College Picks, Week 14

Last Week: 12-8 (.600)
Season: 192-68 (.738)

In many ways, this is the biggest weekend of the college football season. Big rivalries are being played this weekend. Bowl bids are on the line. Spots in the BCS National Championship Game are at stake. The only guarantee is that something really strange will happen.

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State: The Sooners, fresh off a 65-21 beatdown of Texas Tech, visit Stillwater to take on the Cowboys. As always, this is OSU’s Super Bowl, but the Cowboys actually have a pretty good team this year. This is a dangerous game. A win gives OU strength of schedule points in the BCS computers, possibly enough to pass Texas in the standings for a trip to the Big XII championship game. This will be quality television on Saturday night. That’s good, because you can’t buy a ticket to this one unless you buy OSU season tickets. It’s a lot cheaper to stay home and watch and listen to Brent and Kirk. Pick: OU

Texas A&M at Texas (Thursday): Poor Aggies. The worst A&M team in a quarter-century has to visit Austin when the Longhorns need BCS style points. If you don’t get enough turkey at dinner on Thanksgiving, you’ll get more of it from this game. Pick: Texas

Baylor at Texas Tech: The Red Raiders went home with their heads between their legs after the butt-kicking they took in Norman last week for their first loss. Baylor will show up and represent themselves. Tech will be on the rebound, though, and should be dangerous. Pick: Tech

Colorado at Nebraska (Friday): Believe it or not, the Huskers can win their eighth game of the season by beating the Buffs. They should be able to do so with relatively little problem. Pick: Nebraska

Kansas vs. Missouri at Kansas City: A disappointing season ends for the Jayhawks at Arrowhead Stadium. After losing two mid-season games to Texas and Oklahoma State, the Tigers have feasted on Big 12 North opposition. They’ll do so again while awaiting their chance to mess up the BCS next week in the Big 12 championship game. Pick: Mizzou

Auburn at Alabama: The Iron Bowl. Tommy Tuberville better have an iron posterior, because his seat is hot after this debacle of a season. All will be well on the Plains if War Eagle can upset the hated Tide. Auburn has won five in a row in this series. Bama looks to erase that record of futility while they keep their undefeated season alive. There is way too much going Bama’s way. Pick: Alabama

Florida at Florida State: The Seminoles finally had a great game last week as they plastered Maryland on the road. They’ll need another one this week at home if they want to beat the Fighting Tim Tebows and truly mess up the BCS. At least a couple of Big 12 teams will be rooting for them. Even in Tallahassee, though, the Gators are too good. At least this year, they are. Pick: Florida

Oregon at Oregon State: With a win, Oregon State can go to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the days of leather helmets. It hasn’t been quite that long, but it’s been long enough for the Beavers. As far as the Ducks are concerned, which set of ugly uniforms will they wear this week? Pick: Oregon State

Georgia Tech at Georgia: This game is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get. Both teams have looked awesome at times. At other times, they’ve been pretty mediocre. Go with the home team here. Pick: Georgia

South Carolina at Clemson: No matter how much Clemson seems to disappoint on a yearly basis, they usually seem to find a way to beat the Gamecocks. USC-East ought to be able to win this game. They’ll find a way not to. Pick: Clemson

Virginia at Virginia Tech: The Hokies actually have a chance to come out of the scrum in the ACC to advance to the ACC championship game. All they need to do is beat the Cavaliers. Virginia has looked really good at times, and really awful at times. Pick: Hokies

Maryland at Boston College: The Eagles have a chance to survive the other half of the ACC to make the championship game with a win. They got a big road win last week at Wake Forest, while the Terps laid a big egg at home in being squashed by Florida State. It’s really cold in Boston at this time of year. Pick: BC

West Virginia at Pittsburgh: The Backyard Brawl. Both teams have shown flashes of brilliance. Both teams have also shown flashes of inconsistency. The Mountaineers will be looking for revenge, after the Panthers knocked them out of a shot at last year’s national championship. Pick: Pittsburgh

Western Michigan at Ball State (Tuesday): Ball State is still undefeated, but must face a strong and dangerous Western Michigan team. The Cardinals are kings of the mid-week MAC games. Give them another one. Pick: Ball State

Houston at Rice: The battle for the Bayou Bucket is also a battle for the Conference USA West division championship. If you like offense, this is your game. Pick: Rice

LSU at Arkansas (Friday): These teams play for a trophy that looks like a golden boot, but is really the states of Arkansas and Louisiana on top of each other. Both teams will be glad to end this season. LSU has more talent, though they have struggled of late. Pick: LSU

Notre Dame at USC: Yawn. When Notre Dame loses this game, they’ll be 6-6. What bowl will pick them in spite of that record? Some bowl will, and that game will be ugly. Not as ugly as this will be, though. Pick: SC

Kentucky at Tennessee: Phil Fulmer’s farewell as coach of the Vols. Rocky Top bounced back last week to beat Vanderbilt. Kentucky is bowl eligible, but still hasn’t beaten the Vols in a coon’s age. They won’t win this year, either. Pick: Tennessee

North Carolina at Duke: Blue Devils have won four games this year, and have a chance to spoil the Tar Heels’ season. Carolina was embarrassed last week by rival N.C. State, 41-10. The Heels won’t let that happen two years in a row. Pick: UNC

Vanderbilt at Wake Forest: Both teams are looking for more respect and a better bowl. Vandy has been slipping in the second half of the season, while Wake lost a nail-biter at home last week to Boston College, most likely costing themselves an appearance in the ACC championship game. The Deacons are a little better than Vandy. Pick: Wake Forest

Ugly Uniform of the Day

Wednesday night, ESPN2 showed a great game between Ball State and Central Michigan. Ball State stayed undefeated with a win over the two-time defending MAC champions.

The Chippewas broke out these never-worn uniforms for this special game on national television. The jerseys are described as "Vegas Gold". My question is: which part of Vegas? This jersey looks like it is straight from one of the not-so-nice casinos in Vegas.

To add insult to injury, or vice versa, Central Michigan lost the game. They sure didn't get any Vegas luck with the Vegas jerseys.

Maroon is a good color for them. They need to stick with it.

NFL Picks, Week 12

Last Week: 12-3-1
Season: 105-54-1

San Francisco at Dallas: The Fighting Mike Singletarys visit the Stadium With The Hole in the Roof. Dallas saved their season last week in Washington. Marion Barber runs all over the 49ers. Pick: Dallas

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (Thursday): The Bengals are coming off of a rare tie. They’re still awful. Steelers roll. Pick: Pittsburgh

Houston at Cleveland: This game brought to you by Continental Airlines. The Texans aren’t very good. I’m picking against them until they win. Pick: Cleveland

Buffalo at Kansas City: The Chiefs are getting close, but just aren’t closing the deal. The Bills lost another tight game last week against Cleveland, and are fading. Pick: Kansas City

New England at Miami: A suddenly huge game in the AFC East. The Dolphins have already multiplied last year’s win total by six. Make that seven. Pick: Miami

New York Jets at Tennessee: Big, big game between two first-place teams. Titans remain undefeated for another week. Pick: Tennessee

Philadelphia at Baltimore: Winner gets bragging rights to the huge state of Delaware. Pick: Ravens

Tampa Bay at Detroit: The Lions are going to beat someone, sometime. I don’t know if it’ll be this week, though. Pick: Tampa Bay

Minnesota at Jacksonville: The Jags are one of the season’s biggest disappointments. The Vikings return to Florida after losing last week in Tampa. Pick: Jacksonville

Chicago at St. Louis: The Rams are awful. Bears get a road win. Pick: Chicago

Oakland at Denver: Raiders are absolutely pathetic. Pick: Denver

Carolina at Atlanta: Battle for first place in the NFC South. The Falcons are one of the better stories in the NFL this year. Pick: Atlanta

New York Giants at Arizona: Another battle between two first-place teams. Can the Cardinals win a big game at home? Against my better judgment, yes. Pick: Arizona

Washington at Seattle: The Seahawks have gone to the birds this year. Make that dogs. Pick: Washington

Indianapolis at San Diego: Must-win game for both teams. Both teams have slipped this season, though the Colts have looked better in recent weeks. Chargers come through, at least this week. Pick: San Diego

Green Bay at New Orleans: Whatever the over-under is in this game, take the over. Look for lots of points in this one. Pick: Green Bay

College Picks, Week 13

Now is the time when all of this starts to get good. Conference championships, bowl bids, national championship game appearances, and pure bragging rights will be decided over the next three weeks. Here is this week’s 20 fearless picks:

Last week: 13-7
Season: 180-60

Texas Tech at Oklahoma: The latest and possibly greatest of a series of gargantuan matchups in the Big 12 South. A Tech win would send them to the Big 12 championship game and a possible trip to the national championship game. An OU win would create a possible three-way tie for the Big 12 South title, sending the team with the highest BCS ranking to Kansas City to play Missouri. OU has lost two, count ‘em, two home games in the 10 years of the Bob Stoops era. Pick: OU

Iowa State at Kansas State: Plenty of good seats are available as the Cyclones and Wildcats battle for the Big 12 North cellar. K-State is in the market for a new coach, as well. Which team will get up for this stinker of a game? Pick: Iowa State

Miami at Georgia Tech (Thursday): The Canes suddenly have control of their own destiny in the ACC Coastal division. Which means, they’ll lose, as all the other teams have done in that league when faced with a similar situation. It is forecast to be cold in Atlanta on Thursday night. Pick: Tech

Michigan at Ohio State: Michigan is having its worst season since Henry Ford started building cars. The Buckeyes are out for blood, and won’t feel sorry for the mediocre Wolverines. This is a no-brainer. Pick: TOSU

Michigan State at Penn State: This is the Big Ten championship game. Penn State goes to the Rose Bowl with a win. Michigan State needs help. The Spartans would most likely be co-champions of the Big Ten with a win, but would lose a tiebreaker to Ohio State. That is, if they don’t get unlikely help from Michigan. The Lions can start booking trips to California. Pick: Penn State

Indiana at Purdue: The only thing on the line in this game is the Old Oaken Bucket. Indiana has been awful this year. Purdue has only been mediocre. Pick: Purdue

N.C. State at North Carolina: This is the ACC, which means anyone can win, and usually does. Carolina is just a little better, and is playing at home. Pick: UNC

Tennessee at Vanderbilt: Tennessee lost to Wyoming. How in the world are they going to beat Vanderbilt in the Commodores’ best season in 25 years? Pick: Vandy

Air Force at TCU: A TCU win gives the Frogs yet another 10 win season. Pick: TCU

Ole Miss at LSU: Ole Miss has improved this year. LSU pulled the biggest comeback in school history last week to beat Troy. Pick: LSU

Boston College at Wake Forest: Huge matchup in the ACC Atlantic division. BC won last week in Tallahassee, where the Deacons also beat Florida State earlier in the year. Can the Eagles win two road games in a row? No. Pick: Wake

Stanford at California: The Big Game. In High School Musical 3, Gabriella accepted an academic scholarship to Stanford. Her boyfriend Troy, on the other hand, accepted a basketball/music scholarship to Cal. Pick: Cal

Illinois at Northwestern: The Illini have been disappointing this season, while the Wildcats have had a great year, and could be playing somewhere on New Year’s Day. Pick: Northwestern

BYU at Utah: The Holy War. BYU can still get a share of the conference title, while Utah can go to a BCS bowl with a win, capping an undefeated season. Pick: Utah

Oregon State at Arizona: Last season, Oregon traveled down to Tucson with a chance for a national championship. They lost. Now, Oregon State goes down to the desert with a chance to go to the Rose Bowl. Tucson is where dreams go to die. Pick: Arizona

Iowa at Minnesota: Two weeks ago, the Gophers lost the Little Brown Jug to Michigan. Last week, the Gophers lost Paul Bunyan’s Axe to Wisconsin. This week, they play Iowa for Floyd of Rosedale, a bronze pig. The pig goes back to Iowa City. Pick: Iowa

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: The Bearcats are staring a BCS bowl in the face, while coach Brian Kelly is flirting with the Tennessee job. Still, the Bearcats have been impressive this year while rotating quarterbacks due to injury. Pick: Cincy

Florida State at Maryland: The Terps kept their conference title hopes alive last week with a game-winning field goal to beat North Carolina. The Seminoles are still just one of many ACC teams with approximately the same record, a far cry from the decade of the 90’s in Tallahassee. Pick: Maryland

Washington at Washington State: The Apple Cup. This year, it would be more accurately known as the Rotten Apple Cup. U-Dub is 0-10, while Wazzu is 1-10 with only a win over Portland State. Wazzu has allowed less than 50 points to only two Pac-10 opponents. UW hasn't been quite as bad, but the Huskies have only been competitive in one game, a 28-27 loss to BYU. If you want to see some bad football, tune in to Fox Sports Net at 12 PM Pacific. Pick: U-Dub

Yale at Harvard: In the Ivy League, this is simply called, “The Game”. Harvard can win the Ivy League with a win. Pick: Harvard

Learning On The Job...After 10 Years!

Donovan McNabb is in his 10th year as a quarterback in the National Football League. Until yesterday, he did not know that a regular season game could end in a tie. He learned it the hard way, as the Eagles and Bengals played to a 13-13 tie. In this video clip, he mentions his lack of knowledge of regular season overtime.

Unbelievable!

NFL Picks, Week 11

Bye weeks are history, and every team is playing every week from now until the end of the season. Here are 16 big ones:

Dallas at Washington: The Cowboys come off a much-needed bye week, but are thrown directly into the fire as they travel to D.C. to play the Redskins. Washington shocked the Cowboys in Irving in September. Dallas gets QB Tony Romo back from injury. Or, they hope so. Pick: Dallas

New England at New York Jets: The NFL Network gets a great matchup for Thursday night. Both teams are 6-3. This is where the Jets’ acquisition of Brett Favre pays off. Pick: Jets

New Orleans at Kansas City: Yuck. The Chiefs are improving, but don’t have anything to show for it in the win column, especially after losing a heartbreaker last week in San Diego. RB Larry Johnson returns this week after sitting out due to a plethora of personal issues. Chiefs get win #2 this week. Pick: KC

Philadelphia at Cincinnati: The Bengals are awful. Enough said. Pick: Philly

Baltimore at NY Giants: The Ravens will see how they stack up against a good team. The Giants keep rolling on. Pick: Giants

Minnesota at Tampa Bay: Both of these teams are bad on the road and good at home. The Bucs are at home. Pick: Tampa Bay

Chicago at Green Bay: Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot from the NFC North. This matchup is pretty even, so give the edge to the home team. Pick: Packers

Oakland at Miami: Senile owner Al Davis took play-calling responsibilities away from offensive coordinator Greg Knapp this week. Is Al going to call plays himself? Will the Raiders make the trip to South Florida? Pick: Miami

Detroit at Carolina: Daunte Culpepper makes his first start for the Lions. The Panthers are a good team. This might be ugly, but the Panthers will win. Pick: Carolina

Denver at Atlanta: Look out for the Falcons. They’re for real. Pick: Atlanta

Houston at Indianapolis: Last time these teams met, the Texans blew an 18 point lead in the last six minutes of the game. Indy is a lot better now. Pick: Colts

Arizona at Seattle: The Cardinals won a wild one on Monday night, and now travel to the Great Northwest. The Cardinals can’t let success go to their head. Pick: Arizona

St. Louis at San Francisco: The Suck Bowl. Both teams are bad. The Rams gave up 47 to the Jets last week, and it could have been worse. San Francisco should have won Monday night in Arizona. They win this week. Pick: 49ers

San Diego at Pittsburgh: The Chargers are underachieving in a big way. They now have to go to Pittsburgh, where the Steelers were upset last week by the Colts. Pittsburgh bounces back. Pick: Pittsburgh

Tennessee at Jacksonville: Titans roll on. Pick: Tennessee

Cleveland at Buffalo: Bragging rights to Erie, Pennsylvania are on the line here. Shoot, bragging rights to all of Lake Erie are on the line in this game. Pick: Buffalo

College Picks, Week 12

Last Week: 16-4
Season: 167-43

This week is a relative breather in college football, as we await the next titanic Big 12 South matchup between Oklahoma and Texas Tech. This week’s picks:

Texas at Kansas: The last time Texas visited Larryville, the Longhorns needed some last-minute heroics from Vince Young and some questionable officiating to win. After the game, KU coach Mark Mangino accused the Big 12 officials of conspiring to allow Texas to win in order to keep their national championship hopes and Big 12 payday alive. KU lost last week to Nebraska, and probably won’t be able to keep up with the Horns. Pick: UT

Oklahoma State at Colorado: Saturday Night Football moves this week to Boulder, where OSU will be looking to rebound from the butt-kicking they took last week in Lubbock. CU will be jacked for this one, but the Buffs aren’t as good as OSU. Pick: OSU

Nebraska at Kansas State: Two teams headed in opposite directions. The Huskers are trying to squeeze out a bowl bid in Bo Pelini’s first year. K-State is playing out the string as the Ron Prince era comes to an end. Pick: Nebraska

Texas A&M at Baylor: The Suck Bowl. The two Big 12 South teams that are unranked and headed nowhere. Both teams will be glad to play someone the other can beat. Pick: Baylor

Missouri at Iowa State: Missouri dominates the Big 12 North. Pick: Mizzou

Virginia Tech at Miami (Thursday): ESPN is showing some good games on Thursday nights. This is another one of them. Tech is coming around, evidenced by their convincing win over Maryland last week. Miami is no pushover, but VT is better. Pick: Tech

Cincinnati at Louisville (Friday): Winner gets a barge on the Ohio River. Cincinnati can win out and go to a BCS bowl. The Bearcats should be able to win this one against a rival on the road. Pick: Cincy

Notre Dame vs. Navy at Baltimore: Last year, Navy finally beat the Irish in triple overtime, winning this game for the first time since Roger Staubach was their quarterback. Can they make it two in a row? Yes. Pick: Navy

Ohio State at Illinois: The Buckeyes can still win the Big Ten, but they need some more help. Meanwhile, they should get revenge for last year’s loss in Columbus. Pick: TOSU

Georgia at Auburn: Yes, that was Auburn that was tied with Tennessee-Martin in the third quarter last week. The Tigers went on to beat UTM 37-20, but looked awful doing it. Georgia is trying to salvage a season in which they were ranked #1 in pre-season. Pick: Georgia

South Carolina at Florida: Steve Spurrier returns to the Swamp once again. The Gators, however, are on a mission in the second half of the season, and are destroying all comers. How did this team ever lose to Ole Miss? Pick: Gators

California at Oregon State: The Beavers are in control of their own destiny. All they need to do is win out, and they are going to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. They win this one. Pick: OSU-West

Minnesota at Wisconsin: The Gophers are slipping back to becoming the same old Gophers, after winning 7 of their first 8 games. Wiscy has been injury-plagued and inconsistent. This one is in Madison, so go with the home team. Pick: Badgers

North Carolina at Maryland: The Tar Heels are one of the better teams in a balanced ACC. But, they’re not that much better than Maryland. The Terps come through at home. Fear the turtle. Pick: Maryland

Boston College at Florida State: In Massachusetts, BC is a well-respected university. In the South, BC is a headache powder. It’ll be a tough trip to Tallahassee for the Eagles. Pick: FSU

Vanderbilt at Kentucky: Two teams headed in opposite directions. Pick: Kentucky

BYU at Air Force: The two best teams in the Mountain West conference not named Utah or TCU. Pick: BYU

Northwestern at Michigan: Northwestern is having a better season than Michigan. But, this is in the Big House, and the Wolverines haven’t given up on the season just yet. Pick: Michigan

Tulsa at Houston: The Hurricane have been rolling through Conference USA. The Cougars should make it tough for Tulsa, but TU is playing too well this season. Pick: Tulsa

DePauw at Wabash: The 115th Battle for the Monon Bell. Both teams are good this year, but Wabash is undefeated and ranked #3 in the nation in Division III. Pick: Wabash

NFL Picks, Week 10

Last Week: 8-6
Season: 83-46

So glad the Cowboys have a bye this week…so is Tony Romo’s pinky.

Denver at Cleveland: I totally didn’t realize that the Thursday night NFL Network games started this week. That is, until after this game started. In the interest of honesty, I would have picked Cleveland. Denver won the game. That’s minus 1 for the week. Pick: Cleveland

New Orleans at Atlanta: The Falcons are this year’s surprise team. The surprise continues. Pick: Atlanta

Tennessee at Chicago: The Titans have been the best team in the league for the first half of the year. The Bears are back to starting Rex Grossman at quarterback. Pick: Tennessee

Jacksonville at Detroit: The Lions have been competitive recently, but still haven’t won a game. Enter Daunte Culpepper, signed off the street in mid-season to a two-year contract to play quarterback for this facsimile of a team. Good luck with all that. Pick: Jacksonville

Baltimore at Houston: The Texans play a pretty good team this week. That doesn’t bode well for the guys down on Loop 610. Pick: Baltimore

Seattle at Miami: The Seahawks make the longest possible road trip in the NFL. The Emerald City is closer to Russia than it is to Miami, or so it seems. At least you can’t see Russia from Seattle. West Coast to East Coast=loss, especially with a team still missing their quarterback. Pick: Miami

Green Bay at Minnesota: The ultimate dead-even matchup, with both teams at .500. The Vikings are at home, indoors. Pick: Minnesota

Buffalo at New England: Very important game in a suddenly competitive AFC East. This game has ugly written all over it. The margin won’t be ugly, but there’ll be lots of ball control in this one. Pick: Pats

St. Louis at New York Jets: The Rams have improved from their awful start, but still aren’t that good. Jets are in the middle of that scrum in the AFC East. Pick: Jets

Carolina at Oakland: Yuck. It’s nasty any time the Raiders play, and it was never worse than that piece of dung they laid last week against the Falcons. Al Davis needs to sell the team, fast. Pick: Carolina

Indianapolis at Pittsburgh: Colts are beginning to show a pulse, but they’ll need more than that to handle the Steelers. Pick: Pittsburgh

Kansas City at San Diego: Chiefs blew a big lead last week against the Bucs, but appear to have found a quarterback in Tyler Thigpen. Chargers are good enough to beat anybody when they feel like it. Problem is, they haven’t felt like it much this season. It comes together for the Bolts this week. Pick: San Diego

New York Giants at Philadelphia: It doesn’t get much better than an NFC East game on a chilly November night on the East coast. Winner gets bragging rights to a service area of their choice on the New Jersey Turnpike. Pick: Iggles

San Francisco at Arizona: Dud of a Monday night matchup. The 49ers aren’t very good, but Mike Singletary is good for a halftime speech or a post-game press conference. Cardinals are coming into their own, especially at home, and especially with Kurt Warner at quarterback. Pick: Arizona

College Picks, Week 11

Last Week: 16-4
Season: 151-39

Another set of picks, just in the nick of time before Thursday night’s games…

Oklahoma at Texas A&M: Aggies are riding high after winning two in a row. Sooners are still on a redemption tour. No one has come close to them except Texas. Look for more of the same here. Pick: OU

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: The next in a series of titanic Big 12 South matchups. ABC’s cameras return to Lubbock for the second Saturday night in a row. Tech finds themselves ranked #2 in the latest BCS rankings. This will be yet another Big 12 game where offense will rule and defenses will be outmatched. Pick: Tech

Baylor at Texas: The Bears are improving, but will be no match for the Longhorns. Pick: UT

Iowa State at Colorado: Battle for last place in the Big 12 North. Colorado is a better team, especially at home. Pick: CU

Kansas at Nebraska: The Huskers have some problems, but get the Jayhawks at home. The last time these teams met, KU broke 70. They won’t score that many points this time, but they should be good enough to win in Lincoln. Pick: KU

Kansas State at Missouri: Kansas State fired coach Ron Prince this week, meaning there wasn’t enough Purple Reign in Manhattan. K-State would really like to win like it was 1999. The Wildcats now travel to Columbia, where Mizzou takes no prisoners. Pick: Missouri

TCU at Utah (Thursday): This game has Mountain West and BCS implications. A TCU win gives them at least a share of the conference title and a shot at a BCS bowl. A Utah win keeps the Utes’ unbeaten season alive, and keeps them in prime contention for the BCS. As much as I’d like to see the Frogs win, the Utes are at home on a Thursday night. Pick: Utah

Maryland at Virginia Tech (Thursday): The ACC is nothing if not balanced. Maryland is the only team left in the conference with less than 2 losses. That will change Thursday night. It’s hard to win in Blacksburg on a Thursday night. Pick: VT

Alabama at LSU: Nick Saban returns to Baton Rouge, home of the national championship trophy he won with the Tigers in 2003. Tiger fans will be waiting for him, loud and drunk. Bama is now #1 in the nation, but not for long. Pick: LSU

Michigan at Minnesota: This battle for the Little Brown Jug will be nothing if not interesting. Michigan comes into this game at 2-7 and headed nowhere. Minnesota is 6-2 and coming off a heartbreaking loss at home to Northwestern, in which the Wildcats returned an interception for a touchdown in the closing seconds of the game for the game-winner. Can the Gophers recover? Good question. Pick: Michigan

Ohio State at Northwestern: This will not be a pushover for the Buckeyes. Still, TOSU should have enough to win. Pick: TOSU

Penn State at Iowa: Lions are three wins away from an undefeated season, while rooting for Alabama and Texas Tech to lose. This won’t be an easy road trip, but these guys won in Columbus. Of course they’ll win in Iowa City. Pick: Penn State

Clemson at Florida State: This was scheduled to be another Bowden Bowl, but Clemson fired Tommy Bowden last month. Seminoles fumbled a win away in the final minute at Georgia Tech last week. Still, these Seminoles are better than they have been in recent years. Pick: FSU

Oregon State at UCLA: Beavers can still win the Pac-10 if they win out. They’ll outscore the Bruins this week. Pick: OSU-West

California at USC: The Bears should be able to hang with USC. They won’t win, though. Pick: SC

Notre Dame at Boston College: Who does the Pope root for? Or, does he care about American football? The Irish return to Boston for a tough matchup with a feisty Eagles team. Pick: BC

Florida at Vanderbilt: Vandy is looking to make some more noise and to become eligible for its first bowl since the Reagan administration. Gators beat Georgia like a drum last week. Nashville will be rocking Saturday night. However, Florida is better. Pick: UF

Stanford at Oregon: Quack, quack, quack. Pick: Oregon

Wyoming at Tennessee: The Vols put coach Philip Fulmer out to pasture this week. Fulmer only won 75 percent of his games and a national championship as head man of the Vols. But, it’s “what have you done lately?”, and the Vols aren’t doing much these days. Wyoming will be a much weaker opponent than what Tennessee is finding in the SEC. Pick: Vols

Fordham at Holy Cross: Once again, who does the Pope root for? Holy Cross, Batman! Pick: Crusaders

NFL Picks, Week 9

Last Week: 9-5
Season: 75-40

Dallas at New York Giants: The Cowboys, in spite of all their issues, out-uglied the Bucs last week. They now have one more game without the injured Tony Romo before their bye week. Problem is, it’s on the road against the best team in the league. The Cowboys desperately need a win, or else they’re looking at a wildcard playoff spot at best. Tough spot for the ‘Boys. I picked them last week against my better judgment, and they won. I’ll stick with that for another week. Pick: Dallas

New York Jets at Buffalo: The Bills dropped down to earth a bit with a loss to the Dolphins, making the AFC East wide open. Don’t look for that to happen two weeks in a row. Pick: Buffalo

Jacksonville at Cincinnati: The Jags have been disappointing this season. But, they haven’t played a team as bad as the Bengals. Pick: Jaguars

Baltimore at Cleveland: The Browns are struggling to get out of their funk, but did get a big win last week at Jacksonville. You never know which Ravens team will show up. Pick: Cleveland

Houston at Minnesota: The Texans are once again respectable, aided by home wins over the two worst teams in the league. They now take their show on the road to meet an underachieving Vikings team. Pick: Vikes

Detroit at Chicago: Mismatch. Pick: Chicago

Tampa Bay at Kansas City: The sad-sack Chiefs were competitive in a loss last week to the Jets. The Bucs were ugly in a loss to the Cowboys. The Chiefs are a lot worse than the Cowboys. Pick: Tampa Bay

Arizona at St. Louis: The Cardinals return to St. Louis, where the Rams have bounced back under interim coach Jim Haslett. The Cardinals are an awful road team. Pick: St. Louis

Green Bay at Tennessee: The league’s best team in the first half of the year resides in Nashville. Pick: Titans

Miami at Denver: The Dolphins have improved a ton over the season, and face an injury-riddled Denver team. Still, this is a home game for the Broncos. Pick: Denver

Philadelphia at Seattle: An East Coast team makes the toughest road trip in the NFL to the Pacific Northwest. However, the Seahawks are not as good as they have been in the past, especially with QB Matt Hasselbeck still out due to injury. Pick: Philly

Atlanta at Oakland: Yuck. The Falcons have been a pleasant surprise this year. They’ll get a road win in the Black Hole. Pick: Atlanta

New England at Indianapolis: This was once a matchup for the ages. Now, both teams have seen better days, especially the Colts. Pick: New England

Pittsburgh at Washington: The Redskins get a home game on Election Eve. D.C. will be hopping, especially because their team will get a win on Monday night. Pick: Redskins

Bonus Pick: John McCain vs. Barack Obama: Obama has had the flash and dash, and the air game and media love to match. McCain has been vastly outspent, but has a ground game flying under the radar to pull the upset. Ground will beat air in this one. Look for a surprise in Pennsylvania. And, as Pennsylvania goes, so goes the nation. Pick: McCain

College Picks, Week 10

Last Week: 15-5
Season: 135-35

Nebraska at Oklahoma: This was once one of the biggest games of the year, every year. Now, it’s just another Big 12 North-South game played twice every four years. Nebraska is showing signs of improvement under Bo Pelini. However, they’re no match for the Sooners in Norman. Pick: OU

Texas at Texas Tech: The biggest game in the history of Texas Tech. It’s always a big game when the Longhorns visit Lubbock, but it’s never like this. UT is undefeated and ranked #1 in the nation. Tech is also undefeated and ranked #7 in the BCS. Like most games in the Big 12 this season, there will be lots of points in this one. With all the passing, this game will take all night, so all those Saturday night anchors at ABC stations around the country will just have to wait to do their local news. Tech is really good, but Texas is better. Yuck. Pick: Texas

Iowa State at Oklahoma State: ISU is just in over their heads this season. OSU lost a close game last week in Austin. This one shouldn’t be close. Pick: OSU

Kansas State at Kansas: Both teams got their heads handed to them last week, though K-State was a little more respectable last week against OU. KU royally stunk last week against Tech, but is a little better than K-State, especially in Larryville. Pick: KU

Missouri at Baylor: The Tigers are on a redemption tour of their own, and hung half a hundred on Colorado last week while holding the Buffs scoreless. Baylor led Nebraska in the third quarter before losing to the Huskers last week. Mizzou is still a lot better than Baylor. Pick: Mizzou

Colorado at Texas A&M: Both teams need a win in the worst way. The Aggies got their first conference win last week against Iowa State. Make that two in a row for the Ags. Pick: A&M

Florida vs. Georgia at Jacksonville: The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party takes place once again on the banks of the St. Johns River. This is also, for all intents and purposes, the SEC East Division Championship Game. Both teams have scored some big wins. Both teams have an unexplainable loss: Florida to Ole Miss, and Georgia being whipped by Alabama. The Gators have revenge on their minds. Pick: Florida

Tulsa at Arkansas: This was once an annual trip to Fayetteville for the Golden Hurricane. TU is undefeated, ranked 18th in the nation, and leads the nation in scoring and total offense. TU broke a contract with Texas Tech to play this game, which happens to be in the Hogs’ worst season in years. The Hogs are improving, but not up to their fans’ standards. Still, there’s a big difference between Conference USA and the SEC. Pick: Arkansas

TCU at UNLV: Viva Las Vegas. Pick: TCU

Florida State at Georgia Tech: Don’t look now, but the Seminoles are 6-1. They go to Atlanta to face the triple option offense of the Ramblin’ Wreck. Pick: FSU

Oregon at Cal: Ok, which team is going to wear the loud yellow uniforms? Pick: Cal

West Virginia at Connecticut: This is bizarro world: UConn is ranked, and West Virginia is not. That won’t last long. Pick: WVU

Michigan at Purdue: The Wolverines have to win out to have a winning season. That is unlikely. Pick: Purdue

Wisconsin at Michigan State: Spartans are a top-level Big Ten team, and look to finish third behind Penn State and Ohio State. Pick: MSU

Northwestern at Minnesota: Minnesota is also making a run toward the top of the Big Ten, as is Northwestern. This should feature lots of offense. Pick: Minnesota

Temple at Navy: John McCain’s alma mater should get a relatively easy win. Pick: Navy

Miami at Virginia: What once looked like a bad Virginia team is now leading their division in the ACC. What a difference a few weeks make. Pick: Virginia

Pittsburgh at Notre Dame: The Panthers have been hard to beat this year. The Irish are improved, but not national championship caliber. Pick: Pittsburgh

Iowa at Illinois: A team that begins with I will win this game. Pick: Illinois

Occidental at California Lutheran: Occidental is one of Barack Obama’s alma maters, and is undefeated on the season. Oxy and Cal Lutheran are playing for the lead in their conference. Pick: Occidental

NFL Picks: Week 8

Last week: 11-3
Season: 66-35

Tampa Bay at Dallas: The quickly imploding Cowboys face a solid Bucs team. Tony Romo will still be out for the Cowboys. Is there a quarterback somewhere out there named Roy Williams? There are two other Cowboys with that name. Against my better judgment, I’m picking the Silver and Blue. Pick: Dallas

San Diego vs. New Orleans at London: The second annual game across the pond is a good matchup between two high-powered offenses. Pick: San Diego

Oakland at Baltimore: The Raiders scored a rare win last week in overtime against the Jets. The Ravens also won last week in Miami. The Ravens are more capable of winning two games in a row. Plus, the Raiders are a West Coast team traveling to the East Coast. Never trust a West Coast team crossing the country unless they’re really good. The Raiders aren’t good. Pick: Baltimore

Arizona at Carolina: The Cardinals are a good team at home. On the road, they’re wildly unpredictable. Once again, it’s a Western team going east. Pick: Carolina

Washington at Detroit: The Lions are pathetic. Enough said. Pick: Washington

Buffalo at Miami: Two AFC East teams waking up from the dead. The Bills are the real deal. Pick: Buffalo

St. Louis at New England: The Rams have gotten two wins in a row after making a coaching change. That streak ends here. Pick: New England

Kansas City at NY Jets: The Chiefs are absolutely awful, and are now missing RB Larry Johnson. The Jets shouldn’t have much problem here. Pick: Jets

Atlanta at Philadelphia: Falcons have been one of the big surprises in the league in the first half of the season. Eagles have been up and down, but are tough to beat at home. Pick: Philly

Cincinnati at Houston: Bengals are a bad team. Therefore, I won’t pick them until they win a game. That won’t happen this week, as the Texans will get win #3. Pick: Houston

Cleveland at Jacksonville: Jaguars should be able to handle an inconsistent Browns team. Pick: Jacksonville

New York Giants at Pittsburgh: Game of the week. Steelers keep finding ways to win, no matter who is carrying the ball out of the backfield. Pick: Pittsburgh

Seattle at San Francisco: Yuck. This game is a real stinker. Pick: San Francisco

Indianapolis at Tennessee: The mighty Colts visit Music City to face the undefeated Titans on Monday night. The Colts just aren’t what they used to be. The Titans remain undefeated. Pick: Titans

College Picks, Week 9

This week features a virtual national championship playoff game in the Big Ten and some wild skirmishes in the Big 12.

Last week: 15-5
Season: 120-40

Oklahoma at Kansas State: Sooners continue their redemption tour in Manhattan, Kansas. The Wildcats just can’t keep up with the high-powered offenses in the Big 12. Pick: OU

Oklahoma State at Texas: Battle of unbeatens in Austin. In four of the last six years, OSU has led at halftime, sometimes convincingly, before losing to the Longhorns every time. Look for lots of points here, with Texas scoring more. Pick: UT

Texas Tech at Kansas: Toughest test of the season thus far for the Raiders. Jayhawks were outscored last week in Norman by OU, 45-31. Flip a coin here. When in doubt, go with the home team. Pick: KU

Colorado at Missouri: Missouri is more like Misery right now, after two consecutive losses to Big 12 South opponents. Buffs won last week against K-State, but Missouri is still better than Kansas State. Tigers bounce back. Pick: Mizzou

Baylor at Nebraska: Huskers should be able to win this one, but Baylor won’t make it easy. Pick: Nebraska

Texas A&M at Iowa State: Two teams battling for Big 12 mediocrity. Pick: Iowa State

Auburn at West Virginia (Thursday): At the beginning of the season, many thought this game might have national championship and BCS implications. How things have changed! West Virginia lost two games early, while Auburn has fallen apart in SEC play. I don’t know if this game will be worthy of a couch-burning, but the Mountaineers should defend their home turf. Pick: WVU

Penn State at Ohio State: Joe Paterno is 174 years old, and has his best chance for his last national championship with the Lions, as they come in undefeated. The Big Horseshoe on the Banks of the Olentangy will be rocking, as the Buckeyes still own the Big Ten. Pick: TOSU

Alabama at Tennessee: This game is supposed to be on the Third Saturday in October, but someone at the SEC office had other ideas this year. That just postponed another loss for the mediocre Volunteers. The Tide remain undefeated for another week. Pick: Alabama

Boston College at North Carolina: The ACC may not have a great team, but they have a lot of decent teams. These are two of them. Pick: UNC

Illinois at Wisconsin: This game once had Rose Bowl implications. Now, it is a battle between disappointing teams. Pick: Wiscy

Wake Forest at Miami: Wake got blasted last week at Maryland. The Canes are a shadow of their former selves. Pick: Miami

Georgia at LSU: Another titanic showdown in the SEC, where there is a Super Bowl just about every week. Tigers got a good come-from-behind win last week at South Carolina, and are home. Pick: LSU

UCLA at Cal: The University of California will win this game. The question is: which one? Pick: Berkeley

Michigan State at Michigan: Spartans were on a roll until last week when they were ripped by Ohio State. This week, they face the reeling and rebuilding Wolverines. Michigan is very mediocre this season, but ought to be able to beat their in-state rival. That would really chap some people in East Lansing, in this, the Wolverines’ worst season in the last 50 years. Pick: Michigan

Virginia Tech at Florida State: Two ACC powers struggling to move past the pack in this balanced conference. The Seminoles are getting better every week. Pick: FSU

Wyoming at TCU: Wyoming? Please. Pick: TCU

Notre Dame at Washington: Huskies are on the way to a possible winless season as they continue the Tyrone Willingham Death March. Pick: Irish

USC at Arizona: Trojans continue their march through the Pac-10 with a trip to the desert. Pick: SC

Slippery Rock at California (Pa.): The Rock has a tough test in the Hotel California. The one in Pennsylvania, that is. Pick: California

As the BCS Turns

The first installment of Bowl Championship Series rankings came out on Sunday. As expected, Texas is on top of the rankings.

1 Texas
2 Alabama
3 Penn State
4 Oklahoma
5 USC
6 Oklahoma State
7 Georgia
8 Texas Tech
9 Ohio State
10 Florida
11 Utah
12 Boise State
13 LSU
14 TCU
15 Missouri
16 South Florida
17 Pittsburgh
18 Georgia Tech
19 Tulsa
20 Ball State
21 BYU
22 Northwestern
23 Kansas
24 Minnesota
25 Florida State

Some more observations:

• There is a good chance that at least one BCS conference team will go undefeated. Texas has at least two games left that they could lose: at home against Oklahoma State, and at Texas Tech. They stand a good chance of winning both of those, however. Alabama is undefeated, but still has SEC West battles against LSU and a weakened Auburn team. Penn State has a titanic road trip this week at Ohio State, but should be able to win the remaining games thereafter. At least one of these three teams will probably be in the national championship game, barring a collapse.

• The Big 12 South continues to have a murderers’ row, with four teams in the top 8: #1 Texas, #4 Oklahoma, #6 Oklahoma State, and #8 Texas Tech. OSU must visit Austin this week to play Texas. Tech must still play all three of the other Big 12 South powers. OU has a home game with Tech and a dangerous road trip to Stillwater to play OSU. With just a tiny bit of help, the stage is set for an OU-Texas rematch in the national championship game. Right now, the BCS computers like all of these teams. It is impressive that OU has a loss and is still ranked #4.

• Penn State plays Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday night in what may as well be the Big Ten championship game. No other team in this conference can touch either of those teams. Michigan thought they had something going when they led Penn State 17-7 in the third quarter. Penn State broke out the hammer, crushed the Wolverines, and won 46-17.

• USC is dominating the Pac-10 after an inexplicable brain fart on a Thursday night at Oregon State. It would be a huge upset if they lost to another Pac-10 team.

• There is a very good chance that a non-BCS conference team will make it to a BCS bowl for the third year in a row. For this to happen, one of these teams must finish in the top 12 of the BCS standings, or in the top 16 and ahead of the champion of a BCS-qualifying conference (such as the ACC or Big East). Currently, Utah and Boise State are undefeated and ranked 11th and 12th, respectively. Lurking at #14 is TCU, with one loss. It would be very interesting if TCU could qualify for a BCS bowl with a loss, provided they win at Utah. Boise State, however, has a very good chance to finish undefeated. Also in the rankings are undefeated Tulsa at #19 and undefeated Ball State at #20. Only one of these teams can make a BCS bowl, per the rules of the system.

That's all for now...

NFL Picks: Week 7

Some NFL picks while feeling grateful that I am not a fan of Washington State, who gave up over 60 points in a game to their fourth Pac-10 opponent today….

Last week: 8-6
Overall: 55-32

Dallas at St. Louis: The Cowboys enter this game with a new Roy Williams and a new quarterback, 40 year-old Brad Johnson. Rumor is that Jerry Jones is looking to buy an NBA franchise so he can hire Roy Williams from North Carolina to coach it. You can never have enough guys named Roy Williams. The Rams shocked the world with a win last week in Washington, their first of the season. Cowboys take care of business this week. Pick: Dallas

San Diego at Buffalo: This has the makings of a good game. The Chargers are bouncing back, while Buffalo suffered their first loss last week. Strange things happen when a West Coast team goes East. Pick: Buffalo

New Orleans at Carolina: Roll the dice, and may the highest total win. Who knows what to expect from either of these teams? Pick: Carolina

Minnesota at Chicago: Important game in the NFC North. Pick: Chicago

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: The Bengals have shown signs of life lately, but haven’t gotten into the win column yet. They won’t win this week, either. Pick: Pittsburgh

Tennessee at Kansas City: Who would have thought that the Titans would be the last undefeated team remaining? They’ll stay unbeaten this week. Pick: Tennessee

Baltimore at Miami: This is another unpredictable game. The Dolphins lost on the last play last week in Houston. They should be strong enough to win at home. Pick: Miami

San Francisco at New York Giants: The Giants had a game scheduled last Monday night in Cleveland. They didn’t show up. Someone wearing their uniforms did, and the Giants got kicked. Giants bounce back this week. Pick: Giants

Detroit at Houston: The Texans got their first win last week, and now face the worst team in the league in the Lions. Pick: Houston

Indianapolis at Green Bay: The Packers went out to Seattle with a banged-up quarterback and got a win last week. The Colts looked like the Colts of old last week as they thrashed the Ravens. Can they still win a big road game? Good question. Pick: Green Bay

New York Jets at Oakland: Yuck. Rematch of the Heidi game from 1969. These players weren’t born then, with the exception of Brett Favre. Favre slings it for a bunch of yards against an awful team. Pick: Jets

Cleveland at Washington: Browns showed a pulse last week as they thumped the Giants. Now, they travel to D.C. to play the Redskins, surprise losers last week to St. Louis. I don’t trust Cleveland. Pick: Washington

Seattle at Tampa Bay: The Sunday Night extravaganza visits Tampa as the beaten-up Seahawks come to town. Pick: Tampa Bay

Denver at New England: ESPN gets a good one for Monday night. Pick: Pats

College Picks, Week 8

Last Week: 13-7
Season: 105-35

The wheat is being separated from the chaff in another wild college football season. This season is still very fluid. It remains to be seen if a team can win a national championship with two losses, as LSU did last season. The only thing guaranteed in college football is chaos. Now, on with the picks...

Kansas at Oklahoma: The Fighting Manginos are solid once again this season, but are not quite as good as they were last year. OU is mad, very mad, after last week’s debacle in Dallas. Pick: OU

Missouri at Texas: What was once a potential meeting of top 5 teams is now a do-or-die game for Mizzou. The Longhorns are flying high after a dominant 2nd half against OU. Look for plenty of points here. Pick: Texas

Baylor at Oklahoma State: The last thing the Bears needed was another juggernaut in the South division. OSU is coming off the biggest win in school history last week at then 3rd-ranked Missouri. Cowboys should be on letdown alert here, but should still win. Pick: OSU

Texas Tech at Texas A&M: This is the worst A&M team since before Jackie Sherrill arrived in Aggieland a quarter-century ago. Tech barely escaped last week with an overtime win over Nebraska. Pick: Tech

Nebraska at Iowa State: Iowa State has a long way to go to be competitive in this conference, proven by last week’s shellacking at the hands of Baylor. The Huskers nearly pulled an upset last week in Lubbock. Pick: Nebraska

Kansas State at Colorado: Buffs have come way down to earth after hitting Big 12 play. Wildcats got a conference win at Texas A&M last week. Winner has chance to go to a bowl game. Pick: Colorado

BYU at TCU (Thursday): One of two games that BYU has a chance to lose. Pick: TCU

Ole Miss at Alabama: Bama was idle last week and was passed by Texas for the top spot in the polls. Which Ole Miss team shows up? The one that beat Florida in the Swamp? Or, the one that lost at home to South Carolina? Bama wins a close one at home. Pick: Alabama

Ohio State at Michigan State: Big, big game in the Big Ten. Winner has inside track to the Rose Bowl. MSU can really put themselves on the map with a win. But, TOSU has played big games before, especially in the Big Ten. Pick: TOSU

Georgia Tech at Clemson: What was once supposed to be a national championship-caliber season for Clemson has deteriorated into a mid-season coach firing. Now, they must face the Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech. Tigers come up big under interim coach. Pick: Clemson

Purdue at Northwestern: Wildcats suffered their first loss last week. They should be able to bounce back against the Boilermakers. Pick: Northwestern

Florida State at NC State (Thursday): Don’t look now, but the Seminoles are on the way back. They’re not national championship caliber just yet, but they should be able to contend for an ACC title. Pick: FSU

Hawaii at Boise State (Friday): Battle of the last two BCS crashers. This season, Boise State is one of ten undefeated teams remaining. Hawaii is in a serious rebuilding phase. Pick: Boise State

LSU at South Carolina: The Gamecocks can redeem themselves here with a win. The Tigers are hurting after being slaughtered last week in the Swamp. The Tigers have more talent. Pick: LSU

Virginia Tech at Boston College: Tech needs this one to stay on top of the ACC. Eagles have given the Hokies fits over the years in both the Big East and ACC. Pick: VT

California at Arizona: Big game for bowl positioning in the Pac-10. Weird things happen in late night games in the desert. Pick: Arizona

Michigan at Penn State: A long season for the Wolverines got longer last week with a loss to Holy Toledo. Penn State is cruising through an undefeated season. Pick: Penn State

Miami at Duke: The last time Miami visited Duke in 2006, a Duke team that went winless that year nearly beat the Canes. Duke is a lot better this season. Pick: Duke

Wake Forest at Maryland: Anything can happen in the ACC, and usually does. Pick: Wake Forest

Hofstra at Maine: Hofstra is now better known as the host of Wednesday night’s presidential debate. Their football team isn’t that bad, either. Pick: Hofstra

The South Is Where It's At

At the halfway point of the college football season, we find:

• There are ten undefeated teams remaining in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
• Five of those teams are in BCS conferences.
• Three of them are in the Big 12 South division: Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State.
• Oklahoma only fell to #4 in the latest AP writers’ poll. However, they have the worst record in the state. Oklahoma State and Tulsa remain undefeated.
• It’s early, but OU is not only #4 in the nation, but #4 in the South division standings after two weeks of conference play.
• The Big 12 South Division contains four of the top eight teams in this week’s poll: #1 Texas, #4 OU, #7 Texas Tech, and #8 OSU.

This is an incredible geographical concentration of football excellence. Oklahoma State joined this dogpile with an upset at previously third-ranked Missouri, 28-23.

Poor Baylor. The Bears have to play all these teams. Likewise for Texas A&M. However, if there was ever a year for A&M to stink, this is it, as they would have a hard time with these teams regardless.

Missouri and Kansas this week must fight for the honor of the North division in trips to Texas and OU, respectively. The rest of the North division looks relatively weak, though Nebraska nearly shocked Texas Tech in Lubbock on Saturday.

These teams should do a good job of knocking each other off in the last two months of the season, keeping one out of the BCS national championship game. The team with the best shot of appearing in Miami appears to be Penn State. The Nittany Lions are undefeated and are the best team in a weak Big Ten conference. Who will play them? Who knows. Alabama is strong and still undefeated, but must finish their SEC schedule. If USC can keep from farting around in the Pac-10, they have a good chance to get back to that #2 spot. Or, if a team survives the Big 12 with only one loss, they have a chance to be in Miami as well. In that case, Texas is in the driver’s seat.

The only guaranteed thing remaining in this college football season is change. Stay tuned.

NFL Picks, Week 6

Some picks while digesting OU’s loss to Texas. It could be worse. I could be a Michigan fan today.

Last week: 8-5
Season: 47-26

Dallas at Arizona: This was once practically a home game for the Cowboys in the desert. The Cardinals are now competitive, though, and are showing signs of being a respectable franchise. Kurt Warner and his receiving corps are very dangerous. Tony Romo really, really needs to quit throwing interceptions. And, Adam Jones needs to realize that those bodyguards are there to protect his career and livelihood. Still, the Cowboys are just a hair better. Pick: Dallas

Chicago at Atlanta: It wasn’t that long ago that the Falcons’ fortunes were lost in an illicit pseudo-dog kennel in Virginia. Now, the Falcons are riding the arm of Matt Ryan and legs of Michael Turner to some success. The Bears are better than their record indicates. Pick: Chicago

Miami at Houston: The Texans are snake-bitten. Never was it more apparent than last week when they blew a 27-10 lead in the last four minutes of the game to lose to the Colts. Now, the resurgent Dolphins come to town. The Dolphins are trusting in Big Bill, with Tony Sparano as the front man. I’m picking against the Texans until they win. Pick: Miami

Baltimore at Indianapolis: The Colts meet the newest Baltimore franchise, and are very lucky to be 2-2. The Ravens have shown flashes of brilliance to date, but are unpredictable. Pick: Colts

Detroit at Minnesota: The Lions are awful. I will pick against them until they win. Pick: Minnesota

Oakland at New Orleans: The Raiders play their first game after the firing of head coach Lane Kiffin. The franchise is a huge joke. The Saints lost a wild game last week to the Vikings. The Raiders aren’t as good as the Vikes. Pick: New Orleans

Cincinnati at New York Jets: The Bengals didn’t give up last week after being down 17-0 to the Cowboys. The winless Bengals now visit the Jersey Meadowlands to face the Fighting Brett Favres. Pick: Jets

Carolina at Tampa Bay: It’s really hard to pick against the Bucs at home. Pick: Tampa Bay

St. Louis at Washington: After 20 years, I saw this game on the schedule and still thought Cardinals. These Rams are as bad as some of the old Cardinal teams. The Redskins are flexing their muscles after a Week 1 loss to the Giants. Pick: Washington

Jacksonville at Denver: The Jags lost a tight one last week to Pittsburgh, while the Broncos escaped against Tampa Bay. It’s really hard to pick against the Broncos at home. Pick: Denver

Philadelphia at San Francisco: The Eagles need to get on the stick or they will be left behind in the rugged NFC East. The mediocre 49ers should be able to help them with that. Pick: Philly

Green Bay at Seattle: The Seahawks are like Kryptonite on the road, but are super-tough at home. It’s a long way to Puget Sound for just about anybody. Pick: Seattle

New England at San Diego: Great matchup for the Sunday Night extravaganza. Chargers need this one more, and should be able to handle the Brady-less Patriots. Pick: San Diego

New York Giants at Cleveland: Dangerous game for the undefeated Giants. But, I’m picking them until they lose to someone, or until they play Dallas. Pick: Giants

College Picks, Week 7

Last Week: 17-3 (Awesome!)
Season: 92-28

This week includes the mother of all rivalries: OU-Texas. Interestingly, the Big 12 has three of the top five teams in the nation, and four of the top seven. That will change after this week.

Texas vs. Oklahoma at Dallas: Sooners are ranked #1 in the nation, while Texas has whipped five opponents to start the season, and is ranked #5. This has all the makings of a great game. Pick: OU

Oklahoma State vs. Missouri: Look for lots and lots of points in this game. Mizzou has an even more high-powered offense. OSU’s roll stops here. Pick: Missouri

Nebraska at Texas Tech: The Huskers got spanked last week by a good Missouri team, and now must go out to the plains of West Texas for another potential thrashing. Get your licks in on Nebraska now, because they’ll be back. Pick: Tech

Colorado at Kansas: Crucial game in Big 12 North. Colorado is stumbling after last week’s annihilation by Texas. Pick: KU

Kansas State at Texas A&M: Which team shows up for this game? A&M gets what looks to be a rare conference win. Pick: A&M

Iowa State at Baylor: Battle of Big 12 bottom feeders desperate for a win. Baylor has shown flashes of brilliance and is playing at home. Pick: Baylor

LSU at Florida: Which Gator team shows up? The one that whipped Tennessee and Miami, or the one that lost to Ole Miss? LSU has already won a big road game this season at Auburn. Pick: Florida

Tennessee at Georgia: Is it too early to start the countdown on Phil Fulmer? Georgia, and it might not even be close. Pick: Georgia

Notre Dame at North Carolina: Carolina is an interesting team. It’s always a big game when the Fighting Irish come to town, but the Tar Heels should be ready. Pick: UNC

Ohio State at Purdue: Purdue got spanked last week by Penn State, while the Buckeyes proved themselves on the road at Wisconsin. Look for form to hold true this week. Pick: TOSU

Arizona State at USC: USC came back to life last week by drilling Oregon. Arizona State heads back to the desert with their heads between their legs. Pick: USC

TCU at Colorado State: TCU is toying with the rest of the Mountain West before they run into BYU and Utah. Pick: TCU

Clemson at Wake Forest (Thursday): Clemson has been sorely disappointing this year, after being picked by some to finish undefeated. Wake lost an inexplicable game last week to Navy. Strange things happen on Thursday nights, but Wake should have the edge. Pick: Wake Forest

Minnesota at Illinois: The Gophers need just two more wins to become bowl-eligible. They won’t get one this week in Champaign. Pick: Illini

South Carolina at Kentucky: Gamecocks saved some face last week with a win at Ole Miss. UK had their chances at Alabama before losing, 17-14. Pick: Kentucky

UCLA at Oregon: Late night game at Autzen Stadium does not bode well for the Bruins. Ok, the game isn’t late out there, but it is for the rest of us. Oregon should cruise. Pick: Oregon

Michigan State at Northwestern: Wildcats are undefeated, putting my preseason projections to shame. Spartans have only lost once, at California. Winner stays tied for first place in the Big Ten. Pick: Northwestern

Vanderbilt at Mississippi State: Commodores are riding high after last week’s win over Auburn. Can they keep the string going? They will this week. Pick: Vandy

Arizona at Stanford: Wildcats only need two more wins to become bowl-eligible. Stanford is wildly inconsistent. This will be an up week for the Cardinal. Pick: Stanford.

Stony Brook at Liberty: Stony Brook is 1-4 this season, and must travel down to Lynchburg for this one. It’ll be a long trip back to Long Island for the Seawolves. Pick: Liberty

Ugly Uniform of the Day

Normally, I find the WNBA not worthy of comment. I think I heard that Detroit (coached by the great Bill Laimbeer) won the title over the weekend. However, I saw some really gross uniforms on SportsCenter the other night.




The Los Angeles Sparks were wearing these purple things with designs all over them. If they wore long pants, they would have looked like pajamas. These are U-G-L-Y! In researching these things, I found that they wear a similar gold uniform at home. Gross!

These uniforms are putrid. Yet another reason not to watch the WNBA.