Thurs Oct 3
Temple Owls at East Carolina Pirates: The usual stiff Pirates defense has some holes this season, and the Owls are flying. TEMPLE
Fri Oct 4
#16 UCF Golden Knights at Cincinnati Bearcats: The Knights are a powerful team, but they showed some cracks earlier this season. Cincy has slowly been establishing themselves as a competitive force, and those Bearcats can be feisty. This could be a close game. UCF
Sat Oct 5
Top 25:
#15 Michigan State Spartans at #1 Ohio State Buckeyes: The Spartans come to Columbus to attempt to upset the behemoth Buckeyes. Sparky has a good defense, and their offense is improving as Brian Lewerke gets more comfortable, but the Buckeyes are too strong a force. They will shake up Lewerke, and the Buckeyes offensive line is too strong for the smaller (albeit quicker) defensive line of Michigan State. OHIO STATE
Purdue Boilermakers at #3 Penn State Nittany Lions: No contest here. PENN STATE
Kent State Golden Flashes at #4 Wisconsin Badgers: Wisconsin won't have to fight for this win, and they might return to keeping their opponents scoreless. WISCONSIN
Utah State Aggies at #6 LSU Tigers: Another easy win. LSU
#7 Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers: Tennessee suffered one of their worst SEC opening losses in school history, and their second conference game might be even worse. GEORGIA
#8 Auburn Tigers at #20 Florida Gators: The Gators get their first real challenge of the season, and I don't think they are up to it. AUBURN
#9 Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas Jayhawks: Kansas is playing better this year, but not nearly well enough to compete with the Jalen Hurts-led Sooners. OKLAHOMA
Cal Golden Bears at #10 Oregon Ducks: Oregon had an extra week to prepare for this game, and they might need it. Cal has proven to be a strong force in the Pac-12, and they could engineer the upset. I'll give credit to the Ducks' extra week, but watch out! OREGON
Bowling Green Falcons at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Another game that will be very one-sided. NOTRE DAME
#12 Iowa Hawkeyes at #23 Michigan Wolverines: On paper, Iowa should roll. Their offense is clicking, and is based on a strong ground game. The Wolverines have perhaps the worst running defense in the conference. Their offense has been struggling, and the Hawkeyes defense can get very stiff as opponents approach the red zone. However, Iowa stumbles in at one game each season, and this one seems ripe for that. I'll pick Iowa, but watch out for a Michigan run. IOWA
#13 Texas Longhorns at West Virginia Mountaineers: The Longhorns visit the 3-1 Mountaineers, who may be the weakest 3-1 team in the country. West Virginia's defense is good, but their offense leaves much to be desired, giving a large edge to the Longhorns. TEXAS
#14 Washington Huskies at Stanford Cardinal: Stanford was an early favorite to play in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Now, we wonder if they will even make a bowl game. Not if the Huskies have their way, and I think they will have their way against Stanford. WASHINGTON
#17 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Texas Tech Red Raiders: The Cowboys are ready to sneak in and take the conference lead if Oklahoma loses, but they need to keep pace. The Red Raiders defense has some punch, but it's offense is lacking. OKLAHOMA STATE
#19 Baylor Bears at #22 Kansas State Wildcats: The Wildcats did not survive their first real test, and they won't survive this one, either. BAYLOR
#24 TCU Horned Frogs at Iowa State Cyclones: This won't be an easy game for the Horned Frogs, as the Cyclones play tough at home. I'll give TCU the edge, but watch for the upset here. TCU
#25 Boise State Broncos at UNLV Running Rebels: UNLV is the worst team in the Mountain West. Easy win. BOISE STATE
Big Ten:
Maryland Terrapins at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Maryland gets a great rebound game against the struggling Scarlet Knights. MARYLAND
Illinois Fighting Illini at Minnesota Golden Gophers: Will the extra week to prepare help the Illini win this game? Alas, I fear not. MINNESOTA
Northwestern Wildcats at Nebraska Cornhuskers: Nebraska has the better team, but they tend to turn the ball over too much, and Northwestern is great at exploting turnovers. The 'Cats could win, but I'll give a slight edge to the home team. NEBRASKA
Other Games of Interest:
Tulane Green Wave at Army Black Knights: This battle of 3-1 former American Athletic opponents will come down to how well the Tulane defensive line can control the Army running game. I think they will start well, but the Black Knights will wear them down as the game progresses. ARMY
Air Force Falcons at Navy Midshipmen: Navy also controls the ground as they pound the Falcons. NAVY
Memphis Tigers at Louisiana-Monroe Indians: No contest. MEMPHIS
Troy Trojans at Missouri Tigers: Troy's been too inconsistent for me to think they can engineer this upset. MISSOURI
for the fist time in 35 yer
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at SMU Mustangs: SMU will advance to 6-0 for the first time in 35 years. SMU
Monday, September 30, 2019
Sunday, September 29, 2019
NCAA Football 2019 Week 5 results
We didn't have many upsets this week, and none among top teams, but poor performances by some of the Top Ten teams shook up the rankings. ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit spent most of Saturday night remarking how Ohio State had the most impressive and complete team across these five weeks, and how they deserved to be the Number One team. My statistical model agrees with him, and thus the Top Ten looks a bit different this week.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) [4]
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0) [2]
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) [7]
4. Wisconsin Badgers (4-0) [3]
5. Clemson Tigers (5-0) [1]
6. LSU Tigers (4-0) [5]
7. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0) [6]
8. Auburn Tigers (5-0) [8]
9. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0) [9]
10. Oregon Ducks (3-1) [10]
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-1) [11]
12. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0) [14]
13. Texas Longhorns (3-1) [12]
14. Washington Huskies (4-1) [13]
15. Michigan State Spartans (4-1) [16]
16. UCF Golden Knights (4-1) [18]
17. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-1) [20]
18. Utah Utes (4-1) [22]
19. Baylor Bears (4-0) [19]
20. Florida Gators (5-0) [27]
21. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-0) [20]
22. Kansas State Wildcats (3-1) [17]
23. Michigan Wolverines (3-1) [NR]
24. TCU Horned Frogs (3-1) [NR]
25. Boise State Broncos (4-0) [28]
Dropped off: Washington State Cougars [#15], Navy Midshipmen [#23], Virginia Cavaliers [#24], USC Trojans [#25]
On the Edge: SMU Mustangs (5-0), Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1), Missouri Tigers (3-1), Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-0), Memphis Tigers (4-0)
Big Ten Report
All of the Big Ten games concluded as expected, although some of the performances were surprising. Wisconsin's offense seemed to evaporate against Northwestern, while Michigan's offense made fans wonder where they've been all season. Michigan State's defense couldn't hold back Indiana, and Minnesota had to hold back a late game charge by Purdue.
With Wisconsin's offense now exposed, Ohio State should have no trouble holding them back. Now the greatest challenge Ohio State will have are the Nittany Lions. Wisconsin is still the strongest team in the West division, only because I don't think Iowa has a strong enough defense to emulate Northwestern and hold back the Badgers. Other teams, like Michigan State and Ohio State, do. Wisconsin will likely suffer losses to those two teams, at least, so if Iowa can lose only to Wisconsin they might win the division. Unfortunately the Hawkeyes face Penn State, so the West winner will likely have two losses, and Wisconsin would hold the tiebreaker over Iowa.
Upset Watch
The Pac-12 lost their remaining unbeaten team when the Sun Devils beat Cal. It wasn't necessarily an upset, as I had those two teams fairly evenly matched, but it practically guarantees the Pac-12 will be excluded from the playoffs.
Clemson is still in the mix, but they should really be thankful that Mack Brown chose to attempt a two-point conversion. North Carolina nearly beat the Tigers, and they showed better teams how that can be done. They still face some decent defenses, so their dominance in the playoff race has eroded.
Staying in the ACC, a real upset found NC State falling to the faltering Florida State. Whether this was an aberration or the start of a Seminole revival remains to be seen, but the Wolf Pack can't care which -- it just diminished their chances at playing in the ACC Championship Game to practically nil.
The UAB Blazers suffered their first loss at the hands of struggling Western Kentucky, a tough blow to their divisional hopes. They now trail Louisiana Tech and face some questions about where they stand.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) [4]
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0) [2]
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) [7]
4. Wisconsin Badgers (4-0) [3]
5. Clemson Tigers (5-0) [1]
6. LSU Tigers (4-0) [5]
7. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0) [6]
8. Auburn Tigers (5-0) [8]
9. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0) [9]
10. Oregon Ducks (3-1) [10]
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-1) [11]
12. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0) [14]
13. Texas Longhorns (3-1) [12]
14. Washington Huskies (4-1) [13]
15. Michigan State Spartans (4-1) [16]
16. UCF Golden Knights (4-1) [18]
17. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-1) [20]
18. Utah Utes (4-1) [22]
19. Baylor Bears (4-0) [19]
20. Florida Gators (5-0) [27]
21. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-0) [20]
22. Kansas State Wildcats (3-1) [17]
23. Michigan Wolverines (3-1) [NR]
24. TCU Horned Frogs (3-1) [NR]
25. Boise State Broncos (4-0) [28]
Dropped off: Washington State Cougars [#15], Navy Midshipmen [#23], Virginia Cavaliers [#24], USC Trojans [#25]
On the Edge: SMU Mustangs (5-0), Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1), Missouri Tigers (3-1), Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-0), Memphis Tigers (4-0)
Big Ten Report
All of the Big Ten games concluded as expected, although some of the performances were surprising. Wisconsin's offense seemed to evaporate against Northwestern, while Michigan's offense made fans wonder where they've been all season. Michigan State's defense couldn't hold back Indiana, and Minnesota had to hold back a late game charge by Purdue.
With Wisconsin's offense now exposed, Ohio State should have no trouble holding them back. Now the greatest challenge Ohio State will have are the Nittany Lions. Wisconsin is still the strongest team in the West division, only because I don't think Iowa has a strong enough defense to emulate Northwestern and hold back the Badgers. Other teams, like Michigan State and Ohio State, do. Wisconsin will likely suffer losses to those two teams, at least, so if Iowa can lose only to Wisconsin they might win the division. Unfortunately the Hawkeyes face Penn State, so the West winner will likely have two losses, and Wisconsin would hold the tiebreaker over Iowa.
Upset Watch
The Pac-12 lost their remaining unbeaten team when the Sun Devils beat Cal. It wasn't necessarily an upset, as I had those two teams fairly evenly matched, but it practically guarantees the Pac-12 will be excluded from the playoffs.
Clemson is still in the mix, but they should really be thankful that Mack Brown chose to attempt a two-point conversion. North Carolina nearly beat the Tigers, and they showed better teams how that can be done. They still face some decent defenses, so their dominance in the playoff race has eroded.
Staying in the ACC, a real upset found NC State falling to the faltering Florida State. Whether this was an aberration or the start of a Seminole revival remains to be seen, but the Wolf Pack can't care which -- it just diminished their chances at playing in the ACC Championship Game to practically nil.
The UAB Blazers suffered their first loss at the hands of struggling Western Kentucky, a tough blow to their divisional hopes. They now trail Louisiana Tech and face some questions about where they stand.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
NFL 2019 Week 3 results and Week 4 picks
Well, we're starting to see some interesting results from the first three weeks of the season. Among those:
1. Reports of Indy's demise were overstated : Jacoby Brissett has proven an able replacement for Andrew Luck, and the Colts remain competitive in the stiff AFC South.
2. Rise of the Bills : Buffalo's efforts are yielding high results. Although they have to play the Pats twice, the rest of the conference should have reason to fear the Bills.
3. Cleveland was overhyped : The Browns were touted as possible division winners. Now it looks like the playoffs may be a long shot. And this in a year when Pittsburgh is the pits and the Bengals are benign.
4. Joe Flacco is out of gas : Proving that Flacco's success in Baltimore was based on the players and staff around him, Flacco can't get the Broncos to move at all.
5. The Lions roar : Detroit may turn out to be the surprise team of the season.
A developing story may be brewing in the Big Apple, if Daniel Jones can repeat his amazing performance from this past week.
Power Rankings [Last week's rank]
1. New England Patriots (3-0) [1]
2. Dallas Cowboys (3-0) [3]
3. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) [5]
4. San Francisco 49ers (3-0) [4]
5. Los Angeles Rams (3-0) [6]
6. Baltimore Ravens (2-1) [2]
7. Buffalo Bills (3-0) [7]
8. Green Bay Packers (3-0) [9]
9. Minnesota Vikings (2-1) [11]
10. Detroit Lions (2-0-1) [NR]
11. Houston Texans (2-1) [12]
12. Chicago Bears (2-1) [NR]
Division Rankings [Last week's rank]
1. NFC North [2] : Not a single team has less than two wins and half the division is unbeaten. The "black and blue" division is the toughest in the league.
2. NFC West [1] : The Cards bring them down, otherwise this would be a stacked division.
3. AFC South [4] : When even the team with the worst record has a winning point difference, you know this division performs.
4. AFC East [7] : A major difference between the top half and the bottom half
5 (tie). AFC West [3] and NFC South [8]
7. NFC East [5] : Dallas is the only real competitor, making this likely to be the first division to crown its winner.
8. AFC North [6]
Thursday night
Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers : The Pack is healthy, so they'd better rack up the wins. Once injuries set in, their bench is thin. PACK, 24-20
Sunday early games
Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans: Carolina is suffering from chronic underachievement. The Texans find a way to win. TEXANS, 27-23
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens: Despite the hype, the new Browns will still lose to the old Browns. RAVENS, 31-17
Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions: Our first battle of unbeatens this weekend features the surprising Lions. They have looked good, but their defense has some flaws, which is bad news against the offensive behemoth that is Kansas City. CHIEFS, 31-23
Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins: No question that the Dolphins are the worst team in the league. Their offense is averaging less than six points a game. CHARGERS, 24-6
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills: We go from worst to first as the most dominating team in the league, the New England Patriots, highlight our other battle of the unbeatens. PATS, 30-20
Oakland Raiders at Indianapolis Colts: Jon Gruden may have thought he'd have an easy win here when Andrew Luck retired, but Jacoby Brissett and the Colts have other ideas. COLTS, 24-17
Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons: This should be a close and interesting game. Tennessee has gone downhill after an impressive opener while Atlanta is starting to find their footing again. Can Tennessee recover? I think so, and their defense will be the squad that makes this victory possible. TITANS, 24-20
Washington Redskins at New York Giants: The Giants had looked atrocious, and then they benched Eli Manning. Daniel Jones had a phenomenal game last week. If he can keep that up, the Giants sudden become a contender. GIANTS, 26-23
Sunday late games
Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos: Neither team has looked impressive, although Gardner Minshew is starting to get more comfortable under center. Since Joe Flacco looks completely confused, that should be the difference in this game. JAGS, 20-16
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears: The Bears defense is tenacious, and will bother Vikings QB Kurt Cousins all game. If he falters, the Bears could win, but Cousins might just hold his cool enough to pull this one out. VIKINGS, 24-17
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals: It's got to be tough for the Cardinals. They have played well, but they can't get that elusive first victory. I'm not sure it will come here. SEAHAWKS, 26-20
Tampa Bay Bucs at Los Angeles Rams: The Bucs will fight hard, but this is the Rams game. RAMS, 24-17
Sunday night
Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints: Teddy Bridgewater did a great job last week at Seattle, but this game will more test the Saints defense than Bridgewater and the offense. The Saints defense is improved, but the Cowboys just have too much firepower. COWBOYS, 30-24
Monday Night Football
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers: Someone will receive their first victory. With Big Ben injured, I have to favor the Bengals in this battle of the disappointments. BENGALS, 27-17
1. Reports of Indy's demise were overstated : Jacoby Brissett has proven an able replacement for Andrew Luck, and the Colts remain competitive in the stiff AFC South.
2. Rise of the Bills : Buffalo's efforts are yielding high results. Although they have to play the Pats twice, the rest of the conference should have reason to fear the Bills.
3. Cleveland was overhyped : The Browns were touted as possible division winners. Now it looks like the playoffs may be a long shot. And this in a year when Pittsburgh is the pits and the Bengals are benign.
4. Joe Flacco is out of gas : Proving that Flacco's success in Baltimore was based on the players and staff around him, Flacco can't get the Broncos to move at all.
5. The Lions roar : Detroit may turn out to be the surprise team of the season.
A developing story may be brewing in the Big Apple, if Daniel Jones can repeat his amazing performance from this past week.
Power Rankings [Last week's rank]
1. New England Patriots (3-0) [1]
2. Dallas Cowboys (3-0) [3]
3. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) [5]
4. San Francisco 49ers (3-0) [4]
5. Los Angeles Rams (3-0) [6]
6. Baltimore Ravens (2-1) [2]
7. Buffalo Bills (3-0) [7]
8. Green Bay Packers (3-0) [9]
9. Minnesota Vikings (2-1) [11]
10. Detroit Lions (2-0-1) [NR]
11. Houston Texans (2-1) [12]
12. Chicago Bears (2-1) [NR]
Division Rankings [Last week's rank]
1. NFC North [2] : Not a single team has less than two wins and half the division is unbeaten. The "black and blue" division is the toughest in the league.
2. NFC West [1] : The Cards bring them down, otherwise this would be a stacked division.
3. AFC South [4] : When even the team with the worst record has a winning point difference, you know this division performs.
4. AFC East [7] : A major difference between the top half and the bottom half
5 (tie). AFC West [3] and NFC South [8]
7. NFC East [5] : Dallas is the only real competitor, making this likely to be the first division to crown its winner.
8. AFC North [6]
Thursday night
Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers : The Pack is healthy, so they'd better rack up the wins. Once injuries set in, their bench is thin. PACK, 24-20
Sunday early games
Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans: Carolina is suffering from chronic underachievement. The Texans find a way to win. TEXANS, 27-23
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens: Despite the hype, the new Browns will still lose to the old Browns. RAVENS, 31-17
Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions: Our first battle of unbeatens this weekend features the surprising Lions. They have looked good, but their defense has some flaws, which is bad news against the offensive behemoth that is Kansas City. CHIEFS, 31-23
Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins: No question that the Dolphins are the worst team in the league. Their offense is averaging less than six points a game. CHARGERS, 24-6
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills: We go from worst to first as the most dominating team in the league, the New England Patriots, highlight our other battle of the unbeatens. PATS, 30-20
Oakland Raiders at Indianapolis Colts: Jon Gruden may have thought he'd have an easy win here when Andrew Luck retired, but Jacoby Brissett and the Colts have other ideas. COLTS, 24-17
Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons: This should be a close and interesting game. Tennessee has gone downhill after an impressive opener while Atlanta is starting to find their footing again. Can Tennessee recover? I think so, and their defense will be the squad that makes this victory possible. TITANS, 24-20
Washington Redskins at New York Giants: The Giants had looked atrocious, and then they benched Eli Manning. Daniel Jones had a phenomenal game last week. If he can keep that up, the Giants sudden become a contender. GIANTS, 26-23
Sunday late games
Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos: Neither team has looked impressive, although Gardner Minshew is starting to get more comfortable under center. Since Joe Flacco looks completely confused, that should be the difference in this game. JAGS, 20-16
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears: The Bears defense is tenacious, and will bother Vikings QB Kurt Cousins all game. If he falters, the Bears could win, but Cousins might just hold his cool enough to pull this one out. VIKINGS, 24-17
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals: It's got to be tough for the Cardinals. They have played well, but they can't get that elusive first victory. I'm not sure it will come here. SEAHAWKS, 26-20
Tampa Bay Bucs at Los Angeles Rams: The Bucs will fight hard, but this is the Rams game. RAMS, 24-17
Sunday night
Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints: Teddy Bridgewater did a great job last week at Seattle, but this game will more test the Saints defense than Bridgewater and the offense. The Saints defense is improved, but the Cowboys just have too much firepower. COWBOYS, 30-24
Monday Night Football
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers: Someone will receive their first victory. With Big Ben injured, I have to favor the Bengals in this battle of the disappointments. BENGALS, 27-17
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
NCAA Football 2019 Week 5 picks
Thurs Sept 26
#23 Navy Midshipmen at Memphis Tigers: This game should be an offensive explosion! Both teams are scoring machines. Navy churns up the ground while Memphis likes a more balanced attack. The key will be Memphis' defensive line. If they can slow the Navy running attack, it will be harder for the Midshipmen to control the pace of the game. Navy is hard to stop, though. NAVY
Fri Sept 27
#7 Penn State Nittany Lions at Maryland Terrapins: Maryland had an extra week to prepare, and we know Maryland can topple ranked teams. Penn State has the defensive advantage in this game, and their offense is pretty powerful, too. PENN STATE
Arizona State Sun Devils at Cal Golden Bears: The Bears bring their rare unbeaten status against Herm Edwards' Sun Devils. Cal could fall, but I think they might squeak this game out. CAL
Sat Sept 28
Top 25:
#1 Clemson Tigers at North Carolina Tar Heels: The Tar Heels will find themselves overpowered by the Tigers. CLEMSON
Ole Miss Rebels at #2 Alabama Crimson Tide: Ole Miss is not having a terrific season, and this game will just make things worse. ALABAMA
Northwestern Wildcats at #3 Wisconsin Badgers: The Wildcats can be tricky, but their defensive line will be overwhelmed by the powerful Badgers running game. Northwestern isn't very good at coming from behind, and they will trail early. WISCONSIN
#4 Ohio State Buckeyes at Nebraska Cornhuskers: Nebraska has some great offense, but Ohio State has better offense. The Buckeyes may score on nearly every possession given some problems with Nebraska's defense. The Buckeyes defense will hold Nebraska more often. OHIO STATE
Mississippi State Bulldogs at #8 Auburn Tigers: The Bulldogs are a good team, but they are likely to be smothered by the Tigers. AUBURN
Texas Tech Red Raiders at #9 Oklahoma Sooners: Tech has shown some defense this year, but it won't be good enough to slow the Sooner attack. OKLAHOMA
#24 Virginia Cavaliers at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Virginia should enjoy their Top 25 ranking this week, as they are bound to lose it after this game. NOTRE DAME
#25 USC Trojans at #13 Washington Huskies: The Trojans might pull this game out, especially given the number of upsets that have besieged the Pac-12 recently. Still, I'll give Washington the chance to win this one. WASHINGTON
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at #14 Iowa Hawkeyes: Not much of a challenge for the Hawkeyes here. IOWA
#15 Washington State Cougars at #22 Utah Utes: Both teams suffered losses last week. Who will redeem themselves better? While I think Utah bounces back well, the strength of the Cougars offense gives them a slight edge. WASHINGTON STATE
Indiana Hoosiers at #16 Michigan State Spartans: Indiana will test the Spartans defense, but I think they are up to the challenge. MICHIGAN STATE
#17 Kansas State Wildcats at #20 Oklahoma State Cowboys: K State faces their first real challenge against a team itching to bounce back from last week's tough loss. That motivation will propel the Cowboys to victory. OKLAHOMA STATE
UConn Huskies at #18 UCF Golden Knights: UCF gets a nice easy victory to compensate for last week's loss to Pitt. UCF
Iowa State Cyclones at #19 Baylor Bears: The Bears get their first real test against a Cyclones team that can always give opponents fits. I'll pick Baylor, but this game could be really close. BAYLOR
#21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Boston College Eagles: This just hasn't been the Eagles' year. WAKE FOREST
Big Ten:
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Michigan Wolverines: Michigan still needs to sort out their offense, but their defense should be strong enough to stall the Scarlet Knights. MICHIGAN
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Purdue Boilermakers: This could be a competitive game, but Minnesota's ball control offense will allow them to control the end of the game and secure the win. MINNESOTA
#23 Navy Midshipmen at Memphis Tigers: This game should be an offensive explosion! Both teams are scoring machines. Navy churns up the ground while Memphis likes a more balanced attack. The key will be Memphis' defensive line. If they can slow the Navy running attack, it will be harder for the Midshipmen to control the pace of the game. Navy is hard to stop, though. NAVY
Fri Sept 27
#7 Penn State Nittany Lions at Maryland Terrapins: Maryland had an extra week to prepare, and we know Maryland can topple ranked teams. Penn State has the defensive advantage in this game, and their offense is pretty powerful, too. PENN STATE
Arizona State Sun Devils at Cal Golden Bears: The Bears bring their rare unbeaten status against Herm Edwards' Sun Devils. Cal could fall, but I think they might squeak this game out. CAL
Sat Sept 28
Top 25:
#1 Clemson Tigers at North Carolina Tar Heels: The Tar Heels will find themselves overpowered by the Tigers. CLEMSON
Ole Miss Rebels at #2 Alabama Crimson Tide: Ole Miss is not having a terrific season, and this game will just make things worse. ALABAMA
Northwestern Wildcats at #3 Wisconsin Badgers: The Wildcats can be tricky, but their defensive line will be overwhelmed by the powerful Badgers running game. Northwestern isn't very good at coming from behind, and they will trail early. WISCONSIN
#4 Ohio State Buckeyes at Nebraska Cornhuskers: Nebraska has some great offense, but Ohio State has better offense. The Buckeyes may score on nearly every possession given some problems with Nebraska's defense. The Buckeyes defense will hold Nebraska more often. OHIO STATE
Mississippi State Bulldogs at #8 Auburn Tigers: The Bulldogs are a good team, but they are likely to be smothered by the Tigers. AUBURN
Texas Tech Red Raiders at #9 Oklahoma Sooners: Tech has shown some defense this year, but it won't be good enough to slow the Sooner attack. OKLAHOMA
#24 Virginia Cavaliers at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Virginia should enjoy their Top 25 ranking this week, as they are bound to lose it after this game. NOTRE DAME
#25 USC Trojans at #13 Washington Huskies: The Trojans might pull this game out, especially given the number of upsets that have besieged the Pac-12 recently. Still, I'll give Washington the chance to win this one. WASHINGTON
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at #14 Iowa Hawkeyes: Not much of a challenge for the Hawkeyes here. IOWA
#15 Washington State Cougars at #22 Utah Utes: Both teams suffered losses last week. Who will redeem themselves better? While I think Utah bounces back well, the strength of the Cougars offense gives them a slight edge. WASHINGTON STATE
Indiana Hoosiers at #16 Michigan State Spartans: Indiana will test the Spartans defense, but I think they are up to the challenge. MICHIGAN STATE
#17 Kansas State Wildcats at #20 Oklahoma State Cowboys: K State faces their first real challenge against a team itching to bounce back from last week's tough loss. That motivation will propel the Cowboys to victory. OKLAHOMA STATE
UConn Huskies at #18 UCF Golden Knights: UCF gets a nice easy victory to compensate for last week's loss to Pitt. UCF
Iowa State Cyclones at #19 Baylor Bears: The Bears get their first real test against a Cyclones team that can always give opponents fits. I'll pick Baylor, but this game could be really close. BAYLOR
#21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Boston College Eagles: This just hasn't been the Eagles' year. WAKE FOREST
Big Ten:
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Michigan Wolverines: Michigan still needs to sort out their offense, but their defense should be strong enough to stall the Scarlet Knights. MICHIGAN
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Purdue Boilermakers: This could be a competitive game, but Minnesota's ball control offense will allow them to control the end of the game and secure the win. MINNESOTA
Monday, September 23, 2019
NCAA Football 2019 Week 4 results
We had a normal number of upsets this week, and we learned something about the lower teams in the Top 25.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Clemson Tigers (4-0) [1]
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) [2]
3. Wisconsin Badgers (3-0) [3]
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) [4]
5. LSU Tigers (4-0) [5]
6. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0) [6]
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) [7]
8. Auburn Tigers (4-0) [10]
9. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) [9]
10. Oregon Ducks (3-1) [15]
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-1) [8]
12. Texas Longhorns (3-1) [12]
13. Washington Huskies (3-0) [19]
14. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) [14]
15. Washington State Cougars (3-1) [11]
16. Michigan State Spartans (3-1) [20]
17. Kansas State Wildcats (3-0) [18]
18. UCF Golden Knights (3-1) [16]
19. Baylor Bears (3-0) [25]
20. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1) [17]
21. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-0) [21]
22. Utah Utes (3-1) [13]
23. Navy Midshipmen (2-0) [23]
24. Virginia Cavaliers (4-0) [24]
25. USC Trojans (3-1) [NR]
Dropped off: Michigan Wolverines [#22]
On the Edge: Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-1), Florida Gators (4-0), Boise State Broncos (4-0), Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-1), Maryland Terrapins (2-1), Cal Golden Bears (4-0), Arizona State Sun Devils (3-1), Memphis Tigers (3-0)
Big Ten Report
The games went pretty much as expected, except Michigan had even more difficulty against Wisconsin than I thought. Their first touchdown was a "pity" score and the last was due to Wisconsin being in "victory formation" and being too loose. They could have gone scoreless.
Ohio State and Michigan State won by a larger margin than I expected, but neither team ran up the score. The Spartans needed a strong victory to correct from last week and the Buckeyes were scoring with second (and some) third team players on the field.
We're getting set up for an exciting matchup between Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Upset Watch
The Pac-12 were again plagued, and it started on Friday night. Utah fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, and allowed USC to regain a Top 25 ranking. Pitt cost UCF their unbeaten streak, and UCLA knocked Washington State off the unbeaten pedestal, leaving Cal as the only unbeaten Pac-12 team.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Clemson Tigers (4-0) [1]
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) [2]
3. Wisconsin Badgers (3-0) [3]
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) [4]
5. LSU Tigers (4-0) [5]
6. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0) [6]
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) [7]
8. Auburn Tigers (4-0) [10]
9. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) [9]
10. Oregon Ducks (3-1) [15]
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-1) [8]
12. Texas Longhorns (3-1) [12]
13. Washington Huskies (3-0) [19]
14. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) [14]
15. Washington State Cougars (3-1) [11]
16. Michigan State Spartans (3-1) [20]
17. Kansas State Wildcats (3-0) [18]
18. UCF Golden Knights (3-1) [16]
19. Baylor Bears (3-0) [25]
20. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1) [17]
21. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-0) [21]
22. Utah Utes (3-1) [13]
23. Navy Midshipmen (2-0) [23]
24. Virginia Cavaliers (4-0) [24]
25. USC Trojans (3-1) [NR]
Dropped off: Michigan Wolverines [#22]
On the Edge: Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-1), Florida Gators (4-0), Boise State Broncos (4-0), Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-1), Maryland Terrapins (2-1), Cal Golden Bears (4-0), Arizona State Sun Devils (3-1), Memphis Tigers (3-0)
Big Ten Report
The games went pretty much as expected, except Michigan had even more difficulty against Wisconsin than I thought. Their first touchdown was a "pity" score and the last was due to Wisconsin being in "victory formation" and being too loose. They could have gone scoreless.
Ohio State and Michigan State won by a larger margin than I expected, but neither team ran up the score. The Spartans needed a strong victory to correct from last week and the Buckeyes were scoring with second (and some) third team players on the field.
We're getting set up for an exciting matchup between Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Upset Watch
The Pac-12 were again plagued, and it started on Friday night. Utah fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, and allowed USC to regain a Top 25 ranking. Pitt cost UCF their unbeaten streak, and UCLA knocked Washington State off the unbeaten pedestal, leaving Cal as the only unbeaten Pac-12 team.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
NFL 2019 Week 2 results and Week 3 picks
After only two weeks we have nine unbeaten teams. We now that will go down by one this week, as two 2-0 teams face each other. How many others will survive this week?
Power Rankings [Last week's rank]
1. New England Patriots (2-0) [1]
2. Baltimore Ravens (2-0) [2]
3. Dallas Cowboys (2-0) [4]
4. San Francisco 49ers (2-0) [6]
5. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) [7]
6. Los Angeles Rams (2-0) [12]
7. Buffalo Bills (2-0) [13]
8. Tennessee Titans (1-1) [5]
9. Green Bay Packers (2-0) [NR]
10. Seattle Seahawks (2-0) [NR]
11. Minnesota Vikings (1-1) [3]
12. Houston Texans (1-1) [11]
Division Rankings
1. NFC West
2. NFC North
3. AFC West
4. AFC South
5. NFC East
6. AFC North
7. AFC East
8. NFC South
Thursday night
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars: There were concerns about Marcus Mariota coming into the season, but he has looked good the past two weeks. Even if he was struggling, I'd give the Titans the edge here. The loss of Nick Foles leaves the Jags seriously weak at quarterback, and Leonard Fournette is not gaining as well as Coach Farrone would hope. TITANS, 23-13
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts: Indy has not shriveled up and died with the retirement of Andrew Luck. In fact, Jacoby Brissett is doing very well. Through in an improved defense and I have give the upset pick to the home team, as the underwhelming Falcons are just not living up to their potential. COLTS
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs: Whoa, this should be a great offensive battle. The Chiefs have a high-powered offense, but Lamar Jackson has the Ravens scoring steadily, too. The last team to hold the ball might win this one, and Andy Reid has shown a little better job of controlling the clock than John Harbaugh. CHIEFS, 37-30
Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen is posting tremendous numbers for the Bills. Throw in a strong defense and the Bills will overpower the struggling Bengals. BILLS, 20-13
Denver Broncos at Green Bay Packers: Green Bay stymied the Bears offense in Week One, while Denver couldn't prevent the Bears from getting in field goal range in less than 30 seconds. Whose defense will dominate this game? PACKERS, 24-13
Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles: Detroit has the better record, and they surprised the Chargers last week, but their defense was burned by Arizona. The Eagles, in that same week, gave up 17 points to Washington before tightening up and winning. Atlanta got the better of them last week, but I still like what Philly can do. EAGLES, 24-17
Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys: One of the best teams in the league against one of the worst. This one is no contest. COWBOYS, 28-10
New York Jets at New England Patriots: Sam Darnold is out and so are the Jets' chances. PATRIOTS, 31-16
Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings: Anyone notice a trend? Like I have picked only home teams among the early games? Yup, and I close with that consistency. VIKINGS, 24-17
Sunday late games
Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray has breathed new life into the Cards, with assistance from an "old hat" -- Larry Fitzgerald. Murray is like Cam in his heyday, but Murray takes fewer risks when he runs. CARDINALS, 27-24
Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers were shocked by Detroit last week, so you know they want to rebound from that. Houston will make that hard, but I give the home team a slight edge. CHARGERS, 24-23
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks: Drew Brees was injured last week. Although Taysom Hill was hyped, and played, heavily in the preseason, the Saints played Teddy Bridgewater. Will we see Hill play this week? Maybe, but no matter who leads the Saints, they won't beat the Seahawks. SEAHAWKS, 20-13
New York Giants at Tampa Bay Bucs: Eli is benched, but I don't think it's a good idea to throw an inexperienced journeyman QB into this defense for his first start. BUCS, 21-10
Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers: Pittsburgh is another team breaking in a replacement QB, and the 49ers will really make that tough. 49ERS, 31-13
Sunday night
Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Browns: The Browns have not quite lived up to their hype, and the Rams remain a tough team. RAMS, 27-17
Monday Night Football
Chicago Bears at Washington Redskins: The Bears offense has been practically non-existent, and they have a terrible history on Monday Night Football, so the Redskins should be an easy pick, right? Except the Redskins defense has been poor, and the Bears offense started showing up at the end last week. Furthermore, the Bears defense is intense, and these Redskins have trouble against tight defenses. BEARS, 17-13
Power Rankings [Last week's rank]
1. New England Patriots (2-0) [1]
2. Baltimore Ravens (2-0) [2]
3. Dallas Cowboys (2-0) [4]
4. San Francisco 49ers (2-0) [6]
5. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) [7]
6. Los Angeles Rams (2-0) [12]
7. Buffalo Bills (2-0) [13]
8. Tennessee Titans (1-1) [5]
9. Green Bay Packers (2-0) [NR]
10. Seattle Seahawks (2-0) [NR]
11. Minnesota Vikings (1-1) [3]
12. Houston Texans (1-1) [11]
Division Rankings
1. NFC West
2. NFC North
3. AFC West
4. AFC South
5. NFC East
6. AFC North
7. AFC East
8. NFC South
Thursday night
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars: There were concerns about Marcus Mariota coming into the season, but he has looked good the past two weeks. Even if he was struggling, I'd give the Titans the edge here. The loss of Nick Foles leaves the Jags seriously weak at quarterback, and Leonard Fournette is not gaining as well as Coach Farrone would hope. TITANS, 23-13
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts: Indy has not shriveled up and died with the retirement of Andrew Luck. In fact, Jacoby Brissett is doing very well. Through in an improved defense and I have give the upset pick to the home team, as the underwhelming Falcons are just not living up to their potential. COLTS
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs: Whoa, this should be a great offensive battle. The Chiefs have a high-powered offense, but Lamar Jackson has the Ravens scoring steadily, too. The last team to hold the ball might win this one, and Andy Reid has shown a little better job of controlling the clock than John Harbaugh. CHIEFS, 37-30
Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen is posting tremendous numbers for the Bills. Throw in a strong defense and the Bills will overpower the struggling Bengals. BILLS, 20-13
Denver Broncos at Green Bay Packers: Green Bay stymied the Bears offense in Week One, while Denver couldn't prevent the Bears from getting in field goal range in less than 30 seconds. Whose defense will dominate this game? PACKERS, 24-13
Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles: Detroit has the better record, and they surprised the Chargers last week, but their defense was burned by Arizona. The Eagles, in that same week, gave up 17 points to Washington before tightening up and winning. Atlanta got the better of them last week, but I still like what Philly can do. EAGLES, 24-17
Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys: One of the best teams in the league against one of the worst. This one is no contest. COWBOYS, 28-10
New York Jets at New England Patriots: Sam Darnold is out and so are the Jets' chances. PATRIOTS, 31-16
Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings: Anyone notice a trend? Like I have picked only home teams among the early games? Yup, and I close with that consistency. VIKINGS, 24-17
Sunday late games
Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray has breathed new life into the Cards, with assistance from an "old hat" -- Larry Fitzgerald. Murray is like Cam in his heyday, but Murray takes fewer risks when he runs. CARDINALS, 27-24
Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers were shocked by Detroit last week, so you know they want to rebound from that. Houston will make that hard, but I give the home team a slight edge. CHARGERS, 24-23
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks: Drew Brees was injured last week. Although Taysom Hill was hyped, and played, heavily in the preseason, the Saints played Teddy Bridgewater. Will we see Hill play this week? Maybe, but no matter who leads the Saints, they won't beat the Seahawks. SEAHAWKS, 20-13
New York Giants at Tampa Bay Bucs: Eli is benched, but I don't think it's a good idea to throw an inexperienced journeyman QB into this defense for his first start. BUCS, 21-10
Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers: Pittsburgh is another team breaking in a replacement QB, and the 49ers will really make that tough. 49ERS, 31-13
Sunday night
Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Browns: The Browns have not quite lived up to their hype, and the Rams remain a tough team. RAMS, 27-17
Monday Night Football
Chicago Bears at Washington Redskins: The Bears offense has been practically non-existent, and they have a terrible history on Monday Night Football, so the Redskins should be an easy pick, right? Except the Redskins defense has been poor, and the Bears offense started showing up at the end last week. Furthermore, the Bears defense is intense, and these Redskins have trouble against tight defenses. BEARS, 17-13
Sunday, September 15, 2019
NCAA Football 2019 Week 3 picks
Thursday evening games finally begin, and we get to see how some teams respond to the results of last week's upsets.
Thurs Sept 19
Houston Cougars at Tulane Green Wave: Houston can always be a tough and tricky team, but Tulane has been a strong force this season. They've been building a good squad over the past couple of years, and this is the culmination of that effort. TULANE
Fri Sept 20
#13 Utah Utes at USC Trojans: Prior to last week, I would have said this could be an interesting matchup. It still might, but I don't give USC as much of a chance to win. The Trojans were exposed last week, and while they will work to rebound from that loss, Utah is a strong enough team that does their homework, so the upset is unlikely. UTAH
Air Force Falcons at Boise State Broncos: Here's a potential upset. Boise State is strong, but the Falcons are flying this season, too. Boise has the better talent, but they have to prevent the errors that sometimes plague them in critical games. BOISE STATE
Sat Sept 21
Top 25:
Charlotte 49ers at #1 Clemson Tigers: Charlotte has been impressive in just their second year of FCS play, but they aren't ready to compete against the top team in the land. CLEMSON
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at #2 Alabama Crimson Tide: South Carolina gave the Tide some fits in the first half of last week, but the Golden Eagles won't be as tough. ALABAMA
#22 Michigan Wolverines at #3 Wisconsin Badgers: Can you believe some national analysts think Michigan will win this one, some by more than ten points? That shows how little respect Wisconsin gets. I'm not surprised. Most national analysts love teams that have flashy quarterbacks that produce highlight-reel plays. Wisconsin has a decent QB, but they are a "pound it out" ground game mentality. They have the best running back in the nation to support that, and an offensive line that can open holes for him. This year, they also have the defense. What Army showed two weeks ago is that Michigan's run defense is weak, and I don't think having an extra week to prepare for Wisconsin will improve them that much. WISCONSIN
Miami Ohio Red Hawks at #4 Ohio State Buckeyes: The Buckeyes will shine in this game, but an impressive Badgers performance will keep them from creeping into the Top 3. OHIO STATE
#5 LSU Tigers at Vanderbilt Commodores: LSU rolls in their conference opener. LSU
#8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #6 Georgia Bulldogs: This could be the most exciting game of the day! It will likely be a close game, too. It can be tough for visitors to play between the hedges, so I'll give the edge to Georgia. If this game were played on a neutral field, I might think twice. GEORGIA
#10 Auburn Tigers at Texas A&M Aggies: I may be surprised by analysts favoring Michigan against Wisconsin, but I am absolutely flabbergasted that the Aggies are ranked in the national Top 25. They are the underdog in FIVE games that remain, meaning they are expected to go 6-6. THAT is considered Top 25 material? Pathetic! The Aggies gain the second of a long string of upcoming defeats. AUBURN
UCLA Bruins at #11 Washington State Cougars: The Bruins are as threatening as teddy bears this year, while the Cougars may be the best team in the Pac-12. WASHINGTON STATE
#17 Oklahoma State Cowboys at #12 Texas Longhorns: This will be another exciting game! Texas has the advantage as they have already faced a ranked opponent. They didn't win, but they played it close. That experience should help prepare them for this matchup. TEXAS
#15 Oregon Ducks at Stanford Cardinal: How's this for an unusual situation? Stanford is currently the worst team in their division, and neither team comes to this Week 4 matchup unbeaten. Neither situation was anticipated. Does that mean we'll get an usual game? Between these two, anything is possible, but the outcome will still match their rankings. OREGON
#16 UCF Golden Knights at Pittsburgh Panthers: Pitt battled Penn State close last week, but that was a rivalry game. There is little history here, and it's been written by UCF. UCF
#19 Washington Huskies at BYU Cougars: Washington and all teams in the Pac-12 owe a debt of gratitude to BYU for upsetting USC. That doesn't mean Washington will go easy on them. BYU might surprise here, as they did against USC, but two consecutive upsets seems a little unlikely. WASHINGTON
#20 Michigan State Spartans at Northwestern Wildcats: The Spartans want a nice game to recover from their upset to Temple last week. Northwestern can be unpredictable, though, and they have escalated themselves after their loss to Stanford. This may not be easy, but the Sparty defense should make the difference. MICHIGAN STATE
Elon Phoenix (FCS) at #21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Nice easy game for the Deacons first week in the Top 25. WAKE FOREST
Old Dominion Colonials at #24 Virginia Cavaliers: The Cavs have a nice easy game, too. VIRGINIA
#25 Baylor Bears at Rice Owls: Baylor has a fairly easy opponent as well, nearly assuring that the many of the teams at the bottom of the Top 25 will have a successful week. BAYLOR
Big Ten:
Boston College Eagles at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: The Eagles need to bounce back from a shocking upset last week. Fortunately the struggling Scarlet Knights are the perfect antidote. BOSTON COLLEGE
UConn Huskies at Indiana Hoosiers: Indiana got skunked by Ohio State last week, but they not a bad team. The Huskies will be able to attest to that after this game. INDIANA
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Illinois Fighting Illini: The Illini showed that their defense stinks. That is good news for Nebraska. If the Cornhuskers can prevent giving away this game with mistakes and penalties, they should win. NEBRASKA
Other Games of Interest:
Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators: The Vols love to play Florida tough, but they just don't have the talent to do that this year. FLORIDA
Cal Golden Bears at Ole Miss Rebels: Cal has the power this year to make this an interesting game. What should make it really interesting is that they are likely to win. CAL
SMU Mustangs at TCU Horned Frogs: TCU wiped out Purdue last week, but this might be their first real challenge. They should be up to it. TCU
Kentucky Wildcats at Mississippi State Bulldogs: This should be an interesting game! If this were played at Kentucky, I'd pick the Wildcats with no hesitation. However, as the visiting team, can the Wildcats overcome the fervor of the Bulldog fans? Probably, but this game might be uncomfortably close. KENTUCKY
Ball State Cardinals at NC State Wolf Pack: NC State should be able to bounce back from their upset last week. NC STATE
Colorado Buffaloes at Arizona State Sun Devils: Here's a fun one! The Buffaloes suffered an upset while the Sun Devils engineered one. Arizona State proved to have a tougher defense than we thought, and that might give Colorado fits. ARIZONA STATE
Thurs Sept 19
Houston Cougars at Tulane Green Wave: Houston can always be a tough and tricky team, but Tulane has been a strong force this season. They've been building a good squad over the past couple of years, and this is the culmination of that effort. TULANE
Fri Sept 20
#13 Utah Utes at USC Trojans: Prior to last week, I would have said this could be an interesting matchup. It still might, but I don't give USC as much of a chance to win. The Trojans were exposed last week, and while they will work to rebound from that loss, Utah is a strong enough team that does their homework, so the upset is unlikely. UTAH
Air Force Falcons at Boise State Broncos: Here's a potential upset. Boise State is strong, but the Falcons are flying this season, too. Boise has the better talent, but they have to prevent the errors that sometimes plague them in critical games. BOISE STATE
Sat Sept 21
Top 25:
Charlotte 49ers at #1 Clemson Tigers: Charlotte has been impressive in just their second year of FCS play, but they aren't ready to compete against the top team in the land. CLEMSON
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at #2 Alabama Crimson Tide: South Carolina gave the Tide some fits in the first half of last week, but the Golden Eagles won't be as tough. ALABAMA
#22 Michigan Wolverines at #3 Wisconsin Badgers: Can you believe some national analysts think Michigan will win this one, some by more than ten points? That shows how little respect Wisconsin gets. I'm not surprised. Most national analysts love teams that have flashy quarterbacks that produce highlight-reel plays. Wisconsin has a decent QB, but they are a "pound it out" ground game mentality. They have the best running back in the nation to support that, and an offensive line that can open holes for him. This year, they also have the defense. What Army showed two weeks ago is that Michigan's run defense is weak, and I don't think having an extra week to prepare for Wisconsin will improve them that much. WISCONSIN
Miami Ohio Red Hawks at #4 Ohio State Buckeyes: The Buckeyes will shine in this game, but an impressive Badgers performance will keep them from creeping into the Top 3. OHIO STATE
#5 LSU Tigers at Vanderbilt Commodores: LSU rolls in their conference opener. LSU
#8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #6 Georgia Bulldogs: This could be the most exciting game of the day! It will likely be a close game, too. It can be tough for visitors to play between the hedges, so I'll give the edge to Georgia. If this game were played on a neutral field, I might think twice. GEORGIA
#10 Auburn Tigers at Texas A&M Aggies: I may be surprised by analysts favoring Michigan against Wisconsin, but I am absolutely flabbergasted that the Aggies are ranked in the national Top 25. They are the underdog in FIVE games that remain, meaning they are expected to go 6-6. THAT is considered Top 25 material? Pathetic! The Aggies gain the second of a long string of upcoming defeats. AUBURN
UCLA Bruins at #11 Washington State Cougars: The Bruins are as threatening as teddy bears this year, while the Cougars may be the best team in the Pac-12. WASHINGTON STATE
#17 Oklahoma State Cowboys at #12 Texas Longhorns: This will be another exciting game! Texas has the advantage as they have already faced a ranked opponent. They didn't win, but they played it close. That experience should help prepare them for this matchup. TEXAS
#15 Oregon Ducks at Stanford Cardinal: How's this for an unusual situation? Stanford is currently the worst team in their division, and neither team comes to this Week 4 matchup unbeaten. Neither situation was anticipated. Does that mean we'll get an usual game? Between these two, anything is possible, but the outcome will still match their rankings. OREGON
#16 UCF Golden Knights at Pittsburgh Panthers: Pitt battled Penn State close last week, but that was a rivalry game. There is little history here, and it's been written by UCF. UCF
#19 Washington Huskies at BYU Cougars: Washington and all teams in the Pac-12 owe a debt of gratitude to BYU for upsetting USC. That doesn't mean Washington will go easy on them. BYU might surprise here, as they did against USC, but two consecutive upsets seems a little unlikely. WASHINGTON
#20 Michigan State Spartans at Northwestern Wildcats: The Spartans want a nice game to recover from their upset to Temple last week. Northwestern can be unpredictable, though, and they have escalated themselves after their loss to Stanford. This may not be easy, but the Sparty defense should make the difference. MICHIGAN STATE
Elon Phoenix (FCS) at #21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Nice easy game for the Deacons first week in the Top 25. WAKE FOREST
Old Dominion Colonials at #24 Virginia Cavaliers: The Cavs have a nice easy game, too. VIRGINIA
#25 Baylor Bears at Rice Owls: Baylor has a fairly easy opponent as well, nearly assuring that the many of the teams at the bottom of the Top 25 will have a successful week. BAYLOR
Big Ten:
Boston College Eagles at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: The Eagles need to bounce back from a shocking upset last week. Fortunately the struggling Scarlet Knights are the perfect antidote. BOSTON COLLEGE
UConn Huskies at Indiana Hoosiers: Indiana got skunked by Ohio State last week, but they not a bad team. The Huskies will be able to attest to that after this game. INDIANA
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Illinois Fighting Illini: The Illini showed that their defense stinks. That is good news for Nebraska. If the Cornhuskers can prevent giving away this game with mistakes and penalties, they should win. NEBRASKA
Other Games of Interest:
Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators: The Vols love to play Florida tough, but they just don't have the talent to do that this year. FLORIDA
Cal Golden Bears at Ole Miss Rebels: Cal has the power this year to make this an interesting game. What should make it really interesting is that they are likely to win. CAL
SMU Mustangs at TCU Horned Frogs: TCU wiped out Purdue last week, but this might be their first real challenge. They should be up to it. TCU
Kentucky Wildcats at Mississippi State Bulldogs: This should be an interesting game! If this were played at Kentucky, I'd pick the Wildcats with no hesitation. However, as the visiting team, can the Wildcats overcome the fervor of the Bulldog fans? Probably, but this game might be uncomfortably close. KENTUCKY
Ball State Cardinals at NC State Wolf Pack: NC State should be able to bounce back from their upset last week. NC STATE
Colorado Buffaloes at Arizona State Sun Devils: Here's a fun one! The Buffaloes suffered an upset while the Sun Devils engineered one. Arizona State proved to have a tougher defense than we thought, and that might give Colorado fits. ARIZONA STATE
NCAA Football 2019 Week 3 results
We had our first "Upset Saturday" as 11 games were upsets or near upsets. The Big 10, Pac-12, and ACC were the most frequent victims of this slew of upsets, as I will detail in the Big Ten and Upset reports. The upsets cost several Top 25 teams their rankings, and others fell due to the shockers.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Clemson Tigers (3-0) [1]
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) [2]
3. Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) [3]
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) [5]
5. LSU Tigers (3-0) [4]
6. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) [8]
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) [6]
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0) [10]
9. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) [11]
10. Auburn Tigers (3-0) [17]
11. Washington State Cougars (3-0) [7]
12. Texas Longhorns (2-1) [14]
13. Utah Utes (3-0) [13]
14. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) [9]
15. Oregon Ducks (2-1) [15]
16. UCF Golden Knights (3-0) [19]
17. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-0) [16]
18. Kansas State Wildcats (3-0) [NR]
19. Washington Huskies (2-0) [NR]
20. Michigan State Spartans (2-1) [12]
21. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-0) [NR]
22.Michigan Wolverines (2-0) [22]
23. Navy Midshipmen (2-0) [NR]
24. Virginia Cavaliers (3-0) [NR]
25. Baylor Bears (2-0) [25]
Dropped off: Maryland Terrapins [#18], Colorado Buffaloes [#20], NC State Wolf Pack [#21], Kentucky Wildcats [#23], USC Trojans [#24]
On the Edge: Arizona State Sun Devils (3-0), TCU Horned Frogs (2-0), Florida Gators (3-0), Boise State Broncos (3-0), Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-1), Maryland Terrapins (2-1), Kentucky Wildcats (2-1), Air Force Falcons (2-0), Cal Golden Bears (3-0), Memphis Tigers (3-0)
Big Ten Report
Not such a good week for the conference. The only teams who really shined were Ohio State, Nebraska, and Northwestern. Purdue was expected to lose, but they struggled much more than expected. The other teams faced tough battles. Penn State's wasn't quite as surprising. Their rivalry with Pitt is often a bitter and hard-fought affair, and this one perhaps being the last one really made them want to end with a win. They did not, but they stayed close to the Nittany Lions.
Other games were not so expected. Minnesota barely escaped losing to Georgia Southern. Iowa State often plays Iowa tough, but the Hawkeyes offense really couldn't do much in this game. Illinois allowed Eastern Michigan to run all over them, and the unknown Temple defense stymied the vaulted Maryland offense. Maryland was really exposed as a one-dimensional offense in this game. Shut down their running game and they have no ammunition. The Spartans defense continued to dominate, but mental mistakes and penalties kept Arizona State in play, especially since the Spartans couldn't do anything offensively.
So, what do I think of the teams as the rest of the conference enters conference play this coming week? First of all, Wisconsin owns the West division. All of the other teams have shown flaws, even in victories. The Badgers are the ONLY team in FBS who have not allowed ANY points against them. Many national analysts have them losing their game against Michigan this week, but that's because they bought into the Michigan preseason hype and won't admit they were fooled. The West is Wisconsin's to win.
The East is more interesting. Certainly the Ohio State offense is the most intense, but they have slacked off sometimes this season. If they stay sharp and intense, they should win. Michigan still makes too many mistakes. Maryland is one-dimensional. Michigan State has a powerful defense but the offense sputters. Penn State has power, but they give up big plays too often.
Upset Watch
I've already discussed the upsets that best the Big Ten. The Pac-12 and ACC were also subject to upsets. In fact, the ACC started it on Friday night. Boston College fell, and fell hard, to perennial doormat Kansas. Washington State nearly lost in a game where they dominated all of the statistics, but also exceeded Houston in turnovers and penalties.
Saturday wasn't kinder to the two conferences. Ranked NC State fell to West Virginia, and Georgia Tech lost to FCS The Citadel in overtime. Out west, Colorado was run over by Air Force and USC was shocked by BYU. Both of those losses cost those teams their Top 25 ranking.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Clemson Tigers (3-0) [1]
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) [2]
3. Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) [3]
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) [5]
5. LSU Tigers (3-0) [4]
6. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) [8]
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) [6]
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0) [10]
9. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) [11]
10. Auburn Tigers (3-0) [17]
11. Washington State Cougars (3-0) [7]
12. Texas Longhorns (2-1) [14]
13. Utah Utes (3-0) [13]
14. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) [9]
15. Oregon Ducks (2-1) [15]
16. UCF Golden Knights (3-0) [19]
17. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-0) [16]
18. Kansas State Wildcats (3-0) [NR]
19. Washington Huskies (2-0) [NR]
20. Michigan State Spartans (2-1) [12]
21. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-0) [NR]
22.Michigan Wolverines (2-0) [22]
23. Navy Midshipmen (2-0) [NR]
24. Virginia Cavaliers (3-0) [NR]
25. Baylor Bears (2-0) [25]
Dropped off: Maryland Terrapins [#18], Colorado Buffaloes [#20], NC State Wolf Pack [#21], Kentucky Wildcats [#23], USC Trojans [#24]
On the Edge: Arizona State Sun Devils (3-0), TCU Horned Frogs (2-0), Florida Gators (3-0), Boise State Broncos (3-0), Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-1), Maryland Terrapins (2-1), Kentucky Wildcats (2-1), Air Force Falcons (2-0), Cal Golden Bears (3-0), Memphis Tigers (3-0)
Big Ten Report
Not such a good week for the conference. The only teams who really shined were Ohio State, Nebraska, and Northwestern. Purdue was expected to lose, but they struggled much more than expected. The other teams faced tough battles. Penn State's wasn't quite as surprising. Their rivalry with Pitt is often a bitter and hard-fought affair, and this one perhaps being the last one really made them want to end with a win. They did not, but they stayed close to the Nittany Lions.
Other games were not so expected. Minnesota barely escaped losing to Georgia Southern. Iowa State often plays Iowa tough, but the Hawkeyes offense really couldn't do much in this game. Illinois allowed Eastern Michigan to run all over them, and the unknown Temple defense stymied the vaulted Maryland offense. Maryland was really exposed as a one-dimensional offense in this game. Shut down their running game and they have no ammunition. The Spartans defense continued to dominate, but mental mistakes and penalties kept Arizona State in play, especially since the Spartans couldn't do anything offensively.
So, what do I think of the teams as the rest of the conference enters conference play this coming week? First of all, Wisconsin owns the West division. All of the other teams have shown flaws, even in victories. The Badgers are the ONLY team in FBS who have not allowed ANY points against them. Many national analysts have them losing their game against Michigan this week, but that's because they bought into the Michigan preseason hype and won't admit they were fooled. The West is Wisconsin's to win.
The East is more interesting. Certainly the Ohio State offense is the most intense, but they have slacked off sometimes this season. If they stay sharp and intense, they should win. Michigan still makes too many mistakes. Maryland is one-dimensional. Michigan State has a powerful defense but the offense sputters. Penn State has power, but they give up big plays too often.
Upset Watch
I've already discussed the upsets that best the Big Ten. The Pac-12 and ACC were also subject to upsets. In fact, the ACC started it on Friday night. Boston College fell, and fell hard, to perennial doormat Kansas. Washington State nearly lost in a game where they dominated all of the statistics, but also exceeded Houston in turnovers and penalties.
Saturday wasn't kinder to the two conferences. Ranked NC State fell to West Virginia, and Georgia Tech lost to FCS The Citadel in overtime. Out west, Colorado was run over by Air Force and USC was shocked by BYU. Both of those losses cost those teams their Top 25 ranking.
Friday, September 13, 2019
NFL 2019 Week 1 results and Week 2 picks
We had some surprises in Week 1, as we often do. Some were good, many were not. Buffalo started slow, but they showed great power when they got moving. Tennessee looks to be a strong contender. Indy is not as bad without Andrew Luck as many people said. The Bears defense is as strong as their history, but their offense is atrocious. The Steelers looked poor, and the Dolphins were downright pathetic.
Power 12
1. New England Patriots (1-0)
2. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
3. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
4. Dallas Cowboys (1-0)
5. Tennessee Titans (1-0)
6. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
7. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
8. Oakland Raiders (1-0)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
10. New Orleans Saints (1-0)
11. Houston Texans (1-0)
12. Los Angeles Rams (1-0)
Thurs Sept 12
Tampa Bay Bucs at Carolina Panthers: The game is in weather delay as I type this. With no score I can still get my pick in time. The Bucs offense is still inconsistent, but their defense seems to have taken a step backwards. Carolina may have lost last week, but they played the Rams very close, and they showed they can still move the ball. They should do that again here. PANTHERS, 23-16
Sunday early games
Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are more dominant than I thought, and Lamar Jackson keeps surprising. The Cards may have come back from a huge deficit last week to tie the game, but that was against the Lions. These are the Ravens, whose defense won't allow such a thing. RAVENS, 40-20
Buffalo Bills at New York Giants: The Giants are still struggling, while the Bills were very impressive in the second half last week. If that was an indication of things to come, this game should be very interesting.
BILLS, 23-13
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins: The Cowboys were a powerhouse last week, but the Redskins weren't exactly slackers, either. This might be a phenomenal game, and closer than many people would think. COWBOYS, 27-23
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans: Indy showed life last week. That surprised many people, but not me. After all, Jacoby Brissett has been playing in place of an injured Andrew Luck for a couple of years, and doing fairly well. The Colts may take a step back, but not a large one. Tennessee, however, seems to have stepped up this year. TITANS, 30-23
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans: The Jags scored quite a bit last week, but that was against the Chiefs defense. The Texans defense operates on a whole different level. TEXANS, 31-23
Los Angeles Chargers at Detroit Lions: The Lions blew up a large fourth quarter lead last week, but I don't think they'll get that lead. The Chargers offense is strong, and should lead early. Their defense was surprised by the Colts, but Matthew Stafford and the Lions don't have too many surprises left. CHARGERS, 34-23
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers: The Pack looked poor against the Bears defense. The Vikings defense isn't quite as good, but it's a still a good squad. The Vikings running game is overpowering, and defensive line is not a strength of the Pack. VIKINGS, 28-13
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins looked sick last week, and the Pats won't give them any chance to recover. PATS, 34-3
San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals: Cincy gave Seattle everything they could handle, but I don't think Cincy can handle the 49ers. The 49ers have strengthened their defense, and Jimmy Garopollo is showing the brilliance he demonstrated in New England. 49ERS, 24-16
Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers were demolished by New England last week, but the Steelers bounce back better than almost any other team. Seattle can be too inconsistent on the road to back. STEELERS, 17-14
Sunday late games
Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos: Joe Flacco may not be the QB solution in Denver, but he certainly looked better than Mitch Trubisky last week. I'm not sure the Bears defense can bail them out of this one. BRONCOS, 16-13
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders: The Raiders showed they don't need Antonio Brown to score, but they can't score quickly enough to keep pace with the dynamic Chiefs offense. CHIEFS, 34-20
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams: Wow, this game could go either way. I often favor the home team in such contests, and I'll continue that trend. RAMS, 30-27
Sunday night
Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons: The Eagles showed great power, even after giving the Redskins a nice lead. Wentz needed a little time to warm up, and then he rolled. That will make things hard for the Falcons. EAGLES, 27-24
Monday Night Football
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets: The Jets were doing a good job of holding back Buffalo for a half, and I think they can hold the Browns for even longer. JETS, 16-13
Power 12
1. New England Patriots (1-0)
2. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
3. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
4. Dallas Cowboys (1-0)
5. Tennessee Titans (1-0)
6. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
7. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
8. Oakland Raiders (1-0)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
10. New Orleans Saints (1-0)
11. Houston Texans (1-0)
12. Los Angeles Rams (1-0)
Thurs Sept 12
Tampa Bay Bucs at Carolina Panthers: The game is in weather delay as I type this. With no score I can still get my pick in time. The Bucs offense is still inconsistent, but their defense seems to have taken a step backwards. Carolina may have lost last week, but they played the Rams very close, and they showed they can still move the ball. They should do that again here. PANTHERS, 23-16
Sunday early games
Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are more dominant than I thought, and Lamar Jackson keeps surprising. The Cards may have come back from a huge deficit last week to tie the game, but that was against the Lions. These are the Ravens, whose defense won't allow such a thing. RAVENS, 40-20
Buffalo Bills at New York Giants: The Giants are still struggling, while the Bills were very impressive in the second half last week. If that was an indication of things to come, this game should be very interesting.
BILLS, 23-13
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins: The Cowboys were a powerhouse last week, but the Redskins weren't exactly slackers, either. This might be a phenomenal game, and closer than many people would think. COWBOYS, 27-23
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans: Indy showed life last week. That surprised many people, but not me. After all, Jacoby Brissett has been playing in place of an injured Andrew Luck for a couple of years, and doing fairly well. The Colts may take a step back, but not a large one. Tennessee, however, seems to have stepped up this year. TITANS, 30-23
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans: The Jags scored quite a bit last week, but that was against the Chiefs defense. The Texans defense operates on a whole different level. TEXANS, 31-23
Los Angeles Chargers at Detroit Lions: The Lions blew up a large fourth quarter lead last week, but I don't think they'll get that lead. The Chargers offense is strong, and should lead early. Their defense was surprised by the Colts, but Matthew Stafford and the Lions don't have too many surprises left. CHARGERS, 34-23
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers: The Pack looked poor against the Bears defense. The Vikings defense isn't quite as good, but it's a still a good squad. The Vikings running game is overpowering, and defensive line is not a strength of the Pack. VIKINGS, 28-13
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins looked sick last week, and the Pats won't give them any chance to recover. PATS, 34-3
San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals: Cincy gave Seattle everything they could handle, but I don't think Cincy can handle the 49ers. The 49ers have strengthened their defense, and Jimmy Garopollo is showing the brilliance he demonstrated in New England. 49ERS, 24-16
Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers were demolished by New England last week, but the Steelers bounce back better than almost any other team. Seattle can be too inconsistent on the road to back. STEELERS, 17-14
Sunday late games
Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos: Joe Flacco may not be the QB solution in Denver, but he certainly looked better than Mitch Trubisky last week. I'm not sure the Bears defense can bail them out of this one. BRONCOS, 16-13
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders: The Raiders showed they don't need Antonio Brown to score, but they can't score quickly enough to keep pace with the dynamic Chiefs offense. CHIEFS, 34-20
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams: Wow, this game could go either way. I often favor the home team in such contests, and I'll continue that trend. RAMS, 30-27
Sunday night
Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons: The Eagles showed great power, even after giving the Redskins a nice lead. Wentz needed a little time to warm up, and then he rolled. That will make things hard for the Falcons. EAGLES, 27-24
Monday Night Football
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets: The Jets were doing a good job of holding back Buffalo for a half, and I think they can hold the Browns for even longer. JETS, 16-13
Sunday, September 8, 2019
NCAA Football Week 3 picks
Thursday games are avoided again. Is the NCAA refusing to compete with the NFL?
Fri Sept 13
North Carolina Tar Heels at Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Mack Brown has revitalized the Tar Heels and turning them into a true contender in the conference. They knocked out Miami last week, and get a chance to do the same to Wake Forest this week. NORTH CAROLINA
#7 Washington State Cougars at Houston Cougars: The battle of the Cougars feature the new favorite in the Pac-12 North and a slightly declawed Houston squad. If Washington State can prevent extending the streak of Pac-12 upsets, this should be an easy win. WASHINGTON STATE
Sat Sept 14
Top 25:
#1 Clemson Tigers at Syracuse Orange: This might have been a more interesting game if Syracuse hadn't been exposed by Maryland. Now Clemson has a template for peeling the Orange. CLEMSON
#2 Alabama Crimson Tide at South Carolina Gamecocks: The Gamecocks can be tricky, but they just don't have the talent to beat the Tide. ALABAMA
Northwestern State Demons (FCS) at #4 LSU Tigers: After two tough games against Oregon and Texas, the Tigers get a breather before they start conference play. LSU
#5 Ohio State Buckeyes at Indiana Hoosiers: Indiana has had a couple of impressive games, but I think that ends. Yes, Indiana surprised Ohio State last season. That element of surprise is gone, and Ohio State wants revenge. OHIO STATE
Pittsburgh Panthers at #6 Penn State Nittany Lions: Penn State sputtered at first against Buffalo, but then rolled. Pitt has sputtered all season so far, so this will be a one-sided affair. PENN STATE
Arkansas State Red Wolves at #8 Georgia Bulldogs: Nice easy game for the Bulldogs. They aren't really being stretched in their non-conference games. I'm not sure that's a good warm-up for the SEC. GEORGIA
#9 Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones: The Cyclones often give Iowa fits, and they had an extra week to prepare for this game, but the Cyclones didn't look really good during Week 1, so I have to favor the Hawkeyes. IOWA
New Mexico Lobos at #10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Irish should coast through this one. NOTRE DAME
#11 Oklahoma Sooners at UCLA Bruins: In previous years, this could be an exciting match-up. Unfortunately, the Bruins aren't fierce this season, so the Sooners should have this one locked up in the first half. OKLAHOMA
Arizona State Sun Devils at #12 Michigan State Spartans: The Spartans have to be careful here. The Sun Devils are a decent team, and if the Spartans start off too slowly, they may find themselves behind by a couple of scores. The Spartans should bear down and take over the game, but this one may end closer than the Spartans would like. MICHIGAN STATE
Idaho State Bengals (FCS) at #13 Utah Utes: This easy victory won't help the Utes Top 25 rankings, but might not hurt them either. UTAH
#14 Texas Longhorns at Rice Owls: The Longhorns get a break after their tough bout against LSU. TEXAS
Montana Grizzlies (FCS) at #15 Oregon Ducks: Montana is a good team, so this may not be as easy as Oregon would like, but I don't see an upset happening here. OREGON
#16 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Tulsa Golden Hurricane: Tulsa has a decent defense, but it's not strong enough to suppress the overwhelming Cowboys offense. OKLAHOMA STATE
Kent State Golden Flashes at #17 Auburn Tigers: Kent State nearly lost to Kennesaw State last week. Auburn won't break a sweat. AUBURN
#18 Maryland Terrapins at Temple Owls: Maryland will wipe out another opponent. Could they end up being the most impressive East team coming into conference play? MARYLAND
Stanford Cardinal at #19 UCF Golden Knights: Stanford got shocked by USC last week, so they may tighten their preparation. However, the Trojans showed that Stanford's new QB needs work and gets flustered. The UCF defense will charge him all day. I expect at least 2 interceptions and lots of throwaways as UCF rolls. UCF
Air Force Falcons at #20 Colorado Buffaloes: Air Force had a bye last week, and an FCS opponent the first week. This will be their first real challenge, and I'm not sure they are up to it. COLORADO
#21 NC State Wolf Pack at West Virginia Mountaineers: Remember when some national analysts were touting that West Virginia would compete for the Big 12 title? That seems a long time ago. NC STATE
Florida Gators at #23 Kentucky Wildcats: Both SEC teams get their first real challenge of the season. I've been more impressed with Kentucky's offense, but they haven't faced a defense like Florida. The Gators may pull this one out, but I'll give a slight edge to the home team. KENTUCKY
#24 USC Trojans at BYU Cougars: The Trojans bring their newly-minted Top 25 ranking into Salt Lake City. If they don't still live in the past, ecstatic about their victory over Stanford, that they ignore BYU, they should win this one. USC
Big Ten:
Eastern Michigan Eagles at Illinois Fighting Illini: Illinois gets their second MAC opponent. They demolished Akron, but that is proving to be fairly easy. Eastern Michigan isn't usually much of a force in the conference, and so far haven't really shown up. ILLINOIS
Georgia Southern Eagles at Minnesota Golden Gophers: The Eagles are flying low, and Minnesota needs a good game to wipe out the anxiety from the overtime squeaker at Fresno State. I think they'll get it. MINNESOTA
UNLV Running Rebels at Northwestern Wildcats: Stanford's loss this week makes the Northwestern loss look worse. The 'Cats had an extra week to prepare for this game, so they should pull it out, but it may be much closer than anyone (except UNLV fans) would like. NORTHWESTERN
TCU Horned Frogs at Purdue Boilermakers: Purdue can play tough against strong opponents, especially at home, but TCU just seems too strong to let this one slip away. TCU
Northern Illinois Huskies at Nebraska Cornhuskers: Both of these teams have made critical mistakes in their games. At least Nebraska has the talent to make up for it. NEBRASKA
Other Games of Interest:
Kansas State Wildcats at Mississippi State Bulldogs: K State hasn't really faced strong enough opposition to prepare for this game. While the Wildcats might win, as I'm not sure we've really seem them perform, I'll favor the Bulldogs. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Washington Huskies: Can Washington bounce back from their loss to Cal? Cal's defense is good, but really the Huskies offense was off. If they don't fix that, the Rainbow Warriors will outscore them. HAWAII
Florida State Seminoles at Virginia Cavaliers: Florida State is not having a good year. Virginia, on the other hand, is looking very good. VIRGINIA
Fri Sept 13
North Carolina Tar Heels at Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Mack Brown has revitalized the Tar Heels and turning them into a true contender in the conference. They knocked out Miami last week, and get a chance to do the same to Wake Forest this week. NORTH CAROLINA
#7 Washington State Cougars at Houston Cougars: The battle of the Cougars feature the new favorite in the Pac-12 North and a slightly declawed Houston squad. If Washington State can prevent extending the streak of Pac-12 upsets, this should be an easy win. WASHINGTON STATE
Sat Sept 14
Top 25:
#1 Clemson Tigers at Syracuse Orange: This might have been a more interesting game if Syracuse hadn't been exposed by Maryland. Now Clemson has a template for peeling the Orange. CLEMSON
#2 Alabama Crimson Tide at South Carolina Gamecocks: The Gamecocks can be tricky, but they just don't have the talent to beat the Tide. ALABAMA
Northwestern State Demons (FCS) at #4 LSU Tigers: After two tough games against Oregon and Texas, the Tigers get a breather before they start conference play. LSU
#5 Ohio State Buckeyes at Indiana Hoosiers: Indiana has had a couple of impressive games, but I think that ends. Yes, Indiana surprised Ohio State last season. That element of surprise is gone, and Ohio State wants revenge. OHIO STATE
Pittsburgh Panthers at #6 Penn State Nittany Lions: Penn State sputtered at first against Buffalo, but then rolled. Pitt has sputtered all season so far, so this will be a one-sided affair. PENN STATE
Arkansas State Red Wolves at #8 Georgia Bulldogs: Nice easy game for the Bulldogs. They aren't really being stretched in their non-conference games. I'm not sure that's a good warm-up for the SEC. GEORGIA
#9 Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones: The Cyclones often give Iowa fits, and they had an extra week to prepare for this game, but the Cyclones didn't look really good during Week 1, so I have to favor the Hawkeyes. IOWA
New Mexico Lobos at #10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Irish should coast through this one. NOTRE DAME
#11 Oklahoma Sooners at UCLA Bruins: In previous years, this could be an exciting match-up. Unfortunately, the Bruins aren't fierce this season, so the Sooners should have this one locked up in the first half. OKLAHOMA
Arizona State Sun Devils at #12 Michigan State Spartans: The Spartans have to be careful here. The Sun Devils are a decent team, and if the Spartans start off too slowly, they may find themselves behind by a couple of scores. The Spartans should bear down and take over the game, but this one may end closer than the Spartans would like. MICHIGAN STATE
Idaho State Bengals (FCS) at #13 Utah Utes: This easy victory won't help the Utes Top 25 rankings, but might not hurt them either. UTAH
#14 Texas Longhorns at Rice Owls: The Longhorns get a break after their tough bout against LSU. TEXAS
Montana Grizzlies (FCS) at #15 Oregon Ducks: Montana is a good team, so this may not be as easy as Oregon would like, but I don't see an upset happening here. OREGON
#16 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Tulsa Golden Hurricane: Tulsa has a decent defense, but it's not strong enough to suppress the overwhelming Cowboys offense. OKLAHOMA STATE
Kent State Golden Flashes at #17 Auburn Tigers: Kent State nearly lost to Kennesaw State last week. Auburn won't break a sweat. AUBURN
#18 Maryland Terrapins at Temple Owls: Maryland will wipe out another opponent. Could they end up being the most impressive East team coming into conference play? MARYLAND
Stanford Cardinal at #19 UCF Golden Knights: Stanford got shocked by USC last week, so they may tighten their preparation. However, the Trojans showed that Stanford's new QB needs work and gets flustered. The UCF defense will charge him all day. I expect at least 2 interceptions and lots of throwaways as UCF rolls. UCF
Air Force Falcons at #20 Colorado Buffaloes: Air Force had a bye last week, and an FCS opponent the first week. This will be their first real challenge, and I'm not sure they are up to it. COLORADO
#21 NC State Wolf Pack at West Virginia Mountaineers: Remember when some national analysts were touting that West Virginia would compete for the Big 12 title? That seems a long time ago. NC STATE
Florida Gators at #23 Kentucky Wildcats: Both SEC teams get their first real challenge of the season. I've been more impressed with Kentucky's offense, but they haven't faced a defense like Florida. The Gators may pull this one out, but I'll give a slight edge to the home team. KENTUCKY
#24 USC Trojans at BYU Cougars: The Trojans bring their newly-minted Top 25 ranking into Salt Lake City. If they don't still live in the past, ecstatic about their victory over Stanford, that they ignore BYU, they should win this one. USC
Big Ten:
Eastern Michigan Eagles at Illinois Fighting Illini: Illinois gets their second MAC opponent. They demolished Akron, but that is proving to be fairly easy. Eastern Michigan isn't usually much of a force in the conference, and so far haven't really shown up. ILLINOIS
Georgia Southern Eagles at Minnesota Golden Gophers: The Eagles are flying low, and Minnesota needs a good game to wipe out the anxiety from the overtime squeaker at Fresno State. I think they'll get it. MINNESOTA
UNLV Running Rebels at Northwestern Wildcats: Stanford's loss this week makes the Northwestern loss look worse. The 'Cats had an extra week to prepare for this game, so they should pull it out, but it may be much closer than anyone (except UNLV fans) would like. NORTHWESTERN
TCU Horned Frogs at Purdue Boilermakers: Purdue can play tough against strong opponents, especially at home, but TCU just seems too strong to let this one slip away. TCU
Northern Illinois Huskies at Nebraska Cornhuskers: Both of these teams have made critical mistakes in their games. At least Nebraska has the talent to make up for it. NEBRASKA
Other Games of Interest:
Kansas State Wildcats at Mississippi State Bulldogs: K State hasn't really faced strong enough opposition to prepare for this game. While the Wildcats might win, as I'm not sure we've really seem them perform, I'll favor the Bulldogs. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Washington Huskies: Can Washington bounce back from their loss to Cal? Cal's defense is good, but really the Huskies offense was off. If they don't fix that, the Rainbow Warriors will outscore them. HAWAII
Florida State Seminoles at Virginia Cavaliers: Florida State is not having a good year. Virginia, on the other hand, is looking very good. VIRGINIA
NCAA Football 2019 Week 2 results
It was an interesting week. We had five overtime games, many of those near upsets. Tennessee fans were disappointed again, and Washington proved to be more hype than heft.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Clemson Tigers (2-0) [1]
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) [2]
3. Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) [3]
4. LSU Tigers (2-0) [4]
5. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) [5]
6. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0) [7]
7. Washington State Cougars (2-0) [9]
8. Georgia Bulldogs (2-0) [8]
9. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) [12]
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0) [10]
11. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) [11]
12. Michigan State Spartans (2-0) [15]
13. Utah Utes (2-0) [14]
14. Texas Longhorns (1-1) [6]
15. Oregon Ducks (1-1) [NR]
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0) [16]
17. Auburn Tigers (2-0) [17]
18. Maryland Terrapins (2-0) [NR]
19. UCF Golden Knights (2-0) [NR]
20. Colorado Buffaloes (2-0) [20]
21. NC State Wolf Pack (2-0) [21]
22. Michigan Wolverines (2-0) [13]
23. Kentucky Wildcats (2-0) [23]
24. USC Trojans (2-0) [NR]
25. Baylor Bears (2-0) [NR]
Dropped off: Stanford Cardinal [#18], Arizona State Sun Devils [#19], Syracuse Orange [#22], Cincinnati Bearcats [#24], Boise State Broncos [#25]
On the Edge: Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0), Florida Gators (2-0), Boise State Broncos (2-0), Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-1), Kansas State Wildcats (2-0)
Big Ten Report
Three overtime games involved Big Ten teams. The most surprising was Michigan's two-overtime bout with Army. It nearly cost them a Top 25 ranking, as Michigan just couldn't stop shooting themselves in the foot. Nebraska made nearly as many mistakes, and that allowed Colorado to win. Minnesota struggled out west against Fresno State, but succeeded in their own overtime battle.
The other games were no surprises, although Illinois played it too close to UConn. Indiana and Maryland blew out their opponents much greater than surprised, and Maryland gained a Top 25 ranking as a result. Wisconsin is still the most impressive Big Ten team this season, although Ohio State looked much more normal this week. Like SEC, the Big Ten has a number of talented teams who will challenge each other in conference play. Right now the conference has seven teams in the Top 25, four in the Top Ten, but conference play will alter that.
The Badgers defense may be the biggest surprise. They have not allowed a point in the last two weeks, and opponents have entered the red zone only once. With Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State already showing some vulnerabilities, and Michigan State frequently an underachiever in critical games, this might be Wisconsin's year to win the conference and enter the playoffs. Remember, Wisconsin quietly entered the Big Ten Championship Game unbeaten last year.
Upset Watch
Lots of near upsets and only a few actual ones. Army and Marshall certainly shook up their ranked opponents (Michigan and Boise State, respectively). Louisiana-Monroe nearly beat Florida State. A missed extra point prevented overtime, and the Warhawks just might have been able to win in overtime.
The most interesting "almost upset" occurred at Kent State. They were playing Kennesaw State, a school that was Division III just four years ago. Kennesaw State sent it to overtime before Kent State could muster the win.
The FCS did get an upset this week, as Southern Illinois beat the UMass Minutemen. The other actual upsets were found in the Pac-12. Stanford stumbled against USC, making the Trojans the new favorite in the South division. The other upset was the final game to complete, in the wee hours of Sunday morning. After a two and a half hour weather delay, Washington fell to the Cal Golden Bears, officially making the top two projected teams in the North the two worst. Now all eyes (and expectations) fall to Washington State in the North.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Clemson Tigers (2-0) [1]
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) [2]
3. Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) [3]
4. LSU Tigers (2-0) [4]
5. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) [5]
6. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0) [7]
7. Washington State Cougars (2-0) [9]
8. Georgia Bulldogs (2-0) [8]
9. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) [12]
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0) [10]
11. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) [11]
12. Michigan State Spartans (2-0) [15]
13. Utah Utes (2-0) [14]
14. Texas Longhorns (1-1) [6]
15. Oregon Ducks (1-1) [NR]
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0) [16]
17. Auburn Tigers (2-0) [17]
18. Maryland Terrapins (2-0) [NR]
19. UCF Golden Knights (2-0) [NR]
20. Colorado Buffaloes (2-0) [20]
21. NC State Wolf Pack (2-0) [21]
22. Michigan Wolverines (2-0) [13]
23. Kentucky Wildcats (2-0) [23]
24. USC Trojans (2-0) [NR]
25. Baylor Bears (2-0) [NR]
Dropped off: Stanford Cardinal [#18], Arizona State Sun Devils [#19], Syracuse Orange [#22], Cincinnati Bearcats [#24], Boise State Broncos [#25]
On the Edge: Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0), Florida Gators (2-0), Boise State Broncos (2-0), Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-1), Kansas State Wildcats (2-0)
Big Ten Report
Three overtime games involved Big Ten teams. The most surprising was Michigan's two-overtime bout with Army. It nearly cost them a Top 25 ranking, as Michigan just couldn't stop shooting themselves in the foot. Nebraska made nearly as many mistakes, and that allowed Colorado to win. Minnesota struggled out west against Fresno State, but succeeded in their own overtime battle.
The other games were no surprises, although Illinois played it too close to UConn. Indiana and Maryland blew out their opponents much greater than surprised, and Maryland gained a Top 25 ranking as a result. Wisconsin is still the most impressive Big Ten team this season, although Ohio State looked much more normal this week. Like SEC, the Big Ten has a number of talented teams who will challenge each other in conference play. Right now the conference has seven teams in the Top 25, four in the Top Ten, but conference play will alter that.
The Badgers defense may be the biggest surprise. They have not allowed a point in the last two weeks, and opponents have entered the red zone only once. With Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State already showing some vulnerabilities, and Michigan State frequently an underachiever in critical games, this might be Wisconsin's year to win the conference and enter the playoffs. Remember, Wisconsin quietly entered the Big Ten Championship Game unbeaten last year.
Upset Watch
Lots of near upsets and only a few actual ones. Army and Marshall certainly shook up their ranked opponents (Michigan and Boise State, respectively). Louisiana-Monroe nearly beat Florida State. A missed extra point prevented overtime, and the Warhawks just might have been able to win in overtime.
The most interesting "almost upset" occurred at Kent State. They were playing Kennesaw State, a school that was Division III just four years ago. Kennesaw State sent it to overtime before Kent State could muster the win.
The FCS did get an upset this week, as Southern Illinois beat the UMass Minutemen. The other actual upsets were found in the Pac-12. Stanford stumbled against USC, making the Trojans the new favorite in the South division. The other upset was the final game to complete, in the wee hours of Sunday morning. After a two and a half hour weather delay, Washington fell to the Cal Golden Bears, officially making the top two projected teams in the North the two worst. Now all eyes (and expectations) fall to Washington State in the North.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
NFL 2019 Week 1 picks
The NFL kicks off its 100th season this week with the most classic matchup we have in the league.
Thursday night
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: The NFC North rivals kick off this season, and expect a brutal and physical battle. The Pack definitely has the advantage on offense, while the Bears have an edge on defense. The Pack have the better special teams, and that might make a difference in this game. PACK, 24-17
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings: Matt Ryan showed cracks last season, and I'm not sure the Falcons have fully determined what happened. I think they are hoping it was an aberration, and I'm not sure that's the case. Meanwhile, Kurt Cousins has breathed new life into the Vikings offense, and makes them thrilling to watch. VIKINGS, 27-23
Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins: Lamar Jackson still needs work, but he will look brilliant when compared to the Dolphins' Josh Rosen. It's not that Rosen is a bad QB, but he doesn't have the receiving weapons necessary to shine. RAVENS, 16-13
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets: Josh Allen is not proving to be the solution at QB for Buffalo, so they are hoping their revamped offensive line can punch holes for their backfield, as they will be relying on the running game. That requires a good defense, which Buffalo doesn't have. Sam Darnold and the Jets are capable of scoring enough to put the Bills behind, too far behind to recover with a running game. JETS, 24-13
Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars: Patrick Mahomes brings the high-powered Chiefs offense to the struggling Jaguars. Potentially the largest margin of victory of the day. CHIEFS, 41-17
Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers survive by outscoring their opponents, but they'll find that too difficult against the Rams. RAMS, 34-20
Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield has evolved into a stable quarterback, and the addition of Odell Beckham Jr gives him a strong cadre of receivers. With a strong defense, the Browns could return to the playoffs. BROWNS, 17-13
Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles: Dennis Haskins still needs work before he is reliable as a starting QB. Until Carson Wentz gets injured again, the Eagles have the edge at that position. EAGLES, 20-10
Sunday late games
Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks: The Bengals running game is improving, which is a good thing, since Andy Dalton is faltering. The Seahawks run defense is unpredictable, but Seattle tends to play better at home, so they get the edge. SEAHAWKS, 16-13
Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray will take some time to develop. Arizona might be a threat later in the season, but now the Lions, led by the experienced Matt Stafford, will prevail. LIONS, 20-13
Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Chargers: With Andrew Luck's retirement, Jacoby Brisett assumes the starting role full-time. His tenure has been hit and miss, which will turn into a "miss" this game when faced with the Chargers defense. CHARGERS, 17-6
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: Zeke will not be playing, but he won't be needed. The Giants have stripped themselves of their best weapons, making them a pale reflection of the team that used to challenge for the playoffs. COWBOYS, 20-10
San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Bucs: Jimmy Garopollo shone in the preseason, which really makes the 49ers a contender. On the other side, Jameis Winston's intelligence hasn't translated into phenomenal play on the field, so the Bucs continue to rely on their defense. 49ERS, 24-16
Sunday night game
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots: People thought that the loss of key players would make the Patriots vulnerable, but they rolled through the preseason. They remain the threat they have been under Tom Brady, one that will harass the Steelers. PATRIOTS, 24-20
Monday Night Football
Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints: The Saints defensive front has been iffy during the past couple of years, but the fractured Texans offensive line will be overmanned. They won't give DeShaun Watson enough time to really shine. SAINTS, 27-17
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders: Neither of these teams look to be very strong this year. Who's going to be more pathetic in this game? I think Oakland is still trying to find their footing. The Broncos need to break in new starter Joe Flacco, but he's seem a lot. BRONCOS, 17-13
Thursday night
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: The NFC North rivals kick off this season, and expect a brutal and physical battle. The Pack definitely has the advantage on offense, while the Bears have an edge on defense. The Pack have the better special teams, and that might make a difference in this game. PACK, 24-17
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings: Matt Ryan showed cracks last season, and I'm not sure the Falcons have fully determined what happened. I think they are hoping it was an aberration, and I'm not sure that's the case. Meanwhile, Kurt Cousins has breathed new life into the Vikings offense, and makes them thrilling to watch. VIKINGS, 27-23
Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins: Lamar Jackson still needs work, but he will look brilliant when compared to the Dolphins' Josh Rosen. It's not that Rosen is a bad QB, but he doesn't have the receiving weapons necessary to shine. RAVENS, 16-13
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets: Josh Allen is not proving to be the solution at QB for Buffalo, so they are hoping their revamped offensive line can punch holes for their backfield, as they will be relying on the running game. That requires a good defense, which Buffalo doesn't have. Sam Darnold and the Jets are capable of scoring enough to put the Bills behind, too far behind to recover with a running game. JETS, 24-13
Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars: Patrick Mahomes brings the high-powered Chiefs offense to the struggling Jaguars. Potentially the largest margin of victory of the day. CHIEFS, 41-17
Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers survive by outscoring their opponents, but they'll find that too difficult against the Rams. RAMS, 34-20
Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield has evolved into a stable quarterback, and the addition of Odell Beckham Jr gives him a strong cadre of receivers. With a strong defense, the Browns could return to the playoffs. BROWNS, 17-13
Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles: Dennis Haskins still needs work before he is reliable as a starting QB. Until Carson Wentz gets injured again, the Eagles have the edge at that position. EAGLES, 20-10
Sunday late games
Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks: The Bengals running game is improving, which is a good thing, since Andy Dalton is faltering. The Seahawks run defense is unpredictable, but Seattle tends to play better at home, so they get the edge. SEAHAWKS, 16-13
Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray will take some time to develop. Arizona might be a threat later in the season, but now the Lions, led by the experienced Matt Stafford, will prevail. LIONS, 20-13
Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Chargers: With Andrew Luck's retirement, Jacoby Brisett assumes the starting role full-time. His tenure has been hit and miss, which will turn into a "miss" this game when faced with the Chargers defense. CHARGERS, 17-6
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: Zeke will not be playing, but he won't be needed. The Giants have stripped themselves of their best weapons, making them a pale reflection of the team that used to challenge for the playoffs. COWBOYS, 20-10
San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Bucs: Jimmy Garopollo shone in the preseason, which really makes the 49ers a contender. On the other side, Jameis Winston's intelligence hasn't translated into phenomenal play on the field, so the Bucs continue to rely on their defense. 49ERS, 24-16
Sunday night game
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots: People thought that the loss of key players would make the Patriots vulnerable, but they rolled through the preseason. They remain the threat they have been under Tom Brady, one that will harass the Steelers. PATRIOTS, 24-20
Monday Night Football
Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints: The Saints defensive front has been iffy during the past couple of years, but the fractured Texans offensive line will be overmanned. They won't give DeShaun Watson enough time to really shine. SAINTS, 27-17
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders: Neither of these teams look to be very strong this year. Who's going to be more pathetic in this game? I think Oakland is still trying to find their footing. The Broncos need to break in new starter Joe Flacco, but he's seem a lot. BRONCOS, 17-13
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
NCAA Football 2019 Week1 results and Week 2 picks
Since nearly all game forecasters have a Top 25, I will provide mine. I will remind folks that my Top 25 doesn't really take shape until after Week 2, because I do not include teams with a zero or negative point differential against FBS teams (in other words, teams that have only played FCS teams will not be in this ranking).
Top 25
1. Clemson Tigers (1-0)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)
3. Wisconsin Badgers (1-0)
4. LSU Tigers (1-0)
5. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0)
6. Texas Longhorns (1-0)
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0)
8. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)
9. Washington State Cougars (1-0)
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0)
11.Oklahoma Sooners (1-0)
12. Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0)
13. Michigan Wolverines (1-0)
14.Utah Utes (1-0)
15. Michigan State Spartans (1-0)
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-0)
17. Auburn Tigers (1-0)
18. Stanford Cardinal (1-0)
19. Arizona State Sun Devils (1-0)
20. Colorado Buffaloes (1-0)
21. NC State Wolf Pack (1-0)
22. Syracuse Orange (1-0)
23. Kentucky Wildcats (1-0)
24. Cincinnati Bearcats (1-0)
25. Boise State Broncos (1-0)
Big Ten Report
Not too many surprises. Illinois definitely looks better than I expected. Purdue scrapped a great first half lead. Minnesota allowed South Dakota State too many points. Northwestern held their own against Stanford. This week should give us an even better view of what they can do.
Upset Minder
Many people see Tennessee's loss as the biggest, but Western Kentucky got skunked by perennial weakling Central Arkansas. Mississippi State, West Virginia, and Arkansas each won, but they nearly lost, and I have to question their strength.
Fri Sept 6
Marshall Thundering Herd at #25 Boise State Broncos: Boise State should win this one fairly easily. BOISE STATE
Sacramento State Hornets (FCS) at #19 Arizona State Sun Devils: Easy win, but against FCS opponent. This could cost them their Top 25 ranking. ARIZONA STATE
Sat Sept 7
Top 25:
Texas A&M Aggies at #1 Clemson Tigers: Clemson will wipe A&M off the map, and leave a large deficit for them to overcome to get into my Top 25. CLEMSON
New Mexico State Aggies at #2 Alabama Crimson Tide: Alabama should roll. ALABAMA
Central Michigan Chippewas at #3 Wisconsin Badgers: The Badgers will run all over the Chippewas. They could gain almost 300 yards on the ground. WISCONSIN
#4 LSU Tigers at #6 Texas Longhorns: Wow, they could be the most exciting game of the day! This game could go either way, so I'll give a slight edge to the home team. TEXAS
#23 Cincinnati Bearcats at #5 Ohio State Buckeyes: Cincy will challenge the Buckeyes, so they cannot slack off as they did in the third quarter last week. The challenge will wake them up, though, and Cincy will lose their Top 25 ranking. OHIO STATE
Buffalo Bulls at #7 Penn State Nittany Lions: Easy win for the Nittany Lions. PENN STATE
Murray State Racers (FCS) at #8 Georgia Bulldogs: While this win won't help Georgia's ranking at all, they can rest easy until next week. GEORGIA
Northern Colorado Bears (FCS) at #9 Washington State Cougars: Another easy game for the ranked team. WASHINGTON STATE
South Dakota Coyotes (FCS) at #11 Oklahoma Sooners: Sooners will have an easier time than against Houston. OKLAHOMA
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at #12 Iowa Hawkeyes: Big Ten play begins will an easy win for perhaps the second-best team in the Big Ten West. IOWA
Army Black Knights at #13 Michigan Wolverines: The Black Knights will test Michigan's ground defense. If they hold back Army, they stand a chance to stymie Wisconsin. MICHIGAN
Northern Illinois Huskies at #14 Utah Utes: Utah embarrassed BYU last week, and they have a chance to embarrass another team this week. UTAH
Western Michigan Broncos at #15 Michigan State Spartans: Western Michigan can be a good team, but the Spartans defense is powerful this season. MICHIGAN STATE
McNeese Cowboys (FCS) at #16 Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Battle of the Cowboys will lasso a win for Oklahoma State. OKLAHOMA STATE
Tulane Green Wave at #17 Auburn Tigers: Tulane may give the Tigers some trouble, but they'll dominate in the fourth to seal the win. AUBURN
#18 Stanford Cardinal at USC Trojans: Northwestern's defense made things tough for Stanford last week. If USC took notes, they might duplicate that effort. USC doesn't have the defensive personnel as Northwestern, so they won't win, but they keep it close. STANFORD
Nebraska Cornhuskers at #20 Colorado Buffaloes: Nebraska wasn't really impressive last week. If they don't improve, they will have problems in conference play. They may even have problems this week. COLORADO
Western Carolina Catamounts (FCS) at #21 NC State Wolf Pack: This win won't help their ranking, so it'll be interesting to see if NC State remains in the Top 25. NC STATE
#22 Syracuse Orange at Maryland Terrapins: Syracuse may come in as the favorite, but that doesn't necessarily mean a win at Maryland; just ask Texas. I have to like the upset. MARYLAND
Eastern Michigan Eagles at #23 Kentucky Wildcats: Kentucky gets a nice win to bolster their confidence before conference play. KENTUCKY
Big Ten:Vanderbilt Commodores at Purdue Boilermakers: Nevada's comeback should wake up the Purdue defense, so I don't think Vandy will repeat that feat, but Purdue is prime for an upset again. PURDUE
Illinois Fighting Illini at UConn Huskies: Given their bout with Akron, Illinois should excel in this game. ILLINOIS
Eastern Illinois Panthers (FCS) at Indiana Hoosiers: Indiana gets a nice win. INDIANA
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Fresno State Bulldogs: Prior to last week, I would pick Minnesota with no hesitancy. Now, I acknowledge that the Bulldogs could pull this one out, but I'll keep my original pick. MINNESOTA
Top 25
1. Clemson Tigers (1-0)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)
3. Wisconsin Badgers (1-0)
4. LSU Tigers (1-0)
5. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0)
6. Texas Longhorns (1-0)
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0)
8. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)
9. Washington State Cougars (1-0)
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0)
11.Oklahoma Sooners (1-0)
12. Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0)
13. Michigan Wolverines (1-0)
14.Utah Utes (1-0)
15. Michigan State Spartans (1-0)
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-0)
17. Auburn Tigers (1-0)
18. Stanford Cardinal (1-0)
19. Arizona State Sun Devils (1-0)
20. Colorado Buffaloes (1-0)
21. NC State Wolf Pack (1-0)
22. Syracuse Orange (1-0)
23. Kentucky Wildcats (1-0)
24. Cincinnati Bearcats (1-0)
25. Boise State Broncos (1-0)
Big Ten Report
Not too many surprises. Illinois definitely looks better than I expected. Purdue scrapped a great first half lead. Minnesota allowed South Dakota State too many points. Northwestern held their own against Stanford. This week should give us an even better view of what they can do.
Upset Minder
Many people see Tennessee's loss as the biggest, but Western Kentucky got skunked by perennial weakling Central Arkansas. Mississippi State, West Virginia, and Arkansas each won, but they nearly lost, and I have to question their strength.
Fri Sept 6
Marshall Thundering Herd at #25 Boise State Broncos: Boise State should win this one fairly easily. BOISE STATE
Sacramento State Hornets (FCS) at #19 Arizona State Sun Devils: Easy win, but against FCS opponent. This could cost them their Top 25 ranking. ARIZONA STATE
Sat Sept 7
Top 25:
Texas A&M Aggies at #1 Clemson Tigers: Clemson will wipe A&M off the map, and leave a large deficit for them to overcome to get into my Top 25. CLEMSON
New Mexico State Aggies at #2 Alabama Crimson Tide: Alabama should roll. ALABAMA
Central Michigan Chippewas at #3 Wisconsin Badgers: The Badgers will run all over the Chippewas. They could gain almost 300 yards on the ground. WISCONSIN
#4 LSU Tigers at #6 Texas Longhorns: Wow, they could be the most exciting game of the day! This game could go either way, so I'll give a slight edge to the home team. TEXAS
#23 Cincinnati Bearcats at #5 Ohio State Buckeyes: Cincy will challenge the Buckeyes, so they cannot slack off as they did in the third quarter last week. The challenge will wake them up, though, and Cincy will lose their Top 25 ranking. OHIO STATE
Buffalo Bulls at #7 Penn State Nittany Lions: Easy win for the Nittany Lions. PENN STATE
Murray State Racers (FCS) at #8 Georgia Bulldogs: While this win won't help Georgia's ranking at all, they can rest easy until next week. GEORGIA
Northern Colorado Bears (FCS) at #9 Washington State Cougars: Another easy game for the ranked team. WASHINGTON STATE
South Dakota Coyotes (FCS) at #11 Oklahoma Sooners: Sooners will have an easier time than against Houston. OKLAHOMA
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at #12 Iowa Hawkeyes: Big Ten play begins will an easy win for perhaps the second-best team in the Big Ten West. IOWA
Army Black Knights at #13 Michigan Wolverines: The Black Knights will test Michigan's ground defense. If they hold back Army, they stand a chance to stymie Wisconsin. MICHIGAN
Northern Illinois Huskies at #14 Utah Utes: Utah embarrassed BYU last week, and they have a chance to embarrass another team this week. UTAH
Western Michigan Broncos at #15 Michigan State Spartans: Western Michigan can be a good team, but the Spartans defense is powerful this season. MICHIGAN STATE
McNeese Cowboys (FCS) at #16 Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Battle of the Cowboys will lasso a win for Oklahoma State. OKLAHOMA STATE
Tulane Green Wave at #17 Auburn Tigers: Tulane may give the Tigers some trouble, but they'll dominate in the fourth to seal the win. AUBURN
#18 Stanford Cardinal at USC Trojans: Northwestern's defense made things tough for Stanford last week. If USC took notes, they might duplicate that effort. USC doesn't have the defensive personnel as Northwestern, so they won't win, but they keep it close. STANFORD
Nebraska Cornhuskers at #20 Colorado Buffaloes: Nebraska wasn't really impressive last week. If they don't improve, they will have problems in conference play. They may even have problems this week. COLORADO
Western Carolina Catamounts (FCS) at #21 NC State Wolf Pack: This win won't help their ranking, so it'll be interesting to see if NC State remains in the Top 25. NC STATE
#22 Syracuse Orange at Maryland Terrapins: Syracuse may come in as the favorite, but that doesn't necessarily mean a win at Maryland; just ask Texas. I have to like the upset. MARYLAND
Eastern Michigan Eagles at #23 Kentucky Wildcats: Kentucky gets a nice win to bolster their confidence before conference play. KENTUCKY
Big Ten:Vanderbilt Commodores at Purdue Boilermakers: Nevada's comeback should wake up the Purdue defense, so I don't think Vandy will repeat that feat, but Purdue is prime for an upset again. PURDUE
Illinois Fighting Illini at UConn Huskies: Given their bout with Akron, Illinois should excel in this game. ILLINOIS
Eastern Illinois Panthers (FCS) at Indiana Hoosiers: Indiana gets a nice win. INDIANA
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Fresno State Bulldogs: Prior to last week, I would pick Minnesota with no hesitancy. Now, I acknowledge that the Bulldogs could pull this one out, but I'll keep my original pick. MINNESOTA
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