We had some weird results, like hapless Buffalo demolishing powerful Minnesota and Detroit overpowering New England. Patrick Mahomes continues to shine, and Miami is surprising at 3-0 (one of only three unbeaten teams). Cleveland won, so with their tie they are guaranteed to lose AT MOST the same number of games they lost two years ago, and are already 3x better than they were last year.
Top Ten [Last week]
1. Los Angeles Rams (3-0) [1]
2. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) [4] : If they and the Rams face off in the Super Bowl, that would be exciting!
3. Baltimore Ravens (2-1) [7]
4. Miami Dolphins (3-0) [5]
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) [3]
6. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) [2]
7. Tampa Bay Bucs (2-1) [6]
8. Washington Redskins (2-1) [14]
9. Chicago Bears (2-1) [13]
10. Tennessee Titans (2-1) [11]
Thurs night
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams: As much as I would love to see Kirk Cousins succeed, the Vikes go up against the juggernaut Rams. Both offensively and defensively, this team is solid, and they are knocking opponents around like bowling pins. Buffalo showed the Rams how to attack Minnesota, which will make this game tougher. RAMS, 35-13
Sunday early games
Buffalo Bills at Green Bay Packers: The Bills seemed to wake up last week, and the Pack already have injuries. That makes this game ripe for an upset. Still, it can be tough to play in Green Bay, so I'll give a slight edge to the feisty home team. PACK, 20-16
Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons are a talented team of underachievers, while the Bengals are playing per usual -- they do well in the regular season and then fade in postseason. BENGALS, 30-24
Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys: Detroit showed spunk against the Pats, but perhaps the Pats are just in a slump. Dallas is suffering at 1-2 as well, but they seem to have a better hold on their problems -- the offensive line. If they shore that up, they can win. COWBOYS, 20-16
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts: Geez, what has happened to the Texans? They have talent, they don't have too many injuries, but they cannot transfer that to the field. How wacky is that? COLTS, 24-20
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots: Which is stranger -- the Dolphins are 3-0 or the Pats are 1-2? How about the Pats at 1-3? If they don't improve their play, that's what I think will happen. DOLPHINS, 24-17
New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags and Titans seemed to play baseball last week, with a defensive 9-6 score. That stiff defense will give rookie Sam Darnold fits. JAGS, 20-13
Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans: The Titans could win this game, but the return of Carson Wentz will give a huge emotional boost to the Super Bowl Champs. EAGLES, 23-16
Tampa Bay Bucs at Chicago Bears: This game renews an old rivalry from the NFC Central days. The Bears defense is resembling the old Monsters of the Midway with Khalil Mack in there. Mitch Trubisky is not terrific, but he doesn't make as many mistakes as his predecessor, Jay Cutler. That would all be good, except for the tremendous job Fitzpatrick is doing leading the Bucs offense. The Bears might pull this one out, but I have to favor the powerful Bucs. BUCS, 31-27
Sunday late games
Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders: Want to know how terrible the Raiders are playing? I'm favoring the Browns. BROWNS, 20-16
New Orleans Saints at New York Giants: The Giants may have won a game, but I don't think they have sorted out their problems on either offense or defense. The latter will be a devastating disadvantage against the offensively strong Saints. SAINTS, 34-17
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Chargers: The 49ers are without Jimmy Garrofolo. Their offense won't be working. CHARGERS, 20-10
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are now the worst team in the league, thanks to the Bills' upset of the Vikings. As much as the Seahawks have struggled so far this season, they should win this game. SEAHAWKS, 23-16
Sunday night
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers still seem to be somewhat rattled, whether it is personal or personnel distractions. The Ravens are playing tight, and highly effective, football. RAVENS, 30-24
Monday Night Football
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos: Can anyone stop Patrick Mahomes? The Broncos will try, but I don't think they'll succeed. CHIEFS, 34-30
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
NCAA Football 2018 Week 5 picks
Thurs Sept 27
North Carolina Tar Heels at Miami Hurricanes: The Hurricanes have not been spectacular, but the 3-1 Canes have certainly shown more power on the field than the struggling Heels. MIAMI
Fri Sept 28
Memphis Tigers at Tulane Green Wave: Memphis has quietly been producing some excitement on the field while Tulane has looked pretty sad. MEMPHIS
UCLA Bruins at #12 Colorado Buffaloes: The Buffaloes get back to work after a bye week and they face the hapless Bruins. It has been a long time since the Bruins were the lone winless team in the conference, and that streak will continue this week. COLORADO
Sat Sept 29
Top 25
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: Another weak opponent for the Tide to crush. ALABAMA
#2 Ohio State Buckeyes at #3 Penn State Nittany Lions: Whoa, this might prove to be the best game all season so far! After a slow six quarters to start the season, Penn State has come alive. However, "Linebacker U" doesn't quite have as strong a graduating class as normal. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have the hottest QB in the conference and one of the best batch of clutch receivers. Combine that with two multi-purpose backs, and their offense will stretch that defense. Penn State's Trace McSorley has been looking good, but the Penn State offense isn't quite on par with Ohio State's. The home crowd, and the Nittany Lions drive to beat the Buckeyes, will help keep this close, but I expect Ohio State to edge this one out in the second half. OHIO STATE
Tennessee Volunteers at #4 Georgia Bulldogs: Tennessee hasn't been horrible, except in their lone conference game. Their second one won't be much better. GEORGIA
Baylor Bears at #5 Oklahoma Sooners: Baylor's 3-1 record makes them look better than they are. Duke exposed that, and Oklahoma will exploit that. OKLAHOMA
#16 Syracuse Orange at #6 Clemson Tigers: Syracuse beat Clemson last year, and they are hoping for a repeat of that. If this were last week, or if this game were in Syracuse, I would pick the Orange. However, Clemson finally got it together last week. Whether that was a fluke or not will depend on the play of new starter Trevor Lawrence. With former starter Kelly Bryant playing baby and missing practice, he probably won't be allowed to suit up, so Clemson is putting all of their eggs into the basket of the true freshman. We'll see if he can deliver. SYRACUSE in the upset
#7 Stanford Cardinal at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Cardinal looked sluggish last week against Oregon, although they eventually pulled out the win. The Irish finally looked strong, which they hadn't since the win over Michigan in Week 1. I think the Irish have turned the tide. NOTRE DAME
Ole Miss Rebels at #8 LSU Tigers: Although Ole Miss started with a win over Texas Tech, they were shellacked by Alabama, which seemed to shake them. They had a rocky start against Kent State, and they cannot afford to do that against LSU. LSU
Pittsburgh Panthers at #9 UCF Golden Knights: The Panthers will struggle to advance the ball against the extremely tough UCF defense. UCF
#10 West Virginia Mountaineers at Texas Tech Red Raiders: This is the Mountaineers' chance to really show that they can challenge Oklahoma. A win against the resurgent Raiders would show that they can stand up to a strong offense on a roll. With their defense, I think they can. WEST VIRGINIA
#13 Oregon Ducks at Cal Golden Bears: The Ducks offense was flying against Stanford last week. If they even show half that power this week, they will overwhelm the Bears. OREGON
#14 Michigan Wolverines at Northwestern Wildcats: Wither the Wildcats, this game will be a massacre. MICHIGAN
South Carolina Gamecocks at #17 Kentucky Wildcats: One Wildcats team may be down, but this one is a force! Kentucky is challenging Georgia for the division, and if they can avoid their typical conference collapse, they have the tools to do that. Getting past the Gamecocks will be an important step. KENTUCKY
Virginia Tech Hokies at #18 Duke Blue Devils: After last week's epic fail against winless Old Dominion, will anyone be picking the Hokies in the near future? DUKE
#20 Florida Gators at #23 Mississippi State Bulldogs: This could be a good game, but you are looking at two teams going in opposite directions. The Bulldogs started the season hot but have been going cold. Florida needed to warm up, and now they are doing great. I think both streaks will continue. FLORIDA
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at #21 Auburn Tigers: The normally competitive Golden Eagles are having a down year, so I don't think this game will be much of a challenge for the Tigers. AUBURN
Utah Utes at #22 Washington State Cougars: The Cougars need a strong win to recover from last week, but Utah may not make that too easy for them. Fortunately for the Cougars, this isn't a great year for the Utes, so they should capture the win, although it may be closer than they would like. WASHINGTON STATE
#24 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Kansas Jayhawks: After getting thoroughly trounced last week, only the most diehard Jayhawks fans will likely come to this game and watch it happen again. OKLAHOMA STATE
#25 Texas Longhorns at Kansas State Wildcats: Like Northwestern, here is another group of Wildcats who have been declawed. TEXAS
Big Ten
Central Michigan Chippewas at Michigan State Spartans: Sparty gets a break, and a big win to boot. MICHIGAN STATE
Indiana Hoosiers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Rutgers looks atrocious, which should give Indy a nice win. INDIANA
Purdue Boilermakers at Nebraska Cornhuskers: The Cornhuskers also look atrocious, which will allow Purdue to capture their second win in a row. PURDUE
Other Games of Interest
Arkansas Razorbacks at Texas A&M Aggies: Arkansas is the worst team in the SEC, so the Aggies get a nice easy win. TEXAS A&M
Army Black Knights at Buffalo Bulls: After what Army did against Oklahoma, you can bet the Bulls are worried, but I think they will pull it out to maintain their unbeaten record. BUFFALO
Virginia Cavaliers at NC State Wolf Pack: Virginia has quietly amassed a 3-1 record and threatening the top of the Coastal Division. Unbeaten NC State needs to bring the Cavs back down to earth. NC STATE
BYU Cougars at Washington Huskies: BYU is capable of pulling out the upset here, but I'll support the Huskies. WASHINGTON
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at North Texas Mean Green: The Mean Green should continue their unbeaten streak and put themselves at the top of the Conference USA West division. NORTH TEXAS
Toledo Rockets at Fresno State Bulldogs: I recently met a wonderful woman from Toledo who is a Rockets fan. I'd love to pick her team. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs are too good. FRESNO STATE
North Carolina Tar Heels at Miami Hurricanes: The Hurricanes have not been spectacular, but the 3-1 Canes have certainly shown more power on the field than the struggling Heels. MIAMI
Fri Sept 28
Memphis Tigers at Tulane Green Wave: Memphis has quietly been producing some excitement on the field while Tulane has looked pretty sad. MEMPHIS
UCLA Bruins at #12 Colorado Buffaloes: The Buffaloes get back to work after a bye week and they face the hapless Bruins. It has been a long time since the Bruins were the lone winless team in the conference, and that streak will continue this week. COLORADO
Sat Sept 29
Top 25
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: Another weak opponent for the Tide to crush. ALABAMA
#2 Ohio State Buckeyes at #3 Penn State Nittany Lions: Whoa, this might prove to be the best game all season so far! After a slow six quarters to start the season, Penn State has come alive. However, "Linebacker U" doesn't quite have as strong a graduating class as normal. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have the hottest QB in the conference and one of the best batch of clutch receivers. Combine that with two multi-purpose backs, and their offense will stretch that defense. Penn State's Trace McSorley has been looking good, but the Penn State offense isn't quite on par with Ohio State's. The home crowd, and the Nittany Lions drive to beat the Buckeyes, will help keep this close, but I expect Ohio State to edge this one out in the second half. OHIO STATE
Tennessee Volunteers at #4 Georgia Bulldogs: Tennessee hasn't been horrible, except in their lone conference game. Their second one won't be much better. GEORGIA
Baylor Bears at #5 Oklahoma Sooners: Baylor's 3-1 record makes them look better than they are. Duke exposed that, and Oklahoma will exploit that. OKLAHOMA
#16 Syracuse Orange at #6 Clemson Tigers: Syracuse beat Clemson last year, and they are hoping for a repeat of that. If this were last week, or if this game were in Syracuse, I would pick the Orange. However, Clemson finally got it together last week. Whether that was a fluke or not will depend on the play of new starter Trevor Lawrence. With former starter Kelly Bryant playing baby and missing practice, he probably won't be allowed to suit up, so Clemson is putting all of their eggs into the basket of the true freshman. We'll see if he can deliver. SYRACUSE in the upset
#7 Stanford Cardinal at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Cardinal looked sluggish last week against Oregon, although they eventually pulled out the win. The Irish finally looked strong, which they hadn't since the win over Michigan in Week 1. I think the Irish have turned the tide. NOTRE DAME
Ole Miss Rebels at #8 LSU Tigers: Although Ole Miss started with a win over Texas Tech, they were shellacked by Alabama, which seemed to shake them. They had a rocky start against Kent State, and they cannot afford to do that against LSU. LSU
Pittsburgh Panthers at #9 UCF Golden Knights: The Panthers will struggle to advance the ball against the extremely tough UCF defense. UCF
#10 West Virginia Mountaineers at Texas Tech Red Raiders: This is the Mountaineers' chance to really show that they can challenge Oklahoma. A win against the resurgent Raiders would show that they can stand up to a strong offense on a roll. With their defense, I think they can. WEST VIRGINIA
#13 Oregon Ducks at Cal Golden Bears: The Ducks offense was flying against Stanford last week. If they even show half that power this week, they will overwhelm the Bears. OREGON
#14 Michigan Wolverines at Northwestern Wildcats: Wither the Wildcats, this game will be a massacre. MICHIGAN
South Carolina Gamecocks at #17 Kentucky Wildcats: One Wildcats team may be down, but this one is a force! Kentucky is challenging Georgia for the division, and if they can avoid their typical conference collapse, they have the tools to do that. Getting past the Gamecocks will be an important step. KENTUCKY
Virginia Tech Hokies at #18 Duke Blue Devils: After last week's epic fail against winless Old Dominion, will anyone be picking the Hokies in the near future? DUKE
#20 Florida Gators at #23 Mississippi State Bulldogs: This could be a good game, but you are looking at two teams going in opposite directions. The Bulldogs started the season hot but have been going cold. Florida needed to warm up, and now they are doing great. I think both streaks will continue. FLORIDA
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at #21 Auburn Tigers: The normally competitive Golden Eagles are having a down year, so I don't think this game will be much of a challenge for the Tigers. AUBURN
Utah Utes at #22 Washington State Cougars: The Cougars need a strong win to recover from last week, but Utah may not make that too easy for them. Fortunately for the Cougars, this isn't a great year for the Utes, so they should capture the win, although it may be closer than they would like. WASHINGTON STATE
#24 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Kansas Jayhawks: After getting thoroughly trounced last week, only the most diehard Jayhawks fans will likely come to this game and watch it happen again. OKLAHOMA STATE
#25 Texas Longhorns at Kansas State Wildcats: Like Northwestern, here is another group of Wildcats who have been declawed. TEXAS
Big Ten
Central Michigan Chippewas at Michigan State Spartans: Sparty gets a break, and a big win to boot. MICHIGAN STATE
Indiana Hoosiers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Rutgers looks atrocious, which should give Indy a nice win. INDIANA
Purdue Boilermakers at Nebraska Cornhuskers: The Cornhuskers also look atrocious, which will allow Purdue to capture their second win in a row. PURDUE
Other Games of Interest
Arkansas Razorbacks at Texas A&M Aggies: Arkansas is the worst team in the SEC, so the Aggies get a nice easy win. TEXAS A&M
Army Black Knights at Buffalo Bulls: After what Army did against Oklahoma, you can bet the Bulls are worried, but I think they will pull it out to maintain their unbeaten record. BUFFALO
Virginia Cavaliers at NC State Wolf Pack: Virginia has quietly amassed a 3-1 record and threatening the top of the Coastal Division. Unbeaten NC State needs to bring the Cavs back down to earth. NC STATE
BYU Cougars at Washington Huskies: BYU is capable of pulling out the upset here, but I'll support the Huskies. WASHINGTON
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at North Texas Mean Green: The Mean Green should continue their unbeaten streak and put themselves at the top of the Conference USA West division. NORTH TEXAS
Toledo Rockets at Fresno State Bulldogs: I recently met a wonderful woman from Toledo who is a Rockets fan. I'd love to pick her team. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs are too good. FRESNO STATE
Monday, September 24, 2018
NCAA Football 2018 Week 4 result and Top 25
What the heck happened in the Big XII this week? I'll discuss in the conference report, but they decided that late October was too late to shake up the standings with upsets. Other upsets through off my Top 25, which was still not accurately reflective of some teams' performances due to hurricane-cancelled games and a bout with an FCS opponent, so there was only one FBS game in consideration. After this week, things should calm down, at least until these conference unbeatens start playing each other.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) [1]
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) [2]
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) [4]
4. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0) [6]
5. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0) [3]
6. Clemson Tigers (4-0) [17]
7. Stanford Cardinal (4-0) [7]
8. LSU Tigers (4-0) [8]
9. UCF Golden Knights (3-0) [9]
10. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0) [14]
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0) [19]
12. Colorado Buffaloes (3-0) [12]
13. Oregon Ducks (3-1) [13]
14. Michigan Wolverines (3-1) [NR]
15. Wisconsin Badgers (3-1) [22]
16. Syracuse Orange (4-0) [25]
17. Kentucky Wildcats (4-0) [NR]
18. Duke Blue Devils (4-0) [18]
19. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1) [16]
20. Florida Gators (3-1) [NR]
21. Auburn Tigers (3-1) [21]
22. Washington State Cougars (3-1) [10]
23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-1) [23]
24. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1) [11]
25. Texas Longhorns (3-1) [NR]
Dropped off: Virginia Tech Hokies [#5], TCU Horned Frogs [#15], Cincinnati Bearcats [#20], Minnesota Golden Gophers [#24]
On the Cusp: North Texas Mean Green (4-0), Fresno State Bulldogs (2-1), North Carolina State Wolf Pack (3-0), Maryland Terrapins (3-1), Texas A&M Aggies (2-2), Buffalo Bulls (4-0)
Big Ten Report
Things went pretty much as expected. Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan rolled. Rutgers lost big to Buffalo. Michigan State stepped up against Indiana. In what is becoming a recurring theme, Illinois self-destructs in the fourth quarter (this time they trailed Penn State only 28-24, but had three turnovers and allowed the Lions 5 touchdowns).
There were some surprises. Iowa was looking to demolish Wisconsin, then Wisconsin shut them down in the second half and came back to win. Maryland recovered from their embarrassing loss to upend the Golden Gophers. The big surprise, though, was Purdue. Expected to lose, and lose pretty big, to Boston College, instead the Boilermakers turned the tables and demolished THEM!
Pac-12 Report
Several teams had the week off. Washington continues to win unimpressively. Stanford and Oregon was a tight game, as I expected. I did not expect the Ducks to do so well against the Cardinal offense -- Oregon looks to be a tough team this year. USC redeemed themselves, and proved they may not be out of the race after all. They certainly sent Washington State's chances for a playoff bid down the drain.
SEC Report
The conference went pretty much as expected, except for one game. Kentucky demolished Mississippi State. The Bulldogs hold onto their Top 25 ranking due to lesser overall statistics from teams below them, but Kentucky has no lined themselves up to be Georgia's chief competition in the East, with Florida close behind.
ACC Report
Clemson finally had a decent performance, the same week Virginia Tech is clobbered. The Coastal Division looks like a shootout between Duke and Miami, while Syracuse or NC State are the Tigers only real competition in the Atlantic.
Big XII Report
Oklahoma looked weak in a challenge against Army, while Texas and Texas Tech showed signs of renewed life. West Virginia has been the most consistent team in this conference, but can they go the distance?
Group of 5 Report
Hawaii won, but struggled against FCS Duquesne. North Texas and Buffalo are strong competitors, and Utah State is a force. Notre Dame finally looked like a team the Irish should be.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) [1]
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) [2]
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) [4]
4. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0) [6]
5. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0) [3]
6. Clemson Tigers (4-0) [17]
7. Stanford Cardinal (4-0) [7]
8. LSU Tigers (4-0) [8]
9. UCF Golden Knights (3-0) [9]
10. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0) [14]
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0) [19]
12. Colorado Buffaloes (3-0) [12]
13. Oregon Ducks (3-1) [13]
14. Michigan Wolverines (3-1) [NR]
15. Wisconsin Badgers (3-1) [22]
16. Syracuse Orange (4-0) [25]
17. Kentucky Wildcats (4-0) [NR]
18. Duke Blue Devils (4-0) [18]
19. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1) [16]
20. Florida Gators (3-1) [NR]
21. Auburn Tigers (3-1) [21]
22. Washington State Cougars (3-1) [10]
23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-1) [23]
24. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1) [11]
25. Texas Longhorns (3-1) [NR]
Dropped off: Virginia Tech Hokies [#5], TCU Horned Frogs [#15], Cincinnati Bearcats [#20], Minnesota Golden Gophers [#24]
On the Cusp: North Texas Mean Green (4-0), Fresno State Bulldogs (2-1), North Carolina State Wolf Pack (3-0), Maryland Terrapins (3-1), Texas A&M Aggies (2-2), Buffalo Bulls (4-0)
Big Ten Report
Things went pretty much as expected. Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan rolled. Rutgers lost big to Buffalo. Michigan State stepped up against Indiana. In what is becoming a recurring theme, Illinois self-destructs in the fourth quarter (this time they trailed Penn State only 28-24, but had three turnovers and allowed the Lions 5 touchdowns).
There were some surprises. Iowa was looking to demolish Wisconsin, then Wisconsin shut them down in the second half and came back to win. Maryland recovered from their embarrassing loss to upend the Golden Gophers. The big surprise, though, was Purdue. Expected to lose, and lose pretty big, to Boston College, instead the Boilermakers turned the tables and demolished THEM!
Pac-12 Report
Several teams had the week off. Washington continues to win unimpressively. Stanford and Oregon was a tight game, as I expected. I did not expect the Ducks to do so well against the Cardinal offense -- Oregon looks to be a tough team this year. USC redeemed themselves, and proved they may not be out of the race after all. They certainly sent Washington State's chances for a playoff bid down the drain.
SEC Report
The conference went pretty much as expected, except for one game. Kentucky demolished Mississippi State. The Bulldogs hold onto their Top 25 ranking due to lesser overall statistics from teams below them, but Kentucky has no lined themselves up to be Georgia's chief competition in the East, with Florida close behind.
ACC Report
Clemson finally had a decent performance, the same week Virginia Tech is clobbered. The Coastal Division looks like a shootout between Duke and Miami, while Syracuse or NC State are the Tigers only real competition in the Atlantic.
Big XII Report
Oklahoma looked weak in a challenge against Army, while Texas and Texas Tech showed signs of renewed life. West Virginia has been the most consistent team in this conference, but can they go the distance?
Group of 5 Report
Hawaii won, but struggled against FCS Duquesne. North Texas and Buffalo are strong competitors, and Utah State is a force. Notre Dame finally looked like a team the Irish should be.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
NFL 2018 Week 2 results and Week 3 picks
Some things we have learned from the first two weeks of the season:
1. Patrick Mahomes looks like the real deal, and Sam Darnold looks like a rookie
2. The Cardinals offense is as dry as the Arizona desert
3. The Bills defense is on vacation, and the Lions defense seems to rooming with them
4. Tampa Bay is a serious offensive threat
5. Cincy is off to a hot start
6. The Browns are definitely an improved team
7. Young kickers are struggling
8. With the stiffest defense and a powerful offense, the Rams are the favorites for the Super Bowl right now
Let's look at the Top Ten:
1. LA Rams (2-0) : Proof that a strong defense helps an offense
2. Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) : Best team in the AFC North
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-0) : Another stiff defense
4. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) : How many records will Mahomes break this season?
5. Miami Dolphins (2-0) : Their defense gave Sam Darnold fits. We'll need a couple more weeks to see if that was typical of the defense, or typical of Darnold
6. Tampa Bay Bucs (2-0) : Who needs Jameis Winston? Keep Fitzpatrick under center even after his suspension is up
7. Baltimore Ravens (1-1)
8. New York Jets (1-1)
9. Denver Broncos (2-0) : Third consecutive 2-0 start
10. Minnesota Vikings (1-0-1) : Kirk Cousins seems to be the spark they need
Week 3 picks:
Thursday night
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns: How improved are the Browns? Would you believe I favor them in this game? Yes, they haven't won a game yet, but they tied the Steelers and would have beaten the Saints if not for a spotty young placekicker. Now that the Browns know they cannot rely on the kicking game, they'll be even more aggressive on offense, and that's something the Jets have trouble defending. BROWNS, 20-17
Sunday early games
Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings: The Bills defense is non-existent, so this should be a stellar day for Kirk Cousins and the Vikings. Josh Allen is showing much more promise than Nathan Peterman, but he still needs some work. VIKINGS, 41-13
Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers: The Bengals are clicking. They have some excellent synergism on this team, at least until someone gets injured. The Panthers are still dealing with some personalities and position changes. BENGALS, 24-20
Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens: Whoa, this game could get interesting! The Ravens offense has been competent, while the Broncos have been inconsistent, but showing flashes of brilliance. The Broncos defense has improved, but the Ravens D remains tough. I'll favor the home team, but this one could really go either way. RAVENS, 26-24
Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins: Ok, so Aaron Rodgers has shown that playing on the knee injury against the Bears might have been worthwhile. He has been able to turn two games that should have been losses into a 1-0-1 record. Now, however, that injury is starting to nag at him. It already slowed his mobility last week, and I think that'll get worse this week. That should give the Redskins defense a chance to cause some mayhem, enough to win the game. REDSKINS, 23-17
Indianapolis Colts at Philadelphia Eagles: Philly hasn't quite looked like a defending Super Bowl Champion, but they should against the Colts, who don't quite have things worked out yet. EAGLES, 21-17
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons: The Saints powerful offense has sputtered a bit recently, and their defense is out to lunch. That gives Matt Ryan and company plenty of chances to excel. FALCONS, 30-24
New York Giants at Houston Texans: Neither team has looked stellar in the past two weeks, but at least the Texans have some decent defensive players to fall back on. The Giants have Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham, but the Texans will find ways to limit their contributions. TEXANS, 23-10
Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins: Jon Gruden is discovering that it is much more complicated coaching in today's NFL than it was before. He doesn't seem to adjust quickly enough, and cannot find the right scheme for this players to excel. The Dolphins, in the meantime, have found some consistency, and that is leading to confidence. DOLPHINS, 24-17
San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs: Another chance for Patrick Mahomes to shine! The 49ers defense isn't quite as sharp as it has been, so the Chiefs get a great chance to score. The Chiefs defense isn't great, so Jimmy Garopollo will have a good game, but not as good as Mahomes. CHIEFS, 37-27
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags have a bit of an offense to go with their stiff defense. The Titans offense is good, but not consistent enough to count on. JAGS, 23-17
Sunday late games
Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals: The Bears won't even great contributions by Khalil Mack in order to beat the sagging Cardinals, but they'll get ones anyway. BEARS, 23-10
Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks: Boy, this game is a tough one to call. Neither team is living up to potential. The Seahawks tend to play better at home, but the Cowboys are starting to gel. How quickly will be the question. I'll pick the Cowboys, mainly because the Seahawks love to make me wrong. COWBOYS, 24-20
Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams: The Battle for LA won't be close. Both teams have great defense, and Philip Rivers has the Chargers offense rolling well, the Rams are just too solid a team. RAMS, 27-17
Sunday night
New England Patriots at Detroit Lions: The Lions are looking a bit clawless, especially on defense. The Patriots should have a great opportunity to bounce back from last week. PATS, 27-13
Monday Night Football
Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Steelers tend to play well on Monday Night Football, but this year's batch seems to missing some sparks. On the other hand, the Bucs are raiding everyone's turf, and tearing it up. BUCS, 30-16
1. Patrick Mahomes looks like the real deal, and Sam Darnold looks like a rookie
2. The Cardinals offense is as dry as the Arizona desert
3. The Bills defense is on vacation, and the Lions defense seems to rooming with them
4. Tampa Bay is a serious offensive threat
5. Cincy is off to a hot start
6. The Browns are definitely an improved team
7. Young kickers are struggling
8. With the stiffest defense and a powerful offense, the Rams are the favorites for the Super Bowl right now
Let's look at the Top Ten:
1. LA Rams (2-0) : Proof that a strong defense helps an offense
2. Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) : Best team in the AFC North
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-0) : Another stiff defense
4. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) : How many records will Mahomes break this season?
5. Miami Dolphins (2-0) : Their defense gave Sam Darnold fits. We'll need a couple more weeks to see if that was typical of the defense, or typical of Darnold
6. Tampa Bay Bucs (2-0) : Who needs Jameis Winston? Keep Fitzpatrick under center even after his suspension is up
7. Baltimore Ravens (1-1)
8. New York Jets (1-1)
9. Denver Broncos (2-0) : Third consecutive 2-0 start
10. Minnesota Vikings (1-0-1) : Kirk Cousins seems to be the spark they need
Week 3 picks:
Thursday night
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns: How improved are the Browns? Would you believe I favor them in this game? Yes, they haven't won a game yet, but they tied the Steelers and would have beaten the Saints if not for a spotty young placekicker. Now that the Browns know they cannot rely on the kicking game, they'll be even more aggressive on offense, and that's something the Jets have trouble defending. BROWNS, 20-17
Sunday early games
Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings: The Bills defense is non-existent, so this should be a stellar day for Kirk Cousins and the Vikings. Josh Allen is showing much more promise than Nathan Peterman, but he still needs some work. VIKINGS, 41-13
Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers: The Bengals are clicking. They have some excellent synergism on this team, at least until someone gets injured. The Panthers are still dealing with some personalities and position changes. BENGALS, 24-20
Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens: Whoa, this game could get interesting! The Ravens offense has been competent, while the Broncos have been inconsistent, but showing flashes of brilliance. The Broncos defense has improved, but the Ravens D remains tough. I'll favor the home team, but this one could really go either way. RAVENS, 26-24
Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins: Ok, so Aaron Rodgers has shown that playing on the knee injury against the Bears might have been worthwhile. He has been able to turn two games that should have been losses into a 1-0-1 record. Now, however, that injury is starting to nag at him. It already slowed his mobility last week, and I think that'll get worse this week. That should give the Redskins defense a chance to cause some mayhem, enough to win the game. REDSKINS, 23-17
Indianapolis Colts at Philadelphia Eagles: Philly hasn't quite looked like a defending Super Bowl Champion, but they should against the Colts, who don't quite have things worked out yet. EAGLES, 21-17
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons: The Saints powerful offense has sputtered a bit recently, and their defense is out to lunch. That gives Matt Ryan and company plenty of chances to excel. FALCONS, 30-24
New York Giants at Houston Texans: Neither team has looked stellar in the past two weeks, but at least the Texans have some decent defensive players to fall back on. The Giants have Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham, but the Texans will find ways to limit their contributions. TEXANS, 23-10
Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins: Jon Gruden is discovering that it is much more complicated coaching in today's NFL than it was before. He doesn't seem to adjust quickly enough, and cannot find the right scheme for this players to excel. The Dolphins, in the meantime, have found some consistency, and that is leading to confidence. DOLPHINS, 24-17
San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs: Another chance for Patrick Mahomes to shine! The 49ers defense isn't quite as sharp as it has been, so the Chiefs get a great chance to score. The Chiefs defense isn't great, so Jimmy Garopollo will have a good game, but not as good as Mahomes. CHIEFS, 37-27
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags have a bit of an offense to go with their stiff defense. The Titans offense is good, but not consistent enough to count on. JAGS, 23-17
Sunday late games
Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals: The Bears won't even great contributions by Khalil Mack in order to beat the sagging Cardinals, but they'll get ones anyway. BEARS, 23-10
Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks: Boy, this game is a tough one to call. Neither team is living up to potential. The Seahawks tend to play better at home, but the Cowboys are starting to gel. How quickly will be the question. I'll pick the Cowboys, mainly because the Seahawks love to make me wrong. COWBOYS, 24-20
Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams: The Battle for LA won't be close. Both teams have great defense, and Philip Rivers has the Chargers offense rolling well, the Rams are just too solid a team. RAMS, 27-17
Sunday night
New England Patriots at Detroit Lions: The Lions are looking a bit clawless, especially on defense. The Patriots should have a great opportunity to bounce back from last week. PATS, 27-13
Monday Night Football
Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Steelers tend to play well on Monday Night Football, but this year's batch seems to missing some sparks. On the other hand, the Bucs are raiding everyone's turf, and tearing it up. BUCS, 30-16
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
NCAA Football 2018 Week 4 picks
Thurs Sept 20
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Temple Owls: The Owls can be inconsistent, but they showed muscle last week. I think they'll back that up with a win this week. TEMPLE
Fri Sept 21
Florida Atlantic Owls at #9 UCF Golden Knights: The Knights had an unexpected week off, so they are itching to get back onto the field. The Owls won't stand a chance. UCF
#4 Penn State Nittany Lions at Illinois Fighting Illini: Speaking of a team who won't stand a chance, my Illini are going to get creamed. Do I really want to watch this debacle? Where's my Alka-Setzer! PENN STATE
#10 Washington State Cougars at USC Trojans: All three Friday games stand a chance of being horribly one-sided. This one might be the closest, and the Cougars should easily cruise to a 20-point win. WASHINGTON STATE
Sat Sept 22
Top 25
Texas A&M Aggies at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: Continuing from Friday, this will be another massively one-sided game. ALABAMA
Tulane Green Wave at #2 Ohio State Buckeyes: Urban Meyer returns to the sidelines, but do they really need him against Tulane? I'd suggest Urban take another week off and relax, his Buckeyes will easily roll over Tulane... in a massive wave! OHIO STATE
Army Black Knights at #3 Oklahoma Sooners: This one shouldn't be close, either, but after how well Iowa State played against the Sooners last week, this game might also be closer than it should. OKLAHOMA
#5 Virginia Tech Hokies at Old Dominion Flyers: Another team back from Hurricane Florence hiatus, this one will be a massive blowout. VIRGINIA TECH
#6 Georgia Bulldogs at Missouri Tigers: If Missouri can't play any better than they did last week against Purdue, Georgia will wrap this game up very early. GEORGIA
#7 Stanford Cardinal at #13 Oregon Ducks: Ah, finally a more challenging game! Stanford should win this one, but Oregon can play very tough, especially at home. Stanford needs to get Bryce Love going this game; the Cardinal cannot win in a passing showdown with the Ducks. STANFORD in a 3-point squeaker
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at #8 LSU Tigers: This one won't be close, either. LSU
Texas Tech Red Raiders at #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys: Both of these teams have dynamic offenses, so expect lots of scoring. The Cowboys have something resembling a defense, while Tech does not, so that edge belongs to the home team. OKLAHOMA STATE
Kansas State Wildcats at #14 West Virginia Mountaineers: West Virginia also had an extra week of conditioning before this game. I would have given the edge to the Mountaineers anyway, but now they should win even bigger. WEST VIRGINIA
#15 TCU Horned Frogs at Texas Longhorns: Texas redeemed themselves last week against USC, but I think that was more an indication of how poor the Trojans are this season than a real resurgence by Texas. They may make this game closer than TCU would like, but the Horned Frogs offense is just too fast for the Longhorns. TCU
#22 Wisconsin Badgers at #16 Iowa Hawkeyes: It has been many years since Wisconsin has lost two games in a row. Could it happen? If this game were played in Madison I would pick Wisconsin easily. However, it is a road game for the Badgers. Clearly Hornibrook is not a strong quarterback, and apparently this year's slate of runners is not the quality we have seen in previous seasons. Yes, the offensive line is partly to blame, but I remember runners like Ron Dayne who could run through a defensive on his own. The Badgers need that again. IOWA in a shocker
#17 Clemson Tigers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Clemson gets a nice easy draw before they face a strong Syracuse team next week. CLEMSON
North Carolina Central (FCS) at #18 Duke Blue Devils: DUKE
#19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Wake Forest Demon Deacons: This game has the makings to be very close! Wake Forest is a decent team, and the Irish have been underperforming so far this season. The Irish have played close games all year long, and I expect another one. NOTRE DAME
Ohio Bobcats at #20 Cincinnati Bearcats: On the other hand, this one won't be close. CINCINNATI
Arkansas Razorbacks at #21 Auburn Tigers: Arkansas might be hoping for the upset, but I wouldn't count on it. Auburn led for most of their game against LSU last week, so this batch of Tigers are a tough squad. AUBURN
#23 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats: Now THIS is a matchup! Truthfully, either team could win this game. The Bulldogs have a dynamic offense, but the Wildcats are scrappers, especially in the red zone. Mississippi State might need a couple of big plays to win, and they cannot turn the ball over. MISSISSIPPI STATE in a close one
#24 Minnesota Golden Gophers at Maryland Terrapins: Maryland was thoroughly embarrassed last week, but remember that they beat Texas. Of course, they beat Texas last year, too, and then struggled in Big Ten play. History might repeat itself. MINNESOTA
UConn Huskies at #25 Syracuse Orange: Not a very challenging prep game before Clemson. SYRACUSE
Big Ten
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Michigan Wolverines: The Cornhuskers are suffering, while Michigan seems like they have solved their early issues. MICHIGAN
Boston College Eagles at Purdue Boilermakers: Purdue nearly shocked Missouri last week, but I think BC will be more of a challenge. BOSTON COLLEGE
Buffalo Bulls at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Buffalo has a good team this year. Rutgers doesn't. BUFFALO in a shocker
Michigan State Spartans at Indiana Hoosiers: The Spartans had a bye week, but all the extra preparation in the world won't help against some of Indy's trick plays. The Spartans defense will need to force at least one turnover, and the offense has to improve over their previous two games. I think we will see some improvement; enough to win, but not enough to win comfortably. MICHIGAN STATE
Other Games of Note
Arizona State Sun Devils at Washington Huskies: The Huskies have played well enough to win, while the Sun Devils have hurt themselves. If they do that again, Washington will chew them alive. WASHINGTON
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Temple Owls: The Owls can be inconsistent, but they showed muscle last week. I think they'll back that up with a win this week. TEMPLE
Fri Sept 21
Florida Atlantic Owls at #9 UCF Golden Knights: The Knights had an unexpected week off, so they are itching to get back onto the field. The Owls won't stand a chance. UCF
#4 Penn State Nittany Lions at Illinois Fighting Illini: Speaking of a team who won't stand a chance, my Illini are going to get creamed. Do I really want to watch this debacle? Where's my Alka-Setzer! PENN STATE
#10 Washington State Cougars at USC Trojans: All three Friday games stand a chance of being horribly one-sided. This one might be the closest, and the Cougars should easily cruise to a 20-point win. WASHINGTON STATE
Sat Sept 22
Top 25
Texas A&M Aggies at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: Continuing from Friday, this will be another massively one-sided game. ALABAMA
Tulane Green Wave at #2 Ohio State Buckeyes: Urban Meyer returns to the sidelines, but do they really need him against Tulane? I'd suggest Urban take another week off and relax, his Buckeyes will easily roll over Tulane... in a massive wave! OHIO STATE
Army Black Knights at #3 Oklahoma Sooners: This one shouldn't be close, either, but after how well Iowa State played against the Sooners last week, this game might also be closer than it should. OKLAHOMA
#5 Virginia Tech Hokies at Old Dominion Flyers: Another team back from Hurricane Florence hiatus, this one will be a massive blowout. VIRGINIA TECH
#6 Georgia Bulldogs at Missouri Tigers: If Missouri can't play any better than they did last week against Purdue, Georgia will wrap this game up very early. GEORGIA
#7 Stanford Cardinal at #13 Oregon Ducks: Ah, finally a more challenging game! Stanford should win this one, but Oregon can play very tough, especially at home. Stanford needs to get Bryce Love going this game; the Cardinal cannot win in a passing showdown with the Ducks. STANFORD in a 3-point squeaker
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at #8 LSU Tigers: This one won't be close, either. LSU
Texas Tech Red Raiders at #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys: Both of these teams have dynamic offenses, so expect lots of scoring. The Cowboys have something resembling a defense, while Tech does not, so that edge belongs to the home team. OKLAHOMA STATE
Kansas State Wildcats at #14 West Virginia Mountaineers: West Virginia also had an extra week of conditioning before this game. I would have given the edge to the Mountaineers anyway, but now they should win even bigger. WEST VIRGINIA
#15 TCU Horned Frogs at Texas Longhorns: Texas redeemed themselves last week against USC, but I think that was more an indication of how poor the Trojans are this season than a real resurgence by Texas. They may make this game closer than TCU would like, but the Horned Frogs offense is just too fast for the Longhorns. TCU
#22 Wisconsin Badgers at #16 Iowa Hawkeyes: It has been many years since Wisconsin has lost two games in a row. Could it happen? If this game were played in Madison I would pick Wisconsin easily. However, it is a road game for the Badgers. Clearly Hornibrook is not a strong quarterback, and apparently this year's slate of runners is not the quality we have seen in previous seasons. Yes, the offensive line is partly to blame, but I remember runners like Ron Dayne who could run through a defensive on his own. The Badgers need that again. IOWA in a shocker
#17 Clemson Tigers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Clemson gets a nice easy draw before they face a strong Syracuse team next week. CLEMSON
North Carolina Central (FCS) at #18 Duke Blue Devils: DUKE
#19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Wake Forest Demon Deacons: This game has the makings to be very close! Wake Forest is a decent team, and the Irish have been underperforming so far this season. The Irish have played close games all year long, and I expect another one. NOTRE DAME
Ohio Bobcats at #20 Cincinnati Bearcats: On the other hand, this one won't be close. CINCINNATI
Arkansas Razorbacks at #21 Auburn Tigers: Arkansas might be hoping for the upset, but I wouldn't count on it. Auburn led for most of their game against LSU last week, so this batch of Tigers are a tough squad. AUBURN
#23 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats: Now THIS is a matchup! Truthfully, either team could win this game. The Bulldogs have a dynamic offense, but the Wildcats are scrappers, especially in the red zone. Mississippi State might need a couple of big plays to win, and they cannot turn the ball over. MISSISSIPPI STATE in a close one
#24 Minnesota Golden Gophers at Maryland Terrapins: Maryland was thoroughly embarrassed last week, but remember that they beat Texas. Of course, they beat Texas last year, too, and then struggled in Big Ten play. History might repeat itself. MINNESOTA
UConn Huskies at #25 Syracuse Orange: Not a very challenging prep game before Clemson. SYRACUSE
Big Ten
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Michigan Wolverines: The Cornhuskers are suffering, while Michigan seems like they have solved their early issues. MICHIGAN
Boston College Eagles at Purdue Boilermakers: Purdue nearly shocked Missouri last week, but I think BC will be more of a challenge. BOSTON COLLEGE
Buffalo Bulls at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Buffalo has a good team this year. Rutgers doesn't. BUFFALO in a shocker
Michigan State Spartans at Indiana Hoosiers: The Spartans had a bye week, but all the extra preparation in the world won't help against some of Indy's trick plays. The Spartans defense will need to force at least one turnover, and the offense has to improve over their previous two games. I think we will see some improvement; enough to win, but not enough to win comfortably. MICHIGAN STATE
Other Games of Note
Arizona State Sun Devils at Washington Huskies: The Huskies have played well enough to win, while the Sun Devils have hurt themselves. If they do that again, Washington will chew them alive. WASHINGTON
Sunday, September 16, 2018
NCAA Football 2018 Week 3 results and Top 25
We had some interesting matchups, and some interesting results. Most will be discussed in the conference reports, but some interesting takeaways: both USC and UCLA are already done for the season. Texas is recovering from their loss to Maryland, much like they did last year. And I was very impressed how so many schools put the safety of their players and fans ahead of sales and rankings when many Top 25 schools cancelled games threatened by Hurricane Florence. Sad we can't say the same thing about Georgia.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) [1] : Big gap between the Tide and everybody else in the Top Ten
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) [4]
3. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) [3]
4. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) [10] : It took their defense a game and a half to wake up, but now that they are awake, watch out!
5. Virginia Tech Hokies (2-0) [5] : Like all teams who cancelled due to Hurricane Florence, they did not move an inch on my rankings
6. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) [21]
7. Stanford Cardinal (3-0) [6]
8. LSU Tigers (3-0) [7]
9. UCF Golden Knights (2-0) [9]
10. Washington State Cougars (3-0) [11]
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-0) [NR]
12. Colorado Buffaloes (3-0) [12]
13. Oregon Ducks (3-0) [13]
14. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0) [14]
15. TCU Horned Frogs (2-1) [15]
16. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) [16]
17. Clemson Tigers (3-0) [NR]
18. Duke Blue Devils (3-0) [19]
19. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0) [17]
20. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-0) [20]
21. Auburn Tigers (2-1) [24]
22. Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) [2] : The loss to BYU results in one of the largest drops in the history of my rankings
23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-0) [23]
24. Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-0) [NR]
25. Syracuse Orange (3-0) [NR]
Dropped off: Boise State Broncos [#8], Houston Cougars [#18], Maryland Terrapins [#22], Arizona State Sun Devils [#25]
On the Edge: Fresno State Bulldogs (2-1), Michigan Wolverines (2-1), Kentucky Wildcats (3-0), Texas A&M Aggies (2-1), Texas Longhorns (2-1), North Texas Mean Green (3-0)
Big Ten Report
It was not a great week for the Big Ten, but it also wasn't as bad as ESPN reported. Of the top teams in the conference, only Wisconsin lost. Penn State, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan all won. Michigan's defense allowed SMU to score a bit too much, but the offense was really cooking. Ohio State did about as well as I expected. TCU is a quick strike team, while Ohio State does better in the second half. Indiana won as expected, too.
Rutgers lost, but that was expected. Illinois lost, but they led South Florida 19-7 in the fourth quarter. Like last year, the Illini have trouble closing games. Purdue lost, but they nearly beat Missouri; the go-ahead touchdown was called back, and the Boilermakers kicked a tying field goal with enough time on the clock for Missouri to get in field goal range.
So there were only four upsets, and I figured two of those games were risky. Northwestern had looked bad, while Akron looked good in their only appearance of the season. Indeed, Akron proved the better team, although Northwestern led in the first half and made a valient attempt at a fourth-quarter comeback. Nebraska looked poor in their game against Colorado, and their weaknesses were on full display in their loss to Troy. No, the real disappointments were Wisconsin and Maryland. Maryland's defeat was worse, as they were completed dominated. Wisconsin kept it close, but anytime the Badgers do not have more running yards than their opponent, something is amiss.
I still think Wisconsin might have the best chance to win their division, thanks to a favorable schedule, but Iowa stands a real chance of pulling it out, especially if they beat Wisconsin this week. Ohio State's only real challenge appears to be Penn State. The winner of the East should win the conference.
Pac-12 Report
You want a conference that had a bad day? Check out the Pac-12. USC and UCLA were atrocious, and the Bruins are officially the worst team in the conference. Arizona State suffered an upset, and both Oregon and Arizona allowed weak teams WAAAYYY too many points. Utah lost to Washington, whose only decent previous win was to FCS North Dakota. Even Stanford was not terribly impressive in their win over FCS UC Davis. The most consistent performer in this conference has been Colorado. Everyone else has faltered at some point, making it anyone's conference title. Unimpressive wins, though, will likely keep the Pac-12 out of the playoffs.
SEC Report
Arkansas and Ole Miss were the only two teams who played disastrously this week. Tennessee was okay, and the rest were outstanding, even in losses to Auburn and Vandy, who held their own exceptionally well. Definitely the best week of the season so far for the SEC.
ACC Report
Hurricane Florence tore into the southeast coast, cancelling many of this conference's games. At the same time, the Miami Hurricanes tore into Toledo and ripped apart the Rockets. Clemson, Duke, and Syracuse were also fabulous. The Florida State coach stated it best, "We are Florida State, and to be beaten by Syracuse is embarrassing." While I disagree that simply being beaten by Syracuse is embarrassing, as the Orange are playing quite well this season, it IS embarrassing to be thoroughly trounced by them! I don't care that North Carolina has the worst record right now in the conference, clearly the worst team is Florida State.
Big 12 Report
Not a bad week for most teams, even in loss. Iowa State made things difficult for Oklahoma, and TCU hung in against Ohio State. Oklahoma State had a massive game against Boise State, Texas demolished USC, Texas Tech knocked off Houston, and even Kansas shone. Despite Oklahoma's ranking, I think Oklahoma State is the most impressive team in the conference right now. We'll have to see how this one turns out in upcoming weeks.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) [1] : Big gap between the Tide and everybody else in the Top Ten
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) [4]
3. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) [3]
4. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) [10] : It took their defense a game and a half to wake up, but now that they are awake, watch out!
5. Virginia Tech Hokies (2-0) [5] : Like all teams who cancelled due to Hurricane Florence, they did not move an inch on my rankings
6. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) [21]
7. Stanford Cardinal (3-0) [6]
8. LSU Tigers (3-0) [7]
9. UCF Golden Knights (2-0) [9]
10. Washington State Cougars (3-0) [11]
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-0) [NR]
12. Colorado Buffaloes (3-0) [12]
13. Oregon Ducks (3-0) [13]
14. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0) [14]
15. TCU Horned Frogs (2-1) [15]
16. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) [16]
17. Clemson Tigers (3-0) [NR]
18. Duke Blue Devils (3-0) [19]
19. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0) [17]
20. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-0) [20]
21. Auburn Tigers (2-1) [24]
22. Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) [2] : The loss to BYU results in one of the largest drops in the history of my rankings
23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-0) [23]
24. Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-0) [NR]
25. Syracuse Orange (3-0) [NR]
Dropped off: Boise State Broncos [#8], Houston Cougars [#18], Maryland Terrapins [#22], Arizona State Sun Devils [#25]
On the Edge: Fresno State Bulldogs (2-1), Michigan Wolverines (2-1), Kentucky Wildcats (3-0), Texas A&M Aggies (2-1), Texas Longhorns (2-1), North Texas Mean Green (3-0)
Big Ten Report
It was not a great week for the Big Ten, but it also wasn't as bad as ESPN reported. Of the top teams in the conference, only Wisconsin lost. Penn State, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan all won. Michigan's defense allowed SMU to score a bit too much, but the offense was really cooking. Ohio State did about as well as I expected. TCU is a quick strike team, while Ohio State does better in the second half. Indiana won as expected, too.
Rutgers lost, but that was expected. Illinois lost, but they led South Florida 19-7 in the fourth quarter. Like last year, the Illini have trouble closing games. Purdue lost, but they nearly beat Missouri; the go-ahead touchdown was called back, and the Boilermakers kicked a tying field goal with enough time on the clock for Missouri to get in field goal range.
So there were only four upsets, and I figured two of those games were risky. Northwestern had looked bad, while Akron looked good in their only appearance of the season. Indeed, Akron proved the better team, although Northwestern led in the first half and made a valient attempt at a fourth-quarter comeback. Nebraska looked poor in their game against Colorado, and their weaknesses were on full display in their loss to Troy. No, the real disappointments were Wisconsin and Maryland. Maryland's defeat was worse, as they were completed dominated. Wisconsin kept it close, but anytime the Badgers do not have more running yards than their opponent, something is amiss.
I still think Wisconsin might have the best chance to win their division, thanks to a favorable schedule, but Iowa stands a real chance of pulling it out, especially if they beat Wisconsin this week. Ohio State's only real challenge appears to be Penn State. The winner of the East should win the conference.
Pac-12 Report
You want a conference that had a bad day? Check out the Pac-12. USC and UCLA were atrocious, and the Bruins are officially the worst team in the conference. Arizona State suffered an upset, and both Oregon and Arizona allowed weak teams WAAAYYY too many points. Utah lost to Washington, whose only decent previous win was to FCS North Dakota. Even Stanford was not terribly impressive in their win over FCS UC Davis. The most consistent performer in this conference has been Colorado. Everyone else has faltered at some point, making it anyone's conference title. Unimpressive wins, though, will likely keep the Pac-12 out of the playoffs.
SEC Report
Arkansas and Ole Miss were the only two teams who played disastrously this week. Tennessee was okay, and the rest were outstanding, even in losses to Auburn and Vandy, who held their own exceptionally well. Definitely the best week of the season so far for the SEC.
ACC Report
Hurricane Florence tore into the southeast coast, cancelling many of this conference's games. At the same time, the Miami Hurricanes tore into Toledo and ripped apart the Rockets. Clemson, Duke, and Syracuse were also fabulous. The Florida State coach stated it best, "We are Florida State, and to be beaten by Syracuse is embarrassing." While I disagree that simply being beaten by Syracuse is embarrassing, as the Orange are playing quite well this season, it IS embarrassing to be thoroughly trounced by them! I don't care that North Carolina has the worst record right now in the conference, clearly the worst team is Florida State.
Big 12 Report
Not a bad week for most teams, even in loss. Iowa State made things difficult for Oklahoma, and TCU hung in against Ohio State. Oklahoma State had a massive game against Boise State, Texas demolished USC, Texas Tech knocked off Houston, and even Kansas shone. Despite Oklahoma's ranking, I think Oklahoma State is the most impressive team in the conference right now. We'll have to see how this one turns out in upcoming weeks.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
NFL 2018 Week 2 picks
The results of Week 1 were just chaotic enough for me not to do a ranking yet. We'll wait until this week's results. A few things did stick out at me:
1. The Giants haven't fixed their woes from 2018
2. Sam Darnold played very well. Granted, the Lions defense played confused, but Darnold played brilliantly. I thought he might be the weakest of the rookie QBs -- I'll admit that I missed the mark on that prediction.
3. Detroit needs help!
4. Buffalo looks like a disasater
5. Khalil Mack really boosts the Bears defense. Yes, when Aaron Rodgers came back in the second half, he was able to keep Mack at bay, but few QBs are like Rodgers (and it cost him AT LEAST one game, as he aggravated that knee injury), so the Bears may be loaded... for Bear
Thursday night
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton and company looked pretty good against Indy, but Dalton threw two interceptions. The Ravens are better at causing turnovers, so game play like that is going to cost them. If Joe Flacco continues to play like he did last week, he'll keep Lamar Jackson playing running back instead of quarterback. RAVENS, 27-20
Sunday early games
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: Carolina beat Dallas, but their offense wasn't too hot. That is Carolina's "bread and butter", so that had better improve. Atlanta's offense is moving smoothly, which will allow them to coast to a win this week. FALCONS, 30-16
Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints: Wow, that Browns offense was pretty good! Since the Saints defense showed they can't stop opponents, Cleveland should have another good week. However, the Browns defense isn't great, and they won't be able to stop the massive onslaught of the Saints offense. SAINTS, 34-24
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans: Wow, this game could go either way. Neither QB was spectacular last week. Houston's defense did a fair job of slowing the Patriots, but they let too many big plays happen. I'm not sure Tennessee has too many big plays in them, though, so that defense should be enough to allow Houston to win. TEXANS, 20-16
Indianapolis Colts at Washington Redskins: Okay, maybe Alex Smith is a good match for this team after all! The bigger shocker, though, was the strength of the Redskins defense. THAT will be the difference in this game, as the Colts still try to sort out their offensive issues. REDSKINS, 24-13
Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers: Now we see if the Browns game was a fluke or not. The Steelers defense seems to understand old-style football, but the new-fangled quarterbacks confuse them. That's a bad sign when you are playing Patrick Mahomes, who was brilliant last week. I have to give the edge to KC. CHIEFS, 27-20
Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills: After watching the Bills last week, this one is a no-brainer. CHARGERS, 27-6
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets: These two teams usually generate a lot of offense when they meet, regardless of how the offenses have looked previously. The Jets poured it on last week, and Miami proved stronger than the Titans' defense. Except lots of points here. Sam Darnold impressed me, so I favor the home team in this scoreboard-churning encounter. JETS, 34-30
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers will not play, and he might be out for a couple of weeks. I understand why he wanted to play in the second half -- they were playing their hated rivals the Bears. However, he made the injury worse, and it could cost his team. It will show up this week, as the Pack defense cannot slow Kirk Cousins and the Vikings (they had trouble slowing the Bears in the first half last week, and their offense isn't nearly as good), and without a smooth offense to keep pace, the Pack are overmatched. VIKINGS, 30-10
Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Bucs: Wow, did Ryan Fitzpatrick have a great week last week! However, he has a history of inconsistency, and I think that will show up as he is pestered by the tough Eagles defense. Nick Foles is back, so expect some passes on the run. EAGLES, 27-17
Sunday late games
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams: Cards QB Sam Bradford is facing a former team, and the Cards hope that will spark some emotion. They need it, as he looked rather bland last week. I think the offense will get sparked, but not enough to overcome the stingy Rams defense. RAMS, 24-16
Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers: Someone bring an alarm clock to the Lions' hotel, the team needs a wake-up call! I saw perhaps one of the most lackluster performances from the Lions since Matthew Stafford arrived. If they don't get it together soon, they will suffer badly. The 49ers saw good play from Jimmy Garopollo, but not the type of stellar performances he engineered last year. Still, it'll be good enough against the anemic Lions defense. 49ERS, 24-10
New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars: We can't tell about the Jags defense, since the Giants played so poorly a high school team might have looked good. I can say that the offense was lacking, which gives a clear edge to the Pats in this game. PATRIOTS, 30-20
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos: The Raiders defense lost too much power from last year, as clearly demonstrated against the Rams. That will hurt them here, as the Broncos have the talent to move the ball. BRONCOS, 30-20
Sunday night
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys offense wasn't brilliant last week, but it was better than the Giants. COWBOYS, 23-10
Monday Night Football
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears: Geez, this is an interesting game to pick. The Bears typically do poorly on Monday night, and the Seahawks typically do poorly on the road. Seattle stepped it up last week on the road, but fell short. The Bears were impressive in the first half last week, but couldn't stop a motivated Aaron Rodgers. So which team will buck history more in this game? I think Seattle will show up well, but the difference will be the Mack Attack of new linebacker Khalil Mack. BEARS, 27-24
1. The Giants haven't fixed their woes from 2018
2. Sam Darnold played very well. Granted, the Lions defense played confused, but Darnold played brilliantly. I thought he might be the weakest of the rookie QBs -- I'll admit that I missed the mark on that prediction.
3. Detroit needs help!
4. Buffalo looks like a disasater
5. Khalil Mack really boosts the Bears defense. Yes, when Aaron Rodgers came back in the second half, he was able to keep Mack at bay, but few QBs are like Rodgers (and it cost him AT LEAST one game, as he aggravated that knee injury), so the Bears may be loaded... for Bear
Thursday night
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton and company looked pretty good against Indy, but Dalton threw two interceptions. The Ravens are better at causing turnovers, so game play like that is going to cost them. If Joe Flacco continues to play like he did last week, he'll keep Lamar Jackson playing running back instead of quarterback. RAVENS, 27-20
Sunday early games
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: Carolina beat Dallas, but their offense wasn't too hot. That is Carolina's "bread and butter", so that had better improve. Atlanta's offense is moving smoothly, which will allow them to coast to a win this week. FALCONS, 30-16
Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints: Wow, that Browns offense was pretty good! Since the Saints defense showed they can't stop opponents, Cleveland should have another good week. However, the Browns defense isn't great, and they won't be able to stop the massive onslaught of the Saints offense. SAINTS, 34-24
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans: Wow, this game could go either way. Neither QB was spectacular last week. Houston's defense did a fair job of slowing the Patriots, but they let too many big plays happen. I'm not sure Tennessee has too many big plays in them, though, so that defense should be enough to allow Houston to win. TEXANS, 20-16
Indianapolis Colts at Washington Redskins: Okay, maybe Alex Smith is a good match for this team after all! The bigger shocker, though, was the strength of the Redskins defense. THAT will be the difference in this game, as the Colts still try to sort out their offensive issues. REDSKINS, 24-13
Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers: Now we see if the Browns game was a fluke or not. The Steelers defense seems to understand old-style football, but the new-fangled quarterbacks confuse them. That's a bad sign when you are playing Patrick Mahomes, who was brilliant last week. I have to give the edge to KC. CHIEFS, 27-20
Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills: After watching the Bills last week, this one is a no-brainer. CHARGERS, 27-6
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets: These two teams usually generate a lot of offense when they meet, regardless of how the offenses have looked previously. The Jets poured it on last week, and Miami proved stronger than the Titans' defense. Except lots of points here. Sam Darnold impressed me, so I favor the home team in this scoreboard-churning encounter. JETS, 34-30
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers will not play, and he might be out for a couple of weeks. I understand why he wanted to play in the second half -- they were playing their hated rivals the Bears. However, he made the injury worse, and it could cost his team. It will show up this week, as the Pack defense cannot slow Kirk Cousins and the Vikings (they had trouble slowing the Bears in the first half last week, and their offense isn't nearly as good), and without a smooth offense to keep pace, the Pack are overmatched. VIKINGS, 30-10
Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Bucs: Wow, did Ryan Fitzpatrick have a great week last week! However, he has a history of inconsistency, and I think that will show up as he is pestered by the tough Eagles defense. Nick Foles is back, so expect some passes on the run. EAGLES, 27-17
Sunday late games
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams: Cards QB Sam Bradford is facing a former team, and the Cards hope that will spark some emotion. They need it, as he looked rather bland last week. I think the offense will get sparked, but not enough to overcome the stingy Rams defense. RAMS, 24-16
Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers: Someone bring an alarm clock to the Lions' hotel, the team needs a wake-up call! I saw perhaps one of the most lackluster performances from the Lions since Matthew Stafford arrived. If they don't get it together soon, they will suffer badly. The 49ers saw good play from Jimmy Garopollo, but not the type of stellar performances he engineered last year. Still, it'll be good enough against the anemic Lions defense. 49ERS, 24-10
New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars: We can't tell about the Jags defense, since the Giants played so poorly a high school team might have looked good. I can say that the offense was lacking, which gives a clear edge to the Pats in this game. PATRIOTS, 30-20
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos: The Raiders defense lost too much power from last year, as clearly demonstrated against the Rams. That will hurt them here, as the Broncos have the talent to move the ball. BRONCOS, 30-20
Sunday night
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys offense wasn't brilliant last week, but it was better than the Giants. COWBOYS, 23-10
Monday Night Football
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears: Geez, this is an interesting game to pick. The Bears typically do poorly on Monday night, and the Seahawks typically do poorly on the road. Seattle stepped it up last week on the road, but fell short. The Bears were impressive in the first half last week, but couldn't stop a motivated Aaron Rodgers. So which team will buck history more in this game? I think Seattle will show up well, but the difference will be the Mack Attack of new linebacker Khalil Mack. BEARS, 27-24
Sunday, September 9, 2018
NCAA Football Week 3 picks
Thurs Sept 13
Boston College Eagles at Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Both of these teams have shown up well in non-conference play so far, but Boston College certainly seems to be the stronger team. How much will home field help the Demon Deacons? Not enough, I fear. BOSTON COLLEGE
Fri Sept 14
Georgia State Eagles at Memphis Tigers: Georgia State has been impressive so far, but their opponents aren't as strong as those of Memphis. The Tigers led Navy for most of the game last week, and that's no small feat. MEMPHIS
Sat Sept 15
Top 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Ole Miss Rebels: Bama heads into conference play, and the Rebels are their first target. Ole Miss has looked good so far this season, but the Tide will prove too much for them. ALABAMA
BYU Cougars at #2 Wisconsin Badgers: Some pundits at ESPN are predicting a BYU upset, but we know what they think of the Big Ten. The Badgers play a bruising style of "beat 'em, exhaust 'em, run over 'em" that the leaner Cougars will not be able to overcome. The Badgers defense needs some work, so BYU will score (perhaps as much as 20 points), but Wisconsin will rarely punt this game. WISCONSIN
#3 Oklahoma Sooners at Iowa State Cyclones: The Cyclones couldn't generate much offense against Iowa. Their defense showed life, but that defense won't be able to stop the powerful Sooners. OKLAHOMA
#4 Ohio State Buckeyes at #15 TCU Horned Frogs: TCU doesn't have much of a defense, so they won't be able to stop this barnstorming offense of the Buckeyes. TCU has a strong offense, so they may nearly keep pace with the Buckeyes in the first half, but Ohio State makes great corrections at halftime, so TCU will find themselves shut down and overwhelmed. OHIO STATE
East Carolina Pirates at #5 Virginia Tech Hokies: The Hokies know they need to win each and every game to have a shot at the playoffs, so that journey starts here. The Pirates defense can be tough, but their offense is a bit lacking, which gives the Hokies their opening. VIRGINIA TECH
UC Davis at #6 Stanford Cardinal: Do I really need to state my pick for this one? STANFORD
#7 LSU Tigers at #24 Auburn Tigers: Ooh, this one should be exciting! LSU has certainly played better, but as we have seen in recent years, Auburn can be a real terror at home. Will that terror transform into a win? It might, but I'll give LSU the edge. Regardless of the winner, this will be a close game. LSU
#8 Boise State Broncos at Oklahoma State Cowboys: This is the first real test for both teams. Never underestimate Boise State, but the Cowboys KNOW that. Their experience being burned by the Broncos could help them prepare, but the Broncos always have a couple of tricks up their sleeves. BOISE STATE
#9 UCF Golden Knights at North Carolina Tar Heels: No contest. North Carolina is really down, while UCF shows the same power they possessed last season. UCF
Kent State Golden Flashes at #10 Penn State Nittany Lions: Easy game for the Lions. PENN STATE
Eastern Washington (FCS) at #11 Washington State Cougars: Ditto for the Cougars. WASHINGTON STATE
New Hampshire (FCS) at #12 Colorado Buffaloes: It seems to the Pac-12's turn for their ranked teams to play FCS. COLORADO
San Jose State Spartans at #13 Oregon Ducks: Although the Ducks play a FBS team, it may seem like they are playing a FCS team. OREGON
#14 West Virginia Mountaineers at NC State Wolfpack: Don't Mountain Men hunt wolves? These will, and they'll bag a few of them, too. WEST VIRGINIA
Northern Iowa (FCS) at #16 Iowa Hawkeyes: The only ranked Big Ten team to play FCS, this game should end with a Hawkeyes victory. IOWA
Vanderbilt Commodores at #17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Vandy looked sharp last week. Not sharp enough to beat the Irish, but they may make it a closer game than people expect. NOTRE DAME
#18 Houston Cougars at Texas Tech Red Raiders: Houston will roll because Tech has no defense. Tech's offense will keep pace for a while, but gradually the Cougars will pull away. HOUSTON
#19 Duke Blue Devils at Baylor Bears: Baylor has started this season better than they started last season, but now their schedule gets tougher. Their flaws will show now. DUKE
Alabama A&M (FCS) at #20 Cincinnati Bearcats: CINCINNATI
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at #21 Georgia Bulldogs: The Bulldogs get a breather after last week's battle with South Carolina, not like they need it. GEORGIA
Temple Owls at #22 Maryland Terrapins: This should be the easiest non-conference game on Maryland's schedule. MARYLAND
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns at #23 Mississippi State Bulldogs: Another easy Sun Belt opponent for the SEC. MISSISSIPPI STATE
#25 Arizona State Sun Devils at San Diego State Aztecs: Definitely the most challenging opponent among the ranked Pac-12 teams, San Diego State can be tough. Well, they have a history of being tough, but they are defying that history so far this season. ARIZONA STATE
Big Ten
Troy Trojans at Nebraska Cornhuskers: If Nebraska plays like they did in the second half against Colorado, they'll win this game. If they play like the first half, it'll be more of a challenge. NEBRASKA
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Kansas Jayhawks: Rutgers couldn't do anything against Ohio State. Kansas broke a seven-year road drought. Can the Jayhawks make it two in a row? They just might. KANSAS in an upset
Ball State Cardinals at Indiana Hoosiers: Ball State showed real balls against Notre Dame last week. They could give Indiana fits. When backed to the wall, though, Indy reaches into their bag of tricks, and I don't think the Cardinals defense is that clever. INDIANA
SMU Mustangs at Michigan Wolverines: The Wolverines found offense against Western Michigan. If that offense resurfaces, SMU doesn't stand a chance. MICHIGAN
Miami Ohio Redhawks at Minnesota Golden Gophers: If the Gophers don't overly inflated egos over their defeat of Fresno State, they should be able to handle the Redhawks fine. MINNESOTA
South Florida Bulls at Illinois Fighting Illini: The Illini have looked pretty good so far, but now they face a stingy defense. Their offense needs to start well to allow their players to gain confidence. That's something the Bulls will not allow. SOUTH FLORIDA
Missouri Tigers at Purdue Boilermakers: Now we know how bad Purdue's team is. So does Missouri. MISSOURI
Akron Zips at Northwestern Wildcats: In a normal year, Northwestern should win this easily. The Wildcats have been playing poorly, though, so the Zips might get the upset. I'll go with the home team, here, but watch out! NORTHWESTERN
Other Games of Interest
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Army Black Knights: The Warriors come to the mainland, where they typically struggle. This year's squad is strong, though, and I think they'll do better. The noontime start won't be quite so upsetting, as they are arriving in New York a day early. HAWAII
USC Trojans at Texas Longhorns: Both of these teams need a win to redeem themselves from embarrassing losses. USC showed little offense last week, while Texas continued to struggle against pathetic Tulane. USC has a better history of improving themselves mid-season, so I think they'll recover better, but this one could go to the Longhorns. USC
Boston College Eagles at Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Both of these teams have shown up well in non-conference play so far, but Boston College certainly seems to be the stronger team. How much will home field help the Demon Deacons? Not enough, I fear. BOSTON COLLEGE
Fri Sept 14
Georgia State Eagles at Memphis Tigers: Georgia State has been impressive so far, but their opponents aren't as strong as those of Memphis. The Tigers led Navy for most of the game last week, and that's no small feat. MEMPHIS
Sat Sept 15
Top 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Ole Miss Rebels: Bama heads into conference play, and the Rebels are their first target. Ole Miss has looked good so far this season, but the Tide will prove too much for them. ALABAMA
BYU Cougars at #2 Wisconsin Badgers: Some pundits at ESPN are predicting a BYU upset, but we know what they think of the Big Ten. The Badgers play a bruising style of "beat 'em, exhaust 'em, run over 'em" that the leaner Cougars will not be able to overcome. The Badgers defense needs some work, so BYU will score (perhaps as much as 20 points), but Wisconsin will rarely punt this game. WISCONSIN
#3 Oklahoma Sooners at Iowa State Cyclones: The Cyclones couldn't generate much offense against Iowa. Their defense showed life, but that defense won't be able to stop the powerful Sooners. OKLAHOMA
#4 Ohio State Buckeyes at #15 TCU Horned Frogs: TCU doesn't have much of a defense, so they won't be able to stop this barnstorming offense of the Buckeyes. TCU has a strong offense, so they may nearly keep pace with the Buckeyes in the first half, but Ohio State makes great corrections at halftime, so TCU will find themselves shut down and overwhelmed. OHIO STATE
East Carolina Pirates at #5 Virginia Tech Hokies: The Hokies know they need to win each and every game to have a shot at the playoffs, so that journey starts here. The Pirates defense can be tough, but their offense is a bit lacking, which gives the Hokies their opening. VIRGINIA TECH
UC Davis at #6 Stanford Cardinal: Do I really need to state my pick for this one? STANFORD
#7 LSU Tigers at #24 Auburn Tigers: Ooh, this one should be exciting! LSU has certainly played better, but as we have seen in recent years, Auburn can be a real terror at home. Will that terror transform into a win? It might, but I'll give LSU the edge. Regardless of the winner, this will be a close game. LSU
#8 Boise State Broncos at Oklahoma State Cowboys: This is the first real test for both teams. Never underestimate Boise State, but the Cowboys KNOW that. Their experience being burned by the Broncos could help them prepare, but the Broncos always have a couple of tricks up their sleeves. BOISE STATE
#9 UCF Golden Knights at North Carolina Tar Heels: No contest. North Carolina is really down, while UCF shows the same power they possessed last season. UCF
Kent State Golden Flashes at #10 Penn State Nittany Lions: Easy game for the Lions. PENN STATE
Eastern Washington (FCS) at #11 Washington State Cougars: Ditto for the Cougars. WASHINGTON STATE
New Hampshire (FCS) at #12 Colorado Buffaloes: It seems to the Pac-12's turn for their ranked teams to play FCS. COLORADO
San Jose State Spartans at #13 Oregon Ducks: Although the Ducks play a FBS team, it may seem like they are playing a FCS team. OREGON
#14 West Virginia Mountaineers at NC State Wolfpack: Don't Mountain Men hunt wolves? These will, and they'll bag a few of them, too. WEST VIRGINIA
Northern Iowa (FCS) at #16 Iowa Hawkeyes: The only ranked Big Ten team to play FCS, this game should end with a Hawkeyes victory. IOWA
Vanderbilt Commodores at #17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Vandy looked sharp last week. Not sharp enough to beat the Irish, but they may make it a closer game than people expect. NOTRE DAME
#18 Houston Cougars at Texas Tech Red Raiders: Houston will roll because Tech has no defense. Tech's offense will keep pace for a while, but gradually the Cougars will pull away. HOUSTON
#19 Duke Blue Devils at Baylor Bears: Baylor has started this season better than they started last season, but now their schedule gets tougher. Their flaws will show now. DUKE
Alabama A&M (FCS) at #20 Cincinnati Bearcats: CINCINNATI
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at #21 Georgia Bulldogs: The Bulldogs get a breather after last week's battle with South Carolina, not like they need it. GEORGIA
Temple Owls at #22 Maryland Terrapins: This should be the easiest non-conference game on Maryland's schedule. MARYLAND
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns at #23 Mississippi State Bulldogs: Another easy Sun Belt opponent for the SEC. MISSISSIPPI STATE
#25 Arizona State Sun Devils at San Diego State Aztecs: Definitely the most challenging opponent among the ranked Pac-12 teams, San Diego State can be tough. Well, they have a history of being tough, but they are defying that history so far this season. ARIZONA STATE
Big Ten
Troy Trojans at Nebraska Cornhuskers: If Nebraska plays like they did in the second half against Colorado, they'll win this game. If they play like the first half, it'll be more of a challenge. NEBRASKA
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Kansas Jayhawks: Rutgers couldn't do anything against Ohio State. Kansas broke a seven-year road drought. Can the Jayhawks make it two in a row? They just might. KANSAS in an upset
Ball State Cardinals at Indiana Hoosiers: Ball State showed real balls against Notre Dame last week. They could give Indiana fits. When backed to the wall, though, Indy reaches into their bag of tricks, and I don't think the Cardinals defense is that clever. INDIANA
SMU Mustangs at Michigan Wolverines: The Wolverines found offense against Western Michigan. If that offense resurfaces, SMU doesn't stand a chance. MICHIGAN
Miami Ohio Redhawks at Minnesota Golden Gophers: If the Gophers don't overly inflated egos over their defeat of Fresno State, they should be able to handle the Redhawks fine. MINNESOTA
South Florida Bulls at Illinois Fighting Illini: The Illini have looked pretty good so far, but now they face a stingy defense. Their offense needs to start well to allow their players to gain confidence. That's something the Bulls will not allow. SOUTH FLORIDA
Missouri Tigers at Purdue Boilermakers: Now we know how bad Purdue's team is. So does Missouri. MISSOURI
Akron Zips at Northwestern Wildcats: In a normal year, Northwestern should win this easily. The Wildcats have been playing poorly, though, so the Zips might get the upset. I'll go with the home team, here, but watch out! NORTHWESTERN
Other Games of Interest
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Army Black Knights: The Warriors come to the mainland, where they typically struggle. This year's squad is strong, though, and I think they'll do better. The noontime start won't be quite so upsetting, as they are arriving in New York a day early. HAWAII
USC Trojans at Texas Longhorns: Both of these teams need a win to redeem themselves from embarrassing losses. USC showed little offense last week, while Texas continued to struggle against pathetic Tulane. USC has a better history of improving themselves mid-season, so I think they'll recover better, but this one could go to the Longhorns. USC
NCAA Football 2018 Week 2 results and Top 25
To start off with, would you like to know how dumb ESPN Staff Writer Dan Murphy is? He wrote this: "The four ranked Big Tens that finished their games before midnight won by an average margin of 43 points today. It was not a particularly competitive slate for the league this week save for Michigan State-Arizona State."
My response to that would be: "A whole lot more competitive than the SEC, where eight teams played FCS opponents." ESPN continues to expose their corporate-ordered bias against the Big Ten. Remember, the Big Ten did something last year that NO conference in the history of the bowl games (who has sent for than three teams) has ever done - finished with a bowl record higher than 85% (the Big Ten went 7-1, or 87.5%). The SEC has NEVER done that -- EVER!
You want a Top 25 that ACTUALLY measures competitiveness? That's mine. You'll notice Clemson missing. Why not? Well, what have they actually accomplished, against REAL competition (not FCS patsies like the teams the SEC played this weekend)? They beat Texas A&M, a team predicted to finish in the bottom half of the SEC, by only two points. The Aggies were higher in nearly ALL statistical categories (unfortunately, that included turnovers). Thus, Clemson is conspicuously absent, because they have not demonstrated enough competitiveness.
My Top 25 does not depend upon the arrogance of a staff who picks their favorite teams and perennial winners, and then moves them around like chess pieces BASED UPON THAT PRESEASON ASSUMPTION! To be in my Top 25 ranking, you EARN it -- by your play on the field!
So, screw you, Dan Murphy. You wouldn't know REAL competition if you saw it played out in front of you. Gee, weren't you one of the people touting Texas before the season began? Let's measure their competitiveness. They lost to Maryland (hello, Big Ten) and beat Tulsa, a team typically near the bottom of their conference, by only seven points. Hmm, maybe someone is insulting the Big Ten to steer attention away from his complete incompetence as a prognosticator.
Okay, I've wasted enough time on this imbecile. Let's look at that ranking...
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) [1]
2. Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) [2]
3. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) [3]
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) [4]
5. Virginia Tech Hokies (2-0) [5]
6. Stanford Cardinal (2-0) [6]
7. LSU Tigers (2-0) [7]
8. Boise State Broncos (2-0) [10]
9. UCF Golden Knights (2-0) [9]
10. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0) [NR]
11. Washington State Cougars (2-0) [13]
12. Colorado Buffaloes (2-0) [11]
13. Oregon Ducks (2-0) [12]
14. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0) [14]
15. TCU Horned Frogs (2-0) [NR]
16. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) [16]
17. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0) [15]
18. Houston Cougars (2-0) [20]
19. Duke Blue Devils (2-0) [18]
20. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-0) [19]
21. Georgia Bulldogs (2-0) [NR]
22. Maryland Terrapins (2-0) [21]
23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-0) [NR]
24. Auburn Tigers (2-0) [17]
25. Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0) [25]
Dropped off: USC Trojans [#8], Ole Miss Rebels [#22], Northwestern Wildcats [#23], Fresno State Bulldogs [#24]
On the Edge: Boston College Eagles (2-0), Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0), Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-0), Michigan Wolverines (2-0), Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (2-0), Texas A&M Aggies (1-1)
Big Ten Report
Minnesota did better than I expected, Northwestern did worse. Everyone else was fairly expected. Ohio State's offense continues to shine, Wisconsin's defense still needs a bit of work. Penn State's defense finally woke up in the second half of the Pitt game -- they just needed a six-quarter nap! Michigan's offense sparked, although Western Michigan's defense isn't too great. Still, 49 points is an accomplishment.
One thing we learned clearly -- the Northwestern-Purdue game last week was NOT close due to Purdue's improvement. Although they lost to Eastern Michigan on a last minute field goal, the game would not have been that close if Purdue were really competitive. As the Duke game proved, Northwestern just isn't that good so far this season. Michigan State also lost on a last minute field goal. At least the Spartans defense showed up for the game against Arizona State; it would have been nice if the offense had, as well. Michigan State is too inconsistent to count on them to compete in the conference this season.
Minnesota and Maryland are looking good, but they often do during non-conference play. The question remains -- how well can they compete against the stronger teams of the conference? I definitely think these two will place well in their divisions, and likely secure bowl bids.
Based on schedule and the performances turned in so far, I think Ohio State and Wisconsin might each enter the Big Ten Championship Game unbeaten. Ohio State's biggest challenge appears to be Penn State (they should roll over TCU next week), while Iowa and Minnesota each need to improve if they want to push Wisconsin.
Pac-12 Report
Washington played an FCS team, so they haven't yet redeemed themselves after losing to Auburn. UCLA and USC both got squashed this week. Washington State and Oregon both look good, but it's still a bit early to tell how consistent they will be. Colorado definitely looks good. Arizona State won again, but given the struggles shown by Michigan State, it should not have taken them until the end of the game to win that. Herm Edwards has a bit more work to do with his team to make them truly competitive in this conference.
Stanford is clearly the front-runner, with division challenges from Washington State and Oregon. Colorado seems the dominant team in the South, with potential from both Arizona State and Utah.
SEC Report
Not much to report here, as too many of the teams played FCS teams this week. Georgia and Kentucky both excelled in conference play. Vandy was dominant against Nevada, which was a surprise. Missouri and Mississippi State looked good, too. The Aggies offense showed life (gaining nearly 600 yards against the supposed "best defense in the land"), but they made some costly mistakes, too. Conference opponents will take advantage of them if that continues.
ACC Report
Virginia Tech remains the most impressive team in the conference, followed by Boston College. Duke is also showing that they are ready to compete for a spot in the conference championship. Syracuse has looked impressive against weaker opponents, but I think conference play will hurt them. Wake Forest shows some promise.
Can Clemson still claim to have the best defense in the country? After allowing Texas A&M nearly 600 yards? I don't think so. And Florida State should be almost too embarrassed to field a team, after nearly losing to perennial FCS doormat Samford. Unless Virginia Tech (the likely conference champ at this point) goes unbeaten, I don't see an ACC team in the playoffs.
Big 12 Report
Kansas and Oklahoma State were impressive this week. For Kansas, it was their first road win in 47 tries. Oklahoma and TCU continued to look good, although the wheels may come off TCU next week when they host Ohio State. Texas already looks tired, as they struggled against Tulsa, and Kansas State just looked pathetic.
Other interesting results: Florida Atlantic grounded the Air Force and FCS Maine hammered Western Kentucky. Nice job, guys!
My response to that would be: "A whole lot more competitive than the SEC, where eight teams played FCS opponents." ESPN continues to expose their corporate-ordered bias against the Big Ten. Remember, the Big Ten did something last year that NO conference in the history of the bowl games (who has sent for than three teams) has ever done - finished with a bowl record higher than 85% (the Big Ten went 7-1, or 87.5%). The SEC has NEVER done that -- EVER!
You want a Top 25 that ACTUALLY measures competitiveness? That's mine. You'll notice Clemson missing. Why not? Well, what have they actually accomplished, against REAL competition (not FCS patsies like the teams the SEC played this weekend)? They beat Texas A&M, a team predicted to finish in the bottom half of the SEC, by only two points. The Aggies were higher in nearly ALL statistical categories (unfortunately, that included turnovers). Thus, Clemson is conspicuously absent, because they have not demonstrated enough competitiveness.
My Top 25 does not depend upon the arrogance of a staff who picks their favorite teams and perennial winners, and then moves them around like chess pieces BASED UPON THAT PRESEASON ASSUMPTION! To be in my Top 25 ranking, you EARN it -- by your play on the field!
So, screw you, Dan Murphy. You wouldn't know REAL competition if you saw it played out in front of you. Gee, weren't you one of the people touting Texas before the season began? Let's measure their competitiveness. They lost to Maryland (hello, Big Ten) and beat Tulsa, a team typically near the bottom of their conference, by only seven points. Hmm, maybe someone is insulting the Big Ten to steer attention away from his complete incompetence as a prognosticator.
Okay, I've wasted enough time on this imbecile. Let's look at that ranking...
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) [1]
2. Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) [2]
3. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) [3]
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) [4]
5. Virginia Tech Hokies (2-0) [5]
6. Stanford Cardinal (2-0) [6]
7. LSU Tigers (2-0) [7]
8. Boise State Broncos (2-0) [10]
9. UCF Golden Knights (2-0) [9]
10. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0) [NR]
11. Washington State Cougars (2-0) [13]
12. Colorado Buffaloes (2-0) [11]
13. Oregon Ducks (2-0) [12]
14. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0) [14]
15. TCU Horned Frogs (2-0) [NR]
16. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) [16]
17. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0) [15]
18. Houston Cougars (2-0) [20]
19. Duke Blue Devils (2-0) [18]
20. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-0) [19]
21. Georgia Bulldogs (2-0) [NR]
22. Maryland Terrapins (2-0) [21]
23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-0) [NR]
24. Auburn Tigers (2-0) [17]
25. Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0) [25]
Dropped off: USC Trojans [#8], Ole Miss Rebels [#22], Northwestern Wildcats [#23], Fresno State Bulldogs [#24]
On the Edge: Boston College Eagles (2-0), Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0), Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-0), Michigan Wolverines (2-0), Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (2-0), Texas A&M Aggies (1-1)
Big Ten Report
Minnesota did better than I expected, Northwestern did worse. Everyone else was fairly expected. Ohio State's offense continues to shine, Wisconsin's defense still needs a bit of work. Penn State's defense finally woke up in the second half of the Pitt game -- they just needed a six-quarter nap! Michigan's offense sparked, although Western Michigan's defense isn't too great. Still, 49 points is an accomplishment.
One thing we learned clearly -- the Northwestern-Purdue game last week was NOT close due to Purdue's improvement. Although they lost to Eastern Michigan on a last minute field goal, the game would not have been that close if Purdue were really competitive. As the Duke game proved, Northwestern just isn't that good so far this season. Michigan State also lost on a last minute field goal. At least the Spartans defense showed up for the game against Arizona State; it would have been nice if the offense had, as well. Michigan State is too inconsistent to count on them to compete in the conference this season.
Minnesota and Maryland are looking good, but they often do during non-conference play. The question remains -- how well can they compete against the stronger teams of the conference? I definitely think these two will place well in their divisions, and likely secure bowl bids.
Based on schedule and the performances turned in so far, I think Ohio State and Wisconsin might each enter the Big Ten Championship Game unbeaten. Ohio State's biggest challenge appears to be Penn State (they should roll over TCU next week), while Iowa and Minnesota each need to improve if they want to push Wisconsin.
Pac-12 Report
Washington played an FCS team, so they haven't yet redeemed themselves after losing to Auburn. UCLA and USC both got squashed this week. Washington State and Oregon both look good, but it's still a bit early to tell how consistent they will be. Colorado definitely looks good. Arizona State won again, but given the struggles shown by Michigan State, it should not have taken them until the end of the game to win that. Herm Edwards has a bit more work to do with his team to make them truly competitive in this conference.
Stanford is clearly the front-runner, with division challenges from Washington State and Oregon. Colorado seems the dominant team in the South, with potential from both Arizona State and Utah.
SEC Report
Not much to report here, as too many of the teams played FCS teams this week. Georgia and Kentucky both excelled in conference play. Vandy was dominant against Nevada, which was a surprise. Missouri and Mississippi State looked good, too. The Aggies offense showed life (gaining nearly 600 yards against the supposed "best defense in the land"), but they made some costly mistakes, too. Conference opponents will take advantage of them if that continues.
ACC Report
Virginia Tech remains the most impressive team in the conference, followed by Boston College. Duke is also showing that they are ready to compete for a spot in the conference championship. Syracuse has looked impressive against weaker opponents, but I think conference play will hurt them. Wake Forest shows some promise.
Can Clemson still claim to have the best defense in the country? After allowing Texas A&M nearly 600 yards? I don't think so. And Florida State should be almost too embarrassed to field a team, after nearly losing to perennial FCS doormat Samford. Unless Virginia Tech (the likely conference champ at this point) goes unbeaten, I don't see an ACC team in the playoffs.
Big 12 Report
Kansas and Oklahoma State were impressive this week. For Kansas, it was their first road win in 47 tries. Oklahoma and TCU continued to look good, although the wheels may come off TCU next week when they host Ohio State. Texas already looks tired, as they struggled against Tulsa, and Kansas State just looked pathetic.
Other interesting results: Florida Atlantic grounded the Air Force and FCS Maine hammered Western Kentucky. Nice job, guys!
Thursday, September 6, 2018
NCAA Football 2018 Week 2 picks
We ended last week with some dandy games, so let's see how many we can have this week.
Friday Sept 7
TCU Horned Frogs at SMU Mustangs: Sure, TCU looked good last week, but practically any FBS team would against that opponent. SMU is another story. Not an especially well-structured story, however, so the Frogs shouldn't have much trouble here, either. TCU
Saturday Sept 8
Top 25
Arkansas State Red Wolves at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: Gee, real tough opponent you have there, 'Bama. No real risk of losing that top spot. ALABAMA
New Mexico Lobos at #2 Wisconsin Badgers: The Badgers have a nice easy opponent, too. WISCONSIN
UCLA Bruins at #3 Oklahoma Sooners: After the collapse suffered by the Bruins last week, I'm almost willing to say Oklahoma has a patsy for an opponent, too. However, last week might have woken them up a bit, so there might be a little competition. For a while in the first half, at least. OKLAHOMA
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at #4 Ohio State Buckeyes: The Buckeyes get an early start on conference play, but face one of the weaker opponents. With their offense, this will be decided early in the second quarter. OHIO STATE
William and Mary (FCS) at #5 Virginia Tech Hokies: This win won't help them move up in the rankings. TECH
#8 USC Trojans at #6 Stanford Cardinal: Now, THIS is a matchup! Both teams impressed last week, so this Pac-12 opener should be a real thrill! Bryce Love was a bit subdued last week, but this conference rivalry game should get his fire going. USC has some strong offensive tools, too, but I'll give the edge to the home team. STANFORD in a squeaker
Southeastern Louisiana (FCS) at #7 LSU Tigers: This one is easy. LSU
South Carolina State (FCS) at #9 UCF Golden Knights: Ditto. UCF
UConn Huskies at #10 Boise State Broncos: The Huskies had #9 UCF last week and travel to the blue fields of #10 Boise State this week. The scheduling gods are cruel! BOISE STATE
#11 Colorado Buffaloes at Nebraska Cornhuskers: The Cornhuskers cancelled their game against Akron last week, so we haven't seen them play. Based on last year, though, I think the Buffaloes should run all over Nebraska. COLORADO
Portland State (FCS) at #12 Oregon Ducks: I think there are more FCS matchups with high ranked teams than there were last week. OREGON
San Jose State Spartans at #13 Washington State Cougars: Definitely not as thrilling as the Stanford game. WASHINGTON STATE
Youngstown State (FCS) at #14 West Virginia Mountaineers: Well, at least Youngstown State is a powerful FCS team. They have actually beaten FBS teams in the past, although they won't this year. WEST VIRGINIA
Ball State Cardinals at #15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Irish get a break after beating Michigan last week. Ball State had an outstanding game last week, but they played Central Connecticut. This one will be a lot tougher. NOTRE DAME
Iowa State Cyclones at #16 Iowa Hawkeyes: In-state rivals Iowa State can often give Iowa some trouble. After what I witnessed last week, though, the Hawkeyes shouldn't have much trouble this year. IOWA
Alabama State (FCS) at #17 Auburn Tigers: Another patsy for the SEC to pulverize. AUBURN
#18 Duke Blue Devils at #23 Northwestern Wildcats: Here's where we determine if Duke is for real, and whether Purdue's offense was good last week or Northwestern's defense was weak. Northwestern seems to play better in adversity, so I'll pick the upset, but this might be another close game for the Wildcats. NORTHWESTERN
#19 Cincinnati Bearcats at Miami Ohio Redhawks: Miami Ohio played Marshall tough last week, but Cincy was outstanding! I think that will continue this week as the Bearcats show some teeth. CINCY
Arizona Wildcats at #20 Houston Cougars: Group of 5 doubters will immediate pick Arizona in this game, but I advise looking at this one closely. Arizona looked a bit listless against BYU. While Houston played Rice, not an especially strong team, they showed tremendous power on the road. Arizona doesn't play so well in early games, and the 11am start (noon Eastern time) is 9am at home. That should help the home team. HOUSTON
#21 Maryland Terrapins at Bowling Green Falcons: Bowling Green was completely blown out last week, so Maryland has a chance to show that their defeat of Texas wasn't a fluke and puff up their stats at the same time. Maryland shook off the death of teammate Jordan McNair and the dismissal of coach DJ Durkin and had shining performances from QB Kasim Hill and WR Jeshaun Jones. Those two should have another great game, as the Falcons defense seems fragile. MARYLAND
Southern Illinois (FCS) at #22 Ole Miss Rebels: Between this week and last week, I think every SEC team has played an FCS team. How many will Big Ten teams play? Two. OLE MISS
#24 Fresno State Bulldogs at Minnesota Golden Gophers: The Gophers trounced New Mexico State week, but the Bulldogs demolished Idaho. The Bulldogs dominated on all sides of the ball. While I'd love for the Gophers to pull off the upset, I don't think it'll happen. FRESNO STATE
Michigan State Spartans at #25 Arizona State Sun Devils: Prior to last week, I would have picked Michigan State with no hesitation. However, I saw the Spartans collapse. If they can get themselves together, they could win this game. Unfortunately, the Spartans don't seem to know precisely what went wrong, and Big Ten teams have a history of struggling on the West Coast. ARIZONA STATE
Big Ten
Western Michigan Broncos at Michigan Wolverines: How bad did the Wolverines play last week? I'm thinking Western Michigan has a chance to win this game. The Broncos didn't show up too well last week either, though, so I'll give a slight edge to the home team. MICHIGAN
Eastern Michigan Eagles at Purdue Boilermakers: Let's see how good that Purdue offense really is! The Eagles offense flew last week, but the defense showed some holes. If Purdue can exploit that, they will dominate. PURDUE
Western Illinois (FCS) at Illinois Fighting Illini: Western Illinois is a good FCS team, so the Illini could lose this, but I'll hold out hope my Alma Mater can win their second game in a row. ILLINOIS
Virginia Cavaliers at Indiana Hoosiers: Virginia opened by stepping on the Richmond Spiders, but the Hoosiers will be a challenge. The Hoosiers defense didn't look great last week, so Virginia will be able to score, but Indiana's big play ability will frustrate the Cavs. INDIANA
Penn State Nittany Lions at Pittsburgh Panthers: Pitt demolished UAlbany and its new QB, Vinny Testeverde Jr. Penn State's defense looked anemic against Appalachian State, so Pitt will be able to score, but Trace McSorley and company will be a much tougher offense for the Panthers than UAlbany threw at them. PENN STATE
Other Games of Interest
Georgia Bulldogs at South Carolina Gamecocks: Now we'll see if Georgia's preseason ranking was pure hype, or a valid prediction. This may be closer than Bulldog fans would like, but Georgia should prevail. GEORGIA
Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators: Florida demolished Charleston Southern, but most FCS teams do that, too. This will truly determine if Florida has gotten their groove back. Kentucky looked good last week, and I think they will make it tough for the Gators. Florida should pull out the win, but it'll be too close for comfort. FLORIDA
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Texas Longhorns: Can the Longhorns bounce back? They had a great run in the third quarter, and that must serve as their example. Tulsa was pretty good last season, and if they show that power again, Texas could lose two in a row. I don't think so, but this won't be an easy game for the Longhorns. TEXAS
California Golden Bears at BYU Cougars: BYU beat one Pac-12 team last week. Can they make it two? Cal won, but they had a hard time against North Carolina. BYU started slowly, but they picked up steam. If that carries into this game, the Cougars will prevail. BYU
Friday Sept 7
TCU Horned Frogs at SMU Mustangs: Sure, TCU looked good last week, but practically any FBS team would against that opponent. SMU is another story. Not an especially well-structured story, however, so the Frogs shouldn't have much trouble here, either. TCU
Saturday Sept 8
Top 25
Arkansas State Red Wolves at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: Gee, real tough opponent you have there, 'Bama. No real risk of losing that top spot. ALABAMA
New Mexico Lobos at #2 Wisconsin Badgers: The Badgers have a nice easy opponent, too. WISCONSIN
UCLA Bruins at #3 Oklahoma Sooners: After the collapse suffered by the Bruins last week, I'm almost willing to say Oklahoma has a patsy for an opponent, too. However, last week might have woken them up a bit, so there might be a little competition. For a while in the first half, at least. OKLAHOMA
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at #4 Ohio State Buckeyes: The Buckeyes get an early start on conference play, but face one of the weaker opponents. With their offense, this will be decided early in the second quarter. OHIO STATE
William and Mary (FCS) at #5 Virginia Tech Hokies: This win won't help them move up in the rankings. TECH
#8 USC Trojans at #6 Stanford Cardinal: Now, THIS is a matchup! Both teams impressed last week, so this Pac-12 opener should be a real thrill! Bryce Love was a bit subdued last week, but this conference rivalry game should get his fire going. USC has some strong offensive tools, too, but I'll give the edge to the home team. STANFORD in a squeaker
Southeastern Louisiana (FCS) at #7 LSU Tigers: This one is easy. LSU
South Carolina State (FCS) at #9 UCF Golden Knights: Ditto. UCF
UConn Huskies at #10 Boise State Broncos: The Huskies had #9 UCF last week and travel to the blue fields of #10 Boise State this week. The scheduling gods are cruel! BOISE STATE
#11 Colorado Buffaloes at Nebraska Cornhuskers: The Cornhuskers cancelled their game against Akron last week, so we haven't seen them play. Based on last year, though, I think the Buffaloes should run all over Nebraska. COLORADO
Portland State (FCS) at #12 Oregon Ducks: I think there are more FCS matchups with high ranked teams than there were last week. OREGON
San Jose State Spartans at #13 Washington State Cougars: Definitely not as thrilling as the Stanford game. WASHINGTON STATE
Youngstown State (FCS) at #14 West Virginia Mountaineers: Well, at least Youngstown State is a powerful FCS team. They have actually beaten FBS teams in the past, although they won't this year. WEST VIRGINIA
Ball State Cardinals at #15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Irish get a break after beating Michigan last week. Ball State had an outstanding game last week, but they played Central Connecticut. This one will be a lot tougher. NOTRE DAME
Iowa State Cyclones at #16 Iowa Hawkeyes: In-state rivals Iowa State can often give Iowa some trouble. After what I witnessed last week, though, the Hawkeyes shouldn't have much trouble this year. IOWA
Alabama State (FCS) at #17 Auburn Tigers: Another patsy for the SEC to pulverize. AUBURN
#18 Duke Blue Devils at #23 Northwestern Wildcats: Here's where we determine if Duke is for real, and whether Purdue's offense was good last week or Northwestern's defense was weak. Northwestern seems to play better in adversity, so I'll pick the upset, but this might be another close game for the Wildcats. NORTHWESTERN
#19 Cincinnati Bearcats at Miami Ohio Redhawks: Miami Ohio played Marshall tough last week, but Cincy was outstanding! I think that will continue this week as the Bearcats show some teeth. CINCY
Arizona Wildcats at #20 Houston Cougars: Group of 5 doubters will immediate pick Arizona in this game, but I advise looking at this one closely. Arizona looked a bit listless against BYU. While Houston played Rice, not an especially strong team, they showed tremendous power on the road. Arizona doesn't play so well in early games, and the 11am start (noon Eastern time) is 9am at home. That should help the home team. HOUSTON
#21 Maryland Terrapins at Bowling Green Falcons: Bowling Green was completely blown out last week, so Maryland has a chance to show that their defeat of Texas wasn't a fluke and puff up their stats at the same time. Maryland shook off the death of teammate Jordan McNair and the dismissal of coach DJ Durkin and had shining performances from QB Kasim Hill and WR Jeshaun Jones. Those two should have another great game, as the Falcons defense seems fragile. MARYLAND
Southern Illinois (FCS) at #22 Ole Miss Rebels: Between this week and last week, I think every SEC team has played an FCS team. How many will Big Ten teams play? Two. OLE MISS
#24 Fresno State Bulldogs at Minnesota Golden Gophers: The Gophers trounced New Mexico State week, but the Bulldogs demolished Idaho. The Bulldogs dominated on all sides of the ball. While I'd love for the Gophers to pull off the upset, I don't think it'll happen. FRESNO STATE
Michigan State Spartans at #25 Arizona State Sun Devils: Prior to last week, I would have picked Michigan State with no hesitation. However, I saw the Spartans collapse. If they can get themselves together, they could win this game. Unfortunately, the Spartans don't seem to know precisely what went wrong, and Big Ten teams have a history of struggling on the West Coast. ARIZONA STATE
Big Ten
Western Michigan Broncos at Michigan Wolverines: How bad did the Wolverines play last week? I'm thinking Western Michigan has a chance to win this game. The Broncos didn't show up too well last week either, though, so I'll give a slight edge to the home team. MICHIGAN
Eastern Michigan Eagles at Purdue Boilermakers: Let's see how good that Purdue offense really is! The Eagles offense flew last week, but the defense showed some holes. If Purdue can exploit that, they will dominate. PURDUE
Western Illinois (FCS) at Illinois Fighting Illini: Western Illinois is a good FCS team, so the Illini could lose this, but I'll hold out hope my Alma Mater can win their second game in a row. ILLINOIS
Virginia Cavaliers at Indiana Hoosiers: Virginia opened by stepping on the Richmond Spiders, but the Hoosiers will be a challenge. The Hoosiers defense didn't look great last week, so Virginia will be able to score, but Indiana's big play ability will frustrate the Cavs. INDIANA
Penn State Nittany Lions at Pittsburgh Panthers: Pitt demolished UAlbany and its new QB, Vinny Testeverde Jr. Penn State's defense looked anemic against Appalachian State, so Pitt will be able to score, but Trace McSorley and company will be a much tougher offense for the Panthers than UAlbany threw at them. PENN STATE
Other Games of Interest
Georgia Bulldogs at South Carolina Gamecocks: Now we'll see if Georgia's preseason ranking was pure hype, or a valid prediction. This may be closer than Bulldog fans would like, but Georgia should prevail. GEORGIA
Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators: Florida demolished Charleston Southern, but most FCS teams do that, too. This will truly determine if Florida has gotten their groove back. Kentucky looked good last week, and I think they will make it tough for the Gators. Florida should pull out the win, but it'll be too close for comfort. FLORIDA
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Texas Longhorns: Can the Longhorns bounce back? They had a great run in the third quarter, and that must serve as their example. Tulsa was pretty good last season, and if they show that power again, Texas could lose two in a row. I don't think so, but this won't be an easy game for the Longhorns. TEXAS
California Golden Bears at BYU Cougars: BYU beat one Pac-12 team last week. Can they make it two? Cal won, but they had a hard time against North Carolina. BYU started slowly, but they picked up steam. If that carries into this game, the Cougars will prevail. BYU
NFL 2018 Week 1 picks
Start of a new season, and I have a new crystal ball. I need to break it in, so some of my picks may get a little murky for the first few weeks, but I should have the bugs worked out before Sam Darnold gets comfortable.
Thursday Sept 6
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles: Nick Foles leads the Eagles in this rematch of the NFC Championship Game. This one will likely end in a similar fashion. The O-line is still one of the staunchest in the league, and their multitude of tight ends presents too many targets for the Falcons to stop. While Atlanta is talented, their offensive game plan has gotten stale. They didn't improve their defense much over the off-season either, and they cannot lean on that offense forever. EAGLES, 27-17
Sunday early games
Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens: Let's face it, Nathan Peterman is just playing until the coaches feel Josh Allen is ready. Peterman is not a long-term solution at quarterback; I'm not even sure he's a short-term solution! The Ravens defense may not be quite as good as they were a few years ago, but they won't need to be to hold off the Bills. Meanwhile, Flacco and his slate of receivers should have a good day. RAVENS, 27-13
Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts: Ooh, this one is too close for my new crystal ball to call! Have to go with my gut on this one, and that has me favor Cincy. The Bengals are often great in regular season and collapse in post-season, so they should do well here. Andrew Luck is healthy, but if that o-line doesn't get better, I don't know how much longer he will be. BENGALS, 20-13
Houston Texans at New England Patriots: The Patriots lost the Super Bowl, so they want to impress in every game they play. They get a good chance to start here, especially if Texans QB DeShaun Watson doesn't cut down on his risky throws. The Pats backfield is too good to miss opportunities to intercept the ball, and fast enough to turn those into long returns. PATRIOTS, 34-21
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Giants: Jags QB Blake Bortles need to improve his game, but the Jags D is tough enough to win while he develops. The Giants will show their o-line weaknesses against Jacksonville, and Eli's age will slow him down too much to prevent that penetration from harming them. I expect at least eight sacks in this game, and a possible lost fumble. JAGS, 16-10
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns: Le'Veon Bell's attitude is causing some discord among the Steelers, but this team has played (and won) under adversity before. The question is can the Steelers succeed without a decent runner? Backup James Connor is a far cry from Bell, and the Steelers need a strong running game to shore up a thin receiving corps. Fortunately the Browns won't give them too much trouble. STEELERS, 17-13
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings: Uh oh, my crystal ball sputtered out on this one, too. Have to rely on faith. Jimmy Garopollo sparked the 49ers at the end of last season, and a strong defense helps them. However, the Vikings made one of the best QB acquisitions of the off-season, signing oft-scoffed Kirk Cousins to rejuvenate the passing game. Dalvin Cook improves the running game, so this offense has some spark. Cousins, a midwesterner, loves being back in his home region, and feeds off the fan fervor. While he can get confused when coverages break down, his chief receivers (Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Laquon Treadwell, and Kyle Rudolph) are good route runners. That should boost Cousins even further. VIKINGS, 27-20
Tampa Bay Bucs at New Orleans Saints: The Bucs offense was inconsistent with Jameis Winston under center. Having him sit out the first three games grants them some consistency. Unfortunately, it is likely to be consistently poor. The defense may keep some games close, but not against the fiery Saints offense. SAINTS, 34-17
Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill is back leading the Dolphins, but if that o-line doesn't improve, he may not be standing for too long. The Titans have a quick and hungry pass rush, so Tannehill will spend more time on his butt than celebrating completions. Marcus Mariota isn't quite living up to his college hype, but this defense will ensure he doesn't need to. TITANS, 20-16
Sunday late games
Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers: The Cowboys enter this season with much less controversy than last season. That will allow them to get down and focus. This team has spunk, youth, and talent to support them. Carolina has some good players, but they don't gel at the same time, leaving many plays seeming uncoordinated. Expect Dallas to make matters even tougher for the offense. COWBOYS, 27-17
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers: Letting Alex Smith go was a mistake. Patrick Mahomes put up big numbers at Texas Tech, but that team is designed for pass-hungry offenses, as their defense can't stop a band of puppy dogs. Come to think of it, we're not sure the Chiefs defense is much better. CHARGERS, 27-13
Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos: Speaking of defenses seeing better days, the once-dominant Seahawks has been stripped bare the past few years. Worse, the Seahawks have a real problem on the road. Denver got smart, and snared Case Keenum from Minnesota to settle their QB problem. He can think quick when the line breaks down, which happens frequently at Denver. With his quick thinking and a batch of good runners to pitch the ball to when plays go bust, the Broncos might reduce their numbers of three-and-out possessions and make some yardage. BRONCOS, 17-13
Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals: I'm trying to think what was a stupider quarterback move in Washington in recent history: letting Kirk Cousins go or not stopping RGIII from running into defenders so much. Either way, Alex Smith will not be the answer to their prayers. Why not? He's too damn conservative. He won't throw unless he's sure a receiver can get open, and the Redskins don't have a lot of speedy receivers. Their running game is burdened by an older and beat-up Adrian Peterson, so he won't get much help there, either. Sam Bradford is just playing until Josh Rosen can start, but so long as Larry Fitzgerald remains healthy, it almost doesn't matter who is under center. CARDINALS, 21-13
Sunday night game
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: Yuck! The Bears lost two preseason games in pathetic fourth quarter meltdowns. Doesn't do much to boost my confidence in them. The Packers are healthy (for now), which makes them dangerous. PACK, 31-13
Monday Night Football
New York Jets at Detroit Lions: Silly Todd Bowles, he gave into the New York City hype machine. Yes, Sam Darnold played well in preseason, but that was preseason, against weaker defenses. Since you got David Wells from the Giants, you should start him instead of Darnold. Nope, they are going with the USC "Golden Boy", who will sputter as much as the last USC QB to start in New York. Worse, since the Jets didn't do much to shore up their defense in the off-season, they are relying too much on Darnold's ability to lead this team. LIONS, 27-16
LA Rams at Oakland Raiders: The Raiders play very well on Monday Night, and everyone is saying that this will be the year the Raiders return to glory. Sorry, I don't see it. Yes, Jon Gruden is a wizard with quarterbacks, and he could possibly turn mediocre journeyman Derek Carr into something decent, but he's more focused on bringing up AJ McCarron. The defensive backfield is still too slow, RB Marshawn Lynch has lost a step, and Jordy Nelson can't seem to stay healthy. On the other side, the Rams offense in 2017 reminded us of Dick Vermeil's Greatest Show on Turf. Jared Goff doesn't quite have the arm strength Kurt Warner had, but he has a similar field sense and accuracy. Brandin Cooks reminds us of LT in his bursts of speed and quick cuts, and a slew of able receivers to bring on and off the field ensures a bunch of fresh hands. Even better, the Rams defense circa 2017 was MUCH better than what Vermeil had in St Louis, making them a real favorite to reach the NFC Championship Game. RAMS, 27-13
Thursday Sept 6
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles: Nick Foles leads the Eagles in this rematch of the NFC Championship Game. This one will likely end in a similar fashion. The O-line is still one of the staunchest in the league, and their multitude of tight ends presents too many targets for the Falcons to stop. While Atlanta is talented, their offensive game plan has gotten stale. They didn't improve their defense much over the off-season either, and they cannot lean on that offense forever. EAGLES, 27-17
Sunday early games
Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens: Let's face it, Nathan Peterman is just playing until the coaches feel Josh Allen is ready. Peterman is not a long-term solution at quarterback; I'm not even sure he's a short-term solution! The Ravens defense may not be quite as good as they were a few years ago, but they won't need to be to hold off the Bills. Meanwhile, Flacco and his slate of receivers should have a good day. RAVENS, 27-13
Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts: Ooh, this one is too close for my new crystal ball to call! Have to go with my gut on this one, and that has me favor Cincy. The Bengals are often great in regular season and collapse in post-season, so they should do well here. Andrew Luck is healthy, but if that o-line doesn't get better, I don't know how much longer he will be. BENGALS, 20-13
Houston Texans at New England Patriots: The Patriots lost the Super Bowl, so they want to impress in every game they play. They get a good chance to start here, especially if Texans QB DeShaun Watson doesn't cut down on his risky throws. The Pats backfield is too good to miss opportunities to intercept the ball, and fast enough to turn those into long returns. PATRIOTS, 34-21
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Giants: Jags QB Blake Bortles need to improve his game, but the Jags D is tough enough to win while he develops. The Giants will show their o-line weaknesses against Jacksonville, and Eli's age will slow him down too much to prevent that penetration from harming them. I expect at least eight sacks in this game, and a possible lost fumble. JAGS, 16-10
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns: Le'Veon Bell's attitude is causing some discord among the Steelers, but this team has played (and won) under adversity before. The question is can the Steelers succeed without a decent runner? Backup James Connor is a far cry from Bell, and the Steelers need a strong running game to shore up a thin receiving corps. Fortunately the Browns won't give them too much trouble. STEELERS, 17-13
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings: Uh oh, my crystal ball sputtered out on this one, too. Have to rely on faith. Jimmy Garopollo sparked the 49ers at the end of last season, and a strong defense helps them. However, the Vikings made one of the best QB acquisitions of the off-season, signing oft-scoffed Kirk Cousins to rejuvenate the passing game. Dalvin Cook improves the running game, so this offense has some spark. Cousins, a midwesterner, loves being back in his home region, and feeds off the fan fervor. While he can get confused when coverages break down, his chief receivers (Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Laquon Treadwell, and Kyle Rudolph) are good route runners. That should boost Cousins even further. VIKINGS, 27-20
Tampa Bay Bucs at New Orleans Saints: The Bucs offense was inconsistent with Jameis Winston under center. Having him sit out the first three games grants them some consistency. Unfortunately, it is likely to be consistently poor. The defense may keep some games close, but not against the fiery Saints offense. SAINTS, 34-17
Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill is back leading the Dolphins, but if that o-line doesn't improve, he may not be standing for too long. The Titans have a quick and hungry pass rush, so Tannehill will spend more time on his butt than celebrating completions. Marcus Mariota isn't quite living up to his college hype, but this defense will ensure he doesn't need to. TITANS, 20-16
Sunday late games
Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers: The Cowboys enter this season with much less controversy than last season. That will allow them to get down and focus. This team has spunk, youth, and talent to support them. Carolina has some good players, but they don't gel at the same time, leaving many plays seeming uncoordinated. Expect Dallas to make matters even tougher for the offense. COWBOYS, 27-17
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers: Letting Alex Smith go was a mistake. Patrick Mahomes put up big numbers at Texas Tech, but that team is designed for pass-hungry offenses, as their defense can't stop a band of puppy dogs. Come to think of it, we're not sure the Chiefs defense is much better. CHARGERS, 27-13
Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos: Speaking of defenses seeing better days, the once-dominant Seahawks has been stripped bare the past few years. Worse, the Seahawks have a real problem on the road. Denver got smart, and snared Case Keenum from Minnesota to settle their QB problem. He can think quick when the line breaks down, which happens frequently at Denver. With his quick thinking and a batch of good runners to pitch the ball to when plays go bust, the Broncos might reduce their numbers of three-and-out possessions and make some yardage. BRONCOS, 17-13
Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals: I'm trying to think what was a stupider quarterback move in Washington in recent history: letting Kirk Cousins go or not stopping RGIII from running into defenders so much. Either way, Alex Smith will not be the answer to their prayers. Why not? He's too damn conservative. He won't throw unless he's sure a receiver can get open, and the Redskins don't have a lot of speedy receivers. Their running game is burdened by an older and beat-up Adrian Peterson, so he won't get much help there, either. Sam Bradford is just playing until Josh Rosen can start, but so long as Larry Fitzgerald remains healthy, it almost doesn't matter who is under center. CARDINALS, 21-13
Sunday night game
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: Yuck! The Bears lost two preseason games in pathetic fourth quarter meltdowns. Doesn't do much to boost my confidence in them. The Packers are healthy (for now), which makes them dangerous. PACK, 31-13
Monday Night Football
New York Jets at Detroit Lions: Silly Todd Bowles, he gave into the New York City hype machine. Yes, Sam Darnold played well in preseason, but that was preseason, against weaker defenses. Since you got David Wells from the Giants, you should start him instead of Darnold. Nope, they are going with the USC "Golden Boy", who will sputter as much as the last USC QB to start in New York. Worse, since the Jets didn't do much to shore up their defense in the off-season, they are relying too much on Darnold's ability to lead this team. LIONS, 27-16
LA Rams at Oakland Raiders: The Raiders play very well on Monday Night, and everyone is saying that this will be the year the Raiders return to glory. Sorry, I don't see it. Yes, Jon Gruden is a wizard with quarterbacks, and he could possibly turn mediocre journeyman Derek Carr into something decent, but he's more focused on bringing up AJ McCarron. The defensive backfield is still too slow, RB Marshawn Lynch has lost a step, and Jordy Nelson can't seem to stay healthy. On the other side, the Rams offense in 2017 reminded us of Dick Vermeil's Greatest Show on Turf. Jared Goff doesn't quite have the arm strength Kurt Warner had, but he has a similar field sense and accuracy. Brandin Cooks reminds us of LT in his bursts of speed and quick cuts, and a slew of able receivers to bring on and off the field ensures a bunch of fresh hands. Even better, the Rams defense circa 2017 was MUCH better than what Vermeil had in St Louis, making them a real favorite to reach the NFC Championship Game. RAMS, 27-13
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