NFL 2024 Week 17 Power Rankings and Week 18 picks

 The top two seeds in the AFC are set, and all playoff slots are filled except one.  In the NFC, seeds are up for grabs, but all wildcard teams are set, while only one division winner has been determined.  Jockeying for playoff position affected the Power Rankings:

Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  DETROIT LIONS (14-2) [1]

2.  Kansas City Chiefs (15-1) [2]

3.  Minnesota Vikings (14-2) [3]

4.  Buffalo Bills (13-3) [4]

5.  Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) [6]

6.  Baltimore Ravens (11-5) [7]

7.  Green Bay Packers (11-5) [5]

8.  Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) [11]

9.  Washington Commanders (11-5) [9]

10. Tampa Bay Bucs (9-7) [12]

11. Denver Broncos (9-7) [8]

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) [10]

13. Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) [14]

14. Los Angeles Rams (10-6) [16]

15. Seattle Seahawks (9-7) [15]

16. Miami Dolphins (8-8) [19]

17. Houston Texans (9-7) [13]

Divisional Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  NFC NORTH [1]

2.  AFC West [2]

3.  NFC West [2]

4.  AFC North [4]

5.  NFC East [5]

6.  AFC East [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]

The key to the games in this final week is what teams will rest starters for the playoffs.  That is not likely in the NFC, where important seeds are still up for grabs.  Even among the wildcard teams, who will be on the road, they want to avoid being the seventh seed, and having to face the second best team in the NFC North.

Saturday games

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens : This game will clinch the division for the Ravens.  They have had great success against the Browns, they want the division title, and they want revenge for a loss to the Browns earlier in the season.  Give this one to the Ravens.  RAVENS, 27-10

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers : The Steelers have been stumbling a bit lately, and the Bengals are good enough to exploit that.  The Steelers will know if they have a chance at the divisional title when this game starts. If the Ravens win, how hard will they fight?  They do have to compete with the Chargers for the fifth seed, so they won't slack off.  STEELERS, 24-17

Sunday early games

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots : The Bills are the second seed.  Bills QB Josh Allen will start and play the first drive, but we won't see him again (he's just starting to maintain his consecutive game record).  Even with a slate of second teamers, the Bills might be able to beat the Patriots, especially with a stiff defensive effort.  BILLS, 16-13

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons : As miniscule as it can be, the Falcons still have a slim shot at the playoffs, but they need a win and lots of help.  That means they won't rest any of their starters, and that crew should be good enough to get past the Panthers, provided the Panthers defense doesn't five Pennix a hard time.  FALCONS, 27-23

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers : The Packers want the sixth seed to prevent playing either Detroit or Minnesota, so they'll play hard.  Given the Bears' woes, it wouldn't matter.  PACK, 24-9

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans : Houston has the fourth seed, so they are likely to rest their starters.  Now the question is whether the Titans will deliberately tank the game?  Likely not.  The Browns are likely to lose against the Ravens, and that will place them in the lead for the top draft pick unless the Giants utterly tank).  TITANS, 13-10

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts : Neither team is playoff bound, so this is their last game.  Everybody will want to play.  The Colts have looked good in recent weeks, so I have to give them the edge to cap their season with a win.  COLTS, 27-16

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Bucs : It's easy for the Bucs -- if they win, they win the division.  Then they hope the Rams lose so they get the third seed.  BUCS, 28-13

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles : The Eagles have some injuries issues, so how many players will they rest?  Let's face it, they will be the second seed regardless of whether they win or lose, so this game won't matter.  Then the question is, can the Giants beat a rag-tag squad of Eagles?  I don't think the Giants will win, but it will be closer than expected, and should give the Browns the top pick in the draft.  EAGLES, 17-13

Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys : The Commanders are in the playoffs, but they don't want to be the seventh seed.  They need a win to stay ahead of the Pack, so they will play.  This will be Zeke's last game with the Cowboys, so the Dallas fans would love for him to have a big game, but I don't see it.  COMMANDERS, 27-17

Sunday late games

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos : Most of the Chiefs starters will rest, so the talented Broncos team gets a win.  BRONCOS, 27-13

Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders : The Chargers are in the playoffs.  Now they want the fifth seed.  They'll fight for it in Vegas.  In this case, what happens in Vegas won't stay there, it will affect the entire AFC.  CHARGERS, 17-13

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets : The Dolphins playoff hopes are microscopic.  Doesn't mater.  The Jets are a mess, so the Dolphins should win without the playoff incentive.  DOLPHINS, 16-10

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals : The 49ers just can't get it together for divisional games this season.  CARDINALS, 24-17

Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams : The Rams need a win to remain ahead of the Bucs, as they have a better conference record.  The Rams want that third seed, so they will fight and fight hard.  RAMS, 23-17

Sunday night

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions : The battle for the top seed in the NFC!  Sam Darnold has done well with the Vikings, but it's their defense that has really kept them dominant.  That defense faltered against Detroit earlier this season.  I'm not sure it will hold up again, but that's the interesting thing with the second time that teams meet in a season -- they learned some habits in the first meeting.  I favor the Lions, but this game, more than any other this week, could go the other way.  LIONS, 31-27

NFL 2024 Week 16 Power Rankings and Week 17 picks

 Some turmoil within the Power Rankings!  As the playoff races get tight, and injuries mount up, the games get more cut-throat.

Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  DETROIT LIONS (13-2) [1]

2.  Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) [2]

3.  Minnesota Vikings (13-2) [4]

4.  Buffalo Bills (12-3) [5]

5.  Green Bay Packers (11-4) [6]

6.  Philadelphia Eagles (12-3) [3]

7.  Baltimore Ravens (10-5) [9]

8.  Denver Broncos (9-6) [7]

9.  Washington Commanders (10-5) [10]

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) [8]

11. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6) [12]

12. Houston Texans (9-6) [11]

13. Tampa Bay Bucs (7-8) [13]

14. Cincinnati Bengals (7-8) [16]

15. Seattle Seahawks (8-7) [14]

16. Los Angeles Rams (9-6) [19]

Divisional Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  NFC NORTH [1]

2 (tie).  NFC West [2]

2 (tie).  AFC West [3]

4.  AFC North [4]

5.  NFC East [5]

6.  AFC East [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]

Christmas Day

Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers : The Chiefs keep finding ways to win, and the Steelers offense is a little off-kilter right now.  CHIEFS, 24-20

Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans : Both teams have strong defenses and tricky QBs.  Lamar has been doing it a bit longer than Stroud.  RAVENS, 20-17

Thursday night

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears : Wither Bears.  SEAHAWKS, 23-3

Saturday

Los Angels Chargers at New England Patriots : The Pats showed a little power last week, but they couldn't sustain it.  CHARGERS, 24-10

Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals : Cincy is picking up, but the Broncos have been a silent but deadly force for most of the season.  BRONCOS, 23-20

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams : The Rams are playing for a divisional title, and that should be sufficient incentive to push them to a win.  RAMS, 26-23

Sunday early games

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Bucs : Carolina has won more games than their pint differential should have allowed, and I think it will start to affect them.  The Bucs can be a tugh opponent at home.  BUCS, 27-20

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles : The Eagles play for the division title.  While the Boys would love to play spoiler, I don't see it here.  EAGLES, 27-17

Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants : This is a devastating year for the Giants.  COLTS, 24-6

Las Vegas Raiders at New Orleans Saints : The Saints may not have scored a point on Monday Night, but that's not a normal situation for them this season.  SAINTS, 24-13

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills : At game time, the Bills will know if they have a shot at the top seed.  Since I dn't think they do, the question is how many players will sit out this game?  Even so, I think the Jets will still lose.  Not only do the players seem deflated, but they had very poor clock management this past week.  BILLS, 20-10

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars : Both teams have struggled badly this season, but the Jags have shown life against divisional opponents.  JAGS, 16-13

Sunday late games

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings : The Pack may be playing for the playoffs, while Minnesota wants to keep pace with Detroit.  This will be a close hard-fought game, but I give the slight edge to the home team.  VIKINGS, 27-24

Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns : Should be a big win for Miami.  DOLPHINS, 24-13

Sunday night

Atlanta Falcons at Washington Commanders : Battle of the rookie QBs, but Daniels clearly has the edge.  COMMANDERS, 24-17

Monday Night Football

Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers : The Lions should roll here, maintaining their lead on the top seed.  LIONS, 27-14

NCAA 2024 Bowl games picks 2

 We are eight days into this bowl season, and the Sun Belt continues their annual tradition of early bowl success.  They have the best record of all conferences that have played at least two bowl games.  Of course, that only includes the Gang of Five conferences at this point, but it's still an impressive achievement.

I let off with games on Friday.  Let's finish up the bowl predictions...

Sat Dec 28

Fenway Bowl : UConn Huskies (9-4) v North Carolina Tar Heels (6-6) : UConn may have the better record, but they rarely make a bowl game.  The Tar Heels are more used to this environment.  UConn is more used to this PHYSICAL environment, though, as its likely to be cold and windy in Boston.  That might give them a chance, but I'll still pick the more experienced squad.  NORTH CAROLINA by eight

Pinstripe Bowl : Boston College Eagles (7-5) v Nebraska Conrhuskers (6-6) : Another game where the team with the better record is more used to the conditions, but again I have to pick the underdog.  Nebraska played very well against the tough teams of the Big Ten, and I think the ACC lack of success in the playoffs demonstrate that that conference wasn't nearly as competitive this season.  NEBRASKA by 13

New Mexico Bowl : Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (10-3) v TCU Horned Forgs (8-4) : Another win for the Sun Belt.  LOUISIANA by 14

Camping World Bowl : #24 Iowa State Cyclones (10-3) v #11 Miami Hurricanes (10-2) : Yes, I know the bowl is no longer called that, but I'm being a traditionalist this postseason (haven't you noticed in my earlier posts?).  This is an interesting match-up.  If Iowa State plays up to their potential, they will win.  However, they have made some mistakes when they face pressure, and few teams pressure better than the Canes.  MIAMI by eight

Arizona Bowl : Miami Ohio Redhawks (8-5) v Colorado State Rams (8-4) : I'd love to see Miami Ohio win, but the MAC does not have a good reacord in bowl games.  The Rams will have lots of their fans there, too.  COLORADO STATE by 16

Military Bowl : East Carolina Pirates (7-5) v NC State Wolf Pack (6-6) : The Pirates started the season tough, but had a great run at the end.  They carry that momentum into this bowl game.  Their defense will give NC State some fits, but I'm not sure the Pirates have a good enough offense to close this one out once the Wolf Pack come up with a scheme to get past their defense.  NC STATE by ten

Alamo Bowl : #18 BYU Cougars (10-2) v #20 Colorado Buffaloes (9-3) : What is a bowl game doing playing conference opponents?  The bowls are supposed to be a chance to play teams you rarely face.  Colorado may have had a chance against that doesn't know them.  BYU won't let them get away with their trick plays.  BYU by 16

Independence Bowl : Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5-7) v #16 Army Black Knights : Marshall bowed out of their bowl game, allowing a team with a losing record to play.  This is unfair to Army, who deserves a chance to show off their team against a Power Four opponent.  ARMY by lots

Mon Dec 30

Music City Bowl : #23 Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) v Missouri Tigers (9-3) : This will likely be a close game.  Missouri certainly has a better offense, as Iowa had some issues on that side of the ball.  Iowa has the much tougher defense.  Defense usually wins close games, which gives Iowa an edge.  IOWA by six

Tues Dec 31

Outback Bowl : #12 Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3) v Michigan Wolverines (7-5) : Everyone is thinking about Michigan's defeat of Ohio State in "The Game", and believe that the Wolverines have momentum coming into the bowls.  You have to understand the intensity of that rivalry.  I don't think "The Game" truly represents Michigan's skill level.  That said, they might still have a chance to win, as Alabama will have some players skip the bowl game.  I'll still favor the Tide.  ALABAMA by eight

Sun Bowl : #22 Louisville Cardinals (8-4) v Washington Huskies (6-6) : Both teams had difficulties this year, but Washington did not travel well.  LOUISVILLE by 12

Citrus Bowl : #17 South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3) v Illinois Fighting Illini (9-3) : Both teams have strong defenses, so it won't be an explosive game.  That means a single mistake can cost you, and I'm afraid Illinois might make that mistake.  If they play error-free ball, the Illini can win, but I fear that won't be.  SOUTH CAROLINA by three

Texas Bowl : Baylor Bears (8-4) v LSU Tigers (8-4) : Baylor had a great run at the end of the season, but the Tigers just have more talent.  LSU by 17

Thurs Jan 2

Gator Bowl : Duke Blue Devils (9-3) v #10 Ole Miss Rebels (9-3) : Duke had a great season, but they just won't be able to compete against the powerful Rebels team.  OLE MISS by 23

Fri Jan 3

First Responder Bowl : North Texas Mean Green (6-6) v Texas State Bobcats (7-5) : The Bobcats can play well, especially against teams with only a marginal defense.  Another Sun Belt win here.  TEXAS STATE by 17

Mayo Bowl : Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-5) v Virginia Tech Hokies (6-6) : The Gophers have a good offense.  The Hokies defense can probably hold them back for a while, but they will get tired.  So long as Minnesota doesn't shoot themselves, they should win.  MINNESOTA by nine

Sat Jan 4

Bahamas Bowl : Buffalo Bulls (8-4) v Liberty Flames (8-3) : I'd love to see Buffalo win, but the MAC frequently stumbles in bowl games.  LIBERTY by eight

NCAA 2024 Playoff First Round results and Second Round picks

 All of the first round games were pretty one-sided, which wasn't much of a surprise.  Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the game with the closest margin was Texas' bout against Clemson.  Whether that shows some weakness on the Texas squad or just a reflection of Clemson's experience, we're not sure.  The second round mgiht demonstrate that.

The second round is played in traditional bowls, and (whether intentionally or not) there are some appropriate teams playing in those bowls.

Fiesta Bowl : #4 (6th seed) Penn State Nitanny Lions v #9 (3rd seed) Boise State Broncos : Unaligned Fiesta seems the appropriate game for the playoffs' sole Gang of Five representative.  The Broncos have a strong offense, but their biggest plays are yards after the catch on mid-range passes.  However, that is the region on the field where the Lions linebackers roam, and that's the strong point of Linebacker U.  The Broncos may found trouble moving the ball.  What's worse, they win by outscoring their opponents, as their defense is not stellar.  Penn State will dominate.  PENN STATE by 18

Peach Bowl : #7 (5th seed) Texas Longhorns v #14 (4th seed) Arizona State Sun Devils : Clemson was trying to get to this game, which often featured a top ACC team, but they didn't make it.  Now it faces a former Big XII team, now in the SEC, and a former Pac-12 team, now in the Big XII.  Arizona State was a wonderful surprise team this season, as much as Indiana was.  They have talent and manage the ball very well.  Penalties are few among the Sun Devils, but can they withstand the aggressive attack by the Longhorns?  I don't think so.  TEXAS by 14

Rose Bowl : #3 (8th seed) Ohio State Buckeyes v #1 Oregon Ducks : Now this one REALLY looks traditional.  We have a former Pac-12 team facing a top Big Ten team.  THAT'S what I call a Rose Bowl!  This is the rematch of a game that Ohio State should have won, except they got a bit confused and screwed up clock management at the end of the game.  They won't do that again, and the motivation to beat Oregon this time might be enough to propel the Buckeyes to a win.  Either way, this will likely be the closest second round game.  OHIO STATE by three

Sugar Bowl : #2 (7th seed) Notre Dame Fighting Irish v #5 (2nd seed) Georgia Bulldogs : The SEC Champ plays in the Sugar Bowl; that's tradition.  This would have been an interesting game with Georgia QB Carson Beck playing.  While the Bulldogs beat Texas without him, the Irish are an entirely different story.  Their offense is intense, and their defense is a lot tougher than that of Texas.  NOTRE DAME by 13

NFL 2024 Week 15 Power Rankings and Week 16 picks

 Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  DETROIT LIONS (12-2) [1]

2.  Kansas City Chiefs (13-1) [2]

3.  Philadelphia Eagles (12-2) [3]

4.  Minnesota Vikings (12-2) [4]

5.  Buffalo Bills (11-3) [5]

6.  Green Bay Packers (10-4) [7]

7.   Denver Broncos (9-5) [8]

8.  Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) [6]

9.  Baltimore Ravens (9-5) [11]

10. Washington Commanders (9-5) [10]

11. Houston Texans (9-5) [12]

12. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) [9]

13. Tampa Bay Bucs (7-7) [14]

14. Seattle Seahawks (8-6) [13]

15. Arizona Cardinals (7-7) [16]

Divisional Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  NFC NORTH [1]

2.  NFC West [4]

3.  AFC West [2]

4.  AFC North [3]

5.  NFC East [5]

6.  AFC East [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]

Thursday night

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers : This game will be very close.  Denver has silently been having a tremendous year.  The Chargers can play very well, but they also sometimes stumble.  I like the Broncos here.  BRONCOS, 27-24

Saturday afternoon

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs : Patrik Mahomes is hurt.  He may feel well enough to play, and may want to play, but with two weeks remaining in the regular season, the smart thing to do would be to sit him down.  Don't risk him getting hurt worse.  They've won the division, they nearly have a lock on the top seed, and they need him for the postseason.  With him out, they won't win.  TEXANS, 20-13

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens : Between these two teams, it could go either way.  The Steelers have looked better recently, but never count the Ravens out.  Given the state of both team's rosters, I like the strength of the Ravens defense in this game.  RAVENS, 17-16

Sunday early games

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers : Now team has a larger margin of loss than the Panthers.  CARDINALS, 30-10

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals : The Browns are fading.  BENGALS, 24-13

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears : The Lions defense is thinning, but the Bears offense is struggling so much, they don't need them.  LIONS, 31-16

Los Angeles Rams at New York Jets : The Rams are winning the NFC West, and they seem to have found some rhythm.  The Jets are in chaos.  RAMS, 26-13

New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons : The Giants aren't doing much better.  FALCONS, 27-16

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders : The Commanders have been doing well, mostly due their fabulous rookie QB, but the Eagles are intense.  Thanks to a Lions loss last week, the Eagles are playing for the top seed, and that will motivate them.  EAGLES, 34-30

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts : The Titans have fallen apart this season, and I'm not sure they can even play spoiler here at the end.  COLTS, 20-16

Sunday late games

Jacksonville Jaguars at Las Vegas Raiders : The Raiders keep falling short, and I think a Jags late fourth-quarter drive will sink them again.  JAGS, 16-13

Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks : The Vikings offense will just overwhelm the Seahawks defense, and the offense won't be able to keep pace.  VIKINGS, 34-16

New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills : The hottest team in the AFC right now is the Bills. and they will continue this red-hot streak.  BILLS, 31-16

San Francisco 49ers at Miami Dolphins : Tua can be tough at home, but he has been a bit off-target recently.  That can only help the 49ers, although they have injury problems of their own.  The Dolphins could win this game.  49ERS, 20-17

Sunday night

Tampa Bay Bucs at Dallas Cowboys : The Cowboys had early success, but they are facing tough times now.  They often play well at home in nationally-televised games, but I think the Bucs stop them here.  BUCS, 24-16

Monday Night Football

New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers : The Pack will march over the Saints.  PACK, 30-20

NCAA 2024 Bowl games, part I

 With the first Bowl game underway, let's look at the rest of the first slate of games:

Tuesday Dec 17

Frisco Bowl : #19 Memphis Tigers (10-2) v West Virginia Mountaineers (6-6) : This was a strange matchup, and will likely be a one-sided game.  MEMPHIS by 24

Wed Dec 18

Boca Raton Bowl : Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-5) v James Madison Dukes (8-4) : The Dukes can be a tough team, and the Sun Belt has a great record in bowl games.  JAMES MADISON by 18

LA Bowl : Cal Golden Bears (6-6) v #21 UNLV Running Rebels (10-3) : While this is practically a home game for Cal, UNLV isn't making a long trip, and they have a strong team coming.  UNLV by 17

Thurs Dec 19

New Orleans Bowl : Georgia Southern Eagles (8-4) v Sam Houston BearKats (9-3) : It is tough for a newly promoted team to win their first bowl game, but the BearKats have had a phenomenal year, and I think a win here will cap it off.  SAM HOUSTON by eight

Fri Dec 20

Cure Bowl : Ohio Bobcats (10-3) v Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-3) : The Bobcats had a good year, but the MAC teams seem to struggle in bowl games.  JACKSONVILLE STATE by 13

Gasparilla Bowl : Tulane Green Wave (9-4) v Florida Gators (7-5) : Florida has a long history with the bowls, but it has not always been a successful one.  Tulane has a good team that consistently puts pressure on their opponents.  Florida is not so consistent.  TULANE by 16

Mon Dec 23

Myrtle Beach Bowl : Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (6-6) v UTSA Roadrunners (6-6) : Both teams had their ups and downs this season, but Coastal tends to do better in high profile games.  COASTAL CAROLINA by ten

Idaho Potato Bowl : Northern Illinois Huskies (7-5) v Fresno State Bulldogs (6-6) : The Huskies have the better record, but too often the MAC folds in bowl games.  FRESNO STATE by eight

Tues Dec 24

Hawaii Bowl : South Florida Bulls (6-6) v San Jose State Spartans (7-5) : Traveling to Hawaii, and spending time on the island, can be distracting for some teams.  San Jose State has been here before, so they will be better prepared.  SAN JOSE STATE by nine

Thurs Dec 26

Detroit Bowl : Pitt Panthers (7-5) v Toledo Rockets (7-5) : Pitt doesn't have a great bowl record, and neither do MAC teams.  Have to look at the teams.  Pitt had tougher opposition this year, and held their own.  PITT by eight

Copper/Cactus Bowl : Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-5) v Kansas State Wildcats (8-4) : Let's face it, Rutgers is a bowl novice, while the Wildcats have tons of experience.  It doesn't hurt that the Wildcats will have tons of friendly fans there.  KANSAS STATE by 16

Mobile Alabama Bowl : Arkansas State Red Wolves (7-5) v Bowling Green Falcons (7-5) : The Red Wolves have a great bowl record.  Not so the Falcons.  ARKANSAS STATE by nine

Fri Dec 27

Armed Force Bowl : Oklahoma Sooners (6-6) v #25 Navy Midshipmen (9-3) : Navy shocked American Athletic champ Army, and they did it by wearing down the team used to wearing down others.  The Sooners will wear down quickly.  NAVY by 15

Birmingham Bowl : Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-5) v Vanderbilt Commodores (6-6) : Vandy rarely gets to a bowl, so I'd love to see them win, but the Yellow Jackets defense will make that tough.  GEORGIA TECH by 13

Liberty Bowl : Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-4) v Arkansas Razorbacks (6-6) : The Razorbacks can be tricky, but the Red Raiders have been playing tricky football for far longer.  Their pounding defense will make things very tough for Arkansas.  TEXAS TECH by 16

Holiday Bowl : Syracuse Orange (9-3) v Washington State Cougars (8-4) : Ooh, this is the first game that I'm having real trouble picking!  These two teams are both good, and match-up very well on paper.  When it comes to bowl games, though, Syracuse doesn't have a good recent history.  WASHINGTON STATE by six

Las Vegas Bowl : USC Trojans (6-6) v Texas A&M Aggies (8-4) : The Aggies gave a hard time to some tough SEC teams.  The Trojans were just off this season.  TEXAS A&M by 12

NCAA 2024 Final Regular Season Top 25 and Playoff First Round picks

 Top 25  [Last week's position]

1.  OREGON DUCKS (13-0) [1]

2.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1) [2]

3.  Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) [3]

4.  Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2) [4]

5.  Georgia Bulldogs (11-2) [5]

6.  Indiana Hoosiers (11-1) [6]

7.  Texas Longhorns (11-2) [7]

8.  Tennessee Volunteers (10-2) [8]

9.  Boise State Broncos (13-1) [9]

10. Ole Miss Rebels (9-3) [10]

11. Miami Hurricanes (10-2) [11]

12. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3) [13]

13. SMU Mustangs (11-2) [14]

14. Arizona State Sun Devils (11-2) [15]

15. Clemson Tigers (10-3) [16]

16. Army Black Knights (11-2) [12]

17. South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3) [17]

18. BYU Cougars (10-2) [18]

19. Memphis Tigers (10-2) [19]

20. Colorado Buffaloes (9-3) [20]

21. UNLV Running Rebels (10-3) [21]

22. Louisville Cardinals (8-4) [22]

23. Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) [23]

24. Iowa State Cyclones (10-3) [24]

25. Navy Midshipmen (9-3) [28]

Dropped off: Missouri Tigers [#25]

College Football Playoffs

First Round

#6 (10th seed) Indiana Hoosiers @ #2 (7th seed) Notre Dame Fighting Irish : Bad seeding for Indiana!  While they had a chance to beat their first round opponent is the ACC or SEC Championships would have ended as expected, those upsets through the seedings into disarray, and pitted them against the highly dominant Irish squad.  While Indiana will be able to keep up better than other teams, they aren't likely to emerge victorious from this.  NOTRE DAME by eight

#14 (11th seed) SMU Mustangs @ #4 (6th seed) Penn State Nittany Lions : SMU struggled against Clemson's defense, and the Nittany Lions are even stiffer!  Don't expect SMU to come back much in the second half as they did against Clemson, either.  PENN STATE by 17

#15 (12th seed) Clemson Tigers @ #7 (5th seed) Texas Longhorns : Georgia's defense held Texas, but the Tigers don't have nearly that good a defense.  Besides, they want to slaughter an opponent to wash away the sting of the SEC Championship loss.  TEXAS by 18

#8 (9th seed) Tennessee Volunteers @ #3 (8th seed) Ohio State Buckeyes : Aside from the game against rival Michigan, the Buckeyes were a dominant opponent.  The Wolverines upset cost them a shot at the Big Ten Championship Game, and a rematch against Oregon, so you know the Buckeyes want a shot at the National Championship Game.  This is the first step.  OHIO STATE by nine

 

NFL 2024 Week 14 Power Rankings and Week 15 picks

 There was some internal movement in the Power Rankings, but the teams mostly remained the same.

Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  DETROIT LIONS (12-1) [1]

2.  Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) [3]

3.  Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) [4]

4.  Minnesota Vikings (11-2) [5]

5.  Buffalo Bills (10-3) [2]

6.  Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) [7]

7.  Green Bay Packers (9-4) [6]

8.  Denver Broncos (8-5) [9]

9.  Los Angeles Chargers (8-5) [8]

10. Washington Commanders (8-5) [10]

11. Baltimore Ravens (8-5) [11]

12. Houston Texans (8-5) [12]

13. Seattle Seahawks (8-5) [13]

14. Tampa Bay Bucs (6-7) [15]

Divisional Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  NFC NORTH [1]

2.  AFC West [2]

3.  AFC North [3]

4.  NFC West [5]

5.  NFC East [3]

6.  AFC East [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]

Thursday night

Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers : The games between these two often get heated, and are frequently unpredictable.  That said, I have to predict.  Both teams have had their highs and lows this season, and the 49ers have faced challenges with injuries.  However, so many second-string players have stepped up on this team, I think the added incentive of beating their rival Rams will propel them.  49ERS, 13-10

Sunday early games

Baltimore Ravens at New York Giants : The Giants are stumbling, so the Ravens will shine.  RAVENS, 27-10

Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans : The Titans have collapsed, while the Bengals have found a second life.  BENGALS, 24-16

Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers : Although they do not have the worst record, the Panthers have the worst point difference BY FAR.  COWBOYS, 24-13

Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns : A rare thing will happen this season -- the Chiefs will win by more than seven points.  They have mastered close games, but the Browns can't keep up.  CHIEFS, 27-17

Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans : The Texans will have their hands full with Tua, but they are a tough squad.  TEXANS, 27-23

New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars : There is still some life in the Jets, but they have pretty much alienated their fans and some of their own players.  The Jags have stumbled, especially in the area of clock management, but they will rally around their QB.  JAGS, 17-16

Washington Commanders at New Orleans Saints : The Commanders are hot, thanks to their fookie quarterback.  Their defense has some holes, so the Saints will advance, but they can't keep pace with Washington.  COMMANDERS, 34-23

Sunday late games

Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions : The Lions are hot, and their defense should be just enough to frustrate the Bills.  LIONS, 31-27

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos : The Broncos are a surprise strong team this season.  The Colts have their moments, but moments pass.  BRONCOS, 30-20

New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals : Easy win for the Cards, as the Pats have faolded.  CARDINALS, 26-13

Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles : This could be a very competitive game.  It's the Eagles offense against the Steelers defense.  The difference might be how well the Steelers offense plays.  This one could go either way.  EAGLES, 27-23

Tampa Bay Bucs at Los Angeles Chargers : The Bucs can be unpredictable.  If they can find a way to get past the Chargers defense, they might win this game, but I'll have to see if they can do it.  CHARGERS, 23-20

Sunday night

Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks : The Seahawks are tough at home, so this will not be an easy victory for the Pack, but I think they will pull it off.  PACK, 26-24

Monday Night Football

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings : My Bears don't stand a chance.  VIKINGS, 27-13

Atlanta Falcons at Las Vegas Raiders : The Raiders can be competitive, but they can't finish.  FALCONS, 27-16

NCAA 2024 Championship Week Top 25 and first bowl pick

 It was in interesting Championship weekend!  The first five games were totally one-sided, which was a bit of a surprise.  That's especially true for the Big XII Championship, which was expected to be close.  Then, the SEC Championship began a streak of upsets.  Georgia took advantage of their home field to show Texas that the Big XII Championship is not on the same level of the SEC Championship.  Texas took them to overtime, though, so it was a close and exciting game.  SMU showed their championship inexperience, as it took their offense too long to loose up. They engineered a fabulous fourth quarter.  If the Mustangs had come out of halftime that hot, they would have won that game.  The biggest surprise, though, was the Sun Belt Championship.  Once again, you had the team with the worse record having more championship experience, but they blasted the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns.  The Cajuns never had a chance in that game!

Top 25  [Last week's rank]

1.  OREGON DUCKS (13-0) [1]

2.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1) [2]

3.   Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) [5]

4.  Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2) [4]

5.  Georgia Bulldogs (11-2) [8]

6.  Indiana Hoosiers (11-1) [6]

7  Texas Longhorns (11-2) [3]

8.  Tennessee Volunteers (10-2) [7]

9.  Boise State Broncos (13-1) [10]

10. Ole Miss Rebels (9-3) [11]

11. Miami Hurricanes (10-2) [12]

12. Army Black Knights (11-1) [14]

13. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3) [13]

14. SMU Mustangs (11-2) [9]

15. Arizona State Sun Devils (11-2) [16]

 16. Clemson Tigers (10-3) [19]

17. South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3) [17]

18. BYU Cougars (10-2) [20]

19. Memphis Tigers (10-2) [21]

20. Colorado Buffaloes (9-3) [23]

21. UNLV Running Rebels (10-3) [15]

22. Louisville Cardinals (8-4) [24]

23. Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) [25]

24. Iowa State Cyclones (10-3) [18]

25. Missouri Tigers (9-3) [26]

Dropped off: Tulane Green Wave [#22]

On the Edge: Illinois Fighting Illini (9-3), Texas A&M Aggies (8-4), Navy Midshipmen (8-3), Ohio Bobcats (10-3)

There is only one game next, the Army-Navy game.  That might adjust the Top 25, depending upon the results.  I fill feature a revised Top 25 only if needed.  We do have one bowl game before next week's column, and most of the bowls haven't determined their participants, so I cannot do a bowl preview column yet, so I will include this bowl pick in this column:

Veteran's Bowl:  South Alabama Jaguars (6-6) v Western Michigan Broncos (6-6) : Despite their record, the Broncos are a real threat.  WESTERN MICHIGAN by ten

NFL 2024 Week 13 Power Rankings and Week 14 picks

 Not a tremendous amount of movement in the Power Rankings.

Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  DETROIT LIONS (11-1) [1]

2.  Buffalo Bills (10-2) [2]

3.  Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) [3]

4.  Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) [4]

5.  Minnesota Vikings (10-2) [5]

6.  Green Bay Packers (9-3) [6]

7.  Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) [8]

8.  Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) [9]

9.  Denver Broncos (8-5) [10]

10. Washington Commanders (8-5) [11]

11. Baltimore Ravens (8-5) [7]

12. Houston Texans (8-5) [12]

13. Seattle Seahawks (7-5) [15]

14. Arizona Cardinals (6-6) [13]

Divisional Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  NFC NORTH [1]

2.  AFC West [2]

3 (tie). AFC North [3]

3 (tie). NFC East [4]

5.  NFC West [4]

6.  AFC East [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]

Thursday night

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions : The Lions play their second consecutive Thursday facing yet another divisional opponent.  This one could give them some trouble.  Green Bay is capable of upsetting our top team, but I'm not sure it will happen.  LIONS, 31-27

Sunday early games

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings : Kirk Cousins returns to Minnesota at an interesting time.  The Vikings have been a bit off the past couple of weeks, and the Falcons are looking to redeem themselves after a couple of mediocre performances.  Cousins knows the Vikings, but he lacks some of the talent he had.  VIKINGS, 24-17

Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles : Despite their record, the Panthers are the still the team with the lowest Power Ranking in the league.  The Eagles will roll.  EAGLES, 31-16

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers : The Steelers survied a battle against Baltimore.  The Browns won't give them much trouble.  STEELERS, 20-10

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans : Without Trevor Lawrence, the Jags offense is stunted.  TITANS, 13-6

Las Vegas Raiders at Tampa Bay Bucs : The Raiders are missing some spark.  The Bucs have sputtered recently, too, but they have the players to put together a strong enough game plan to win this one.  BUCS, 17-13

New Orleans Saints at New York Giants : Neither team has been performing up to expectations.  The Giants have already given up on one quarterback.  I think it's turned into a player evaluation year for them.  SAINTS, 21-13

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins : Neither NYC team is doing well.  The Giants have canned one quarterback, and there is grumbling about the Jets doing the same.  DOLPHINS, 24-13

Sunday late games

Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams : The Bills will roll easily.  BILLS, 34-20

Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers : Both teams have offenses that are struggling.  In a defensive contest, I give a nod to the Bears.  BEARS, 17-13

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals : Seattle is a good team, but they are better at home than on the road.  The Cards have had ups and downs this season.  It seems time for an "up".  CARDINALS, 20-17

Sunday night

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs : The Chargers have been doing very well this season, but the Chiefs keep finding ways to win.  No matter who draws a double-team, someone else steps up.  CHIEFS, 24-23

Monday Night Football

Cincinnati Bengals at Dallas Cowboys : Dallas has been a bit disappointing this year, but the Bengals fold under pressure.  COWBOYS, 20-17

NCAA 2024 Week 14 Top 25 and Conference Championship picks

 This is the final "full" Top 25, as only a handful of these teams will play next week.

Top 25  [Last week's rank]

1.  OREGON DUCKS (12-0) [1] : The only team to finish the regular season unbeaten

2.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1) [3]

3.  Texas Longhorns (11-1) [4]

4.  Penn State Nittany Lions (11-1) [5] : They advance to the Big Ten Championship

5.  Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) [2]

6.  Indiana Hoosiers (11-1) [8] : Unbelievably dominant performance this week!

7.  Tennessee Volunteers (10-2) [7]

8.  Georgia Bulldogs (10-2) [6] : Eight overtimes?  Seriously?

9.  SMU Mustangs (11-1) [11]

10. Boise State Broncos (11-1) [10]

11. Ole Miss Rebels (9-3) [12]

12. Miami Hurricanes (10-2) [9]

13. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3) [14]

14. Army Black Knights (10-1) [15]

15. UNLV Running Rebels (10-2) [16]

16. Arizona State Sun Devils (10-2) [19]

17. South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3) [17]

18. Iowa State Cyclones (10-2) [18]

19. Clemson Tigers (9-3) [13]

20. BYU Cougars (10-2) [20]

21. Memphis Tigers (10-2) [24]

22. Tulane Green Wave (9-3) [21]

23. Colorado Buffaloes (9-3) [23]

24. Louisville Cardinals (8-4) [26]

25. Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) [25]

Dropped off: Texas A&M Aggies [#23]

On the Edge: Missouri Tigers (9-3), Illinois Fighting Illini (9-3), Navy Midshipmen (8-3)

Upset Results

Two of our upsets were suffered by the Big Ten, so I'll discuss them in the next section.  In the Big XII, Baylor shocked the surging Kansas Jayhawks, who ended the season with a losing record.  In the ACC, Miami lost their chance at the conference championship game when Syracuse shocked them.

Big Ten Report

The top of the conference had a shake-up as Michigan upset Ohio State, knocking them down to fourth place.  That win also allowed Michigan to finish with a winning conference record, despite a horrendous start to the season.  Penn State rose to second place, putting Indiana at third.  Illinois landed in fifth, and Iowa in sixth.  Michigan and Minnesota are the only other teams to finish with winning conference records.  Purdue failed to win a single conference game, and they had the three largest margins of defeat in conference play.  The biggest shock was Wisconsin, who broke a 22-year consecutive streak of winning records.

Playoff Predictions

Clearly the top two seeds will be the Big Ten champ and the SEC champ.  If Boise State wins the Mountain West, they will capture the third seed.  That leaves the fourth seed for the ACC Champion.  If UNLV upsets Boise State for the Mountain West title and SMU wins the ACC title, then the ACC champ is the third seed,,  If Clemson wins the ACC title, they are the fourth seed, unless the Big XII Championship Game is a one-sided blowout (not likely), which would likely advance their champ to the fourth seed.

Let's assume the top four seeds are the champions of the Big Ten, SEC, Mountain West, and ACC.  Who will host the first games; in other words, who will be the next four teams?  Certainly Notre Dame, Ohio State, and the Big Ten runner-up.  Who joins them?  If Georgia wins the SEC, it will be Texas.  If Texas wins, it should be Indiana.

The final group of four will include Tennessee, the Big XII champ, and the second ACC team.  That team will be Miami if SMU wins the conference, or SMU if Clemson wins.  The third team will be either Georgia (if Texas wins the SEC) or Indiana (if Texas does).

I won't predict seedings, because so much depends on who wins the conference games and by how much.,

Conference Championships

Friday Dec 6

CONFERENCE USA : Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Jacksonville State Gamecocks : This is a rematch of last week's game, where the home field Hilltoppers beat the Gamecocks.  Now they play at Jacksonville, and the Gamecocks get revenge.  JACKSONVILLE STATE by six

AMERICAN ATHLETIC : #22 Tulane Green Wave at #14 Army Black Knights : It is rare that both teams in this conference title game are ranked, but it's been that type of year.  Tulane was beaten by Memphis last week, and beaten up.  I don't think they will be able to stand up to the physical assault that is the Army offense.  Tulane may lead at the half, but Army will prevail.  ARMY by eight

MOUNTAIN WEST : #15 UNLV Running Rebels at #10 Boise State Broncos : On a neutral field, I might think UNLV has a chance, but the Broncos are fierce at home.  UNLV has been excellent, but Boise State has been dominant all season long.  BOISE STATE by 13

Sat Dec 7

BIG XII : #18 Iowa State Cyclones v #16 Arizona State Sun Devils : Arizona State has been a phenomenal team this season, especially given their inexperience.  Iowa State probably has the better team, but they have had a nasty habit this year of making crucial mistakes at the wrong time.  Arizona State has proven highly effective at taking advantage of those situations.  ARIZONA STATE by six

MAC : Ohio Bobcats v Miami Ohio Redhawks : Ohio has played the most consistent ball in the conference this season, and they rarely make mistakes.  That will be important to seal this victory, as the Redhawks have the more dynamic offense.  OHIO by four

SEC : #3 Texas Longhorns at #8 Georgia Bulldogs : Yes, Texas is considered the home team, as they have the better record, but this game is being played in Atlanta.  Yes, it is the Falcons field and not Georgia's, but it still basically a home crowd environment for the Dawgs.  And that will make this game closer, as Texas has certainly played much better than the Bulldogs this season.  Texas will take the early lead, but we've seen how Georgia can engineer some great fourth quarter comebacks at home.  Texas, though, can score quickly, and that last score will be theirs.  TEXAS by three

SUN BELT : Marshall Thundering Herd at Louisiana Ragin Cajuns : Marshall has more experience in conference championship games, but they have had some on-field communication issues this season.  Given the noise that the Cajun home crowd can generate, they will suffer from that in this game.  LOUISIANA by 13

BIG TEN : #4 Penn State Nittany Lions v #1 Oregon Ducks : If Ohio State had beaten Michigan, setting up the rematch, I was prepared to pick Ohio State.  With them out of the game, I don't think any other team in the conference can threaten Oregon for 60 minutes.  OREGON by ten

ACC : #19 Clemson Tigers at #9 SMU Mustangs : The Mustangs have been a strong team this season, and certainly the stronger offense.  However, Clemson has a history of pulling off some amazing plays in conference championships, so they will keep this game close.  SMU should still win, but watch for the upset here.  SMU by four

NFL 2024 Week 12 Power Rankings and Week 13 picks

 Not too much shake-up higher on the rankings, but the lower levels faced some chaos.

Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  DETROIT LIONS (10-1) [1]

2.  Buffalo Bills (9-2) [2]

3.  Kansas City Chiefs (10-1) [3]

4.  Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) [4]

5.  Minnesota Vikings (9-2) [6]

5.  Green Bay Packers (8-3) [10]

7.  Baltimore Ravens (8-4) [9]

8.  Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) [5]

9.  Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) [7]

10. Denver Broncos (7-5) [11]

11. Washington Commanders (7-5) [8]

12. Houston Texans (7-5) [12]

13. Arizona Cardinals (6-5) [13]

14. Tampa Bay Bucs (5-6) [15]

Divisional Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  NFC NORTH [1]

2.  AFC East [2]

3 . AFC East [3]

4 (tie). NFC West [4]

4 (tie). NFC East [5]

6.  AFC East [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]

Thanksgiving Day games

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions : The Bears have fallen just short in the last two weeks.  The Lions won't let them get that close.  LIONS, 31-20

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys : Despite their struggles this year, the Cowboys are always tough at home on Thanksgiving.  The Giants faltered last week, but the late change at QB probably threw them off.  They should better this week, but I don't think they can beat the team with the best Thanksgiving Day record.  COWBOYS, 17-13

Miami Dolphins at Green Bay Packers : The Pack have sometimes played on Thanksgiving Day, but not at night.  That won't chill the home crowd, nor will it slow Jordan Love and company.  PACK, 24-16

Friday afternoon

Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs : Yes, you see that title right.  The NFL throws their hat into the "day after Thanksgiving" ring, competing with some of college football's biggest rivalries.  So, they decide to put together an intense rivalry game of their own.  The Chiefs may not win big, but they find ways to win this season.  CHIEFS, 24-17

Sunday early games

Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings : The Cardinals can be dangerous on a streak, and they are on a winning streak.  The Vikings have been a dangerous team all season long, and that will continue.  VIKINGS, 24-17

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars : The Texans have slipped a bit, but facing the struggling Jaguars is a great way to rebuild their momentum.  TEXANS, 17-7

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots : The Colts have been inconsistent this season, but the Patriots have rarely come through.  I don't see them doing it here, either.  COLTS, 20-13

Los Angeles Chargers at Atlanta Falcons : Justin Herbert really rolled on Monday.  He couldn't quite get past the Ravens, but the Falcons defense isn't as intense.  Kirk Cousins has the Falcons offense roaring, so this will be a tight contest.  Either team will win, but I think the tricky ball-hawing Chargers defense will make the difference.  CHARGERS, 24-23

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals : The Steelers defense will stop Cincy cold.  STEELERS, 20-13

Seattle Seahawks at New York Jets : The Jets have fallen apart this season.  SEAHAWKS, 23-9

Tennessee Titans at Washington Commanders : The Commanders have lost three games in a row and need to reverse that.  The Titans can be tricky, but the Commanders should get themselves righted.  COMMANDERS, 27-20

Sunday late games

Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints : The Saints had an extra week to prepare for this game, while the Rams took a huge hit last week.  SAINTS, 24-17

Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens : The Ravens won the battle of the Harbaughs, but overcoming the dynamic Eagles offense will be more of a challenge.  EAGLES, 27-24

Tampa Bay Bucs at Carolina Panthers : The Panthers may have won last week, but they are still the worst team in the league.  BUCS, 20-10

Sunday night

San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills : The Bills are a high-powered team.  The 49ers, through injuries, is not right now.  BILLS, 34-20

Monday Night Football

Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos : The Browns are struggling, while the Broncos are rolling.  BRONCOS, 27-13

NCAA 2024 Week 14 picks

 Thurs Nov 28

#24 Memphis Tigers at #21 Tulane Green Wave : This is an interesting matchup, and I don't think either team expected to be ranked when they faced.  Tulane is the offensive powerhouse, while Memphis wins via a strong defense.  I usually pick the defense in situations like this one, but somehow I think the Tulane offense will be a bit too much.  TULANE by eight

Fri Nov 29

Oregon State Beavers at #10 Boise State Broncos : The Broncos will dominate in this game.  BOISE STATE by 20

Oklahoma State Cowboys at #23 Colorado Buffaloes : The Buffs are hoping to rebound from their loss last week to Kansas, but two things may make that tough:  the talent of the Cowboys, and the cockiness of the Buffs.  They still believe that last week's game was "rigged" against them.  Without examining what might have gone wrong,, it is likely to go wrong again.  If Coach Prime gets them on track, they have the talent to win this one, but watch for a Cowboy upset.  COLORADO

Minnesota Golden Gophers at Wisconsin Badgers : The Badgers want to make up for their loss last week.  Minnesota may make that difficult, but the Badgers have a tough enough defense to make the fourth quarter theirs.  WISCONSIN by six

Mississippi State Bulldogs at #12 Ole Miss Rebels : The Battle for Mississippi will go to the home team.  The Rebs just have too much power, and they are anxious to wipe out the sting of last week's loss.  OLE MISS by 18

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at #6 Georgia Bulldogs : No contest.  GEORGIA by lots

Nebraska Cornhuskers at #25 Iowa Hawkeyes : Nebraska pulled off a nice upset last week, but the Hawkeye defense will prevent another one.  IOWA by ten

Sat Nov 30

Top 25

Washington Huskies at #1 Oregon Ducks : Two former Pac-12 opponents face off, but it won't be close.  OREGON by lots

Michigan Wolverines at #2 Ohio State Buckeyes : It's time for "The Game".  Michigan has been victorious over the past few years, but it's time for the tables to turn.  The Buckeyes have been the most dominant team in the conference, if not the country, since their loss to Oregon.  OHIO STATE by lots

#3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at USC Trojans : This game is often a close grudge match, but the Trojans are undergunned this year.  NOTRE DAME by lots

#4 Texas Longhorns at #22 Texas A&M Aggies : This intense rivalry game has become a conference game again.  The stakes are high this year, as the winner advances to the SEC title game.  Certainly Texas is the favorite, but the Aggies won't make it easy.  TEXAS by eleven

Maryland Terrapins at #5 Penn State Nittany Lions : A Penn State win here practically guarantees them a spot in the playoffs.  They'll get it.  PENN STATE by 26

#7 Tennessee Volunteers at Vanderbilt Commodores : The Commodores have pulled off some interesting upsets earlier this season, but the Vols will prevent that from happening here.  TENN by 16

Purdue Boilermakers at #8 Indiana Hoosiers : The Hoosiers were thoroughly routed last week, so they want a big victory to reverse that.  The Boilermakers have not won a conference game all season.  They won't here, either.  INDIANA by lots

#9 Miami Hurricanes at Syracuse Orange : Syracuse has some strength, but they are overmatched in this game. MIAMI by 20

Cal Golden Bears at #11 SMU Mustangs Easy win for the Mustangs.  SMU by lots

#17 South Carolina Gamecocks at #13 Clemson Tigers : This might be most competitive game of all of the rivalries this weekend.  I figure the lead will change hands several times.  The last team with the ball will win the game, and I think the Tigers have a better sense of clock management to make that happen.  CLEMSON by four

Auburn Tigers at #14 Alabama Crimson Tide : This version of the Iron Bowl will likely be closer than Bama fans would like, but the Tide should roll when it is all over.  ALABAMA by eleven

UTSA Roadrunners at #15 Army Black Knights : The Roadrunners can be tough, but the Knights will wear them down.  ARMY by 18

Nevada Wolfpack at #16 UNLV Running Rebels : Nevada can be tough, but they seem to have lost some steam.  UNLV by 20

Kansas State Wildcats at #18 Iowa State Cyclones : The Cyclones have a challenge, and the Wildcats will bite hard, but I think the Cyclones will hold them off in the fourth quarter.  IOWA STATE by five

#19 Arizona State Sun Devils at Arizona Wildcats : Another fierce in-state rivalry game pits the Sun Devils against the Wildcats.  Arizona will fight hard, but they will fade late in the third, giving the Sun Devils their chance.  ARIZONA STATE by eight

Houston Cougars at #20 BYU Cougars : The battle of the Cougars will go to the home team, although Houston will drive strong early.  BYU by 15

Big Ten

Illinois Fighting Illini at Northwestern Wildcats : The Illini will close out their season with a win over their in-state rival.  They won't need a fourth quarter comeback, like the last two weeks.  ILLINOIS by 16

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Michigan State Spartans : Rutgers still has power remaining (just ask Illinois), so they will pound the Spartans all day.  RUTGERS by 18

Fresno State Bulldogs at UCLA Bruins : The Bulldogs get to play in the Rose Bowl, and they will go home with a win.  FRESNO STATE by 16

Other Games of Interest

Louisville Cardinals at Kentucky Wildcats : This will be a close game.  The Cardinals have the strength to win, if they can avoid hurting themselves.  LOUISVILLE by six

Arkansas Razorbacks at Missouri Tigers : Arkansas can be a tricky team, so the Tigers should be careful, but they have trouble keeping up with most SEC teams.  MISSOURI by 13

Wyoming Cowboys at Washington State Cougars : Nice strong win for the Cougs to close their season.  WASHINGTON STATE by 23

NCAA 2024 Week 13 results and Top 25

 Once again, very little movement into and within the Top 25.  Things seem to be settling.

Top 25  [Last week's rank]

1.  OREGON DUCKS (11-0) [1]

2.  Ohio State Buckeyes (10-1) [3]

3.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1) [2]

4.  Texas Longhorns (10-1) [5]

5.  Penn State Nittany Lions (10-1) [4]

6.  Georgia Bulldogs (9-2) [7]

7.  Tennessee Volunteers (9-2) [9]

8.  Indiana Hoosiers (10-1) [6]

9.  Miami Hurricanes (10-1) [14]

10. Boise State Broncos (10-1) [12]

11. SMU Mustangs (10-1) [15]

12. Ole Miss Rebels (8-3) [8]

13. Clemson Tigers (9-2) [13]

14. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-3) [10]

15. Army Black Knights (9-1) [11]

16. UNLV Running Rebels (9-2) [19]

17. South Carolina Gamecocks (8-3) [17]

18. Iowa State Cyclones (9-2) [21]

19. Arizona State Sun Devils (9-2) [23]

20. BYU Cougars (9-2) [16]

21. Tulane Green Wave (9-2) [22]

22. Texas A&M Aggies (8-3) [20]

23. Colorado Buffaloes (8-3) [18]

24. Memphis Tigers (9-2) [24]

25. Iowa Hawkeyes (7-4) [28]

Dropped off: Washington State Cougars [#25]

On the Edge: Louisville Cardinals (7-4), Kansas State Wildcats (8-3), Missouri Tigers (8-3), Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3)

Upset Results

The SEC was struck the hardest by the upset demon.  Ole Miss fell to Florida, Oklahoma toppled Alabama, and Auburn spanked the Aggies in triple overtime.  For Ole Miss and Alabama, they fell out of contention for the conference championship, as well as likely falling out of the playoffs.

The SEC wasn't the only victimized conference, though.  Conference USA doormat New Mexico State shocked Middle Tennessee.  Surging Big Ten team Wisconsin was completely skunked by Nebraska, and Kansas upset their third ranked opponent in a row, thoroughly embarrassing Colorado.

Big Ten Report

I'll cover the scenarios for the conference title game in the next section.  Four teams are in contention, and those four will be the top four teams at the end of the season, as they are two games apart from fifth place Illinois.  If Illinois wins, they are the fifth place team.  Iowa follows, who can move up a slot if they win and Illinois loses.

The conference currently has eleven teams that are bowl eligible, with four teams likely to reach the playoffs.  USC may reach the playoffs by the end of Week 13 (this column is being written while the game is still being played).  Two other teams have 5-6 records and could reach that level next week.  If UCLA beats USC, they would achieve a 5-6 record and become the third team that could reach bowl eligibility with a win next week.  Only three teams (four if UCLA loses) will not attain bowl eligibility.

Conference Championship scenarios and playoff contenders

AMERICAN ATHLETIC -- Army will face Tulane

ACC -- SMU is in.  Miami will be their opponent if they win.  If they lose, Clemson will face SMU

BIG XII -- Four teams have a shot:  Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, and Iowas State.  Arizona State and BYU have the best shot, as they face easier opponents this week.  Scenarios get strange and disparate, depending upon how many of the four teams win.  If ALL of them lose, then the number of potential teams increase, as teams with three conference losses are eligible.  It is easy to see why only the conference winner will reach the playoffs.

BIG TEN -- Oregon will play in the title game.  If Ohio State beats Michigan, they play.  Penn State would need to win AND have Michigan beat Ohio State.  Indiana would require a win AND losses by both Ohio State and Penn State.  If all three teams win, all of the top four teams will play in the playoffs.  Penn State is likely in the playoffs regardless.  Indiana might get in with a second loss, but they really need a win to be sure.

CONFERENCE USA -- Jacksonville State is in.  Liberty is in if they beat Sam Houston.  Western Kentucky would need Liberty to lose AND to upset Jacksonville State.  They seem least likely.  Sam Houston gets in if they win and Jacksonville State wins.

MAC -- The winner of the Miami Ohio - Bowling Green game will be one team in the title game.  Ohio will be the second if they win.  If they lose, we get a quick rematch.  

MOUNTAIN WEST -- Boise State is in both the championship game and the playoffs (unless they lose the conference title game and Army wins theirs).  UNLV will be in with a win.  If they lose and Colorado State wins, the Rams are in.  

SEC -- The title game just got easier after this week's upsets.  Georgia is in, and the winner of the Texas - A&M matchup is the other team.  As far as the playoffs, both Texas and Georgia are likely in.  If Tennessee wins this week, they will be the third team, unless A&M upsets both Texas and Georgia to win the conference title.

NFL 2024 Week 11 Power Rankings and Week 12 picks

 Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  DETROIT LIONS (9-1)     [1]

2.  Buffalo Bills (9-2) [3]

3.  Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) [2]

4.  Philadelphia Eagles (8-2) [4]

5.  Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2) [5]

6.  Minnesota Vikings (8-2) [6]

7.  Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) [9]

8.  Washington Commanders (7-4) [7]

9.  Baltimore Ravens (7-4) [8]

10. Green Bay Packers (7-3) [10]

11. Denver Broncos (6-5) [13]

12. Houston Texans (7-4) [15]

13. Arizona Cardinals (6-4) [12]

14. San Francisco 49ers (5-5) [11]

Divisional Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  NFC NORTH [1]

2.  AFC West [2]

3.  AFC North [3]

4.  NFC West [5]

5.  NFC East [4]

6.  AFC East [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]

Thursday night

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns : Cleveland is struggling.  For Pittsburgh, despite rotating QB concerns, their defense and offensive line keep them winning.  STEELERS, 24-13

Sunday early games

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders : Dallas is having a tough season,  Now with the seasonal loss of Dak Prescott, they don't have a chance of coming back.  COMMANDERS, 31-16

Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts : The Lions are the hottest team in the league!  LIONS, 34-17

Kansas City Chiefs at Carolina Panthers : How does KC bounce back from their first loss of the season? Given how poorly the Panthers have been playing, I'm not sure this game will be a really accurate answer.  Even Dallas could beat Carolina!  CHIEFS, 24-16

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears : If not for a blocked field goal, the Bears would have beaten the Packers last week.  This game won't be that close.  VIKINGS, 27-17

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins : Maye is still getting his bearings in the league.  Since returning from concussion, Tua seems to have something to prove.  DOLPHINS, 23-13

Tampa Bay Bucs at New York Giants : QB Daniel Jones has been benched, and the Giants are hoping that Tommy DeVito will spark them as effectively as he did in a three-game stretch last season.  He might, which is why I am putting an Upset Alert on this game.  BUCS, 23-20

Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans : The Texans will roll over the struggling Titans.  TEXANS, 24-16

Sunday late games

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks : The Cards are on a roll, and definitely seem the favorite to win, but never count out Seattle when they play at home.  CARDS, 20-16

Denver Broncos at Las Vegas Raiders : The Broncos are a bit up and down, but the Raiders are mostly down.  BRONCOS, 23-13

San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers : The Pack escaped with a scare last week.  They will play much more sharply in the fourth quarter.  The 49ers defense will look to slow the Pack, so advancing the ball in the fourth quarter will be tough for each team.  That gives the team who scores early the advantage, and I think that is the Pack.  PACKERS, 24-17

Sunday night

Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams : The Eagles are hot again.  They have the talent to sustain it, and a fairly favorable schedule, too.  EAGLES, 27-17

Monday Night Football

Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers : These two defensive beasts have streaky offenses.  Likely, whichever team's offense shows up better will likely be the winner.  The Ravens just lost to Pittsburgh, so they have likely been working hard this week to improve their offenses.  Let's see all of that work pay off.  RAVENS, 27-24

NCAA 2024 Week 12

 Tues Nov 19

Northern Illinois Huskies at Miami Ohio Redhawks : This is the time of the year when the Huskies get tough, but they face one of the best teams in the conference.  MIAMI OHIO by 13

Wed Nov 20

Ohio Bobcats at Toledo Rockets : Ohio is playing for a spot in the conference championship game, but never ignore the threat of the Rockets.  Toledo is always a tough team, especially at home.  This game could go either way.  OHIO by six

Thurs Nov 21

NC State Wolf Pack at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets : Tech considers this a warmup for their battle with Georgia next week.  The Wolf Pack becomes tackling dummies.  GEORGIA TECH by 16

Fri Nov 22

Purdue Boilermakers at Michigan State Spartans : Purdue is on track to have a winless conference record.  This one doesn't look promising, either.  MICHIGAN STATE by 14

#19 UNLV Running Rebels at San Jose State Spartans : San Jose State has had a good season, but UNLV has had a great season.  UNLV by 17

Sat Nov 23

Top 25

#11 Army Black Knights at #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish : The unbeaten season of the Army Black Knights ends here, as does their chances for reaching the playoffs.  The Black Knights are a strong team, but they don't come back from behind.  The Irish will score quickly and early, putting Army behind for the whole game.  NOTRE DAME by 20

#6 Indiana Hoosiers at #3 Ohio State Buckeyes : Another unbeaten is likely to fall.  While Indiana has the offense firepower to pull off the upset, I don't think the Buckeyes defense will allow it.  OHIO STATE by ten

#4 Penn State Nittany Lions at Minnesota Golden Gophers : Minnesota is slipping, while the Lions are carving their place into the playoffs.  PENN STATE by 23

Kentucky Wildcats at #5 Texas Longhorns : Kentucky loves to upset conference opponents at this point in the season, but I don't think they have the power to do it here.  TEXAS by 18

UMass Minutemen at #7 Georgia Bulldogs : Easy win, as many of the SEC top teams will have.  GEORGIA by lots

#8 Ole Miss Rebels at Florida Gators : Florida can be tough at home, but their team has been pretty decimated this season.  OLE MISS by 20

UTEP Miners at #9 Tennessee Volunteers : Another one of those easy SEC wins.  TENN by lots

#10 Alabama Crimson Tide at Oklahoma Sooners : Alabama had their easy win last week.  I don't think that game was tough enough to help them prepare for this one.  Oklahoma may be struggling more than usual this season, but they are capable of an upset here.  I'm just not sure they'll quite do it, but a close game is likely.  ALABAMA by eight

#12 Boise State Broncos at Wyoming Cowboys : The Broncos further cement their likely playoff berth.  BOISE STATE by 24

The Citadel at #13 Clemson Tigers : SEC teams aren't the only ones with easy games this week.  CLEMSON by lots

Wake Forest Demon Deacons at #14 Miami Hurricanes : Miami gets one step closer to an ACC Championship berth.  MIAMI by 18

#15 SMU Mustangs at Virginia Cavaliers : And Miami's likely opponent gets closer, too.  SMU by 20

#16 BYU Cougars at #23 Arizona State Sun Devils : BYU needs to redeem themselves for their loss last week.  They certainly could, but watch out for the Sun Devils.  If they beat BYU, THEY get the inside track to advance to the Big XII Championship.  BYU by six

Wofford at #17 South Carolina Gamecocks : Another easy SEC game.  SOUTH CAROLINA by lots

#18 Colorado Buffaloes at Kansas Jayhawks : The Buffs should watch out for Kansas!  They are on a two-week streak of beating ranked teams.  Could the Jayhawks make it three?  Maybe, but I'll still Colorado.  COLORADO by eight

#20 Texas A&M Aggies at Auburn Tigers : Both teams are using this game as a warm-up for heated rivalry games next week.  The Aggies have the power advantage.  TEXAS A&M by 16

#21 Iowa State Cyclones at Utah Utes : The Utes can be tricky, so the Cyclones have to watch out for a possible upset here.  IOWA STATE by eight

#25 Washington State Cougars at Oregon State Beavers : The last two remnants of the Pac-12 face off this week.  The Beavers can be tough at home, but I think the Cougs will overcome them.  WASHINGTON STATE by 13

Big Ten

Illinois Fighting Illini at Rutgers Scarlet Knights : The Knights have been getting tough lately, and they have home field advantage.  The Illini let the Spartans have some big plays last week, but their red zone defense is intense.  They may have to lean on that again this week.  ILLINOIS by eleven

Iowa Hawkeyes at Maryland Terrapins : The strangling Hawkeye defense will just frustrate the Terrapins.  IOWA by nine

Northwestern Wildcats at Michigan Wolverines : Michigan has had a tough season, but they should win this game.  They need to, as next week is "The Game".  MICHIGAN by 12

Wisconsin Badgers at Nebraska Cornhusker4s : After a good beginning to the season, the Cornhuskers are fading.  The Badgers are on the rise, though.  WISCONSIN by 14

USC Trojans at UCLA Bruins : It's hard for me to put the Tinseltown crosstown rivalry among the Big Ten games, but it is.  USC is the stronger team, but this is one of those rivalries where the intensity often outweighs the records and skill.  In other words, this is anyone's game.  USC by four

Other Games of Interest

James Madison Dukes at Appalachian State Mountaineers : The Dukes are back and pummelling opponents.  JAMES MADISON by 18

Pitt Panthers at Louisville Cardinals : Two recent Top 25 go at it to see if either can get back there.  This will be a close game, too close for the winner to move up.  LOUISVILLE by six

NCAA 2024 Week 12 results and Top 25

 Very few upsets this week, so wasn't much movement in the Top 25

Top 25  [Last week's rank]

1.  OREGON DUCKS (11-0) [1]

2.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-1) [2]

3.  Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1) [3]

4.  Penn State Nittany Lions (9-1) [4]

5.  Texas Longhorns (9-1) [5]

6.  Indiana Hoosiers (10-0) [6]

7.  Georgia Bulldogs (8-2) [9]

8.  Ole Miss Rebels (8-2) [8]

9.  Tennessee Volunteers (8-2) [7]

10. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-2) [11]

11. Army Black Knights (9-0) [12]

12. Boise State Broncos (10-1) [13]

13. Clemson Tigers (8-2) [14]

14. Miami Hurricanes  (9-1) [15]

15. SMU Mustangs (9-1) [16]

16. BYU Cougars (9-1) [10]

17. South Carolina Gamecocks (7-3) [17]

18. Colorado Buffaloes (8-2) [18]

19. UNLV Running Rebels (8-2) [20]

20. Texas A&M Aggies (8-2) [22]

21. Iowa State Cyclones (8-2) [21]

22. Tulane Green Wave (9-2) [27]

23. Arizona State Sun Devils (8-2) [25]

24. Memphis Tigers (9-2) [NR]

25. Washington State Cougars (8-2) [19]

Dropped off: Louisville Cardinals [#23], Kansas State Wildcats [#24]

On the Edge: James Madison Dukes (8-2), Iowa Hawkeyes (6-4), Wisconsin Badgers (5-5)

Upset Results

For this point in November, we had surprisingly few.  Tulane beat Navy to jump into the Top 25.  The Cardinal battle had Louisville fans seeing red, as Stanford came back in the fourth quarter to knock them off.  But it was Saturday night where most of the slaughter occurred, as first Washington State fell to lowly New Mexico, and then Kansas knocked off their second Big XII title contender in two weeks by handing BYU their first loss of the season.

Big Ten Report

No real shocking results.  We had many teams taking their last bye week, so we had fewer games.  The biggest surprise was a near loss to Oregon.  The Ducks have only one game remaining, so finishing 12-0 seems nearly a lock.  Ohio State and Penn State continued their dominance, and Indiana had a bye.  Illinois vaulted back to fifth place.  Rutgers has been playing well recently.  If the Illini can prevent an upset this coming week, they should finish with a great ten-win record.

Playoff Predications

With only two more weeks of play, some of the likely conference championship matchups are taking shape, but the playoff teams remain a bit murky.  Unless Army pulls off an upset of Notre Dame, it seems likely that Boise State will be the highest ranked Group of Five champ, advancing to the playoffs along with Notre Dame.  It is very clear that the Big XII will only contribute one team to the playoffs.  BYU's loss opens possibilities for both Arizona State and Iowa State, but each team has a tough opponent remaining.  It seems obvious that the Big XII Championship will feature BYU and Colorado, and only the winner reaches the playoffs.

Two teams from the ACC seem likely.  Despite Clemson's win this week, they still have to face South Carolina, which will be their third loss.  Even a close win against the Gamecocks will not impress the committee, leaving the two championship contenders of SMU and Miami as the playoff representatives.

The Big Ten remains the likely source of four playoff teams.  Unless Indiana upsets Ohio State, the championship game seems likely to feature the Oregon-Ohio State rematch.  Both Indiana and Penn State should finish with only one loss.

In the SEC, Georgia has finished their conference play.  It seems unlikely they will lose either of their two remaining games, which seems to advance Georgia to the playoffs.  It also advances Ole Miss to the SEC Championship, so long as they can win both of their remaining games (a likely scenario).  The winner of the Texas-Texas A&M game will be the other championship team.  If Ole Miss shocks Texas, both of those two-loss teams will be the remaining SEC playoff representatives.  If Texas wins, Ole Miss will miss the playoffs with three losses.  That opens the door for either Tennessee or Alabama, provided both of them win out.  Tennessee beat Alabama, so you would think that gives them the edge, but face-to-face results are not the only factor the committee uses.  Depending upon the results of the Iron Bowl, Alabama could be the third team.  If Auburn plays them close, then Tennessee will likely play in the playoffs.

NFL 2024 Week 10 Power Rankings and Week 11 picks

 Power Rankings

1.  DETROIT LIONS (8-1) [1]

2.  Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) [2]

3.  Buffalo Bills (8-2) [3]

4.  Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) [9]

5.  Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) [6]

6.  Minnesota Vikings (7-2) [5]

7.  Washington Commanders (7-3) [4]

8.  Baltimore Ravens (7-3) [7]

9.  Los Angeles Chargers (6-3) [8]

10. Green Bay Packers (6-3) [10]

11. San Francisco 49ers (5-4) [14]

12. Arizona Cardinals (6-4) [18]

13. Denver Broncos (5-5) [11]

14. Atlanta Falcons (6-4) [11]

15. Houston Texans (6-4) [15]

Divisional Power Rankings

1.  NFC North [1]

2.  AFC West [2]

3.  AFC North [2]

4.  NFC East [4]

5.  NFC West [5]

6.  AFC East [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]

Thursday night

Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles : Last week I would have picked this game differently.  The Eagles have toughened up and Jaylen Daniels have become human again.  I'll pick the home team, but acknowledge that Washington can win this one.  EAGLES, 28-27

Sunday early games

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers : Like the previous game, we have a divisional contest between two similarly-strengthened teams.  Again, I favor the home team, but the Steelers are having some QB issues, so the Ravens could easily flip this game.  STEELERS, 23-20

Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints : The Saints are starting to find themselves again.  If they can continue that, this game will be a breeze.  SAINTS, 17-13

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears : The Bears offense is non-existent, and that vaulted defense has fallen to Earth.  PACK, 24-6

Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets : This is not the season the Jets predicted.  They can't seem to figure out what is happening, either, so their woes will continue.  COLTS, 16-10

Jacksonville Jaguars at Detroit Lions : The Lions engineered a phenomenal comeback last week.  They won't need to do that this week.  LIONS, 31-13

Las Vegas Raiders at Miami Dolphins : Tua is bringing the Dolphins back.  The question to be asked is "How long will it take?"  The Raiders might be the next victim, but they won't make it easy.  DOLPHINS, 20-16

Los Angeles Rams at New England Patriots : Another close game.  Both teams struggle with consistency, and they both have a tendency to fizzle in the middle of crucial drives.  Who will hold it together long enough to win?  Perhaps the team who more needs the win.  RAMS, 17-16

Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans : The Jags held the Vikings offense to limited results last week.  They want to explode.  This is a good game to do that.  VIKINGS, 27-17

Sunday late games

Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos: Kurt Cousins has the Falcons soaring.  Denver is no easy target, but they may be slipping.  Certainly the home team has a chance to win, but I like the upswing that Atlanta is on.  FALCONS, 27-23

Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills : Man, we have a lot of games this week that could really go either way; none no greater than this one.  The rivalry between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes is intense, and it is reflected on the field.  Buffalo is used to winning big this season.  This will be a close game, and that is the Chiefs' specialty this season.  CHIEFS, 24-20

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers : The Seahawks have trouble away from home, and the 49ers defense will make that worse.  49ERS, 20-17

Sunday night

Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Chargers : The Chargers defense will keep the Bengals down.  CHARGERS, 23-16

Monday Night Football

Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys : The Battle of Texas occurs without Dak Prescott. Detroit came back from a big deficit to Houston.  Without Dak, the Cowboys won't be able to do that.  TEXANS, 20-13

NCAA 2024 Week 12 picks

 Tuesday Nov 12

Western Michigan Broncos at Bowling Green Falcons : The Broncos should bounce back from their loss last week and regain their status in the conference.  WESTERN MICHIGAN by 13

Central Michigan Chippewas at Toledo Rockets : The Chippewas have struggled ever since conference play has begun, and that will continue here.  TOLEDO by 24

Wed Nov 13

Akron Zips at Northern Illinois Huskies : Their win last week turned around their season.  They want to continue that trend.  NORTHERN ILLINOIS by 16

Fri Nov 15

UCLA Bruins at Washington Huskies : This still seems like a Pac-12 game in my mind, but it's Big Ten.  UCLA is turning around their season, but the Huskies still have more firepower.  WASHINGTON by 10

Sat Nov 16

Top 25

#1 Oregon Ducks at Wisconsin Badgers : It can be tough to play at Camp Randall Stadium, but the Ducks will prevail.  It may be closer than their fans would like, as Wisconsin has a decent defense, but the Ducks will make some interesting offensive adjustments.  OREGON by 16

Virginia Cavaliers at #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish : The Cavs knocked off Pitt last week, but the Irish won't be taken.  NOTRE DAME by lots

#3 Ohio State Buckeyes at Northwestern Wildcats : Easy win for the Buckeyes.  OHIO STATE by lots

#4 Penn State Nittany Lions at Purdue Boilermakers : Penn State may not win as much as Ohio State did last week, but it'll still be a wipeout.  PENN STATE by lots

#5 Texas Longhorns at Arkansas Razorbacks : Arkansas was competitive early in conference play, but they have lost steam.  Texas will roll.  TEXAS by lots

#7 Tennessee Volunteers at #9 Georgia Bulldogs : The Bulldogs rarely lose two in a row, but the Vols are a tough team.  Ole Miss gave the Vols some hints to beat Georgia, but they have likely been preparing for this game for weeks.  Either team could win this game, but I like the strength of the Vols.  TENNESSEE by two

 Kansas Jayhawks at #10 BYU Cougars : The Cougars barely escaped against their state rival, but they won't need last minute heroics to beat the Jayhawks.  BYU by 13

Mercer at #11 Alabama Crimson Tide : Other than a win, this game won't count in my rankings.  ALABAMA by lots

#13 Boise State Broncos at San Jose State Spartans : The Spartans are good, but the Broncos are stronger.  BOISE STATE by 18

#14 Clemson Tigers at Pitt Panthers : Pitt has lost two games in a row, and want to rebound.  They have the talent to make things hard for Clemson.  The Panthers could win, but I'll give a slight edge to the Tigers.  CLEMSON by four

Boston College Eagles at #16 SMU Mustangs : The Mustangs should win handily, although they rarely win big.  SMU by 20

Missouri Tigers at #17 South Carolina Gamecocks : The Gamecocks are getting hot.  Somehow, the two hottest SEC teams right now are South Carolina and Ole Miss.  Who would have thought?  SOUTH CAROLINA by eight

Utah Utes at #18 Colorado Buffaloes : Utah gave BYU fits, but the couldn't close.  The fourth quarter is the best for the Buffs.  COLORADO by nine

#19 Washington State Cougars at New Mexico Lobos : Easy win.  WASHINGTON STATE by lots

San Diego State Aztecs at #20 UNLV Running Rebels : The Aztecs are struggling this season.  The Rebels aren't flashy,but they get the job done.  UNLV by 16

Cincinnati Bearcats at #21 Iowa State Cyclones : The Cyclones have lost two in a tow, and Cincy would love to make it three.  I think the Cyclones will reverse things, but the Bearcats won't make it easy.  IOWA STATE by six

New Mexico State Aggies at #22 Texas A&M Aggies : We don't usually get a battle of two Aggies.  It won't be close.  TEXAS A&M by lots

#23 Louisville Cardinals at Stanford Cardinal : This is the game I've eagerly awaiting every since Stanford joined the conference!  The birds versus the tree, and I challenge ANYONE to get through this game without thinking about the "12 Days of Christmas"!  The bird will win, as Stanford's offense is almost as immobile as a tree.  LOUISVILLE by 20

#25 Arizona State Sun Devils at #24 Kansas State Wildcats : Whoa, this will be a thriller!  Normally I would pick the Sun Devils, but the home team had an extra week to prepare.  Still, the Sun Devils will put a massive scare into the Cats.  KANSAS STATE by five

Big Ten

Michigan State Spartans at Illinois Fighting Illini : The Illini need a good game to redeem themselves from the embarrassment against Minnesota.  If anyone can do that, it's Bret Bielema.  ILLINOIS by ten

Nebraska Cornhuskers at USC Trojans : It's been hard for much of the Big Ten to travel to the West Coast and play the former Pac-12 teams, but that may not be so hard for Nebraska.  After all, they are already halfway there!  NEBRASKA by six

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Maryland Terrapins : Maryland is struggling this season, but Rutgers stinks on the road.  I'm picking the upset here.  MARYLAND by nine

Other Games of Interest

Tulane Green Wave at Navy Midshipmen : Both teams are doing very well right now.  Tulane has quietly been moving up the ranks, and now they might break into the Top 25.  Standing in their way is the Navy team.  They control the clock better than most, and that might make things hard for Tulane.  NAVY by six

Syracuse Orange at Cal Golden Bears : The Bears are peaking, while Syracuse is chaotic.  CAL by nine

NCAA 2024 Week 11 results and Top 25

 We entered the week with five unbeaten teams.  We lost one and nearly lost another.  We now have four unbeaten teams, and half of them are located in the Big Ten.  The Big Ten also has three teams in the Top Five and four in the Top Ten.  Now which is the best conference this season?

Top 25  [Last week's rank]

1.  OREGON DUCKS (10-0) [1]

2.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1) [2]

3.  Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1) [3]

4.  Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1) [5]

5.  Texas Longhorns (8-1) [6]

6.  Indiana Hoosiers (10-0) [7]

7.  Tennessee Volunteers (8-1) [9]

8.  Ole Miss Rebels (8-2) [11]

9.  Georgia Bulldogs (7-2) [4]

10. BYU Cougars (9-0) [10]

11. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2) [13]

12. Army Black Knights (9-0) [12]

13. Boise State Broncos (9-1) [15]

14. Clemson Tigers (7-2) [14]

15. Miami Hurricanes (9-1) [8]

16. SMU Mustangs (8-1) [16]

17. South Carolina Gamecocks (6-3) [21]

18. Colorado Buffaloes (7-2) [26]

19. Washington State Cougars (8-1) [28]

20. UNLV Running Rebels (7-2) [20]

21. Iowa State Cyclones (7-2) [18]

22. Texas A&M Aggies (7-2) [22]

23. Louisville Cardinals (6-3) [23]

24. Kansas State Wildcats (7-2) [24]

25. Arizona State Sun Devils (7-2) [29]

Dropped off: LSU Tigers [#17], Iowa Hawkeyes [#19], Pitt Panthers [#25]

On the Edge: Navy Midshipmen (7-2), Tulane Green Wave (8-2), Cal Golden Bears (5-4)

Upset Results

The upsets started on Wednesday, when the Western Michigan Broncos fell to Northern Illinois.  Three of Friday's games were upsets, including two California teams (Cal and UCLA) winning.  Saturday saw another upset in the Big Ten, as Rutgers beat Minnesota, and other Iowa team falling, as the Cyclones lost their second consecutive game.  Then the flurry of upsets subsided, and it seemed like the day would finish smoothly.  The Virginia Cavaliers had other ideas.

Big Ten Report

Iowa's loss was a surprise, but the rest of the top teams performed as expected.  Oregon and Indiana remain undefeated, Ohio State just keeps looking better, and Penn State looks strong.  Those are the only four teams with any real chance at the conference championship.  Penn State and Oregon have the easiest schedules, and likely to win out.  Ohio State faces Indiana, the only tough opponent either team has left.  Ohio State looks like they will win.  If so, they advance to the conference championship game to face the Ducks again, as they hold the tiebreaker over Penn State.

Playoff Predictions

With three weeks remaining, things are starting to clear up.  The number of "at large" slots available to Power 4 teams will depend upon the continued success of some other teams.  If Notre Dame wins out (and it appears they will), the one-loss Irish will be in.  Remember, they do NOT count as a Group of Five team, since they are Independent, so that is IN ADDITION to the top Group of Five team.  If Boise State wins out, which means getting past Oregon State and then Colorado State (easy) or UNLV (highly likely) in the conference championship, they will gain that automatic slot.  Now, what about Army?  Well, they still have to face Notre Dame and Navy.  I don't think they will finish unbeaten, and that would be required to get in.  So, two playoff slots go to non-Power 3 teams, leaving six slots for "at large" teams.

Who will those be?  First of all, the Big XII is likely to provide only the conference champ.  It looks like the game will feature BYU and Colorado.  Colorado already has two losses, so the only way they are getting in would be to win the game.  If BYU doesn't lose again, a loss would give them two losses.  Is that good enough?  Let's see.

Who will the ACC provide?  Miami and SMU seem poised to win out, although Miami has some vulnerabilities exposed this week, so that's not certain.  Clemson still has to face both Pitt and South Carolina, so they will likely have another loss.  So the ACC runner-up will have two losses.  The ranking of that runner-up would exceed a BYU team losing to Colorado, due to the respective ranks of the ACC Champ and Colorado.  So, the Big XII and ACC will provide only THREE teams TOTAL, or only one "at large".

That leaves five "at large" teams.  How many come from the Big Ten?  As I detailed in the Big Ten Report, the championship game will likely be the rematch between Ohio State and Oregon.  The Buckeyes have toughened up since their loss to Oregon, while the Ducks are coasting.  I think the Buckeyes could win that rematch, leaving the Big Ten with FOUR one-loss teams.  ALL of those should make the playoffs, meaning the Big Ten will provide three "at large" teams.  That leaves two from the SEC.  Both of the those will have two losses.

NFL 2024 Week 9 Power Rankings and Week 10 picks

 We had quite a bit of shake-up in the Power Tankings.

Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  DETROIT LIONS (7-1) [1]

2.  Kansas City Chiefs (8-0) [2]

3.  Buffalo Bills (7-2) [3]

4.  Washington Commanders (7-2) [4]

5.  Minnesota Vikings (6-2) [9]

6.  Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) [7]

7.  Baltimore Ravens (6-3) [13]

8.  Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) [11]

9.  Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) [10]

10. Green Bay Packers (6-3) [6]

11. Atlanta Falcons (6-3) [17]

12. Denver Broncos (5-4) [5]

13. Chicago Bears (4-4) [8]

14. San Francisco 49ers (4-4) [14]

15. Houston Texans (6-3) [12]

Divisional Power Rankings  [Last week's rank]

1.  NFC North [1]

2 (tie).  AFC West [2]

2 (tie). AFC North [3]

4.  NFC East [4]

5.  NFC West [5]

6.  AFC East [6]

7.  NFC South [7]

8.  AFC South [8]

Thursday night

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens : This divisional contest won't even be close.  RAVENS, 31-14

Sunday morning

New York Giants at Carolina Panthers : Neither team is doing well, so which one will find new life overseas?  Who knows?  I'll pick the Giants only because they've been closer in losing efforts, so their offense has some punch.  GIANTS, 16-13

Sunday early games

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints : Kurt Cousins has the Falcons offense flowing very well.  The Saints, on the other hand, are frequently off-rhythm.  The Falcons will soar.  FALCONS, 27-16

Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts : The Colts can fight, but the Bills find ways to win.  This game will be close, but it will go the Bills' way.  BILLS, 31-23

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs : This will likely be a close game.  The Broncos might be able to win, but the Chiefs seem to find ways to win in the fourth quarter.  CHIEFS, 30-27

Minnesota Vikings at Jacksonville Jaguars : Easy win for the Vikings.  VIKINGS, 34-13

New England Patriots at Chicago Bears : The Bears offense is still struggling.  So is the Patriots,  The difference in this game will be the Bears defense.  BEARS, 20-16

Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Commanders : The most high-powered offense in the league resides in Washington.  I don't think the Steelers defense will slow them down enough to give their offense a chance to stay close.  COMMANDERS, 27-17

San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Bucs : Both of these teams are inconsistent this season.  The winner will be the one with the more consistent play, but we're not sure which one that will be.  In cases like this, I usually go with the home team.  BUCS, 23-20

Sunday late games

New York Jets at Arizona Cardinals : The Cards are surging at the right time.  CARDINALS, 20-16

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys : Normally a hard-fought game, the Cowboys are lacking cohesion this season.  They also have a tendency to make critical mistakes at the wrong time, be them penalties, miscommunications, or poor clock management.  EAGLES, 27-17

Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Chargers : The Chargers have become a real force.  They have a strong defense and a capable offense.  That offense sometimes sputters, but the Titans offense sputters more.  CHARGERS, 23-16

Sunday night

Detroit Lions at Houston Texans : CJ Stroud can work some magic, but the Lions offense is red hot.  LIONS, 27-20

Monday Night Football

Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Rams : Tua is back, but the Fins are still struggling.  He doesn't quite seem to have the same ZING! on this passes as he did before his injury.  So long as that is the case, the Fins offense will sputter.  RAMS, 24-20

NCAA 2024 Week 11 picks

 We're back to the Mid-American Conference playing mid-week -- that's what I'm used to.

Tuesday Nov 5

Bowling Green Falcons at Central Michigan Chippewas : The Chippewas played well early in the season, but they have collapsed in conference play.  BOWLING GREEN by 16

Miami Ohio Redhawks at Ball State Cardinals : It has not been a great year for the Cardinals.  MIAMI OHIO by 18

Wed Nov 6

Ohio Bobcats at Kent State Golden Flashes : Ohio is competing for the division title, and a spot in the conference championship game.  This game will help.  OHIO by 20

Northern Illinois Huskies at Western Michigan Broncos : Speaking of divisional leadership, the Broncos are leading their division, and they intend to stay there.  WESTERN MICHIGAN by 17

Thurs Nov 7

Florida Atlantic Owls at East Carolina Pirates : I always enjoy watching the Pirates play, and I haven't had a chance so far this season.  It's nice to get them on Thursday night.  EAST CAROLINA by 15

Fri Nov 8

Cal Golden Bears at Wake Forest Demon Deacons : Cal is struggling in their first season in the ACC.  WAKE FOREST by 13

#19 Iowa Hawkeyes at UCLA Bruins : Big Ten teams have not faired well traveling to the West Coast this season, but Iowa is set up for this.  Their offense doesn't need to feel comfortable, they'll just lean on their stiff defense to hassle the struggling Bruins offense.  IOWA by 12

Rice Owls at Memphis Tigers : Rice fought hard last week, and Memphis fell.  I think both teams will regain their rightful place this week.  MEMPHIS by 14

Sat Nov 9

Top 25

Maryland Terrapins at #1 Oregon Ducks : No chance for the Terrapins.  OREGON by lots

Florida State Seminoles at #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish : Same for the Seminoles.  NOTRE DAME by lots

Purdue Boilermakers at #3 Ohio State Buckeyes : The Boilermakers haven't won a Big Ten game yet.  That will remain.  OHIO STATE by lots

#4 Georgia Bulldogs at #11 Ole Miss Rebels : We have the first real challenge to a Top Five team this week, and it's a potential upset.  The Rebs are playing very well right now, while the Bulldogs offense has struggled a bit recently.  Georgia's QB is the only QB in FBS with more than two games with multiple interceptions.  If the Rebels defense force that, the Bulldogs could lose.  GEORGIA by four (and watch for an upset)

Washington Huskies at #5 Penn State Nittany Lions : The Huskies won't survive against the Penn State stifling defense.  PENN STATE by 17

Florida Gators at #6 Texas Longhorns : Florida gave Georgia fits last week, but they had the incentive of an intensive rivalry.  That edge is lacking here.  TEXAS by lots

Michigan Wolverines at #7 Indiana Hoosiers : The Wolverines are still figuring out their new offense.  The Hoosiers can score quickly.  By the half, Michigan will be behind too much for them to come back.  INDIANA by 20

#8 Miami Hurricanes at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets : There is a small chance of an upset, as Georgia Tech has the talent to do so (and they demonstrated that early in the season), but they haven't been playing up to that level recently.  MIAMI by 18

Mississippi State Bulldogs at #9 Tennessee Volunteers : The Vols are still competing for a shot at the conference championship, and they need to win every remaining game to do so.  This is a good start.  TENN by 16

#10 BYU Cougars at Utah Utes : This battle for Utah will not go the home team's way, as BYU strives to remain among the ranks of the unbeaten.  BYU by 23

#12 Army Black Knights at North Texas Mean Green : The Mean Green defense won't be able to stand up against the exhausting "grind it out" ground attack of the Black Knights.  ARMY by 20

#13 Alabama Crimson Tide at #17 LSU Tigers : LSU often plays Alabama tough, and both are fairly evenly matched this season.  Alabama will likely pull this out late in the fourth quarter, but a toughened Tigers defense may prevent that.  Upset Alert!  ALABAMA by two

#14 Clemson Tigers at Virginia Tech Hokies : Another possible upset, as the weakness of Clemson's early season opponents has shown they may not be properly prepared to face the tougher opponents in the ACC.  CLEMSON by six

Nevada Wolf Pack at #15 Boise State Broncos : Boise State should have no problem here.  BOISE STATE by lots

#18 Iowa State Cyclones at Kansas Jayhawks : Iowa State lost for the first time last week.  Now we see how well they bounce back.  Fortunately they face a team who has not lived up to their pre-season hype.  IOWA STATE by 13

#20 UNLV Running Rebels at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors : The time shift playing in Hawaii can often throw off the metabolism of opposing players.  Fortunately they are playing at a reasonable time, so UNLV has a shot.  UNLV by 17

#21 South Carolina Gamecocks at Vanderbilt Commodores : South Carolina pulled off an awesome win last week.  Vandy is interested in doing the same.  They've already established themselves as the "SEC Killer" this season.  Will the Gamecocks be their next victim?  Maybe, but it deserves to be an upset if it happens.  SOUTH CAROLINA by eight

Virginia Cavaliers at #25 Pitt Panthers : Like Iowa State, Pitt also suffered their first loss of the season.  Fortunately, they have a fairly easy opponent this week, so they can get over that upset and right themselves.  PITT by 16

Big Ten

Minnesota Golden Gophers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights : The Knight play tough at home, but Minnesota is on an incredible run.  They have confidence and drive, and they produce results.  MINNESOTA by 18

Other Games of Interest

 Syracuse Orange at Boston College Eagles : Syracuse played a strong game last week.  They have been alternating this season, so I fear they may falter this week.  I'll still give them a chance to win this one.  SYRACUSE by ten

West Virginia Mountaineers at Cincinnati Bearcats : The Bearcats have been up and down this season, but an extra week to prepare for this game should have gotten them up well.  CINCY by 12

Colorado Buffaloes at Texas Tech Red Raiders : Colorado is having a great season, but the Raiders would love to stop it, just like they stopped the unbeaten season of Iowa State last week.  I'm not sure they have it in them to slow down the strong Buffaloes offense.  COLORADO by 13

UCF Golden Knights at Arizona State Sun Devils : UCF can often be a threat, but they are bit declawed this season.  The Sun Devils, on the other hand, are doing quite well.  ARIZONA STATE by 17

Utah State Aggies at Washington State Cougars : Easy win for the Cougs.  WASHINGTON STATE by lots