Let's finish this thing.
Dec 30
Taxslayer Bowl: Louisville Cardinals v Mississippi State Bulldogs: The Bulldogs defense can be tough, but Louisville QB Lamar Jackson has seen a lot. Even if the Cardinals go into halftime behind (which is likely), they will make the corrections to come back and win this very close game. LOUISVILLE
Liberty Bowl: Iowa State Cyclones v #21 Memphis Tigers: The surprising Cyclones face a powerful Tigers squad. Iowa State, aside from scaring Iowa, didn't do too much out of conference, so I have to favor Memphis in this one. MEMPHIS
Fiesta Bowl: #9 Washington Huskies v #5 Penn State Nittany Lions: Penn State lost big in their bowl game last year, but that's because they were spending too much time complaining about missing out on the playoffs to focus on the game. I don't think they'll make the same mistake this year. Everyone is focusing on the respective running games of these teams, but don't ignore the talent of Lions QB Trace McSorley, as well as the always-dangerous squad of linebackers. Those are why I favor Penn State. PENN STATE
Orange Bowl: #8 Wisconsin Badgers v #18 Miami Hurricanes: Both teams are better on defense, so expect a low-scoring game. To Wisconsin's benefit, they have a skilled ground game. Also, the ACC Championship Game showed how Miami buckles under a stiff defense. The Badgers may not be quite the caliber of Clemson, but they are a stiff defense nonetheless. WISCONSIN
Jan 1
Outback Bowl: Michigan Wolverines v South Carolina Gamecocks: If Steve Spurrier were still coaching South Carolina, I'd give them a chance, as he could always create tricky plays for bowl games. This time around, I have to favor the Michigan defense. The Wolverines offense is rather toothless, but the defense will cause at least three Gamecock turnovers (South Carolina has not been great about holding onto the ball under pressure) to prevent South Carolina from getting ahead. MICHIGAN
Peach Bowl: #10 Auburn Tigers v #6 UCF Golden Knights: Very few national analysts are giving UCF a chance to win, but they basically ignored UCF until the last three weeks, keeping them out of Top 25 rankings until the bitter end. UCF is a strong team with an excellent blend of offense and defense. Auburn has a good defense, but the offense is inconsistent. Yes, Auburn beat two Number One teams, but they know their SEC opponents very well. Neither Alabama nor Georgia adjusted their game strategies from 2016. When Georgia changed their game plan in the SEC Championship Game, Auburn didn't stand a chance. UCF
Citrus Bowl: #15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish v LSU Tigers: LSU is vastly over-rated; earlier in the season, they were ranked higher than #20 when they had a NEGATIVE point differential against FBS teams. Notre Dame is a good team, and they have all of their players back from injury. The Tigers don't have the defense they've had in previous years, so the Irish will roll. NOTRE DAME
National Championship Semi-finals
Rose Bowl: #1 Oklahoma Sooners v #4 Georgia Bulldogs: Georgia focuses on running, Oklahoma has Baker Mayfield. This could be evenly matched until Georgia turns the ball over and Oklahoma gets a two-score lead. Once Georgia feels they need to pass, they've lost the game. OKLAHOMA
Sugar Bowl: #2 Clemson Tigers v #7 Alabama Crimson Tide: I'll admit, I didn't expect Clemson to get back to the playoffs without Deshaun Watson, even with the toughest defense in the land. And that defense is why I think Clemson will win this rematch. Auburn showed what a tough defense can do to Alabama's more conservative offense this year, and Auburn is not the same caliber of Clemson. CLEMSON
Thursday, December 28, 2017
NFL 2017 Week 17 picks
The season ends with only Sunday afternoon games. Go out and enjoy your New Years Eve!
Sunday early games
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings will clinch the number two seed with a win. They should get that fairly easily. VIKINGS
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers are hoping for a Patriots loss to gain home field advantage The Browns want to avoid a winless season. I don't think either team will get what they want. STEELERS
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles: Well, Jerry Jones has successfully given his best receiver a reason to play poorly, as he has threatened to cut his pay due to two consecutive years of subpar performance. We can understand his motivation, but Dez Bryant's reaction is completely consistent with his personalty, and Jones should have known how he would react. Combine all of that with the Eagles stiff defense, and the Cowboys will be lucky to stay close to the Eagles in the first half. EAGLES
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions: The Lions faltered last week, losing a bid for the playoffs. That won't stop them from playing hard against the Packers, a team who has frequently beaten them in recent years. The Lions want to take advantage of the Aaron Rodgers-less Pack; this is a vengeance game. LIONS
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts: The Texans have had a disappointing year, but they can end the season with a win. They hope to get some of their injured defenders back, but they can probably win without them, thanks to sketchy and inconsistent play by the Colts' replacement QB. TEXANS
New York Jets at New England Patriots: The Patriots gain home field advantage with a win. That would be enough to inspire a win; playing a hated rival only adds to the incentive. PATRIOTS
Washington Redskins at New York Giants: The Eli Apple situation will distract the Giants, while Kirk Cousins continues to battle for respect. He will seek to post impressive numbers while the Giants defense deals with controversy. If Cousins doesn't get careless (which he rarely does), this should be a nice offensive showing for the Redskins. REDSKINS
Sunday late games
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks still have a shot at the playoffs, but it is more important for them to conclude their season with a home victory. Normally practically unbeatable at home, they have shown weaknesses. The Cardinals may attempt to exploit those, but I think the Seahawks will get it together for this game. SEAHAWKS
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins: This could be a close game. Both teams are fairly compatible with similar offensive schemes. Both are fairly successful but not consistent. The Bills have an outside chance at the playoffs, which may give them a slight edge in intensity level. BILLS
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: This is another game that could go either way. The Falcons need a win (or lots of help) to get the sixth playoff spot in the NFC. That could motivate them to play at 2016 levels, and knock off the Panthers. FALCONS
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens: It's simple for the Ravens - win an they're in. That's enough incentive. RAVENS
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans: This is a grudge match. The Titans really have little playoff hopes, but they'd love to knock off the Jags anyway. For the Jags' part, they've been a defensive behemoth this season. Tennessee has struggled against tough defenses, so I have to favor the Jags. JAGUARS
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos: The Broncos will start Paxton Lynch, hoping a new QB will change their fortunes, but the Chiefs have smoothed out their earlier problems, so they should roll. CHIEFS
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Bucs: I don't see the Bucs defense stopping the high-powered Saints. By the start of the game, the Saints will know if they have a chance at a first week bye, but I don't foresee them slacking off on this game. SAINTS
Oakland Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers: The Raiders love to play spoilers, but the Chargers have one of the most fearsome defenses in the AFC. Even if the Raiders force some mistakes by the Chargers offense, the defense will bail them out. CHARGERS
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams: The Rams will know if they can get a first round bye, but a lack of that chance should not cause them to sit stars. For the Rams, defeating the 49ers is always a pleasure. Jimmy Garrapollo has gotten the 49ers moving, winning four games in a row. The Rams want to end that streak. RAMS
Sunday early games
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings will clinch the number two seed with a win. They should get that fairly easily. VIKINGS
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers are hoping for a Patriots loss to gain home field advantage The Browns want to avoid a winless season. I don't think either team will get what they want. STEELERS
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles: Well, Jerry Jones has successfully given his best receiver a reason to play poorly, as he has threatened to cut his pay due to two consecutive years of subpar performance. We can understand his motivation, but Dez Bryant's reaction is completely consistent with his personalty, and Jones should have known how he would react. Combine all of that with the Eagles stiff defense, and the Cowboys will be lucky to stay close to the Eagles in the first half. EAGLES
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions: The Lions faltered last week, losing a bid for the playoffs. That won't stop them from playing hard against the Packers, a team who has frequently beaten them in recent years. The Lions want to take advantage of the Aaron Rodgers-less Pack; this is a vengeance game. LIONS
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts: The Texans have had a disappointing year, but they can end the season with a win. They hope to get some of their injured defenders back, but they can probably win without them, thanks to sketchy and inconsistent play by the Colts' replacement QB. TEXANS
New York Jets at New England Patriots: The Patriots gain home field advantage with a win. That would be enough to inspire a win; playing a hated rival only adds to the incentive. PATRIOTS
Washington Redskins at New York Giants: The Eli Apple situation will distract the Giants, while Kirk Cousins continues to battle for respect. He will seek to post impressive numbers while the Giants defense deals with controversy. If Cousins doesn't get careless (which he rarely does), this should be a nice offensive showing for the Redskins. REDSKINS
Sunday late games
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks still have a shot at the playoffs, but it is more important for them to conclude their season with a home victory. Normally practically unbeatable at home, they have shown weaknesses. The Cardinals may attempt to exploit those, but I think the Seahawks will get it together for this game. SEAHAWKS
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins: This could be a close game. Both teams are fairly compatible with similar offensive schemes. Both are fairly successful but not consistent. The Bills have an outside chance at the playoffs, which may give them a slight edge in intensity level. BILLS
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: This is another game that could go either way. The Falcons need a win (or lots of help) to get the sixth playoff spot in the NFC. That could motivate them to play at 2016 levels, and knock off the Panthers. FALCONS
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens: It's simple for the Ravens - win an they're in. That's enough incentive. RAVENS
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans: This is a grudge match. The Titans really have little playoff hopes, but they'd love to knock off the Jags anyway. For the Jags' part, they've been a defensive behemoth this season. Tennessee has struggled against tough defenses, so I have to favor the Jags. JAGUARS
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos: The Broncos will start Paxton Lynch, hoping a new QB will change their fortunes, but the Chiefs have smoothed out their earlier problems, so they should roll. CHIEFS
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Bucs: I don't see the Bucs defense stopping the high-powered Saints. By the start of the game, the Saints will know if they have a chance at a first week bye, but I don't foresee them slacking off on this game. SAINTS
Oakland Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers: The Raiders love to play spoilers, but the Chargers have one of the most fearsome defenses in the AFC. Even if the Raiders force some mistakes by the Chargers offense, the defense will bail them out. CHARGERS
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams: The Rams will know if they can get a first round bye, but a lack of that chance should not cause them to sit stars. For the Rams, defeating the 49ers is always a pleasure. Jimmy Garrapollo has gotten the 49ers moving, winning four games in a row. The Rams want to end that streak. RAMS
Saturday, December 23, 2017
NCAA Bowl picks II
As I type this, I have a 8-3 bowl record so far. Only two Power Five conference teams have played. Oregon looked weak, while the Texas Tech offense roared (helped by poor tackling by the vaulted Bulls defense). My ranked teams have all won, but they've played unranked teams. In this column, I'll get into matchups featuring two ranked teams. This time I will pick through to the tradition Dec 31st bowl games, this year to be played on Dec 30th.
Dec 26
Heart of Dallas Bowl: Utah Utes v West Virginia Mountaineers: Utah normally plays well in bowl games, but they've been a bit sporadic this season. West Virginia started slowly, but they played well towards the end of the season. WEST VIRGINIA
Quick Lane Bowl: Duke Blue Devils v Northern Illinois Huskies: The ACC finally get into the 2017 bowls, and they face a MAC team. That might make them too confident, always a danger against the sneaky Northern Illinois team. Through in a strong Huskies defense and Duke may have more than they can handle. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Cactus Bowl: Kansas State Wildcats v UCLA Bruins: Despite a lackluster year, Josh Rosen is still considered a high draft pick. A couple of picks by the Wildcats defense should reduce that assessment. Once UCLA falls behind, Rosen gets careless, which should further reduce his draft stock. KANSAS STATE
Dec 27
Independence Bowl: Florida State Seminoles v Southern Miss Golden Eagles: This is a crucial game for Southern Miss in the Capital One Bowl Challenge. Conference USA is even at 4-4. The conference needs a win for a winning bowl record. Florida State finds themselves coachless. Given their already-existing lack of discipline, I think a plethora of costly penalties will give the ACC their second bowl loss. SOUTHERN MISS
Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College Eagles v Iowa Hawkeyes: Ironically, I will be in New York City on Dec 27th, although I will not be at the Pinstripe Bowl to see the Hawkeyes give the Big Ten their first bowl victory. Boston College is good, but Iowa has shown what that offense is capable of doing. Also, their defense can force turnovers, and the Eagles have not been great with controlling the ball this season. IOWA
Foster Farms Bowl: Arizona Wildcats v Purdue Boilermakers: Can Purdue give the Big Ten their second bowl win? While Purdue often seems to play above themselves in bowl games, I think they are overmatched in this one. Arizona has a good team, and Purdue pulled off a couple of upsets to be bowl-eligible. ARIZONA wins the first match-up between the Big Ten and Pac-12
Texas Bowl: Texas Longhorns v Missouri Tigers: Missouri and Texas both started the season weakly. Missouri showed strength in the closing weeks, while Texas remained inconsistent throughout. Worse, two key players for the Texas have already announced they will not attend the bowl game, wanting to stay healthy for the NFL combine. That lack of team spirit will cost them. MISSOURI
Dec 28
Military Bowl: Virginia Cavaliers at Navy Midshipmen: Let's face it, this is a home game for the Midshipmen, since this game is played at the Naval Academy. The Cavs defensive line is good, but the Navy line will continue to beat at them until they get tired. Then, holes will open for the Navy runners. NAVY
Camping World Bowl: #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys v #14 Virginia Tech Hokies: The first game between ranked opponents pits the ACC against the Big XII. While the Hokies are a good team, the Cowboys showed a lot of strength this season; too much, I think, for the Hokies to hold back for four quarters. This may require a fourth quarter comeback, but I like the COWBOYS
Alamo Bowl: #17 Stanford Cardinal v #16 TCU Horned Frogs: Stanford is a tenacious team, but the best thing for TCU is the location of this game. Firmly entrenched in Big XII country, Stanford will face a tough crowd at all times. While that is not normally an issue for the defense, the offense is used to simply silencing a hostile crowd, not facing an even noiser one. That may affect play-calling. TCU
Holiday Bowl: Michigan State Spartans v Washington State Cougars: If the Spartans defense was as strong as it had been the previous two seasons, I'd pick them with no hesitation. However, that defense has not been as good this season, and the Cougars offense has been electric. Also, this game is on the West Coast, where the Big Ten typically plays poorly. However, if the Spartans defense finds their mojo, this game could go the other way. WASHINGTON STATE
Dec 29
Belk Bowl: Wake Forest Demon Deacons v Texas A&M Aggies: The Aggies probably expect to win, and that might be their undoing. The Aggies offense has not been consistent, and the Demon Deacons defense can press opponents. Furthermore, this is nearly a home game for Wake Forest, and the Aggies don't respond well to boos. WAKE FOREST
Sun Bowl: North Carolina State Wolfpack v Arizona State Sun Devils: The Sun Devils at the Sun Bowl? Appropriate. The Sun Devils winning the Sun Bowl? Unlikely. The Wolfpack played well, they just had some overwhelming opponents on their schedule. That 8-4 record would be more accurately a 10-2, and that points to a talent pool too deep for Arizona State to stay afloat. NC STATE
Music City Bowl: Kentucky Wildcats v #20 Northwestern Wildcats: Cat fight! Or, more accurately, Wildcat fight! Kentucky had some good games, but they underperformed. Northwestern comes into this game with a phenomenal seven game winning streak. I don't see Kentucky ending that. NORTHWESTERN
Arizona Bowl: Utah State Aggies v New Mexico State Aggies: An Aggies battle between two teams that rarely play a bowl game. With such little history, and little video for me to review, this game is a tough one to pick. Utah State has given their opponents a bit more trouble, so I'll pick them. UTAH STATE
Cotton Bowl: #12 USC Trojans v #3 Ohio State Buckeyes: Let's face it, this is the REAL Rose Bowl game! Pac-12 champ versus Big Ten champ, that's a Rose Bowl! If it were played in the actual Rose Bowl, I might give USC a chance. On neutral ground, though, it's Ohio State's game to lose, if they play like they did against Iowa. I don't think that'll happen. USC QB Sam Darnold is a bit of a gunslinger, which gives the Buckeye defense a chance to pick him off. Ohio State starts slow, so USC might lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Buckeyes should tie it by halftime, and the second half will belong to the Buckeyes. OHIO STATE
Dec 26
Heart of Dallas Bowl: Utah Utes v West Virginia Mountaineers: Utah normally plays well in bowl games, but they've been a bit sporadic this season. West Virginia started slowly, but they played well towards the end of the season. WEST VIRGINIA
Quick Lane Bowl: Duke Blue Devils v Northern Illinois Huskies: The ACC finally get into the 2017 bowls, and they face a MAC team. That might make them too confident, always a danger against the sneaky Northern Illinois team. Through in a strong Huskies defense and Duke may have more than they can handle. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Cactus Bowl: Kansas State Wildcats v UCLA Bruins: Despite a lackluster year, Josh Rosen is still considered a high draft pick. A couple of picks by the Wildcats defense should reduce that assessment. Once UCLA falls behind, Rosen gets careless, which should further reduce his draft stock. KANSAS STATE
Dec 27
Independence Bowl: Florida State Seminoles v Southern Miss Golden Eagles: This is a crucial game for Southern Miss in the Capital One Bowl Challenge. Conference USA is even at 4-4. The conference needs a win for a winning bowl record. Florida State finds themselves coachless. Given their already-existing lack of discipline, I think a plethora of costly penalties will give the ACC their second bowl loss. SOUTHERN MISS
Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College Eagles v Iowa Hawkeyes: Ironically, I will be in New York City on Dec 27th, although I will not be at the Pinstripe Bowl to see the Hawkeyes give the Big Ten their first bowl victory. Boston College is good, but Iowa has shown what that offense is capable of doing. Also, their defense can force turnovers, and the Eagles have not been great with controlling the ball this season. IOWA
Foster Farms Bowl: Arizona Wildcats v Purdue Boilermakers: Can Purdue give the Big Ten their second bowl win? While Purdue often seems to play above themselves in bowl games, I think they are overmatched in this one. Arizona has a good team, and Purdue pulled off a couple of upsets to be bowl-eligible. ARIZONA wins the first match-up between the Big Ten and Pac-12
Texas Bowl: Texas Longhorns v Missouri Tigers: Missouri and Texas both started the season weakly. Missouri showed strength in the closing weeks, while Texas remained inconsistent throughout. Worse, two key players for the Texas have already announced they will not attend the bowl game, wanting to stay healthy for the NFL combine. That lack of team spirit will cost them. MISSOURI
Dec 28
Military Bowl: Virginia Cavaliers at Navy Midshipmen: Let's face it, this is a home game for the Midshipmen, since this game is played at the Naval Academy. The Cavs defensive line is good, but the Navy line will continue to beat at them until they get tired. Then, holes will open for the Navy runners. NAVY
Camping World Bowl: #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys v #14 Virginia Tech Hokies: The first game between ranked opponents pits the ACC against the Big XII. While the Hokies are a good team, the Cowboys showed a lot of strength this season; too much, I think, for the Hokies to hold back for four quarters. This may require a fourth quarter comeback, but I like the COWBOYS
Alamo Bowl: #17 Stanford Cardinal v #16 TCU Horned Frogs: Stanford is a tenacious team, but the best thing for TCU is the location of this game. Firmly entrenched in Big XII country, Stanford will face a tough crowd at all times. While that is not normally an issue for the defense, the offense is used to simply silencing a hostile crowd, not facing an even noiser one. That may affect play-calling. TCU
Holiday Bowl: Michigan State Spartans v Washington State Cougars: If the Spartans defense was as strong as it had been the previous two seasons, I'd pick them with no hesitation. However, that defense has not been as good this season, and the Cougars offense has been electric. Also, this game is on the West Coast, where the Big Ten typically plays poorly. However, if the Spartans defense finds their mojo, this game could go the other way. WASHINGTON STATE
Dec 29
Belk Bowl: Wake Forest Demon Deacons v Texas A&M Aggies: The Aggies probably expect to win, and that might be their undoing. The Aggies offense has not been consistent, and the Demon Deacons defense can press opponents. Furthermore, this is nearly a home game for Wake Forest, and the Aggies don't respond well to boos. WAKE FOREST
Sun Bowl: North Carolina State Wolfpack v Arizona State Sun Devils: The Sun Devils at the Sun Bowl? Appropriate. The Sun Devils winning the Sun Bowl? Unlikely. The Wolfpack played well, they just had some overwhelming opponents on their schedule. That 8-4 record would be more accurately a 10-2, and that points to a talent pool too deep for Arizona State to stay afloat. NC STATE
Music City Bowl: Kentucky Wildcats v #20 Northwestern Wildcats: Cat fight! Or, more accurately, Wildcat fight! Kentucky had some good games, but they underperformed. Northwestern comes into this game with a phenomenal seven game winning streak. I don't see Kentucky ending that. NORTHWESTERN
Arizona Bowl: Utah State Aggies v New Mexico State Aggies: An Aggies battle between two teams that rarely play a bowl game. With such little history, and little video for me to review, this game is a tough one to pick. Utah State has given their opponents a bit more trouble, so I'll pick them. UTAH STATE
Cotton Bowl: #12 USC Trojans v #3 Ohio State Buckeyes: Let's face it, this is the REAL Rose Bowl game! Pac-12 champ versus Big Ten champ, that's a Rose Bowl! If it were played in the actual Rose Bowl, I might give USC a chance. On neutral ground, though, it's Ohio State's game to lose, if they play like they did against Iowa. I don't think that'll happen. USC QB Sam Darnold is a bit of a gunslinger, which gives the Buckeye defense a chance to pick him off. Ohio State starts slow, so USC might lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Buckeyes should tie it by halftime, and the second half will belong to the Buckeyes. OHIO STATE
NFL 2017 Week 16 picks
I had a perfect streak of Sunday early games last week, but the last games threw it out of whack.
More playoff spots were set last week. The Patriots and Vikings clinched their divisions, and Jacksonville returns to the playoffs. More positions are eligible this week, including Number One seeds, so don't miss the key games this weekend.
Saturday Dec 23
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens: This one shouldn't even be close. RAVENS
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers: With three 10-4 teams sniffing at the heels of 11-3 Minnesota, they need a win to help ensure a first round bye. There are hints that Sam Bradford might be back, but I think that's being said because the Pack returned Aaron Rodgers last week. Another injury has sidelined him through the playoffs, so don't expect to see Bradford. Truthfully, I don't think the Vikings will need him. VIKINGS
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints: This game could have major NFC South implications. A Falcons victory puts them ahead of the Saints, chasing the Panthers, who the Falcons face next week. If the Falcons win out, they win the division. On the other hand, if the Saints win, they retain the division lead, and they'll root for the Falcons to beat the Panthers. The Falcons' offense has struggled some this season, but they have sharpened recently. The question is, can that offense keep pace with the Saints? Both teams have comparable defenses, so that is the major question. I don't think they can. SAINTS
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots: The Patriots hold the tiebreaker for home field advantage over the Steelers, but they have to win as often as Pittsburgh. That means they want to win this one, and they have an excellent record against divisional opponents. PATRIOTS
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears: Hey, my Bears get to win one, as the hapless Browns have already won the race for the top pick in the draft. BEARS
Denver Broncos at Washington Redskins: Neither team will be in the playoffs, but QB play becomes important. Denver exec John Elway was watching Wyoming QB Josh Allen as a potent draft pick, and Redskins administration are making noise that they may not offer a contract extension to Kirk Cousins. A good game here will help restore luster to Cousins, but has Denver given up on injured Paxton Lynch? That could be an interesting off-season storyline. For this game, Cousins needs a win, and his teammates will help give it to him. REDSKINS
Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals: Both Matt Stafford and Andy Dalton are talented QBs who have not played well this season. Detroit's offense has still moved, while the Bengals have stalled too often. LIONS
Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets: Neither team were expected to do much this season, and yet both have surpassed expectations. The Chargers are chasing the Chiefs for the division title, so they know they need this game. They should get it. CHARGERS
Los Angeles Rams at Tennessee Titans: The Titans are chasing a playoff spot, but the question is whether they deserve it. They are 4-5 outside of their division, a record that should get worse after the Rams outplays them and smears them all over the field. RAMS
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs seem to have resolved whatever troubles they were experiencing during their five-game losing streak. The Dolphins offense hasn't been steady, either. While Jay Cutler has been putting up respectable numbers, the offense has been falling short, especially in the last 30 yards. That is a weakness that the Chiefs will certainly exploit. CHIEFS
Tampa Bay Bucs at Carolina Panthers: The Bucs haven't won a divisional contest and the Panthers are chasing the Saints for the division title. This one's not in doubt. PANTHERS
Sunday late games
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Francisco 49ers: Jimmy Garrapollo has revitalized the 49ers, but will it be enough to get past the best defense in the league? The Jaguars might already have a division title by the start of the game, if the Titans lose to the Rams, but that won't stop the Jags from playing at their best. JAGUARS
New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals: It's been a pretty dunky year for the Giants, and traveling to Arizona won't help. The Cards have been underperforming as well, so a good game to close their home season will be crucial. CARDS
Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys: Let's get right down to it -- the loser of this game is completely removed from playoff contention. The winner might suffer the same fate, but that won't chill the urgency. Zeke Elliott will be back, which might perk up the Cowboys. Either team could win this one, but I'll give a slight edge to the home team. COWBOYS
Monday Night games
Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans: Since the Patriots are likely to beat Buffalo, the Steelers know that they need this game. A loss in that case would remove the Steelers from a bid for the top seed, so they will be driven to drive the Texans into the ground. Given the poor state of the injury-wracked Texans defense, they should be able to do that. STEELERS
Oakland Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles: A win gives the Eagles the top seed in the NFC. They should get that. EAGLES
More playoff spots were set last week. The Patriots and Vikings clinched their divisions, and Jacksonville returns to the playoffs. More positions are eligible this week, including Number One seeds, so don't miss the key games this weekend.
Saturday Dec 23
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens: This one shouldn't even be close. RAVENS
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers: With three 10-4 teams sniffing at the heels of 11-3 Minnesota, they need a win to help ensure a first round bye. There are hints that Sam Bradford might be back, but I think that's being said because the Pack returned Aaron Rodgers last week. Another injury has sidelined him through the playoffs, so don't expect to see Bradford. Truthfully, I don't think the Vikings will need him. VIKINGS
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints: This game could have major NFC South implications. A Falcons victory puts them ahead of the Saints, chasing the Panthers, who the Falcons face next week. If the Falcons win out, they win the division. On the other hand, if the Saints win, they retain the division lead, and they'll root for the Falcons to beat the Panthers. The Falcons' offense has struggled some this season, but they have sharpened recently. The question is, can that offense keep pace with the Saints? Both teams have comparable defenses, so that is the major question. I don't think they can. SAINTS
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots: The Patriots hold the tiebreaker for home field advantage over the Steelers, but they have to win as often as Pittsburgh. That means they want to win this one, and they have an excellent record against divisional opponents. PATRIOTS
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears: Hey, my Bears get to win one, as the hapless Browns have already won the race for the top pick in the draft. BEARS
Denver Broncos at Washington Redskins: Neither team will be in the playoffs, but QB play becomes important. Denver exec John Elway was watching Wyoming QB Josh Allen as a potent draft pick, and Redskins administration are making noise that they may not offer a contract extension to Kirk Cousins. A good game here will help restore luster to Cousins, but has Denver given up on injured Paxton Lynch? That could be an interesting off-season storyline. For this game, Cousins needs a win, and his teammates will help give it to him. REDSKINS
Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals: Both Matt Stafford and Andy Dalton are talented QBs who have not played well this season. Detroit's offense has still moved, while the Bengals have stalled too often. LIONS
Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets: Neither team were expected to do much this season, and yet both have surpassed expectations. The Chargers are chasing the Chiefs for the division title, so they know they need this game. They should get it. CHARGERS
Los Angeles Rams at Tennessee Titans: The Titans are chasing a playoff spot, but the question is whether they deserve it. They are 4-5 outside of their division, a record that should get worse after the Rams outplays them and smears them all over the field. RAMS
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs seem to have resolved whatever troubles they were experiencing during their five-game losing streak. The Dolphins offense hasn't been steady, either. While Jay Cutler has been putting up respectable numbers, the offense has been falling short, especially in the last 30 yards. That is a weakness that the Chiefs will certainly exploit. CHIEFS
Tampa Bay Bucs at Carolina Panthers: The Bucs haven't won a divisional contest and the Panthers are chasing the Saints for the division title. This one's not in doubt. PANTHERS
Sunday late games
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Francisco 49ers: Jimmy Garrapollo has revitalized the 49ers, but will it be enough to get past the best defense in the league? The Jaguars might already have a division title by the start of the game, if the Titans lose to the Rams, but that won't stop the Jags from playing at their best. JAGUARS
New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals: It's been a pretty dunky year for the Giants, and traveling to Arizona won't help. The Cards have been underperforming as well, so a good game to close their home season will be crucial. CARDS
Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys: Let's get right down to it -- the loser of this game is completely removed from playoff contention. The winner might suffer the same fate, but that won't chill the urgency. Zeke Elliott will be back, which might perk up the Cowboys. Either team could win this one, but I'll give a slight edge to the home team. COWBOYS
Monday Night games
Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans: Since the Patriots are likely to beat Buffalo, the Steelers know that they need this game. A loss in that case would remove the Steelers from a bid for the top seed, so they will be driven to drive the Texans into the ground. Given the poor state of the injury-wracked Texans defense, they should be able to do that. STEELERS
Oakland Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles: A win gives the Eagles the top seed in the NFC. They should get that. EAGLES
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
NFL 2017 Week 15 picks
Two division titles were crowned this week, and the Patriots failed to capture a third. The state of Pennsylvania can be proud of both the Steelers and Eagles, the best teams in their respective conferences and the only division winners right now. The Patriots and Vikings could both clinch their division titles this week, too. They each need a win or a loss by their second-place team (Buffalo in New England's case, and Detroit in Minnesota's). I'm predicting one of those titles to be awarded; the other might be more difficult. Which one do I crown? Keep reading.
Thurs Dec 14
Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts: The Colts might actually be able to win this one, as the Broncos have been the masters of inconsistency. However, benching Trevor Siemian earlier seems to have given him new life, and that drive should propel them past the hapless Colts. BRONCOS
Sat Dec 16
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions: The Lions remain in the playoff hunt with a win over the Bears. Despite a huge one-sided victory last week by Mitch Trubisky and crew, Detroit will get that win. LIONS
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs finally won a game, but I'm not sure they've really worked out their troubles. Also, the Chargers are on a phenomenal winning streak, and they seem to just get better every week. Given the struggles experienced by the other teams in this division, the Chargers just might be a dark horse pick to win the AFC West. CHARGERS
Sunday early games
Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins: Either team could win this game, but Kirk Cousins is battling for respect (again!). That could motivate him to propel his team to victory. REDSKINS
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns: Cleveland advances to 0-14. RAVENS
Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings win the NFC North with a win. That win should happen, and their staunch defense will guarantee it. VIKINGS
Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers: A loss likely knocks the Pack out of playoff contention, and puts the Panthers in good stead to clinch a playoff spot. This is an important game for them, and I think Cam Newton will step up to cause this win. PANTHERS
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars: In the strangest turn of events, last season's losers lead the AFC South. Stranger still is the fact that Jacksonville looked so weak in the preseason. Now, Blake Bortles looks brilliant and the Jags have the inside track to a division title. A win here will put the Jags in good position. JAGUARS
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills: The Bills are chasing a playoff spot with Baltimore. Knowing the Ravens face the winless Browns, the Bills know they need a win. Miami just upset New England, and they may be ripe for a letdown after that. That's an opening the Bills can exploit. BILLS
New York Jets at New Orleans Saints: The Jets defense cannot stop the high-powered Saints offense, and the improved Saints defense will prevent the Jets offense from keeping pace. SAINTS
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants: The Eagles have won the NFC East, but they won't slow down. They are jockeying for home field advantage, so they need to keep racking up wins. This one shouldn't be too difficult. EAGLES
Sunday late games
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks: Here's an upset pick. The Rams may be the favorite in the NFC West, and will likely win the division, but they'll encounter a hiccup this week in Seattle. The Seahawks are extra strong at home, and they are unbeaten against divisional opponents this season. The will, I believe, continue with this game. SEAHAWKS
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Patriots get a second chance to clinch the AFC East. Amazingly, I think they'll miss it again. The Steelers want home field advantage through the playoffs, and beating the Patriots this week will give them a two-game edge and the tiebreaker over them, thus clinching the desired home field advantage. Don't expect the Patriots to make it easy for them, but I think the Pats will experience a rare two-game losing streak. STEELERS
Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers: Jimmy Garrafalo has revitalized the 49ers, as they have won two games in a row. Can he push them past the Titans? Certainly the Jaguars hope they can, but I'm not so sure. This might be close, though. TITANS
Sunday night
Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders: The Cowboys are persevering without Zeke Elliot, and this game will be a great example of what they need during this period. The Raiders fight hard, but peter out in the fourth quarter. They aren't aren't aggressive enough on defense to slow receivers like Dez Bryant. COWBOYS
Monday Night Football
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Falcons are also chasing a playoff berth, and Matt Ryan and company seem to have found their mojo again. That makes them tough opponents. FALCONS
Thurs Dec 14
Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts: The Colts might actually be able to win this one, as the Broncos have been the masters of inconsistency. However, benching Trevor Siemian earlier seems to have given him new life, and that drive should propel them past the hapless Colts. BRONCOS
Sat Dec 16
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions: The Lions remain in the playoff hunt with a win over the Bears. Despite a huge one-sided victory last week by Mitch Trubisky and crew, Detroit will get that win. LIONS
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs finally won a game, but I'm not sure they've really worked out their troubles. Also, the Chargers are on a phenomenal winning streak, and they seem to just get better every week. Given the struggles experienced by the other teams in this division, the Chargers just might be a dark horse pick to win the AFC West. CHARGERS
Sunday early games
Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins: Either team could win this game, but Kirk Cousins is battling for respect (again!). That could motivate him to propel his team to victory. REDSKINS
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns: Cleveland advances to 0-14. RAVENS
Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings win the NFC North with a win. That win should happen, and their staunch defense will guarantee it. VIKINGS
Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers: A loss likely knocks the Pack out of playoff contention, and puts the Panthers in good stead to clinch a playoff spot. This is an important game for them, and I think Cam Newton will step up to cause this win. PANTHERS
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars: In the strangest turn of events, last season's losers lead the AFC South. Stranger still is the fact that Jacksonville looked so weak in the preseason. Now, Blake Bortles looks brilliant and the Jags have the inside track to a division title. A win here will put the Jags in good position. JAGUARS
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills: The Bills are chasing a playoff spot with Baltimore. Knowing the Ravens face the winless Browns, the Bills know they need a win. Miami just upset New England, and they may be ripe for a letdown after that. That's an opening the Bills can exploit. BILLS
New York Jets at New Orleans Saints: The Jets defense cannot stop the high-powered Saints offense, and the improved Saints defense will prevent the Jets offense from keeping pace. SAINTS
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants: The Eagles have won the NFC East, but they won't slow down. They are jockeying for home field advantage, so they need to keep racking up wins. This one shouldn't be too difficult. EAGLES
Sunday late games
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks: Here's an upset pick. The Rams may be the favorite in the NFC West, and will likely win the division, but they'll encounter a hiccup this week in Seattle. The Seahawks are extra strong at home, and they are unbeaten against divisional opponents this season. The will, I believe, continue with this game. SEAHAWKS
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Patriots get a second chance to clinch the AFC East. Amazingly, I think they'll miss it again. The Steelers want home field advantage through the playoffs, and beating the Patriots this week will give them a two-game edge and the tiebreaker over them, thus clinching the desired home field advantage. Don't expect the Patriots to make it easy for them, but I think the Pats will experience a rare two-game losing streak. STEELERS
Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers: Jimmy Garrafalo has revitalized the 49ers, as they have won two games in a row. Can he push them past the Titans? Certainly the Jaguars hope they can, but I'm not so sure. This might be close, though. TITANS
Sunday night
Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders: The Cowboys are persevering without Zeke Elliot, and this game will be a great example of what they need during this period. The Raiders fight hard, but peter out in the fourth quarter. They aren't aren't aggressive enough on defense to slow receivers like Dez Bryant. COWBOYS
Monday Night Football
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Falcons are also chasing a playoff berth, and Matt Ryan and company seem to have found their mojo again. That makes them tough opponents. FALCONS
Monday, December 11, 2017
NCAA Bowl picks, part I
Well, it's that time of year again. Upstate New York has experienced their first snow, and we are days away from the first FBS bowl game. It's time for me to break open my crystal ball (I might need a new one for Christmas) and see how well I can predict how different conferences, and their representative teams, will perform in the bowls.
We have 39 bowls, counting the two championship semi-finals, so I will break my picks into three different columns. This one, the first, will cover bowls leading to Christmas Day. We see mostly Group of Five teams among these bowls, but the Pac-12 gets started as well.
Sat Dec 16
New Orleans Bowl: #22 Troy Trojans v North Texas Mean Green: The first bowl game features a ranked team as the Sun Belt Champion goes up against the Conference USA runner-up. The Sun Belt typically performs well in bowls, so I like the Trojans chances. TROY
Cure Bowl: Georgia State Panthers v Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: The second game of the day also matches the Sun Belt and Conference USA. Georgia State did well against Sun Belt opponents, but struggled mightily against non-conference opponents. Western Kentucky has some bowl experience; not all of it good, but experience always helps. WESTERN KENTUCKY
Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon Ducks v #25 Boise State Broncos: Oregon is the only Power Five school to play in the first day of the college bowl season. Boise State is the second conference champion to play in the first day of the college bowl season. Oregon can be dangerous, but they had a bit of an "off" year. Boise State started slowly but poured it on as the season rolled on. Expect the Broncos, the first team from a non-power conference to beat a power conference team in a New Years Day bowl, to excel in this game. BOISE STATE
New Mexico Bowl: Marshall Thundering Herd v Colorado State Rams: The Mountain West gets their second representative of the day in bowl games, facing the third Conference USA team. Marshall spent some time in the Top 25, and showed a stiff defense. Colorado State has a good offense, but their defense needs work. Defense will likely rule in this game, giving Marshall the edge. MARSHALL
Camellia Bowl: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders v Arkansas State Red Wolves: Another Sun Belt v Conference USA matchup, the third of the day. This will be tiebreaker, and I like the Sun Belt in this one, too. ARKANSAS STATE
Tues Dec 19
Boca Raton Bowl: Akron Zips v #24 Florida Atlantic Owls: The MAC enters the bowl season, as that conference's runner-up faces the Conference USA Champion. Akron did some amazing things against MAC opponents, but I have to like the Owls in this game. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Wed Dec 20
Frisco Bowl: SMU Mustangs v Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: The American Athletic Conference enters the bowls, stepping up to face the fifth Conference USA team out of seven bowls. The Bulldogs don't have a stellar bowl record, going 5-3-1. SMU is no better, with a 7-7-1 record, but they have won four of their last five. I think this will be their fifth. SMU
Thurs Dec 21
Gasparilla Bowl: Temple Owls v Florida International Golden Panthers: In the inaugural game of this St Petersburg-based bowl, the Golden Panthers practically play a home game. They might have been able to beat Temple on neutral ground, but with rabid Florida fans surrounding them, they should win fairly easily. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Fri Dec 22
Bahamas Bowl: UAB Blazers v Ohio Bobcats: The MAC has their second representative in the bowls, this time up against a team that struggles away from their home field. Traveling to Nassau won't help. OHIO
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Wyoming Cowboys v Central Michigan Chippewas: This is the first game I am picking the team with the worse record. Wyoming showed strength in several of their games, while the Chippewas just scraped by too often to have faith in them. WYOMING
Sat Dec 23
Birmingham Bowl: Texas Tech Red Raiders v #13 South Florida Bulls: The Big XII get their first team in the bowls, but the defensively-challenged Raiders face the stiff defense of the Bulls. Defense wins this one, too. SOUTH FLORIDA
Armed Forces Bowl: Army Black Knights v #23 San Diego State Aztecs: Army was an impressive team this year, and won the Commander in Chief trophy. They would love to win the bowl game devoted to the military, but San Diego State was a powerhouse this season. SAN DIEGO STATE
Dollar General Bowl: Appalachian State Mountaineers v #19 Toledo Rockets: The Mountaineers bowled over Sun Belt opponents but were less than stellar against non-conference opponents. Toledo had some struggles against the best MAC teams, but the MAC Champions have one of the best offenses in the country. TOLEDO
Sun Dec 24
Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State Bulldogs v Houston Cougars: The Mountain West runner-ups travel to Hawaii for their fourth bowl game. The Bulldogs have lost all three of their previous trips, so it would seem ridiculous to pick them. However, I think the previous experience in the far time zone will help the Bulldogs. The Cougars have played consistently this year, and that may get magnified in the unusual time, and local distractions, that come with this bowl. FRESNO STATE
We have 39 bowls, counting the two championship semi-finals, so I will break my picks into three different columns. This one, the first, will cover bowls leading to Christmas Day. We see mostly Group of Five teams among these bowls, but the Pac-12 gets started as well.
Sat Dec 16
New Orleans Bowl: #22 Troy Trojans v North Texas Mean Green: The first bowl game features a ranked team as the Sun Belt Champion goes up against the Conference USA runner-up. The Sun Belt typically performs well in bowls, so I like the Trojans chances. TROY
Cure Bowl: Georgia State Panthers v Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: The second game of the day also matches the Sun Belt and Conference USA. Georgia State did well against Sun Belt opponents, but struggled mightily against non-conference opponents. Western Kentucky has some bowl experience; not all of it good, but experience always helps. WESTERN KENTUCKY
Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon Ducks v #25 Boise State Broncos: Oregon is the only Power Five school to play in the first day of the college bowl season. Boise State is the second conference champion to play in the first day of the college bowl season. Oregon can be dangerous, but they had a bit of an "off" year. Boise State started slowly but poured it on as the season rolled on. Expect the Broncos, the first team from a non-power conference to beat a power conference team in a New Years Day bowl, to excel in this game. BOISE STATE
New Mexico Bowl: Marshall Thundering Herd v Colorado State Rams: The Mountain West gets their second representative of the day in bowl games, facing the third Conference USA team. Marshall spent some time in the Top 25, and showed a stiff defense. Colorado State has a good offense, but their defense needs work. Defense will likely rule in this game, giving Marshall the edge. MARSHALL
Camellia Bowl: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders v Arkansas State Red Wolves: Another Sun Belt v Conference USA matchup, the third of the day. This will be tiebreaker, and I like the Sun Belt in this one, too. ARKANSAS STATE
Tues Dec 19
Boca Raton Bowl: Akron Zips v #24 Florida Atlantic Owls: The MAC enters the bowl season, as that conference's runner-up faces the Conference USA Champion. Akron did some amazing things against MAC opponents, but I have to like the Owls in this game. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Wed Dec 20
Frisco Bowl: SMU Mustangs v Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: The American Athletic Conference enters the bowls, stepping up to face the fifth Conference USA team out of seven bowls. The Bulldogs don't have a stellar bowl record, going 5-3-1. SMU is no better, with a 7-7-1 record, but they have won four of their last five. I think this will be their fifth. SMU
Thurs Dec 21
Gasparilla Bowl: Temple Owls v Florida International Golden Panthers: In the inaugural game of this St Petersburg-based bowl, the Golden Panthers practically play a home game. They might have been able to beat Temple on neutral ground, but with rabid Florida fans surrounding them, they should win fairly easily. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Fri Dec 22
Bahamas Bowl: UAB Blazers v Ohio Bobcats: The MAC has their second representative in the bowls, this time up against a team that struggles away from their home field. Traveling to Nassau won't help. OHIO
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Wyoming Cowboys v Central Michigan Chippewas: This is the first game I am picking the team with the worse record. Wyoming showed strength in several of their games, while the Chippewas just scraped by too often to have faith in them. WYOMING
Sat Dec 23
Birmingham Bowl: Texas Tech Red Raiders v #13 South Florida Bulls: The Big XII get their first team in the bowls, but the defensively-challenged Raiders face the stiff defense of the Bulls. Defense wins this one, too. SOUTH FLORIDA
Armed Forces Bowl: Army Black Knights v #23 San Diego State Aztecs: Army was an impressive team this year, and won the Commander in Chief trophy. They would love to win the bowl game devoted to the military, but San Diego State was a powerhouse this season. SAN DIEGO STATE
Dollar General Bowl: Appalachian State Mountaineers v #19 Toledo Rockets: The Mountaineers bowled over Sun Belt opponents but were less than stellar against non-conference opponents. Toledo had some struggles against the best MAC teams, but the MAC Champions have one of the best offenses in the country. TOLEDO
Sun Dec 24
Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State Bulldogs v Houston Cougars: The Mountain West runner-ups travel to Hawaii for their fourth bowl game. The Bulldogs have lost all three of their previous trips, so it would seem ridiculous to pick them. However, I think the previous experience in the far time zone will help the Bulldogs. The Cougars have played consistently this year, and that may get magnified in the unusual time, and local distractions, that come with this bowl. FRESNO STATE
Thursday, December 7, 2017
NFL 2017 Week 14 picks
I had a good week last week, so let's see if I can keep that going.
Thursday Dec 7
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons: The Saints are rolling this year. The Falcons are looking to return to the Super Bowl, but they are not having an easy time of it. Their offense is still potent, but they aren't consistent. The defense has holes. The Patriots exposed that, and the Falcons haven't really overcome from that. SAINTS
Sunday early games
Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals: The Bears could not beat the pathetic 49ers. Nuff said. BENGALS
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants: Last week, the Giants proved that Eli Manning is not the cause of their woes. That may validate the Giants fan, but doesn't really please them. They'd be pleased with a win. They'll have another disappointing weekend. COWBOYS
Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Lions have not had the best season, but they are still chasing a potential wildcard spot. The Bucs have struggled with Jameis Winston injured, but they nearly beat Green Bay last week in his return. They might find more of a challenge in the Lions, though. LIONS
Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns: Brett Hundley had a good game last week, his best since replacing Aaron Rodgers. Given the Browns' troubles, Hundley won't need a good performance to seal a victory. PACKERS
Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills: Speaking of a team struggling without their starting quarterback, the Colts are suffering this season. The Bills may have lost four of their last five games, but this game should be a pretty easy win. BILLS
Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers want a strong win after a tough loss to the Saints last week, but they may not get that. The Vikings have won eight in a row on a strong offense and stingy defense. The Panthers struggle against a strong defense, so this should be a challenge. VIKINGS
Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have fallen far after a 5-0 start, and they don't seem to be getting out of it. Jason Peters demonstrated his frustration last week, and now he sits this game. I don't think the Chiefs would have won even if Peters played. RAIDERS
San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans: Jimmy Garrafalo won his first game as the starting QB for the 49ers, but that was against the Bears. Against the Texans defense, I think he'll have a harder time. TEXANS
Sunday late games
New York Jets at Denver Broncos: The Broncos are having a quarterback problem, as none of them seem to be able to generate a win. The Jets have succeeded, despite preseason concerns. The Jets will continue to prove their worth this week. JETS
Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams: Either team could win this game. Both teams are very similar, although the Eagles offense relies more heavily on a running game than the Rams do. Although it seems unusual that a team as successful as the Eagles could lose two in a row, I have to favor the home team. RAMS
Seattle Seahawks at Jacksonville Jaguars: While the Seahawks are known for their defense, the best defense in the league this season lives in Jacksonville. The Seahawks have done better on the road this season than usual, but they struggle against tough defenses, and they face the toughest one this week. JAGUARS
Tennessee Titans at Arizona Cardinals: It is odd for a 8-4 team to have a losing point differential. The Titans lose big and win close games. They should win this game, but it could be another close one. TITANS
Washington Redskins at Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers are chasing a playoff spot, and they have the strength to do it. The Redskins inconsistencies have people questioning the skills of their key players, but it's not a lack of skill, but miscommunication and poor decisions that have hurt the Redskins. After a slow start, the Chargers have been operating with great precision, something lacking in the play of the Redskins. CHARGERS
Sunday night
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers can practically win their division with a win here; they'd be only one win away. Statistically, these two teams are very close, but the Ravens have been a different team on the road this season. STEELERS
Monday Night Football
The Patriots will clinch their division title with a win. They'll get it. PATRIOTS
Thursday Dec 7
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons: The Saints are rolling this year. The Falcons are looking to return to the Super Bowl, but they are not having an easy time of it. Their offense is still potent, but they aren't consistent. The defense has holes. The Patriots exposed that, and the Falcons haven't really overcome from that. SAINTS
Sunday early games
Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals: The Bears could not beat the pathetic 49ers. Nuff said. BENGALS
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants: Last week, the Giants proved that Eli Manning is not the cause of their woes. That may validate the Giants fan, but doesn't really please them. They'd be pleased with a win. They'll have another disappointing weekend. COWBOYS
Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Lions have not had the best season, but they are still chasing a potential wildcard spot. The Bucs have struggled with Jameis Winston injured, but they nearly beat Green Bay last week in his return. They might find more of a challenge in the Lions, though. LIONS
Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns: Brett Hundley had a good game last week, his best since replacing Aaron Rodgers. Given the Browns' troubles, Hundley won't need a good performance to seal a victory. PACKERS
Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills: Speaking of a team struggling without their starting quarterback, the Colts are suffering this season. The Bills may have lost four of their last five games, but this game should be a pretty easy win. BILLS
Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers want a strong win after a tough loss to the Saints last week, but they may not get that. The Vikings have won eight in a row on a strong offense and stingy defense. The Panthers struggle against a strong defense, so this should be a challenge. VIKINGS
Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have fallen far after a 5-0 start, and they don't seem to be getting out of it. Jason Peters demonstrated his frustration last week, and now he sits this game. I don't think the Chiefs would have won even if Peters played. RAIDERS
San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans: Jimmy Garrafalo won his first game as the starting QB for the 49ers, but that was against the Bears. Against the Texans defense, I think he'll have a harder time. TEXANS
Sunday late games
New York Jets at Denver Broncos: The Broncos are having a quarterback problem, as none of them seem to be able to generate a win. The Jets have succeeded, despite preseason concerns. The Jets will continue to prove their worth this week. JETS
Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams: Either team could win this game. Both teams are very similar, although the Eagles offense relies more heavily on a running game than the Rams do. Although it seems unusual that a team as successful as the Eagles could lose two in a row, I have to favor the home team. RAMS
Seattle Seahawks at Jacksonville Jaguars: While the Seahawks are known for their defense, the best defense in the league this season lives in Jacksonville. The Seahawks have done better on the road this season than usual, but they struggle against tough defenses, and they face the toughest one this week. JAGUARS
Tennessee Titans at Arizona Cardinals: It is odd for a 8-4 team to have a losing point differential. The Titans lose big and win close games. They should win this game, but it could be another close one. TITANS
Washington Redskins at Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers are chasing a playoff spot, and they have the strength to do it. The Redskins inconsistencies have people questioning the skills of their key players, but it's not a lack of skill, but miscommunication and poor decisions that have hurt the Redskins. After a slow start, the Chargers have been operating with great precision, something lacking in the play of the Redskins. CHARGERS
Sunday night
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers can practically win their division with a win here; they'd be only one win away. Statistically, these two teams are very close, but the Ravens have been a different team on the road this season. STEELERS
Monday Night Football
The Patriots will clinch their division title with a win. They'll get it. PATRIOTS
Sunday, December 3, 2017
NCAA Pre-Bowls Top 25
While Army still remains to play their last game, I don't think they will win by enough to creep into the Top 25, so this would be the final one before the bowl games begin.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Oklahoma Sooners (12-1) [2]
2. Clemson Tigers (12-1) [3]
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2) [7]
4. Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) [9]
5. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) [5]
6. UCF Golden Knights (12-0) [6]
7. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) [8]
8. Wisconsin Badgers (12-1) [1]
9. Washington Huskies (10-2) [10]
10. Auburn Tigers (10-3) [4]
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3) [13]
12. USC Trojans (11-2) [16]
13. South Florida Bulls (9-3) [14]
14. Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3) [17]
15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3) [18]
16. TCU Horned Frogs (10-3) [11]
17. Stanford Cardinal (9-4) [15]
18. Miami Hurricanes (10-2) [12]
19. Toledo Rockets (11-2) [21]
20. Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) [20]
21. Memphis Tigers (10-2) [19]
22. Troy Trojans (10-2) [23]
23. San Diego State Aztecs (10-2) [22]
24. Florida Atlantic Owls (10-3) [26]
25. Boise State Broncos (10-3) [NR]
On the Edge: LSU Tigers (9-3), Louisville Cardinals (8-4), Washington State Cougars (9-3), Michigan State Spartans (9-3), Michigan Wolverines (8-4), Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4), Ohio Bobcats (8-4), Arkansas State Red Wolves (7-4), Northern Illinois Huskies (8-4), Appalachian State Mountaineers (8-4), Army Black Knights (8-3)
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Oklahoma Sooners (12-1) [2]
2. Clemson Tigers (12-1) [3]
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2) [7]
4. Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) [9]
5. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) [5]
6. UCF Golden Knights (12-0) [6]
7. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) [8]
8. Wisconsin Badgers (12-1) [1]
9. Washington Huskies (10-2) [10]
10. Auburn Tigers (10-3) [4]
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3) [13]
12. USC Trojans (11-2) [16]
13. South Florida Bulls (9-3) [14]
14. Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3) [17]
15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3) [18]
16. TCU Horned Frogs (10-3) [11]
17. Stanford Cardinal (9-4) [15]
18. Miami Hurricanes (10-2) [12]
19. Toledo Rockets (11-2) [21]
20. Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) [20]
21. Memphis Tigers (10-2) [19]
22. Troy Trojans (10-2) [23]
23. San Diego State Aztecs (10-2) [22]
24. Florida Atlantic Owls (10-3) [26]
25. Boise State Broncos (10-3) [NR]
On the Edge: LSU Tigers (9-3), Louisville Cardinals (8-4), Washington State Cougars (9-3), Michigan State Spartans (9-3), Michigan Wolverines (8-4), Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4), Ohio Bobcats (8-4), Arkansas State Red Wolves (7-4), Northern Illinois Huskies (8-4), Appalachian State Mountaineers (8-4), Army Black Knights (8-3)
Thursday, November 30, 2017
NFL 2017 Week 13 picks
Thurs Nov 30
Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys offense continues to struggle in the absence of Zeke Elliott. While Kirk Cousins has taken heat recently, he is consistent and capable of leading his team down the field; we are not sure anymore that Zak Prescott can do the same. REDSKINS
Sunday early games
Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins: Trevor Siemian returns under center due to injuires to Brock Osweiller and Paxton Lynch. He does not have the support of the coaching staff, though, and he knows that. Will that inspire him to play well, or will he be dejected? If he plays well, he might temporarily halt the Broncos skid, but I have to favor the home team here. DOLPHINS
Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco has been an impressive passer this season, but he doesn't need to be in this game. The Ravens will win on the strength of their defense alone. RAVENS
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans: The Texans' crippled defense makes an easy target for the Titans, as Marcus Mariota continues to attempt to generate some momentum. Tom Savage has been struggling to consistently propel the Texans offense, so things don't look good for Houston on either side of the ball. TITANS
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars: Speaking of struggling on both sides of the ball, that's a precise description of the Colts. The Jaguars are already enjoying a phenomenal season, and pulverizing the Colts will continue that. JAGUARS
Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets: While former Jets QB Geno Smith starts for the Giants this week, Bears washout QB Josh McCown leads the Jets against Alex Smith and a Chiefs team that has lost five of their last six games. The Jets are confident, as the Chiefs seem puzzled by the source of their problems. However, the Jets are not demonstrating prowess either, and this might be the perfect opponent to end the Chiefs' miseries. CHIEFS
Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons: This could be an exciting game. Both teams have strong offenses, so defense may be the difference maker. That swings the advantage to the Vikings. VIKINGS
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills: The Patriots have returned to their dominant ways, especially in the AFC East. Move over, Bills. PATRIOTS
San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears: The 49ers have handed the baton to Jimmy Garrofalo. He is still new to this system, so it may take him a couple of weeks to get comfortable. Fortunately the 49ers picked the woeful Bears as his first opponent. Obviously the coaching staff believes this is a great chance for Garrofalo to pick up a win. They might, but I think the Bears QB Mitch Trubisky is starting to get comfortable, and that might be enough to push them past a rebuilding 49ers squad. BEARS
Tampa Bay Bucs at Green Bay Packers: Brett Huntley is starting to get his game together, but the defense of the Bucs may push him back a few stages. If he continues his development, though, the Pack may win their first game since Aaron Rodgers went down. BUCS
Sunday late games
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints: The Saints winning streak was broken last week, but they almost come from behind. This team has all the elements to advance to the Super Bowl again. SAINTS
Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Chargers: The Browns are looking for their first win. Keep looking. CHARGERS
Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals: Jared Goff is one of the most efficient and effective quarterbacks in the league this season. Throw in the Rams defense, and this team is a powerhouse. RAMS
New York Giants at Oakland Raiders: The current Giants have been strangely quiet about the benching of Eli Manning, so we'll see on the field how much they support Geno Smith. Somehow, I don't think he'll have a good game. RAIDERS
Sunday night
Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks: Home has not been as kind to the Seahawks this season as usual, and now they have to host the best team in the league. There is no stopping the Eagles offense. EAGLES
Monday Night Football
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton's struggles make them a risky pick against nearly any opponent. Against the surging Steelers, it seems highly unlikely they will get their offense rolling. STEELERS
Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys offense continues to struggle in the absence of Zeke Elliott. While Kirk Cousins has taken heat recently, he is consistent and capable of leading his team down the field; we are not sure anymore that Zak Prescott can do the same. REDSKINS
Sunday early games
Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins: Trevor Siemian returns under center due to injuires to Brock Osweiller and Paxton Lynch. He does not have the support of the coaching staff, though, and he knows that. Will that inspire him to play well, or will he be dejected? If he plays well, he might temporarily halt the Broncos skid, but I have to favor the home team here. DOLPHINS
Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco has been an impressive passer this season, but he doesn't need to be in this game. The Ravens will win on the strength of their defense alone. RAVENS
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans: The Texans' crippled defense makes an easy target for the Titans, as Marcus Mariota continues to attempt to generate some momentum. Tom Savage has been struggling to consistently propel the Texans offense, so things don't look good for Houston on either side of the ball. TITANS
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars: Speaking of struggling on both sides of the ball, that's a precise description of the Colts. The Jaguars are already enjoying a phenomenal season, and pulverizing the Colts will continue that. JAGUARS
Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets: While former Jets QB Geno Smith starts for the Giants this week, Bears washout QB Josh McCown leads the Jets against Alex Smith and a Chiefs team that has lost five of their last six games. The Jets are confident, as the Chiefs seem puzzled by the source of their problems. However, the Jets are not demonstrating prowess either, and this might be the perfect opponent to end the Chiefs' miseries. CHIEFS
Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons: This could be an exciting game. Both teams have strong offenses, so defense may be the difference maker. That swings the advantage to the Vikings. VIKINGS
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills: The Patriots have returned to their dominant ways, especially in the AFC East. Move over, Bills. PATRIOTS
San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears: The 49ers have handed the baton to Jimmy Garrofalo. He is still new to this system, so it may take him a couple of weeks to get comfortable. Fortunately the 49ers picked the woeful Bears as his first opponent. Obviously the coaching staff believes this is a great chance for Garrofalo to pick up a win. They might, but I think the Bears QB Mitch Trubisky is starting to get comfortable, and that might be enough to push them past a rebuilding 49ers squad. BEARS
Tampa Bay Bucs at Green Bay Packers: Brett Huntley is starting to get his game together, but the defense of the Bucs may push him back a few stages. If he continues his development, though, the Pack may win their first game since Aaron Rodgers went down. BUCS
Sunday late games
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints: The Saints winning streak was broken last week, but they almost come from behind. This team has all the elements to advance to the Super Bowl again. SAINTS
Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Chargers: The Browns are looking for their first win. Keep looking. CHARGERS
Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals: Jared Goff is one of the most efficient and effective quarterbacks in the league this season. Throw in the Rams defense, and this team is a powerhouse. RAMS
New York Giants at Oakland Raiders: The current Giants have been strangely quiet about the benching of Eli Manning, so we'll see on the field how much they support Geno Smith. Somehow, I don't think he'll have a good game. RAIDERS
Sunday night
Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks: Home has not been as kind to the Seahawks this season as usual, and now they have to host the best team in the league. There is no stopping the Eagles offense. EAGLES
Monday Night Football
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton's struggles make them a risky pick against nearly any opponent. Against the surging Steelers, it seems highly unlikely they will get their offense rolling. STEELERS
Sunday, November 26, 2017
NCAA Top 25 and Conference Championship picks
As usual, the final week of the season found several upsets. Two previous unbeatens fell, leaving just Wisconsin and UCF. Ole Miss knocked Mississippi State out of the Top 25, and Georgia Southern won their second game in a row after losing their first eight games.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Wisconsin Badgers (12-0) [2]
2. Oklahoma Sooners (11-1) [4]
3. Clemson Tigers (11-1) [3]
4. Auburn Tigers (10-2) [8]
5. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) [7]
6. UCF Golden Knights (11-0) [5]
7. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) [6]
8. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) [1]
9. Georgia Bulldogs (11-1) [10]
10. Washington Huskies (10-2) [11]
11. TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) [13]
12. Miami Hurricanes (10-1) [9]
13. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3) [15]
14. South Florida Bulls (9-2) [14]
15. Stanford Cardinal (9-3) [19]
16. USC Trojans (10-2) [16]
17. Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3) [17]
18. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3) [12]
19. Memphis Tigers (10-1) [21]
20. Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) [25]
21. Toledo Rockets (10-2) [24]
22. San Diego State Aztecs (10-2) [NR]
23. Troy Trojans (9-3) [NR]
24. LSU Tigers (9-3) [NR]
25. Louisville Cardinals (8-4) [NR]
Dropped off: Boise State Broncos [#18], Washington State Cougars [#20]. Mississippi State Bulldogs [#22], Michigan Wolverines [#23]
On the Edge: Florida Atlantic Owls (9-3), Michigan State Spartans (9-3), Arkansas State Red Wolves (7-3), Ohio Bobcats (8-4), Northern Illinois Huskies (8-4), Fresno State Bulldogs (9-3), Army Black Knights (8-3), Houston Cougars (7-4)
One game to pick aside from the Conference Championships...
#23 Troy Trojans at Arkansas State Red Wolves: This game determines the winner of the Sun Belt. Troy certainly has the edge, but Arkansas State is a fierce opponent at home. I'll favor Troy, but watch out for a Wolf attack! TROY
ACC Championship -- #12 Miami Hurricanes v #3 Clemson Tigers: Miami has a stiff defense, but they can't compete with the powerful offense of the Tigers. They avoided the Tigers in the regular season, so they really don't know what they are about to experience. CLEMSON
American Athletic Championship -- #19 Memphis Tigers at #6 UCF Golden Knights: The Knights get home field advantage, as it was Orlando's turn to sponsor the championship. I'm not sure the Knights needed that advantage, but they will make the most of it. UCF combines the strongest offense in the conference with one of the stiffest defenses. That is a dangerous combination. UCF
Big XII "Championship" -- #11 TCU Horned Frogs v #2 Oklahoma Sooners: I'd love to see Oklahoma lose this game just to show the conference that this pseudo-championship was a bad idea, as a Sooner loss removes them from playoff contention. Unfortunately, I think the Sooners are too strong for TCU, although TCU might make this game more competitive than their earlier 18-point loss. OKLAHOMA
Big Ten Championship -- #7 Ohio State Buckeyes v #1 Wisconsin Badgers: Prior to the second half of "The Game", I would have picked Ohio State with no question. However, it is uncertain whether JT Barrett will play. Granted, redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins came in and played excellently, spurring a comeback that won the game. However, watching the dominant Badgers defense later against a decent Minnesota team, I'm not sure Haskins can handle that. If Barrett is healthy enough to play, I think the Buckeyes have more offensive options and can win. If not, I have to give Wisconsin the edge. WISCONSIN
Conference USA Championship -- North Texas Mean Green v Florida Atlantic Owls: The Owls will prove why they moved from the Sun Belt Conference as they win their first FBS conference championship. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
MAC Championship -- Akron Zips v #21 Toledo Rockets: The Rockets have been rocky recently, but they SHOULD win this game. The Rockets easily beat Akron earlier this season. If Toledo can get out for their own way, they should win their fourth MAC Championship. TOLEDO
Mountain West Championship -- Boise State Broncos v Fresno State Bulldogs: This is a rematch of last week, when Fresno State beat the Broncos. Can they repeat that effort, or will Boise State learn from that game? As any NFL playoff team can tell you, it is difficult to beat the same team when you play too close together, so I think the Broncos will reverse their fortunes. BOISE STATE
Pac-12 Championship -- #15 Stanford Cardinal v #16 USC Trojans: Aside from the Big Ten Championship, this might be the closest championship game. The Trojans have an extra week to prepare for this game, but preparing for Stanford is different than actually facing them. USC beat them early this season, but that was before Stanford really got themselves together. Since losing two of their first three games, the Cardinal have been relentless. USC may not know what they are getting themselves into. STANFORD
SEC Championship -- #9 Georgia Bulldogs v #4 Auburn Tigers: We all know this is a rematch of the game when the Tigers beat the previously unbeaten Bulldogs. Georgia wanted this rematch, and had an extra week to prepare for it. Will that help? Maybe, but Auburn has been getting better each week, and their ability to fluster even the mighty Crimson Tide make me believe the rematch, though closer in score, will result the same. AUBURN
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Wisconsin Badgers (12-0) [2]
2. Oklahoma Sooners (11-1) [4]
3. Clemson Tigers (11-1) [3]
4. Auburn Tigers (10-2) [8]
5. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) [7]
6. UCF Golden Knights (11-0) [5]
7. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) [6]
8. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) [1]
9. Georgia Bulldogs (11-1) [10]
10. Washington Huskies (10-2) [11]
11. TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) [13]
12. Miami Hurricanes (10-1) [9]
13. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3) [15]
14. South Florida Bulls (9-2) [14]
15. Stanford Cardinal (9-3) [19]
16. USC Trojans (10-2) [16]
17. Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3) [17]
18. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3) [12]
19. Memphis Tigers (10-1) [21]
20. Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) [25]
21. Toledo Rockets (10-2) [24]
22. San Diego State Aztecs (10-2) [NR]
23. Troy Trojans (9-3) [NR]
24. LSU Tigers (9-3) [NR]
25. Louisville Cardinals (8-4) [NR]
Dropped off: Boise State Broncos [#18], Washington State Cougars [#20]. Mississippi State Bulldogs [#22], Michigan Wolverines [#23]
On the Edge: Florida Atlantic Owls (9-3), Michigan State Spartans (9-3), Arkansas State Red Wolves (7-3), Ohio Bobcats (8-4), Northern Illinois Huskies (8-4), Fresno State Bulldogs (9-3), Army Black Knights (8-3), Houston Cougars (7-4)
One game to pick aside from the Conference Championships...
#23 Troy Trojans at Arkansas State Red Wolves: This game determines the winner of the Sun Belt. Troy certainly has the edge, but Arkansas State is a fierce opponent at home. I'll favor Troy, but watch out for a Wolf attack! TROY
ACC Championship -- #12 Miami Hurricanes v #3 Clemson Tigers: Miami has a stiff defense, but they can't compete with the powerful offense of the Tigers. They avoided the Tigers in the regular season, so they really don't know what they are about to experience. CLEMSON
American Athletic Championship -- #19 Memphis Tigers at #6 UCF Golden Knights: The Knights get home field advantage, as it was Orlando's turn to sponsor the championship. I'm not sure the Knights needed that advantage, but they will make the most of it. UCF combines the strongest offense in the conference with one of the stiffest defenses. That is a dangerous combination. UCF
Big XII "Championship" -- #11 TCU Horned Frogs v #2 Oklahoma Sooners: I'd love to see Oklahoma lose this game just to show the conference that this pseudo-championship was a bad idea, as a Sooner loss removes them from playoff contention. Unfortunately, I think the Sooners are too strong for TCU, although TCU might make this game more competitive than their earlier 18-point loss. OKLAHOMA
Big Ten Championship -- #7 Ohio State Buckeyes v #1 Wisconsin Badgers: Prior to the second half of "The Game", I would have picked Ohio State with no question. However, it is uncertain whether JT Barrett will play. Granted, redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins came in and played excellently, spurring a comeback that won the game. However, watching the dominant Badgers defense later against a decent Minnesota team, I'm not sure Haskins can handle that. If Barrett is healthy enough to play, I think the Buckeyes have more offensive options and can win. If not, I have to give Wisconsin the edge. WISCONSIN
Conference USA Championship -- North Texas Mean Green v Florida Atlantic Owls: The Owls will prove why they moved from the Sun Belt Conference as they win their first FBS conference championship. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
MAC Championship -- Akron Zips v #21 Toledo Rockets: The Rockets have been rocky recently, but they SHOULD win this game. The Rockets easily beat Akron earlier this season. If Toledo can get out for their own way, they should win their fourth MAC Championship. TOLEDO
Mountain West Championship -- Boise State Broncos v Fresno State Bulldogs: This is a rematch of last week, when Fresno State beat the Broncos. Can they repeat that effort, or will Boise State learn from that game? As any NFL playoff team can tell you, it is difficult to beat the same team when you play too close together, so I think the Broncos will reverse their fortunes. BOISE STATE
Pac-12 Championship -- #15 Stanford Cardinal v #16 USC Trojans: Aside from the Big Ten Championship, this might be the closest championship game. The Trojans have an extra week to prepare for this game, but preparing for Stanford is different than actually facing them. USC beat them early this season, but that was before Stanford really got themselves together. Since losing two of their first three games, the Cardinal have been relentless. USC may not know what they are getting themselves into. STANFORD
SEC Championship -- #9 Georgia Bulldogs v #4 Auburn Tigers: We all know this is a rematch of the game when the Tigers beat the previously unbeaten Bulldogs. Georgia wanted this rematch, and had an extra week to prepare for it. Will that help? Maybe, but Auburn has been getting better each week, and their ability to fluster even the mighty Crimson Tide make me believe the rematch, though closer in score, will result the same. AUBURN
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
NFL 2017 Week 12 picks
It's Thanksgiving weekend, and we get plenty of divisional rivalry games.
Thanksgiving Day
It's rare for both Detroit and Dallas lose on the same Thanksgiving, but it's possible this year. The Lions offense is confusingly inconsistent, and Dallas' offense seems listless without Zeke Elliott.
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions: The Vikings have the stiffest defense in a division known for its defense (it's the "black and blue" division, after all!). That makes things hard for the Lions, whose offense hasn't been clicking against lesser defenses. VIKINGS
Los Angeles Chargers at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys offense has dried up without Zeke Elliott supporting Zak Prescott. The Chargers are gaining momentum, and that will propel through the normally thorny Dallas home crowd. CHARGERS
New York Giants at Washington Redskins: The Giants won their second game last week, but winning two in a row will be a tough challenge. Washington sees a chance to get into the playoff race with the Dallas collapse, so expect Kirk Cousins and the Redskins to take advantage of a weakened Giants secondary. REDSKINS
Sunday early games
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have had a rough stretch of it recently, but they get a chance to reverse their fortunes against the Bills. Buffalo's defense is struggling, so Alex Smith and company will stretch them to their limits. CHIEFS
Carolina Panthers at New York Jets: Carolina travels up to chilly New York, but their offense will quickly warm things up. The Jets defense isn't fast enough to catch Cam Newton when he decides to take off, and the Panthers defense is strong enough to bring the Jets to a standstill. PANTHERS
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles: Well, this should be an easy day for the Eagles. EAGLES
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton and the Bengals have been struggling this season, but struggles are the standard operating state for the Browns. Cincy gets a strong win to help boost their confidence. BENGALS
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots: The Patriots are flying, despite some injury problems. Miami has injury problems of their own, and those are slowing them down. The Patriots will plow through them. PATRIOTS
Tampa Bay Bucs at Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta has the better offense, the better defense, and better special teams. This one isn't hard to pick. FALCONS
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts: With the Colts porous defense, Marcus Mariota and company should have a field day. TITANS
Sunday late games
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders: Denver's offense is anemic this season. The return of Brock Osweiler has revived it a bit, but they would seem to be easy fodder for the Raiders defense. However, the Broncos seem to play better against divisional opponents than other teams, so this may be a very close game. RAIDERS
Jacksonville Jaguars at Arizona Cardinals: Speaking of struggling offenses, we have the Cardinals. In the opposite corner, we have one of the toughest defenses in the league. This one will be pretty easy. JAGUARS
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams: This is another game that could go either way. These two have nearly the best offenses in the league right now (behind Philly), and the Rams defense is as stiff as normal. The Saints defense has been good this year, too, although it was hard to notice that against Washington last week. If that was the start of a collapse, the Rams will roll. If it was a fluke, this game will be close. RAMS
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers: Seattle has not been a great game this year, but beating the pathetic 49ers shouldn't be much of a challenge. SEAHAWKS
Sunday night
Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers: With Aaron Rodgers out, the Packers offense is practically non-existent. Pittsburgh won't even need their vaulted defense to win this one. STEELERS
Monday Night Football
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens: Houston has the offensive advantage, Baltimore has the defensive advantage. Often this season I have been favoring the offensive side of things, but the Ravens defense is too good to discount. RAVENS
Thanksgiving Day
It's rare for both Detroit and Dallas lose on the same Thanksgiving, but it's possible this year. The Lions offense is confusingly inconsistent, and Dallas' offense seems listless without Zeke Elliott.
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions: The Vikings have the stiffest defense in a division known for its defense (it's the "black and blue" division, after all!). That makes things hard for the Lions, whose offense hasn't been clicking against lesser defenses. VIKINGS
Los Angeles Chargers at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys offense has dried up without Zeke Elliott supporting Zak Prescott. The Chargers are gaining momentum, and that will propel through the normally thorny Dallas home crowd. CHARGERS
New York Giants at Washington Redskins: The Giants won their second game last week, but winning two in a row will be a tough challenge. Washington sees a chance to get into the playoff race with the Dallas collapse, so expect Kirk Cousins and the Redskins to take advantage of a weakened Giants secondary. REDSKINS
Sunday early games
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have had a rough stretch of it recently, but they get a chance to reverse their fortunes against the Bills. Buffalo's defense is struggling, so Alex Smith and company will stretch them to their limits. CHIEFS
Carolina Panthers at New York Jets: Carolina travels up to chilly New York, but their offense will quickly warm things up. The Jets defense isn't fast enough to catch Cam Newton when he decides to take off, and the Panthers defense is strong enough to bring the Jets to a standstill. PANTHERS
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles: Well, this should be an easy day for the Eagles. EAGLES
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton and the Bengals have been struggling this season, but struggles are the standard operating state for the Browns. Cincy gets a strong win to help boost their confidence. BENGALS
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots: The Patriots are flying, despite some injury problems. Miami has injury problems of their own, and those are slowing them down. The Patriots will plow through them. PATRIOTS
Tampa Bay Bucs at Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta has the better offense, the better defense, and better special teams. This one isn't hard to pick. FALCONS
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts: With the Colts porous defense, Marcus Mariota and company should have a field day. TITANS
Sunday late games
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders: Denver's offense is anemic this season. The return of Brock Osweiler has revived it a bit, but they would seem to be easy fodder for the Raiders defense. However, the Broncos seem to play better against divisional opponents than other teams, so this may be a very close game. RAIDERS
Jacksonville Jaguars at Arizona Cardinals: Speaking of struggling offenses, we have the Cardinals. In the opposite corner, we have one of the toughest defenses in the league. This one will be pretty easy. JAGUARS
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams: This is another game that could go either way. These two have nearly the best offenses in the league right now (behind Philly), and the Rams defense is as stiff as normal. The Saints defense has been good this year, too, although it was hard to notice that against Washington last week. If that was the start of a collapse, the Rams will roll. If it was a fluke, this game will be close. RAMS
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers: Seattle has not been a great game this year, but beating the pathetic 49ers shouldn't be much of a challenge. SEAHAWKS
Sunday night
Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers: With Aaron Rodgers out, the Packers offense is practically non-existent. Pittsburgh won't even need their vaulted defense to win this one. STEELERS
Monday Night Football
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens: Houston has the offensive advantage, Baltimore has the defensive advantage. Often this season I have been favoring the offensive side of things, but the Ravens defense is too good to discount. RAVENS
Monday, November 20, 2017
NCAA Week 13 picks
It's the final full weekend of FBS games, and some chief rivalries get played. We also have teams battling for the final conference and divisional titles, so it will be exciting.
Tues Nov 21
Kent State Golden Flashes at Akron Zips: The Zips need a win to clinch a spot in the MAC championship. Given Kent State's problems, that seems likely. AKRON
Thurs Nov 23
Ole Miss Rebels at #22 Mississippi State Bulldogs: In an in-state rivalry like this one, records don't always apply. In this case, though, it is a good indication of which team has the talent and which one does not. Wither Ole Miss. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Fri Nov 24
#14 South Florida Bulls at #5 UCF Golden Knights: The two best teams in the American Athletic Conference face off. The winner goes to the conference championship game against Memphis, the loser misses out on a New Years Day bowl. UCF is unbeaten with a dynamic offense, but the South Florida defense is stingy and fierce. This will be a close game. I'll favor UCF, but that Bulls defense could be enough to swing the game their way. UCF
#9 Miami Hurricanes at Pitt Panthers: The Hurricanes get a breather before their ACC Championship bout against Clemson, and they may need it. Miami has not been overly impressive until their win over Notre Dame, and they need a chance to ground themselves before they face the stiff Clemson defense. MIAMI
Baylor Bears at #13 TCU Horned Frogs: TCU chalks up another win against the struggling Bears, and catapults into the pseudo-championship game. TCU
#17 Virginia Tech Hokies at Virginia Cavaliers: Virginia was a surprisingly strong team earlier in the season, but recently they have slipped. Tech should be able emerge victorious without too much effort. VIRGINIA TECH
Western Michigan Broncos at #24 Toledo Rockets: The Rockets have been perfect at home, and they need to continue that trend to win their division. They should, but the Broncos won't make that easy. TOLEDO
Iowa Hawkeyes at Nebraska Cornhuskers: Iowa has lost two games in a row, but they are still a strong team, and they should demonstrate that this week against a chronically underperforming Cornhuskers team. IOWA
Northern Illinois Huskies at Central Michigan Chippewas: The Huskies need a Rockets loss to advance to the MAC championship. They may not get that, but it won't stop them from playing hard to finish with a 9-3 record. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Navy Midshipmen at Houston Cougars: It may not be as meaningful as the South Florida-UCF game, but this might be the most exciting (and closest) American Athletic game of the weekend. Navy is an almost run-exclusively offense, Houston has a strong running defense. Navy's defense is fast and Houston's receivers rely more on finese than speed. This game could really interesting before it concludes. HOUSTON
Ohio Bobcats at Buffalo Bulls: Ohio will already know if they can make the MAC championship. Even if they can't, they're playing for one of their best seasons in school history. OHIO
New Mexico Lobos at San Diego State Aztecs: San Diego State is playing for a ten-win season, which could get them into the Top 25. SAN DIEGO STATE
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Florida International Golden Panthers: Call it the Compensation Bowl. Both of these teams had a chance at the division title, now the winner is simply playing for a seven-win season and a near-certain bowl bid. WESTERN KENTUCKY
Sat Nov 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at #8 Auburn Tigers: Like many instances of the Iron Bowl, the winner of this game advances to the SEC Championship Game. Alabama certainly has the talent and the momentum, but Auburn has gotten really motivated for their toughest opponents this season. An upset could be looming. ALABAMA
#2 Wisconsin Badgers at Minnesota Golden Gophers: Wisconsin should conclude this game unbeaten moving into the Big Ten championship game next week. WISCONSIN
#3 Clemson Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks: South Carolina can be tricky, but the Clemson defense is just too strong this year to consider an upset. CLEMSON
West Virginia Mountaineers at #4 Oklahoma Sooners: Can West Virginia engineer the upset and knock the Sooners out of the playoffs? Maybe, but I'll have to see it to believe it. OKLAHOMA
#6 Ohio State Buckeyes at #23 Michigan Wolverines: The Buckeyes come to the Big House for this year's edition of the War of Toledo. Michigan wants a win, but I don't think they'll get it. Even if Peters comes back to play this game, the Buckeyes are too tough. OHIO STATE
#7 Penn State Nittany Lions at Maryland Terrapins: The Nittany Lions will advance to a New Years Day bowl with a strong victory over the inconsistent Terrapins. PENN STATE
#10 Georgia Bulldogs at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: This is another rivalry game where one rival has why too much power over the other this year. GEORGIA
#20 Washington State Cougars at #11 Washington Huskies: The Apple Bowl gets some added excitement, as a Cougars upset sends them to the Pac-12 Championship Game. Washington certainly has the tools to prevent that, but the Cougars will play very committed football. WASHINGTON
#12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #19 Stanford Cardinal: Another intense rivalry game, and this one should be exciting! The Irish have a dynamic offense, but the Cardinal defense can make life hard for opponents. Stanford also has an unbeaten home record this season, so that shows how tough it can be to play them. Notre Dame has the edge, but watch out if Stanford gets the ball last with less than six points behind. NOTRE DAME
Kansas Jayhawks at #15 Oklahoma State Cowboys: This should be an easy win for the Cowboys. OKLAHOMA STATE
#18 Boise State Broncos at Fresno State Bulldogs: It's Mountain West Championship Round 1, as these two will face each other again next week. It's hard to beat the same team two weeks in a row. If the Fresno State coaching staff is smart, they will hold back some trick plays, and use this week to gauge Boise State. Then, in next week's Mountain West Championship, throw everything they have at them. BOISE STATE
East Carolina Pirates at #21 Memphis Tigers: The usually-stingy Pirates defense has evaporated this season, so Memphis will get a nice easy game leading to next week's American Athletic Championship. MEMPHIS
#25 Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini: The Illini will fail to win a conference game this season as the Wildcats extend their winning streak to seven games. NORTHWESTERN
Big Ten
Michigan State Spartans at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Rutgers have lost the chance at a bowl. Could they play spoiler to the Spartans? Not with the defense those Spartans have. MICHIGAN STATE
Indiana Hoosiers at Purdue Boilermakers: The winner is bowl eligible. That will have both fighting hard, but I think the Hoosiers have the better offense. INDIANA
Other Games of Interest
Louisville Cardinals at Kentucky Wildcats: This game would be more interesting if the basketball teams were playing, but both teams have 7-4 records right now. Who goes on to win their eighth? You can never count out Lamar Jackson, so I have to favor the Cardinals. LOUISVILLE
Tues Nov 21
Kent State Golden Flashes at Akron Zips: The Zips need a win to clinch a spot in the MAC championship. Given Kent State's problems, that seems likely. AKRON
Thurs Nov 23
Ole Miss Rebels at #22 Mississippi State Bulldogs: In an in-state rivalry like this one, records don't always apply. In this case, though, it is a good indication of which team has the talent and which one does not. Wither Ole Miss. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Fri Nov 24
#14 South Florida Bulls at #5 UCF Golden Knights: The two best teams in the American Athletic Conference face off. The winner goes to the conference championship game against Memphis, the loser misses out on a New Years Day bowl. UCF is unbeaten with a dynamic offense, but the South Florida defense is stingy and fierce. This will be a close game. I'll favor UCF, but that Bulls defense could be enough to swing the game their way. UCF
#9 Miami Hurricanes at Pitt Panthers: The Hurricanes get a breather before their ACC Championship bout against Clemson, and they may need it. Miami has not been overly impressive until their win over Notre Dame, and they need a chance to ground themselves before they face the stiff Clemson defense. MIAMI
Baylor Bears at #13 TCU Horned Frogs: TCU chalks up another win against the struggling Bears, and catapults into the pseudo-championship game. TCU
#17 Virginia Tech Hokies at Virginia Cavaliers: Virginia was a surprisingly strong team earlier in the season, but recently they have slipped. Tech should be able emerge victorious without too much effort. VIRGINIA TECH
Western Michigan Broncos at #24 Toledo Rockets: The Rockets have been perfect at home, and they need to continue that trend to win their division. They should, but the Broncos won't make that easy. TOLEDO
Iowa Hawkeyes at Nebraska Cornhuskers: Iowa has lost two games in a row, but they are still a strong team, and they should demonstrate that this week against a chronically underperforming Cornhuskers team. IOWA
Northern Illinois Huskies at Central Michigan Chippewas: The Huskies need a Rockets loss to advance to the MAC championship. They may not get that, but it won't stop them from playing hard to finish with a 9-3 record. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Navy Midshipmen at Houston Cougars: It may not be as meaningful as the South Florida-UCF game, but this might be the most exciting (and closest) American Athletic game of the weekend. Navy is an almost run-exclusively offense, Houston has a strong running defense. Navy's defense is fast and Houston's receivers rely more on finese than speed. This game could really interesting before it concludes. HOUSTON
Ohio Bobcats at Buffalo Bulls: Ohio will already know if they can make the MAC championship. Even if they can't, they're playing for one of their best seasons in school history. OHIO
New Mexico Lobos at San Diego State Aztecs: San Diego State is playing for a ten-win season, which could get them into the Top 25. SAN DIEGO STATE
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Florida International Golden Panthers: Call it the Compensation Bowl. Both of these teams had a chance at the division title, now the winner is simply playing for a seven-win season and a near-certain bowl bid. WESTERN KENTUCKY
Sat Nov 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at #8 Auburn Tigers: Like many instances of the Iron Bowl, the winner of this game advances to the SEC Championship Game. Alabama certainly has the talent and the momentum, but Auburn has gotten really motivated for their toughest opponents this season. An upset could be looming. ALABAMA
#2 Wisconsin Badgers at Minnesota Golden Gophers: Wisconsin should conclude this game unbeaten moving into the Big Ten championship game next week. WISCONSIN
#3 Clemson Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks: South Carolina can be tricky, but the Clemson defense is just too strong this year to consider an upset. CLEMSON
West Virginia Mountaineers at #4 Oklahoma Sooners: Can West Virginia engineer the upset and knock the Sooners out of the playoffs? Maybe, but I'll have to see it to believe it. OKLAHOMA
#6 Ohio State Buckeyes at #23 Michigan Wolverines: The Buckeyes come to the Big House for this year's edition of the War of Toledo. Michigan wants a win, but I don't think they'll get it. Even if Peters comes back to play this game, the Buckeyes are too tough. OHIO STATE
#7 Penn State Nittany Lions at Maryland Terrapins: The Nittany Lions will advance to a New Years Day bowl with a strong victory over the inconsistent Terrapins. PENN STATE
#10 Georgia Bulldogs at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: This is another rivalry game where one rival has why too much power over the other this year. GEORGIA
#20 Washington State Cougars at #11 Washington Huskies: The Apple Bowl gets some added excitement, as a Cougars upset sends them to the Pac-12 Championship Game. Washington certainly has the tools to prevent that, but the Cougars will play very committed football. WASHINGTON
#12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #19 Stanford Cardinal: Another intense rivalry game, and this one should be exciting! The Irish have a dynamic offense, but the Cardinal defense can make life hard for opponents. Stanford also has an unbeaten home record this season, so that shows how tough it can be to play them. Notre Dame has the edge, but watch out if Stanford gets the ball last with less than six points behind. NOTRE DAME
Kansas Jayhawks at #15 Oklahoma State Cowboys: This should be an easy win for the Cowboys. OKLAHOMA STATE
#18 Boise State Broncos at Fresno State Bulldogs: It's Mountain West Championship Round 1, as these two will face each other again next week. It's hard to beat the same team two weeks in a row. If the Fresno State coaching staff is smart, they will hold back some trick plays, and use this week to gauge Boise State. Then, in next week's Mountain West Championship, throw everything they have at them. BOISE STATE
East Carolina Pirates at #21 Memphis Tigers: The usually-stingy Pirates defense has evaporated this season, so Memphis will get a nice easy game leading to next week's American Athletic Championship. MEMPHIS
#25 Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini: The Illini will fail to win a conference game this season as the Wildcats extend their winning streak to seven games. NORTHWESTERN
Big Ten
Michigan State Spartans at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Rutgers have lost the chance at a bowl. Could they play spoiler to the Spartans? Not with the defense those Spartans have. MICHIGAN STATE
Indiana Hoosiers at Purdue Boilermakers: The winner is bowl eligible. That will have both fighting hard, but I think the Hoosiers have the better offense. INDIANA
Other Games of Interest
Louisville Cardinals at Kentucky Wildcats: This game would be more interesting if the basketball teams were playing, but both teams have 7-4 records right now. Who goes on to win their eighth? You can never count out Lamar Jackson, so I have to favor the Cardinals. LOUISVILLE
Sunday, November 19, 2017
NCAA Week 12 highlights: Top 25 and Conference Championships
We again had several upsets, but they didn't involve the top teams. Perhaps that's because so many of the top teams (especially in the ACC and SEC) decided to play FCS or weak FBS teams this week. And people have complained about Wisconsin's schedule? Sheesh, such two-facedness and obvious anti-Big Ten bias! At least I get to be a voice of reason and rationality on the Internet!
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0) [1]
2. Wisconsin Badgers (11-0) [2]
3. Clemson Tigers (10-1) [3]
4. Oklahoma Sooners (10-1) [4]
5. UCF Golden Knights (10-0) [5]
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2) [6]
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (9-2) [7]
8. Auburn Tigers (9-2) [8]
9. Miami Hurricanes (10-0) [9]
10. Georgia Bulldogs (10-1) [10]
11. Washington Huskies (9-2) [11]
12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-2) [13]
13. TCU Horned Frogs (9-2) [15]
14. South Florida Bulls (9-1) [16]
15. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-3) [12]
16. USC Trojans (10-2) [17]
17. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-3) [18]
18. Boise State Broncos (9-2) [26]
19. Stanford Cardinal (8-3) [19]
20. Washington State Cougars (9-2) [20]
21. Memphis Tigers (9-1) [22]
22. Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-3) [21]
23. Michigan Wolverines (8-3) [14]
24. Toledo Rockets (9-2) [NR]
25. Northwestern Wildcats (8-3) [NR]
Dropped off: Ohio Bobcats [#23], Arizona Wildcats [#24], West Virginia Mountaineers [#25]
On the Edge: San Diego State Aztecs (9-2), Florida Atlantic Owls (8-3), Northern Illinois Huskies (8-3), Troy Trojans (8-2), Louisville Cardinals (7-4), Marshall Thundering Herd (7-4), Army Black Knights (8-3)
Upset Alerts
The MAC once again began the string of upsets, when Akron knocked off division-leading Ohio (and knocked them right out of the Top 25). Another upset cost another Top 25 team, as Texas became bowl-eligible by defeating West Virginia.
Starting 3pm on Saturday, the pace of upsets increased rapidly. Kansas State knocked off Oklahoma State, whose heroic fourth quarter comeback attempt, and lackluster performances by some of the lower Top 25 teams, kept the Cowboys in the Top 15. Purdue destroyed any chance of Iowa returning to the Top 25, Florida dominated UAB, and Tulane ruined divisional title dreams of Houston. The evening concluded with Oregon knocking off Arizona, and knocking the Wildcats out of the Top 25.
One important upset of note -- poor struggling Georgia Southern, a perennial powerhouse when they played in FCS, finally won their first game of the season. Not only did they beat South Alabama, they utterly demolished them in a 52-0 blowout! Georgia Southern fans have to be wondering where that performance had been hiding all season.
Conference Championships
Many of these are set heading into the final full week of the season, so I'll structure this section slightly differently today. I will start with the matchups already determined, and then look at those races still to be decided.
ACC Championship: Miami against Clemson
Big XII: They don't really have a championship game, they just manufactured one to satisfy the selection committee. Oklahoma has already won the conference. Ironically, if TCU upsets them in the pseudo-championship game, Oklahoma will lose any chance at the playoffs and this attempted appeal to the selection committee will backfire.
Big Ten: Wisconsin faces Ohio State
Conference USA: Florida Atlantic takes on North Texas
Mountain West: Fresno State versus Boise State
Now, let's look at the rest:
American Athletic: Memphis has clinched their spot. The winner of the UCF-South Florida game determines their opponent
MAC: This one has both divisions still open. Toledo clinches with a win, Northern Illinois needs a win AND a Toledo loss. Akron clinches with a win, while Ohio needs to win AND have Akron lose
Pac-12: USC has clinched their division. Washington State needs to beat Washington to represent the North; otherwise, Stanford plays USC
SEC: Georgia will play the winner of the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn
Sun Belt: This one is absurd, but it has two more weeks to iron itself out. So many of the four teams atop the conference have not played each other, so tiebreakers are hard. That actually gives Troy the advantage, as they have the better overall record. Troy wins by winning out. Arkansas State wins by winning out (as they still face Troy) AND a loss by Georgia State. Appalachian State needs the most help; they need to win out AND have BOTH Troy and Arkansas State lose.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0) [1]
2. Wisconsin Badgers (11-0) [2]
3. Clemson Tigers (10-1) [3]
4. Oklahoma Sooners (10-1) [4]
5. UCF Golden Knights (10-0) [5]
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2) [6]
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (9-2) [7]
8. Auburn Tigers (9-2) [8]
9. Miami Hurricanes (10-0) [9]
10. Georgia Bulldogs (10-1) [10]
11. Washington Huskies (9-2) [11]
12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-2) [13]
13. TCU Horned Frogs (9-2) [15]
14. South Florida Bulls (9-1) [16]
15. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-3) [12]
16. USC Trojans (10-2) [17]
17. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-3) [18]
18. Boise State Broncos (9-2) [26]
19. Stanford Cardinal (8-3) [19]
20. Washington State Cougars (9-2) [20]
21. Memphis Tigers (9-1) [22]
22. Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-3) [21]
23. Michigan Wolverines (8-3) [14]
24. Toledo Rockets (9-2) [NR]
25. Northwestern Wildcats (8-3) [NR]
Dropped off: Ohio Bobcats [#23], Arizona Wildcats [#24], West Virginia Mountaineers [#25]
On the Edge: San Diego State Aztecs (9-2), Florida Atlantic Owls (8-3), Northern Illinois Huskies (8-3), Troy Trojans (8-2), Louisville Cardinals (7-4), Marshall Thundering Herd (7-4), Army Black Knights (8-3)
Upset Alerts
The MAC once again began the string of upsets, when Akron knocked off division-leading Ohio (and knocked them right out of the Top 25). Another upset cost another Top 25 team, as Texas became bowl-eligible by defeating West Virginia.
Starting 3pm on Saturday, the pace of upsets increased rapidly. Kansas State knocked off Oklahoma State, whose heroic fourth quarter comeback attempt, and lackluster performances by some of the lower Top 25 teams, kept the Cowboys in the Top 15. Purdue destroyed any chance of Iowa returning to the Top 25, Florida dominated UAB, and Tulane ruined divisional title dreams of Houston. The evening concluded with Oregon knocking off Arizona, and knocking the Wildcats out of the Top 25.
One important upset of note -- poor struggling Georgia Southern, a perennial powerhouse when they played in FCS, finally won their first game of the season. Not only did they beat South Alabama, they utterly demolished them in a 52-0 blowout! Georgia Southern fans have to be wondering where that performance had been hiding all season.
Conference Championships
Many of these are set heading into the final full week of the season, so I'll structure this section slightly differently today. I will start with the matchups already determined, and then look at those races still to be decided.
ACC Championship: Miami against Clemson
Big XII: They don't really have a championship game, they just manufactured one to satisfy the selection committee. Oklahoma has already won the conference. Ironically, if TCU upsets them in the pseudo-championship game, Oklahoma will lose any chance at the playoffs and this attempted appeal to the selection committee will backfire.
Big Ten: Wisconsin faces Ohio State
Conference USA: Florida Atlantic takes on North Texas
Mountain West: Fresno State versus Boise State
Now, let's look at the rest:
American Athletic: Memphis has clinched their spot. The winner of the UCF-South Florida game determines their opponent
MAC: This one has both divisions still open. Toledo clinches with a win, Northern Illinois needs a win AND a Toledo loss. Akron clinches with a win, while Ohio needs to win AND have Akron lose
Pac-12: USC has clinched their division. Washington State needs to beat Washington to represent the North; otherwise, Stanford plays USC
SEC: Georgia will play the winner of the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn
Sun Belt: This one is absurd, but it has two more weeks to iron itself out. So many of the four teams atop the conference have not played each other, so tiebreakers are hard. That actually gives Troy the advantage, as they have the better overall record. Troy wins by winning out. Arkansas State wins by winning out (as they still face Troy) AND a loss by Georgia State. Appalachian State needs the most help; they need to win out AND have BOTH Troy and Arkansas State lose.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
NCAA Week 12 picks
Tues Nov 14
#23 Ohio Bobcats at Akron Zips: The Bobcats can clinch their division with a win here. Akron is a good team, though, so it won't be easy for them. I think Ohio will end up the winner, but it will be close. OHIO
Wed Nov 15
Western Michigan Broncos at Northern Illinois Huskies: A win keeps the Huskies in pace with Toledo, and they should get that victory. The Huskies own the toughest defense in the conference, and that will slow down the Broncos offense. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Toledo Rockets at Bowling Green Falcons: The Rockets have an easy game to make up for their upset loss to Ohio last week. TOLEDO
Thurs Nov 16
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at #16 South Florida Bulls: Tulsa is the worst team in the American Athletic, so South Florida should have no problem keeping pace with UCF. SOUTH FLORIDA
Fri Nov 17
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: The victor gains a sixth win to make them bowl eligible. The Hilltoppers certainly have the offense to help make that possible. WESTERN KENTUCKY
Sat Nov 18
Mercer (FCS) at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: No sweat. ALABAMA
#14 Michigan Wolverines at #2 Wisconsin Badgers: Two strong defenses face off in this game. Michigan's offense has improved since Brandon Peters took over signal calling duties, but he can be easily flustered by a good defense. That defines Wisconsin. WISCONSIN
The Citadel (FCS) at #3 Clemson Tigers: Another ranked team facing an easy FCS opponent. CLEMSON
#4 Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas Jayhawks: Oklahoma gets an easy game, too. OKLAHOMA
#5 UCF Golden Knights at Temple Owls: The Knights have the best offense and the second-best defense in the conference. Temple has been playing well, but UCF will overpower them. UCF
Illinois Fighting Illini at #6 Ohio State Buckeyes: I remember when Illinois used to give Ohio State fits. That seems a long time ago. OHIO STATE
Nebraska Cornhuskers at #7 Penn State Nittany Lions: Wisconsin has one of the best defenses in the conference (and the best scoring defense), but Penn State isn't far behind. Nebraska has talent, but they get confused easily, and Penn State's D will capitalize on that confusion. PENN STATE
Louisiana Monroe Indians at #8 Auburn Tigers: Auburn gets an easy opponent, too. AUBURN
Virginia Cavaliers at #9 Miami Hurricanes: Miami doesn't get an easy opponent this week (although they might have thought so when they scheduled Virginia), but they should emerge with a win. MIAMI
Kentucky Wildcats at #10 Georgia Bulldogs: Kentucky has played well, but it is beyond them to hand Georgia their second loss of the season. GEORGIA
Utah Utes at #11 Washington Huskies: The Huskies have the best defense (by far!) in the conference, and their offense isn't bad, either. WASHINGTON
Kansas State Wildcats at #12 Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Cowboys may not have playoff hopes, but they want to finish out their season with wins and propel to a New Year's Day bowl. That seems possible. OKLAHOMA STATE
Navy Midshipmen at #13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Irish face the most brutal ground game in the league. That could exhaust their defense, but the Irish offense should be good enough to keep them in the game. NOTRE DAME
#15 TCU Horned Frogs at Texas Tech Red Raiders: Oklahoma may have eliminated TCU's playoff hopes, but TCU still wants a shot at the pseudo-Big XII Championship Game. That chance will continue with a win here. TCU
UCLA Bruins at #17 USC Trojans: The intense rivalry occurs a week early, but that won't prove lucky for the Bruins. The Trojans should emerge fairly easily from this game. USC
Cal Golden Bears at #19 Stanford Cardinal: Stanford has a chance to win the Pac-12 North, and this final Pac-12 game is crucial. STANFORD
#21 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Arkansas Razorbacks: Arkansas is struggling in SEC play this season, while the Bulldogs look strong. MISSISSIPPI STATE
SMU Mustangs at #22 Memphis Tigers: Both teams have strong defenses, but the Tigers offense makes the difference. MEMPHIS
#24 Arizona Wildcats at Oregon Ducks: The Wildcats find themselves in a position that the Ducks have frequently been in themselves -- the best offense in the conference. In fact, Arizona has the best offense by a long margin. ARIZONA
Texas Longhorns at #25 West Virginia Mountaineers: It's the Mountaineers offense against the Longhorns defense. Defenses normally win in those bouts, but the young Texas team won't be able to stand up to the Mountaineers. WEST VIRGINIA
Big Ten
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Northwestern Wildcats: Northwestern has a five-game winning streak. Minnesota's defense may make it hard to reach number six, but I think they can achieve it. NORTHWESTERN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Indiana Hoosiers: Indiana's offense should overwhelm the Knights, allowing them to gain their second conference win in a row. INDIANA
Purdue Boilermakers at Iowa Hawkeyes: Wisconsin's defense shut down Iowa, but Purdue's defense isn't as good. IOWA
Maryland Terrapins at Michigan State Spartans: The Spartans need to bounce back from their horrendous loss to Ohio State, and Maryland should be an excellent balm. MICHIGAN STATE
Plus... Fresno State Bulldogs at Wyoming Cowboys: Fresno State has quietly taken the lead in the Mountain West West division, and this win would seal it. FRESNO STATE
#23 Ohio Bobcats at Akron Zips: The Bobcats can clinch their division with a win here. Akron is a good team, though, so it won't be easy for them. I think Ohio will end up the winner, but it will be close. OHIO
Wed Nov 15
Western Michigan Broncos at Northern Illinois Huskies: A win keeps the Huskies in pace with Toledo, and they should get that victory. The Huskies own the toughest defense in the conference, and that will slow down the Broncos offense. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Toledo Rockets at Bowling Green Falcons: The Rockets have an easy game to make up for their upset loss to Ohio last week. TOLEDO
Thurs Nov 16
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at #16 South Florida Bulls: Tulsa is the worst team in the American Athletic, so South Florida should have no problem keeping pace with UCF. SOUTH FLORIDA
Fri Nov 17
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: The victor gains a sixth win to make them bowl eligible. The Hilltoppers certainly have the offense to help make that possible. WESTERN KENTUCKY
Sat Nov 18
Mercer (FCS) at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: No sweat. ALABAMA
#14 Michigan Wolverines at #2 Wisconsin Badgers: Two strong defenses face off in this game. Michigan's offense has improved since Brandon Peters took over signal calling duties, but he can be easily flustered by a good defense. That defines Wisconsin. WISCONSIN
The Citadel (FCS) at #3 Clemson Tigers: Another ranked team facing an easy FCS opponent. CLEMSON
#4 Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas Jayhawks: Oklahoma gets an easy game, too. OKLAHOMA
#5 UCF Golden Knights at Temple Owls: The Knights have the best offense and the second-best defense in the conference. Temple has been playing well, but UCF will overpower them. UCF
Illinois Fighting Illini at #6 Ohio State Buckeyes: I remember when Illinois used to give Ohio State fits. That seems a long time ago. OHIO STATE
Nebraska Cornhuskers at #7 Penn State Nittany Lions: Wisconsin has one of the best defenses in the conference (and the best scoring defense), but Penn State isn't far behind. Nebraska has talent, but they get confused easily, and Penn State's D will capitalize on that confusion. PENN STATE
Louisiana Monroe Indians at #8 Auburn Tigers: Auburn gets an easy opponent, too. AUBURN
Virginia Cavaliers at #9 Miami Hurricanes: Miami doesn't get an easy opponent this week (although they might have thought so when they scheduled Virginia), but they should emerge with a win. MIAMI
Kentucky Wildcats at #10 Georgia Bulldogs: Kentucky has played well, but it is beyond them to hand Georgia their second loss of the season. GEORGIA
Utah Utes at #11 Washington Huskies: The Huskies have the best defense (by far!) in the conference, and their offense isn't bad, either. WASHINGTON
Kansas State Wildcats at #12 Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Cowboys may not have playoff hopes, but they want to finish out their season with wins and propel to a New Year's Day bowl. That seems possible. OKLAHOMA STATE
Navy Midshipmen at #13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Irish face the most brutal ground game in the league. That could exhaust their defense, but the Irish offense should be good enough to keep them in the game. NOTRE DAME
#15 TCU Horned Frogs at Texas Tech Red Raiders: Oklahoma may have eliminated TCU's playoff hopes, but TCU still wants a shot at the pseudo-Big XII Championship Game. That chance will continue with a win here. TCU
UCLA Bruins at #17 USC Trojans: The intense rivalry occurs a week early, but that won't prove lucky for the Bruins. The Trojans should emerge fairly easily from this game. USC
Cal Golden Bears at #19 Stanford Cardinal: Stanford has a chance to win the Pac-12 North, and this final Pac-12 game is crucial. STANFORD
#21 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Arkansas Razorbacks: Arkansas is struggling in SEC play this season, while the Bulldogs look strong. MISSISSIPPI STATE
SMU Mustangs at #22 Memphis Tigers: Both teams have strong defenses, but the Tigers offense makes the difference. MEMPHIS
#24 Arizona Wildcats at Oregon Ducks: The Wildcats find themselves in a position that the Ducks have frequently been in themselves -- the best offense in the conference. In fact, Arizona has the best offense by a long margin. ARIZONA
Texas Longhorns at #25 West Virginia Mountaineers: It's the Mountaineers offense against the Longhorns defense. Defenses normally win in those bouts, but the young Texas team won't be able to stand up to the Mountaineers. WEST VIRGINIA
Big Ten
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Northwestern Wildcats: Northwestern has a five-game winning streak. Minnesota's defense may make it hard to reach number six, but I think they can achieve it. NORTHWESTERN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Indiana Hoosiers: Indiana's offense should overwhelm the Knights, allowing them to gain their second conference win in a row. INDIANA
Purdue Boilermakers at Iowa Hawkeyes: Wisconsin's defense shut down Iowa, but Purdue's defense isn't as good. IOWA
Maryland Terrapins at Michigan State Spartans: The Spartans need to bounce back from their horrendous loss to Ohio State, and Maryland should be an excellent balm. MICHIGAN STATE
Plus... Fresno State Bulldogs at Wyoming Cowboys: Fresno State has quietly taken the lead in the Mountain West West division, and this win would seal it. FRESNO STATE
Sunday, November 12, 2017
NCAA Week 11 results and Top 25
We had several upsets this week, many affecting the Top 25. As a result, the Pac-12 has lost any chance of appearing in the playoffs, and Notre Dame's chances are slim to none. The ACC may have clinched a spot, and the chance of two SEC teams is dwindling. UCF might actually become the first Group of Five representative in the playoffs if upsets continue at this rate.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-0) [1]
2. Wisconsin Badgers (10-0) [3]
3. Clemson Tigers (9-1) [6]
4. Oklahoma Sooners (9-1) [7]
5. UCF Golden Knights (9-0) [8]
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2) [10]
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2) [9]
8. Auburn Tigers (8-2) [11]
9. Miami Hurricanes (9-0) [14]
10. Georgia Bulldogs (9-1) [2]
11. Washington Huskies (8-2) [5]
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-2) [12]
13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-2) [4]
14. Michigan Wolverines (8-2) [19]
15. TCU Horned Frogs (8-2) [13]
16. South Florida Bulls (8-1) [17]
17. USC Trojans (9-2) [18]
18. Virginia Tech Hokies (7-3) [15]
19. Stanford Cardinal (7-3) [23]
20. Washington State Cougars (9-2) [20]
21. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-3) [16]
22. Memphis Tigers (8-1) [22]
23. Ohio Bobcats (8-2) [NR]
24. Arizona Wildcats (7-3) [NR]
25. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-3) [NR]
Dropped off: Toledo Rockets [#21], Boise State Broncos [#24], Iowa Hawkeyes [#25]
On the Edge: San Diego State Aztecs (8-2), Troy Trojans (8-2), Northern Illinois Huskies (7-3), Marshall Thundering Herd (7-3), Northwestern Wildcats (7-3), Army Black Knights (8-2), Florida Atlantic Owls (7-3), Houston Cougars (6-3), North Carolina State Wolfpack (7-3)
Upset Alerts
It began on Tuesday, as the MAC began to suffer the same problems as the Big Ten faced previously. Top teams were dropping, including AKRON on Tuesday and TOLEDO on Wednesday. BYU then shocked UNLV on Friday. All of that just proved to be a warmup for Saturday. Georgia Tech beat VIRGINIA TECH, Auburn clobbered #2 GEORGIA, Miami destroyed NOTRE DAME, and Old Dominion toppled FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL.
Title Races
Atlantic Coast Coastal: Miami gained this one despite playing a non-conference game. They have Georgia Tech to thank for that.
Atlantic Coast Atlantic: Clemson has clinched this one.
American Athletic East: The bout between UCF and South Florida in two weeks will likely clinch this one, unless South Florida loses next week and UCF wins. In that case, UCF wins regardless of the result of their battle with South Florida.
American Athletic West: This one didn't change from last week, as both Memphis and Houston had bye weeks. Memphis wins the division with a win. Houston would need Memphis to lose both of their remaining games AND Houston would have to win out.
Big XII: Oklahoma claims this one with a win, despite the presence of a "faux" conference championship game this season. Since they play Kansas, it seems likely that Oklahoma will triumph.
Big Ten West: Wisconsin has clinched this division with their first 10-0 start in school history
Big Ten East: Ohio State wins the division by beating Illinois and a Michigan loss OR beating Michigan in two weeks.
Conference USA East: Florida Atlantic clinches with a win over Florida International. The Golden Panthers need a win AND another Owls loss to clinch.
Conference USA West: North Texas clinched this division
MAC West: Northern Illinois has life. If Toledo loses again and the Huskies win out, they clinch the division. Western Michigan would need to beat BOTH of those teams, while Central Michigan would need to beat Northern Illinois AND have Toledo lose again.
MAC East: Ohio wins by beating Akron this week. Akron would need to beat Ohio AND have Buffalo beat Ohio in two weeks.
Mountain West West: Fresno State clinches with a win. San Diego State needs to win out AND Fresno State loses both of their remaining games.
Mountain West Mountain: Boise State faces the same situation -- they clinch with a win. Wyoming would need to win out AND have Boise lose both of their remaining games.
Pac-12 North: This one has gotten more interesting. Washington State wins by beating Washington in two weeks. Thanks to Stanford's win, Washington would need to win out AND have Stanford lose to Cal. Stanford wins by beating Cal AND Washington beating Washington State.
Pac-12 South: USC has clinched
SEC West: The winner of the Iron Bowl in two weeks wins this division
SEC East: Georgia
Sun Belt: This one remains the same as last week: "Arkansas State wins by winning out. Troy wins by winning out, as they play Arkansas State in the last week. Appalachian State and Georgia State need to win out AND hope both Arkansas State and Troy lose twice."
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-0) [1]
2. Wisconsin Badgers (10-0) [3]
3. Clemson Tigers (9-1) [6]
4. Oklahoma Sooners (9-1) [7]
5. UCF Golden Knights (9-0) [8]
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2) [10]
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2) [9]
8. Auburn Tigers (8-2) [11]
9. Miami Hurricanes (9-0) [14]
10. Georgia Bulldogs (9-1) [2]
11. Washington Huskies (8-2) [5]
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-2) [12]
13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-2) [4]
14. Michigan Wolverines (8-2) [19]
15. TCU Horned Frogs (8-2) [13]
16. South Florida Bulls (8-1) [17]
17. USC Trojans (9-2) [18]
18. Virginia Tech Hokies (7-3) [15]
19. Stanford Cardinal (7-3) [23]
20. Washington State Cougars (9-2) [20]
21. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-3) [16]
22. Memphis Tigers (8-1) [22]
23. Ohio Bobcats (8-2) [NR]
24. Arizona Wildcats (7-3) [NR]
25. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-3) [NR]
Dropped off: Toledo Rockets [#21], Boise State Broncos [#24], Iowa Hawkeyes [#25]
On the Edge: San Diego State Aztecs (8-2), Troy Trojans (8-2), Northern Illinois Huskies (7-3), Marshall Thundering Herd (7-3), Northwestern Wildcats (7-3), Army Black Knights (8-2), Florida Atlantic Owls (7-3), Houston Cougars (6-3), North Carolina State Wolfpack (7-3)
Upset Alerts
It began on Tuesday, as the MAC began to suffer the same problems as the Big Ten faced previously. Top teams were dropping, including AKRON on Tuesday and TOLEDO on Wednesday. BYU then shocked UNLV on Friday. All of that just proved to be a warmup for Saturday. Georgia Tech beat VIRGINIA TECH, Auburn clobbered #2 GEORGIA, Miami destroyed NOTRE DAME, and Old Dominion toppled FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL.
Title Races
Atlantic Coast Coastal: Miami gained this one despite playing a non-conference game. They have Georgia Tech to thank for that.
Atlantic Coast Atlantic: Clemson has clinched this one.
American Athletic East: The bout between UCF and South Florida in two weeks will likely clinch this one, unless South Florida loses next week and UCF wins. In that case, UCF wins regardless of the result of their battle with South Florida.
American Athletic West: This one didn't change from last week, as both Memphis and Houston had bye weeks. Memphis wins the division with a win. Houston would need Memphis to lose both of their remaining games AND Houston would have to win out.
Big XII: Oklahoma claims this one with a win, despite the presence of a "faux" conference championship game this season. Since they play Kansas, it seems likely that Oklahoma will triumph.
Big Ten West: Wisconsin has clinched this division with their first 10-0 start in school history
Big Ten East: Ohio State wins the division by beating Illinois and a Michigan loss OR beating Michigan in two weeks.
Conference USA East: Florida Atlantic clinches with a win over Florida International. The Golden Panthers need a win AND another Owls loss to clinch.
Conference USA West: North Texas clinched this division
MAC West: Northern Illinois has life. If Toledo loses again and the Huskies win out, they clinch the division. Western Michigan would need to beat BOTH of those teams, while Central Michigan would need to beat Northern Illinois AND have Toledo lose again.
MAC East: Ohio wins by beating Akron this week. Akron would need to beat Ohio AND have Buffalo beat Ohio in two weeks.
Mountain West West: Fresno State clinches with a win. San Diego State needs to win out AND Fresno State loses both of their remaining games.
Mountain West Mountain: Boise State faces the same situation -- they clinch with a win. Wyoming would need to win out AND have Boise lose both of their remaining games.
Pac-12 North: This one has gotten more interesting. Washington State wins by beating Washington in two weeks. Thanks to Stanford's win, Washington would need to win out AND have Stanford lose to Cal. Stanford wins by beating Cal AND Washington beating Washington State.
Pac-12 South: USC has clinched
SEC West: The winner of the Iron Bowl in two weeks wins this division
SEC East: Georgia
Sun Belt: This one remains the same as last week: "Arkansas State wins by winning out. Troy wins by winning out, as they play Arkansas State in the last week. Appalachian State and Georgia State need to win out AND hope both Arkansas State and Troy lose twice."
Thursday, November 9, 2017
NFL 2017 Week 10 picks
We're starting to see some teams emerge as consistent competitors. Some of them are rarely in that category, so now it becomes a challenge to see how long they can sustain that.
Thurs Nov 9
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals: Seattle suffered a rare home loss last week, so now they have something to make up. QB Drew Stanton has to step up in place of injured starter Carson Palmer. He is stable, but his time on the field has been short over the past three seasons, and the Seahawks will certainly pressure him. That may prove to be a bit too much for the journeyman. SEAHAWKS
Sunday early games
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota seems to have found himself as a pro quarterback. He is playing with more confidence and poise than we've seen, and that allows their offense to flow. On the other hand, the Bengals are in shambles, and nobody seems to know exactly why. TITANS
Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions: The Browns have the second-worst offense in the league (second only to Miami), and that puts too much pressure on their defense to produce. The Lions offense is potent, so long as they don't make mistakes. They will push that Browns defense to a point of exhaustion. LIONS
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: These two teams are moving in different directions. With Aaron Rodgers sidelined with injury, the Packers offense is falling. On the other hand, since putting Mitch Trubisky on the field, the Bears are seeing an upswing. That prompts me to pick them to win this game. BEARS
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles has been putting on quite a show this season. Gone is the concern that plagued the preseason. The Chargers haven't been able to establish a rhythm. JAGUARS
Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins: The Vikings have a staunch defense, and that's the type that makes life hard for Kurt Cousins. The Redskins will battle hard, but Minnesota should emerge with their seventh win. VIKINGS
New Orleans Saints at Buffalo Bills: The Saints have a defense this year, and those are the times that they do well. Tyrod Taylor has been moving the Bills well, but they struggle to produce touchdowns. Their defense is sharp, but is it sharp enough to slow the high-powered Saints? I don't think they can slow them enough. SAINTS
New York Jets at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Bucs defense has some holes, and that has been their best squad for years. The Jets are proving that they really have it together, which is bad news for the struggling Bucs. JETS
Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts: The Colts have the worst defense in the league, so Big Ben should have a field day. Jacoby Brissett is improving, but the stiff Steelers defense will hurt his progress in this game. STEELERS
Sunday late games
Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons: This should be an interesting game. It should be a close game, but... since Zeke Elliott lost his appeal, the league can suspend him anytime. If they start with this game, it'll be tough for Dallas to win. FALCONS
Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams: The Texans' two best defenders are out, and Jared Goff has the Rams offense moving like a well-oiled machine. Those two items add up to big trouble for the Texans. RAMS
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers: If Jimmy Garopollo plays, the 49ers could gain their first victory of the season. They plan to start CJ Beathard, but I'll bet we'll see Garopollo before halftime. 49ERS
Sunday night game
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos: This game won't be as interesting without the Manning-Brady rivalry. Trevor Siemien is struggling, so much so that the Broncos want to go to a run-first offense. Given the Pats defense, that may not work. PATRIOTS
Monday Night Football
Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers: The Dolphins offense is improving, but Carolina moves too swiftly and too smoothly for the Dolphins to keep up. PANTHERS
Thurs Nov 9
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals: Seattle suffered a rare home loss last week, so now they have something to make up. QB Drew Stanton has to step up in place of injured starter Carson Palmer. He is stable, but his time on the field has been short over the past three seasons, and the Seahawks will certainly pressure him. That may prove to be a bit too much for the journeyman. SEAHAWKS
Sunday early games
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota seems to have found himself as a pro quarterback. He is playing with more confidence and poise than we've seen, and that allows their offense to flow. On the other hand, the Bengals are in shambles, and nobody seems to know exactly why. TITANS
Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions: The Browns have the second-worst offense in the league (second only to Miami), and that puts too much pressure on their defense to produce. The Lions offense is potent, so long as they don't make mistakes. They will push that Browns defense to a point of exhaustion. LIONS
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: These two teams are moving in different directions. With Aaron Rodgers sidelined with injury, the Packers offense is falling. On the other hand, since putting Mitch Trubisky on the field, the Bears are seeing an upswing. That prompts me to pick them to win this game. BEARS
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles has been putting on quite a show this season. Gone is the concern that plagued the preseason. The Chargers haven't been able to establish a rhythm. JAGUARS
Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins: The Vikings have a staunch defense, and that's the type that makes life hard for Kurt Cousins. The Redskins will battle hard, but Minnesota should emerge with their seventh win. VIKINGS
New Orleans Saints at Buffalo Bills: The Saints have a defense this year, and those are the times that they do well. Tyrod Taylor has been moving the Bills well, but they struggle to produce touchdowns. Their defense is sharp, but is it sharp enough to slow the high-powered Saints? I don't think they can slow them enough. SAINTS
New York Jets at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Bucs defense has some holes, and that has been their best squad for years. The Jets are proving that they really have it together, which is bad news for the struggling Bucs. JETS
Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts: The Colts have the worst defense in the league, so Big Ben should have a field day. Jacoby Brissett is improving, but the stiff Steelers defense will hurt his progress in this game. STEELERS
Sunday late games
Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons: This should be an interesting game. It should be a close game, but... since Zeke Elliott lost his appeal, the league can suspend him anytime. If they start with this game, it'll be tough for Dallas to win. FALCONS
Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams: The Texans' two best defenders are out, and Jared Goff has the Rams offense moving like a well-oiled machine. Those two items add up to big trouble for the Texans. RAMS
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers: If Jimmy Garopollo plays, the 49ers could gain their first victory of the season. They plan to start CJ Beathard, but I'll bet we'll see Garopollo before halftime. 49ERS
Sunday night game
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos: This game won't be as interesting without the Manning-Brady rivalry. Trevor Siemien is struggling, so much so that the Broncos want to go to a run-first offense. Given the Pats defense, that may not work. PATRIOTS
Monday Night Football
Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers: The Dolphins offense is improving, but Carolina moves too swiftly and too smoothly for the Dolphins to keep up. PANTHERS
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
NCAA Week 11 picks
Many games this week can decide, or help decide, division titles. It'll be interesting to see how things develop.
Tues Nov 7
Akron Zips at Miami Ohio Redhawks: The Zips have a chance to win their division if they win here and Ohio loses to Toledo the next day. Akron will battle hard for this opportunity. They play a smoother game than Miami Ohio, and I think that will translate into a win. AKRON
Wed Nov 8
#21 Toledo Rockets at Ohio Bobcats: The Bobcats will battle hard, especially if Akron wins the previous night. However, Toledo is a powerful team this year, and they have the tools to win. Ohio will make it a close game, but not close enough. TOLEDO
Thurs Nov 9
Ball State Cardinals at Northern Illinois Huskies: This should be an easy win for the Huskies, but winning the division will require a lot more than that. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Fri Nov 10
#5 Washington Huskies at #23 Stanford Cardinal: Stanford is a tough team at home, where they are unbeaten this season. They will push the Huskies all the way into the fourth quarter, but the stronger Huskies will eventually wear them down. WASHINGTON
Sat Nov 11
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at #16 Mississippi State Bulldogs: The Bulldogs are playing some impressive games this season, but they're nothing compared the overpowering performances Alabama has been producing. ALABAMA
#2 Georgia Bulldogs at #11 Auburn Tigers: Auburn might see this as a warm-up to the Iron Bowl, as both Alabama and Georgia have been extremely dominant. Unfortunately for them, I think the result will be similar, too. GEORGIA
#25 Iowa Hawkeyes at #3 Wisconsin Badgers: The Hawkeyes will still be celebrating their upset victory over Ohio State, and thus they are due for a letdown. Wisconsin does not win impressively, but they do win. WISCONSIN
#4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #14 Miami Hurricanes: Miami has been winning each game, but many of them have been close. They haven't faced a team like Notre Dame, who can score quickly and frustrate opposing offenses. Miami's luck runs out here. NOTRE DAME
Florida State Seminoles at #6 Clemson Tigers: Preseason, this was supposed to be a deciding game. Now, it should be a wipeout. CLEMSON
#13 TCU Horned Frogs at #7 Oklahoma Sooners: TCU might have a chance to beat Oklahoma, but the Sooners offense is firing on all cylinders right now, and the lackluster TCU defense will allow them to score on every possession. OKLAHOMA
UConn Huskies at #8 UCF Golden Knights: This should be a breeze for the Knights. UCF
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at #9 Penn State Nittany Lions: Penn State wants a strong win to help erase the sting of the Michigan State upset. Rutgers ought to provide that opportunity. PENN STATE
Michigan State Spartans at #10 Ohio State Buckeyes: Can the Spartans pull off two upsets in a row? More importantly, will Urban Meyer allow his team to lose two games in a row? I don't the latter will happen. This may be a close game, but I think Ohio State will emerge victorious. The Spartans will likely lead at halftime, though. OHIO STATE
#12 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Iowa State Cyclones: Iowa State has already beaten two ranked teams in conference. Can they make it a third? Perhaps, but given how well the Cowboys offense flowed against Oklahoma last week, I think they'll prove too much for the Cyclones. OKLAHOMA STATE
#15 Virginia Tech Hokies at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Georgia Tech can be tricky at home, but their defense isn't as strong as it often is. More importantly, the Hokies have the best defense in the conference. That makes them the favorite. VIRGINIA TECH
#18 USC Trojans at Colorado Buffaloes: It's a battle of the best and the worst in the Pac-12 South. Not hard to pick a winner here. USC
#19 Michigan Wolverines at Maryland Terrapins: Michigan's defense should control this game as new QB Peters continues to learn. MICHIGAN
#20 Washington State Cougars at Utah Utes: Washington State does not have a great road record this season, but Utah isn't really enjoying a home field advantage. Throw in the Cougars powerful offense, this game should be a fine showing for them. WASHINGTON STATE
#24 Boise State Broncos at Colorado State Rams: The Rams have a good offense, but they face a stiff Broncos defense. I'm not sure the Rams will succeed under the incessant pressure they will experience from the Broncos. BOISE STATE
Big Ten games
Indiana Hoosiers at Illinois Fighting Illini: Neither team has won a conference game this season, but Illinois' pathetic offense gives the nod to the Hoosiers. INDIANA
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Minnesota Golden Gophers: Aside the Michigan State/Ohio State game, this might be the closest and most exciting game of the day. Both have good offenses that make stupid mistakes. The winner of this game might be the one who makes the fewest mistakes, and I think Nebraska, as the road team, will be a bit more cautious. NEBRASKA
Purdue Boilermakers at Northwestern Wildcats: The Wildcats have just been getting better each week, which make this game a fairly easy victory. NORTHWESTERN
Tues Nov 7
Akron Zips at Miami Ohio Redhawks: The Zips have a chance to win their division if they win here and Ohio loses to Toledo the next day. Akron will battle hard for this opportunity. They play a smoother game than Miami Ohio, and I think that will translate into a win. AKRON
Wed Nov 8
#21 Toledo Rockets at Ohio Bobcats: The Bobcats will battle hard, especially if Akron wins the previous night. However, Toledo is a powerful team this year, and they have the tools to win. Ohio will make it a close game, but not close enough. TOLEDO
Thurs Nov 9
Ball State Cardinals at Northern Illinois Huskies: This should be an easy win for the Huskies, but winning the division will require a lot more than that. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Fri Nov 10
#5 Washington Huskies at #23 Stanford Cardinal: Stanford is a tough team at home, where they are unbeaten this season. They will push the Huskies all the way into the fourth quarter, but the stronger Huskies will eventually wear them down. WASHINGTON
Sat Nov 11
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at #16 Mississippi State Bulldogs: The Bulldogs are playing some impressive games this season, but they're nothing compared the overpowering performances Alabama has been producing. ALABAMA
#2 Georgia Bulldogs at #11 Auburn Tigers: Auburn might see this as a warm-up to the Iron Bowl, as both Alabama and Georgia have been extremely dominant. Unfortunately for them, I think the result will be similar, too. GEORGIA
#25 Iowa Hawkeyes at #3 Wisconsin Badgers: The Hawkeyes will still be celebrating their upset victory over Ohio State, and thus they are due for a letdown. Wisconsin does not win impressively, but they do win. WISCONSIN
#4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #14 Miami Hurricanes: Miami has been winning each game, but many of them have been close. They haven't faced a team like Notre Dame, who can score quickly and frustrate opposing offenses. Miami's luck runs out here. NOTRE DAME
Florida State Seminoles at #6 Clemson Tigers: Preseason, this was supposed to be a deciding game. Now, it should be a wipeout. CLEMSON
#13 TCU Horned Frogs at #7 Oklahoma Sooners: TCU might have a chance to beat Oklahoma, but the Sooners offense is firing on all cylinders right now, and the lackluster TCU defense will allow them to score on every possession. OKLAHOMA
UConn Huskies at #8 UCF Golden Knights: This should be a breeze for the Knights. UCF
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at #9 Penn State Nittany Lions: Penn State wants a strong win to help erase the sting of the Michigan State upset. Rutgers ought to provide that opportunity. PENN STATE
Michigan State Spartans at #10 Ohio State Buckeyes: Can the Spartans pull off two upsets in a row? More importantly, will Urban Meyer allow his team to lose two games in a row? I don't the latter will happen. This may be a close game, but I think Ohio State will emerge victorious. The Spartans will likely lead at halftime, though. OHIO STATE
#12 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Iowa State Cyclones: Iowa State has already beaten two ranked teams in conference. Can they make it a third? Perhaps, but given how well the Cowboys offense flowed against Oklahoma last week, I think they'll prove too much for the Cyclones. OKLAHOMA STATE
#15 Virginia Tech Hokies at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Georgia Tech can be tricky at home, but their defense isn't as strong as it often is. More importantly, the Hokies have the best defense in the conference. That makes them the favorite. VIRGINIA TECH
#18 USC Trojans at Colorado Buffaloes: It's a battle of the best and the worst in the Pac-12 South. Not hard to pick a winner here. USC
#19 Michigan Wolverines at Maryland Terrapins: Michigan's defense should control this game as new QB Peters continues to learn. MICHIGAN
#20 Washington State Cougars at Utah Utes: Washington State does not have a great road record this season, but Utah isn't really enjoying a home field advantage. Throw in the Cougars powerful offense, this game should be a fine showing for them. WASHINGTON STATE
#24 Boise State Broncos at Colorado State Rams: The Rams have a good offense, but they face a stiff Broncos defense. I'm not sure the Rams will succeed under the incessant pressure they will experience from the Broncos. BOISE STATE
Big Ten games
Indiana Hoosiers at Illinois Fighting Illini: Neither team has won a conference game this season, but Illinois' pathetic offense gives the nod to the Hoosiers. INDIANA
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Minnesota Golden Gophers: Aside the Michigan State/Ohio State game, this might be the closest and most exciting game of the day. Both have good offenses that make stupid mistakes. The winner of this game might be the one who makes the fewest mistakes, and I think Nebraska, as the road team, will be a bit more cautious. NEBRASKA
Purdue Boilermakers at Northwestern Wildcats: The Wildcats have just been getting better each week, which make this game a fairly easy victory. NORTHWESTERN
Monday, November 6, 2017
NCAA Week 10 results and Top 25
The Big Ten suffered upsets of its top teams, which might risk the presence of a Big Ten team in the playoffs. Now it looks like Wisconsin will need to win the Big Ten title, as a two-loss Big Ten champ or one-loss Wisconsin won't likely beat out a one-loss Oklahoma, one-loss Clemson, or one-loss Notre Dame.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) [1]
2. Georgia Bulldogs (9-0) [2]
3. Wisconsin Badgers (9-0) [4]
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1) [7]
5. Washington Huskies (8-1) [10]
6. Clemson Tigers (8-1) [6]
7. Oklahoma Sooners (8-1) [12]
8. UCF Golden Knights (8-1) [8]
9. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2) [5]
10. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2) [3]
11. Auburn Tigers (7-2) [14]
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2) [9]
13. TCU Horned Frogs (8-1) [13]
14. Miami Hurricanes (8-0) [15]
15. Virginia Tech Hokies (7-2) [11]
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-2) [18]
17. South Florida Bulls (8-1) [20]
18. USC Trojans (8-2) [21]
19. Michigan Wolverines (7-2) [23]
20. Washington State Cougars (8-2) [22]
21. Toledo Rockets (8-1) [24]
22. Memphis Tigers (8-1) [25]
23. Stanford Cardinal (6-3) [17]
24. Boise State Broncos (7-2) [NR]
25. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3) [NR]
Dropped off: Iowa State Cyclones [#16], Arizona Wildcats [#19]
On the Edge: Ohio Bobcats (7-2), San Diego State Aztecs (8-2), Michigan State Spartans (7-2), Army Black Knights (7-2), Troy Trojans (7-2), West Virginia Mountaineers (6-3), Northwestern Wildcats (6-3), North Carolina State Wolfpack (6-3), Houston Cougars (6-3)
Upset Alert
I mentioned the two Big Ten upsets. Michigan State's defense held Saquon Barkley and propelled them past Penn State. Iowa had their best game of the season, forcing four JT Barrett interceptions and blasting the Buckeyes. There were other interesting upsets, though. Baylor won their first game of the season by knocking off Kansas. Florida State surprised Syracuse, and Vanderbilt beat Western Kentucky.
Title Races
Atlantic Coast Coastal: Miami has really established themselves as the front-runner here. A victory over Virginia in two weeks will clinch it. I doubt Miami will be unbeaten, though, as Notre Dame should beat them this week, giving Clemson a still-feasible run at the playoffs.
Atlantic Coast Atlantic: This one goes to Clemson with either a win this week against Florida State or a loss to NC State. NC State needs to win out AND hope for a Florida State upset. Nobody else has a shot.
American Athletic East: UCF leads and has a couple of easy games against UConn and Temple before facing South Florida. If the Bulls contiue to win, that game will determine the division. Nobody else has a chance.
American Athletic West: Memphis leads and holds the tiebreaker over Houston, so Houston needs Memphis to lose both of their remaining games. Since one is against East Carolina, I don't see that happening. Memphis wins the division by beating SMU this week. SMU would need to win AND hope East Carolina beats Memphis. Again, not likely.
Big XII: If Oklahoma beats TCU this weekend, they have the inside track. If TCU wins, they have the inside track. Iowa State holds tiebreakers on both, so if the Cyclones win out AND the Oklahoma/TCU winner loses later, Iowa State can capture the crown. West Virginia could win with an Oklahoma victory over TCU and the Mountaineers winning out, as they finish the season against Oklahoma.
Big Ten West: Wisconsin has this in the bag. A Badgers win OR Northwestern loss gives them the division.
Big Ten East: This past weekend's games sent this one into chaos. Michigan State actually controls here. They have already beaten both Michigan and Penn State. If the Spartans can beat Ohio State this weekend, they'd have to lose BOTH of their remaining games (against Maryland and Rutgers) to miss the division title. An Ohio State win makes a messy four-way tie atop the division, but Ohio State would own the tiebreaker over two of them. Ohio State beating Michigan at the end of the season would then give them the division title.
Conference USA East: The Florida Atlantic Owls lead, and one more win for them removes everyone except Florida International from contention. The Owls face them in two weeks, and can eliminate them with a win. Florida International needs to win out or hope either Louisiana Tech or Charlotte upset the Owls.
Conference USA West: If North Texas beats UTEP this weekend (highly likely, since UTEP hasn't won a conference game), they win the division. Anyone else needs North Texas to lose to both UTEP and Rice, which is not a likely scenario.
MAC West: Toledo owns this division. Northern Illinois would need to win out AND have Toledo lose twice. Central Michigan would need to win out AND have Toledo lose all of their remaining games. Western Michigan, who plays Toledo to close the season, would need to win out AND have Toledo lose once before their contest.
MAC East: Ohio and Akron are tied, and they face each other in two weeks. Akron actually has the better schedule, as Ohio faces Toledo this week. If Ohio loses, they need to beat Akron and Buffalo to win. Akron just needs to beat Ohio.
Mountain West West: Fresno State needs to win their next two games to clinch the division. San Diego State needs to win out AND have Fresno State lose twice. UNLV also needs to win out AND have Fresno State lose twice.
Mountain West Mountain: Boise State wins the division with two more wins. A win this week over Colorado State leaves Wyoming as the only other team with a shot. They'd need to win out AND have Boise lose twice.
Pac-12 North: If Washington beats Stanford this week, Stanford is eliminated. Washington wins if they win out. Since the season closes with the Battle of Washington, Washington State can win if they win out.
Pac-12 South: USC would have to lose BOTH of their remaining games AND either Arizona or Arizona State win out for them to lose the title.
SEC West: The Tide needs to beat both Mississippi State and Auburn to win. If AUburn wins out, they win the division. The Bulldogs can win by upsetting Alabama AND winning out AND Auburn beating Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
SEC East: Georgia won it
Sun Belt: Arkansas State wins by winning out. Troy wins by winning out, as they play Arkansas State in the last week. Appalachian State and Georgia State need to win out AND hope both Arkansas State and Troy lose twice.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) [1]
2. Georgia Bulldogs (9-0) [2]
3. Wisconsin Badgers (9-0) [4]
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1) [7]
5. Washington Huskies (8-1) [10]
6. Clemson Tigers (8-1) [6]
7. Oklahoma Sooners (8-1) [12]
8. UCF Golden Knights (8-1) [8]
9. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2) [5]
10. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2) [3]
11. Auburn Tigers (7-2) [14]
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2) [9]
13. TCU Horned Frogs (8-1) [13]
14. Miami Hurricanes (8-0) [15]
15. Virginia Tech Hokies (7-2) [11]
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-2) [18]
17. South Florida Bulls (8-1) [20]
18. USC Trojans (8-2) [21]
19. Michigan Wolverines (7-2) [23]
20. Washington State Cougars (8-2) [22]
21. Toledo Rockets (8-1) [24]
22. Memphis Tigers (8-1) [25]
23. Stanford Cardinal (6-3) [17]
24. Boise State Broncos (7-2) [NR]
25. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3) [NR]
Dropped off: Iowa State Cyclones [#16], Arizona Wildcats [#19]
On the Edge: Ohio Bobcats (7-2), San Diego State Aztecs (8-2), Michigan State Spartans (7-2), Army Black Knights (7-2), Troy Trojans (7-2), West Virginia Mountaineers (6-3), Northwestern Wildcats (6-3), North Carolina State Wolfpack (6-3), Houston Cougars (6-3)
Upset Alert
I mentioned the two Big Ten upsets. Michigan State's defense held Saquon Barkley and propelled them past Penn State. Iowa had their best game of the season, forcing four JT Barrett interceptions and blasting the Buckeyes. There were other interesting upsets, though. Baylor won their first game of the season by knocking off Kansas. Florida State surprised Syracuse, and Vanderbilt beat Western Kentucky.
Title Races
Atlantic Coast Coastal: Miami has really established themselves as the front-runner here. A victory over Virginia in two weeks will clinch it. I doubt Miami will be unbeaten, though, as Notre Dame should beat them this week, giving Clemson a still-feasible run at the playoffs.
Atlantic Coast Atlantic: This one goes to Clemson with either a win this week against Florida State or a loss to NC State. NC State needs to win out AND hope for a Florida State upset. Nobody else has a shot.
American Athletic East: UCF leads and has a couple of easy games against UConn and Temple before facing South Florida. If the Bulls contiue to win, that game will determine the division. Nobody else has a chance.
American Athletic West: Memphis leads and holds the tiebreaker over Houston, so Houston needs Memphis to lose both of their remaining games. Since one is against East Carolina, I don't see that happening. Memphis wins the division by beating SMU this week. SMU would need to win AND hope East Carolina beats Memphis. Again, not likely.
Big XII: If Oklahoma beats TCU this weekend, they have the inside track. If TCU wins, they have the inside track. Iowa State holds tiebreakers on both, so if the Cyclones win out AND the Oklahoma/TCU winner loses later, Iowa State can capture the crown. West Virginia could win with an Oklahoma victory over TCU and the Mountaineers winning out, as they finish the season against Oklahoma.
Big Ten West: Wisconsin has this in the bag. A Badgers win OR Northwestern loss gives them the division.
Big Ten East: This past weekend's games sent this one into chaos. Michigan State actually controls here. They have already beaten both Michigan and Penn State. If the Spartans can beat Ohio State this weekend, they'd have to lose BOTH of their remaining games (against Maryland and Rutgers) to miss the division title. An Ohio State win makes a messy four-way tie atop the division, but Ohio State would own the tiebreaker over two of them. Ohio State beating Michigan at the end of the season would then give them the division title.
Conference USA East: The Florida Atlantic Owls lead, and one more win for them removes everyone except Florida International from contention. The Owls face them in two weeks, and can eliminate them with a win. Florida International needs to win out or hope either Louisiana Tech or Charlotte upset the Owls.
Conference USA West: If North Texas beats UTEP this weekend (highly likely, since UTEP hasn't won a conference game), they win the division. Anyone else needs North Texas to lose to both UTEP and Rice, which is not a likely scenario.
MAC West: Toledo owns this division. Northern Illinois would need to win out AND have Toledo lose twice. Central Michigan would need to win out AND have Toledo lose all of their remaining games. Western Michigan, who plays Toledo to close the season, would need to win out AND have Toledo lose once before their contest.
MAC East: Ohio and Akron are tied, and they face each other in two weeks. Akron actually has the better schedule, as Ohio faces Toledo this week. If Ohio loses, they need to beat Akron and Buffalo to win. Akron just needs to beat Ohio.
Mountain West West: Fresno State needs to win their next two games to clinch the division. San Diego State needs to win out AND have Fresno State lose twice. UNLV also needs to win out AND have Fresno State lose twice.
Mountain West Mountain: Boise State wins the division with two more wins. A win this week over Colorado State leaves Wyoming as the only other team with a shot. They'd need to win out AND have Boise lose twice.
Pac-12 North: If Washington beats Stanford this week, Stanford is eliminated. Washington wins if they win out. Since the season closes with the Battle of Washington, Washington State can win if they win out.
Pac-12 South: USC would have to lose BOTH of their remaining games AND either Arizona or Arizona State win out for them to lose the title.
SEC West: The Tide needs to beat both Mississippi State and Auburn to win. If AUburn wins out, they win the division. The Bulldogs can win by upsetting Alabama AND winning out AND Auburn beating Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
SEC East: Georgia won it
Sun Belt: Arkansas State wins by winning out. Troy wins by winning out, as they play Arkansas State in the last week. Appalachian State and Georgia State need to win out AND hope both Arkansas State and Troy lose twice.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
NFL 2017 Week 9 picks
I apologize to everyone for last week's missing column. I thought sure I had posted it! All I can say is that it has been a busy couple of weeks. Strangely, it was a near-perfect week of picks! Hopefully that means I'm getting the hang of the quirks of 2017.
Thurs Nov 2
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets: While the Jets have not been the pathetic weaklings I predicted, they haven't been having a stellar season. The Bills, on the other hand, have been doing very well, posting one of the better records in the league. Their offense is working, and it's working better than the Jets. BILLS
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers: These two teams are fairly evenly matched, so this will likely be a close games. In close games, the Panthers have the edge. Furthermore, if the fourth quarter is going to make a difference in this game, I certainly favor the Panthers. PANTHERS
Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans: The Titans have been doing very well this season, but the Ravens are starting to find their footing. Furthermore, QB Joe Flacco is expected back for this game. That should motivate their defense as well, giving them enough emphasis to pull out a victory. RAVENS
Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars: Nobody has been demonstrating that preseason performance is a poor indication of regular season performance than Jaguars QB Blake Bortles. He struggled mightily through preseason, but has been leading this team to a excellent season. Andy Dalton, on the other hand, has not been helping the Bengals much. JAGUARS
Denver Broncos at Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles lead the league, and their massive offense has been a major reason. The Broncos have a stingy defense, but I don't think they are strong enough to keep the Eagles at a level for their inconsistent offense to win. EAGLES
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans: The Texans may be missing some key defensive pieces, but they won't need them to win this game. The Colts have been atrocious, and their porous defense would even allow Tom Savage to score. TEXANS
Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants: The Giants are really having troubles this season. Now they face a talented Rams defense and an offense augmented by a well-trained Jared Goff. The Rams are winning by pure force. RAMS
Tampa Bay Bucs at New Orleans Saints: The Saints have been a bit inconsistent this season, but they haven't lost offensive power. Their problems have often come on the heels of mistakes. Tampa Bay can cause opponents to make mistakes, but the Saints have recently been getting a handle on that, so they should win this game. SAINTS
Sunday late games
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers are struggling mightily this season. The Cardinals are not operating as smoothly as they have in recent years, but they certainly can get past the hapless 49ers. CARDINALS
Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys: It looks like Dallas will be without the services of Zeke Elliot. While he has not been contributing as much to the offense as he did last season, he adds a spirit to the team that will be missing. Expect the Chiefs to exploit that. CHIEFS
Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks: The Redskins stumble when they face a strong defense, and that defines the Seahawks. Add in the fact that no team has a better home record over the past two seasons as Seattle, and things look dim for Kurt Cousins and company. SEAHAWKS
Sunday night
Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins: Jay Cutler found new life in Miami, but he's now out with injury, and the QB carousel begins in Miami. With Derek Carr back, Oakland is secure. RAIDERS
Monday Night Football
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers: If Aaron Rodgers were playing, I'd pick the Packers with no hesitation. His absence, though, as severely limited the offense. The Lions haven't looked too good this season, but their defense should sufficiently shut down the depowered Packers offense enough for the Lions to win. LIONS
Thurs Nov 2
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets: While the Jets have not been the pathetic weaklings I predicted, they haven't been having a stellar season. The Bills, on the other hand, have been doing very well, posting one of the better records in the league. Their offense is working, and it's working better than the Jets. BILLS
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers: These two teams are fairly evenly matched, so this will likely be a close games. In close games, the Panthers have the edge. Furthermore, if the fourth quarter is going to make a difference in this game, I certainly favor the Panthers. PANTHERS
Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans: The Titans have been doing very well this season, but the Ravens are starting to find their footing. Furthermore, QB Joe Flacco is expected back for this game. That should motivate their defense as well, giving them enough emphasis to pull out a victory. RAVENS
Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars: Nobody has been demonstrating that preseason performance is a poor indication of regular season performance than Jaguars QB Blake Bortles. He struggled mightily through preseason, but has been leading this team to a excellent season. Andy Dalton, on the other hand, has not been helping the Bengals much. JAGUARS
Denver Broncos at Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles lead the league, and their massive offense has been a major reason. The Broncos have a stingy defense, but I don't think they are strong enough to keep the Eagles at a level for their inconsistent offense to win. EAGLES
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans: The Texans may be missing some key defensive pieces, but they won't need them to win this game. The Colts have been atrocious, and their porous defense would even allow Tom Savage to score. TEXANS
Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants: The Giants are really having troubles this season. Now they face a talented Rams defense and an offense augmented by a well-trained Jared Goff. The Rams are winning by pure force. RAMS
Tampa Bay Bucs at New Orleans Saints: The Saints have been a bit inconsistent this season, but they haven't lost offensive power. Their problems have often come on the heels of mistakes. Tampa Bay can cause opponents to make mistakes, but the Saints have recently been getting a handle on that, so they should win this game. SAINTS
Sunday late games
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers are struggling mightily this season. The Cardinals are not operating as smoothly as they have in recent years, but they certainly can get past the hapless 49ers. CARDINALS
Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys: It looks like Dallas will be without the services of Zeke Elliot. While he has not been contributing as much to the offense as he did last season, he adds a spirit to the team that will be missing. Expect the Chiefs to exploit that. CHIEFS
Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks: The Redskins stumble when they face a strong defense, and that defines the Seahawks. Add in the fact that no team has a better home record over the past two seasons as Seattle, and things look dim for Kurt Cousins and company. SEAHAWKS
Sunday night
Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins: Jay Cutler found new life in Miami, but he's now out with injury, and the QB carousel begins in Miami. With Derek Carr back, Oakland is secure. RAIDERS
Monday Night Football
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers: If Aaron Rodgers were playing, I'd pick the Packers with no hesitation. His absence, though, as severely limited the offense. The Lions haven't looked too good this season, but their defense should sufficiently shut down the depowered Packers offense enough for the Lions to win. LIONS
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