Friday, October 16, 2009

Friday football picks (and other stuff)

First, let's look at other news...later will come the picks.

SARAH PALIN UPDATE:

"Given that we’re spending billions of stimulus dollars to rebuild our highways, it makes sense to think about what we’ll be driving on them. For years to come, most of what we drive will be powered, at least in part, by diesel fuel or gasoline. To fuel that driving, we need access to oil. The less use we make of our own reserves, the more we will have to import, which leads to a number of harmful consequences. That means we need to drill here and drill now."

Note this paragraph especially:
"Those who oppose domestic drilling are motivated primarily by environmental considerations, but many of the countries we’re forced to import from have few if any environmental-protection laws, and those that do exist often go unenforced. In effect, American environmentalists are preventing responsible development here at home while supporting irresponsible development overseas."

Ah, the unintended consequences of from go-gooder environmentalist acts. Glad she recognizes that. Ms. Palin ain't going away...

RUSH LIMBAUGH DEPT:
You know, what's remarkable about the latest attacks on Rush, as NR notes today, is not merely that he's being attacked by the usual suspects. That's par for the course and nearly a daily occurrence. No, what's unreal here is that the attacks are driven by OBVIOUS lies--and those recycling them won't admit it:
"Specifically, a rash of manufactured quotes attributed to Limbaugh was forwarded to the usual media suspects — CNN, MSNBC — which then incorporated these falsehoods into their reporting without substantiation. Which is to say, they have done collectively what Dan Rather did individually: allow themselves to be duped by phony documents. These quotes included such absurdities as Rush’s praising slavery and the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. These are not quotes taken out of context; they are quotes manufactured out of whole cloth. To attribute them to Rush is to lie — viciously. With the notable exception of CNN’s Anderson Cooper, almost none of the major media figures who relied upon these fictions in their reporting have acknowledged that they are false. Confronted with evidence that the quotes are false, and challenged to produce audio or other documentation of them, media figures insisted that it was up to Rush to prove he had never said these things. There is a good reason Rush has built one of the largest audiences in broadcast by mocking the “drive-by media.”

Some on the left are really becoming unhinged.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS:
Last week I was only 8-12; I'm 40-35-2 for the year. Time to improve:

ALABAMA 17 over South Carolina. PICK: CRIMSON TIDE. That defense keeps the Tide rolling.

AUBURN 13.5 over Kentucky. PICK: TIGERS. Auburn's offense is far too dynamic for Kentucky's porous defense.

FLORIDA 25 over Arkansas. PICK: RAZORBACKS. Not to win; but to keep it closer. I'm not convinced Tebow and that offense are clicking on all cylinders yet. And the Hogs looked mighty tough last week; they've got confidence, and a QB with a big arm in Ryan Mallett.

Kansas 9.5 over COLORADO. PICK: JAYHAWKS. Colorado won't be able to slow down Todd Riesing.

MICHIGAN STATE 13.5 over Northwestern. PICK: WILDCATS. Not to win, but to keep it close. The Spartans have a history of having a hard time dealing with prosperity, not to mention sometimes playing down to the level of their competition.

Navy 8.5 over SMU. PICK: MIDSHIPMEN. That option offense is rolling; SMU's defense is suspect in any case, and they haven't had long to prepare.

NEBRASKA 10.5 over Texas Tech. PICK: RED RAIDERS. They'll at least keep it close, and maybe win outright. It doesn't matter who Mike Leach puts in at QB (and it may be that Taylor Potts is still too dinged up to play). His backup QB rang up 66 pts last week. Look for Tech to score and keep this one tight.

Ohio State 13.5 over PURDUE. PICK: BUCKEYES. OSU will squash another Big 10 never-was-a-contender. But can they ever beat one of the big boys?

TCU 22.5 over Colorado State. PICK: HORNED FROGS. Finally TCU will get to play in good weather, on a fast track. Look for the Frogs to pound CSU with its ground game.

Texas 3 over Oklahoma. PICK: LONGHORNS. The Horns have been pointing to this game all season. I'm not convinced Bradford and the OU offense are where they want to be after the injuries etc. Colt McCoy meanwhile is turned up and will undoubtedly hit Jordan Shipley for at least one big play. It won't be a blowout at all, but look for the Horns to prevail.

Virginia Tech 3 over GEORGIA TECH. PICK: HOKIES. That defense is just too tough.

NFL PICKS.
I was 7-7 again last week; I'm 41-34-1 for the season. Time to get off the .500 mark!

ATLANTA 3.5 over Chicago. PICK: FALCONS. They're on a roll, tough at home...and the Bears and Cutler aren't a great road team.

Carolina 3.5 over TAMPA BAY. PICK: PANTHERS. Tampa Bay to continue to suffer along with a rookie QB.

CINCINNATI 5 over Houston. PICK: BENGALS. Maybe Marvin Lewis has finally taught these guys how to win. Even better: their defense is much improved.

GREEN BAY 13.5 over Detroit. PICK: PACKERS. Probably no Stafford and no Calvin Johnson for the Lions, and they haven't won, or played well, in Packerland since 1991. Even more important: their secondary stinks. Aaron Rodgers can't wait.

JACKSONVILLE 9.5 over St. Louis. PICK: JAGUARS. Even coming off their incredibly poor performance in Seattle, you have to go with the Jags--for the Rams are even worse.

MINNESOTA 3 over Baltimore. PICK: VIKINGS. Brett Favre to school another young QB at home. Having Adrian Peterson and a tough defense helps.

NEW ENGLAND 9.5 over Tennessee. PICK: PATRIOTS. It's hard to remember the Patriots ever, in the Brady era, under-performing in a game like this--at home, against a team in trouble and turmoil whom they should beat.

NEW ORLEANS 3 over NY Giants. PICK: SAINTS. I like the Saints, at home, and now with a decent defense and running game.

NY JETS 9.5 over Buffalo. PICK: JETS. If Buffalo can't score against Cleveland at home, they'll really have trouble against Rex Ryan's defense--which will want to make up for Monday night's letdown.

Philadelphia 14 over OAKLAND. PICK: EAGLES. The Raiders, especially offensively, are just bad.

PITTSBURGH 14 over Cleveland. PICK: STEELERS. Cleveland offensively is just bad.

SEATTLE 3 over Arizona. PICK: CARDINALS. Kurt Warner and all those weapons seem to be improving, and they'll get a big win on the road.

WASHINGTON 6.5 over Kansas City. PICK: REDSKINS. The Chiefs offensively struggle so much that the Redskins here have a chance to get well--if only temporarily.

SAN DIEGO 3.5 over Denver. PICK: CHARGERS. The Broncos have a better defense, but offensively they lack explosiveness. This week that will finally cost them, against a good Chargers team at home.