oregon State. Northern Arizona gave Arizona State all they wanted, and was tied with them in the 4th quarter, before losing 35-14. But, the league scored not one, but two upsets on Saturday. Montana State went to Boulder and shocked Colorado of the Big XII, 19-10. Saturday evening, Portland State traveled to Albuquerque and defeated New Mexico, 17-6.

This is what is great about college football. Outside of the top 5 or 10 teams, anything can happen on a given Saturday, and often does.

Speaking of that, there is a Division 1-AA message board entitled: Any Given Saturday.

Props to the Big Sky..