COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
Let's not even talk about how I did last week. This week will be better:
Boise State 23 over UTAH STATE. PICK: BOISE. That offense is rolling, and they still have a lot to play for.
CLEMSON 21 over Virginia. PICK: TIGERS. Clemson is rolling. Go with 'em.
IOWA 10 over Minnesota. PICK: GOLDEN GOPHERS. It's a rivalry game, and I sense Iowa having a letdown after a tough loss last week. Don't forget Iowa QB Stanzi again won't play.
MISSOURI 14 over Iowa State. PICK: TIGERS. Mizzou is getting hot at the right time. They had an impressive road win last week at K-State.
NEBRASKA 16.5 over Kansas State. PICK: K-STATE. Look, that Nebraska offense constantly struggles to score. This is too many points.
NOTRE DAME 6 over UConn. PICK: FIGHTING IRISH. ND can still score, and they'll be motivated to win their last home game.
Ohio State 12 over MICHIGAN. PICK: BUCKEYES. It's just hard to see that porous Michigan defense stopping anybody, much less Terrelle Pryor.
Oklahoma 6.5 over TEXAS TECH. PICK: RED RAIDERS. I sense Tech will play better at home. That offense remains more potent than Oklahoma's without Bradford.
Oregon 6 over ARIZONA. PICK: DUCKS. That Oregon offense is tough to stop. No one's done it for weeks.
Penn State 3 over MICHIGAN STATE. PICK: NITTANY LIONS. It's a big game for Michigan State. Which, more often than not, means they'll find a way to lose.
Purdue 3 over INDIANA. PICK: HOOSIERS. It's a rivalry game. IU has played well a number of times this season, but come up short. This time I suspect they'll find a way to win, against a Purdue team coming off a tough loss.
STANFORD 7 over California. PICK: CARDINAL. That Stanford offense is rolling. Ride 'em.
TCU 31 over WYOMING. PICK: HORNED FROGS. TCU is playing as well as anyone in the country right now.
TEXAS 27.5 over Kansas. PICK: LONGHORNS. Texas is rolling too. And Kansas is in turmoil, and on the road.
Wisconsin 7 over NORTHWESTERN. PICK: BADGERS. Wisconsin is hot; go with 'em.
NFL PICKS:
I was 7-7-1 last week; I'm now 72-69-3 on the year.
Arizona 9 over ST. LOUIS. PICK: CARDINALS. They're unbeaten, and have played extremely well, on the road this year.
Cincinnati 9.5 over OAKLAND. PICK: BENGALS. That Raider offense is just horrible. I smell a shutout here.
DALLAS 11 over Washington. PICK: REDSKINS. I sense the Cowboys lost some mojo last week. And Jason Campbell and LaDell Betts picked up some steam. The Cowboys will win, but this is too many points.
San Diego pick'em at DENVER. PICK: CHARGERS. Two teams going in different directions. Philip Rivers and LT are picking up momentum. Kyle Orton is dinged up.
DETROIT 3.5 over Cleveland. PICK: LIONS. Is it possible to pick against both teams??? No? Well, the Lions have Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson still in there, and the Browns offense continues to look worse week by week.
GREEN BAY 6.5 over San Francisco. PICK: PACKERS. Look for that Packer defense to shut down San Fran's week offense in the frozen tundra of Lambeau.
Indianapolis 1 over BALTIMORE. PICK: COLTS. Because the Ravens, even with their win last week, are not playing well.
JACKSONVILLE 9 over Buffalo. PICK: JAGS. Buffalo's in turmoil. And the Jaguars--surprise!--are back in the playoff hunt and usually play effectively at home. David Garrard is now making plays.
MINNESOTA 10.5 over Seattle. PICK: VIKINGS. That defense will shut Seattle down. I'm surprised the point spread isn't higher.
NEW ENGLAND 10.5 over NY Jets. PICK: PATRIOTS. They certainly should have won last week; now they're mad.
New Orleans 10.5 over TAMPA BAY. PICK: BUCS. Not to win. But the Saints' level of play has dropped a bit in recent weeks; Reggie Bush is dinged up; and their secondary has injuries. Look for the Bucs to keep it close.
NY GIANTS 6.5 over Atlanta. PICK: GIANTS. They're rested up and healing up after their bye; and the Falcons have Michael Turner dinged up. Not good.
Philadelphia 3 over CHICAGO. PICK: EAGLES. Both teams have issues, and have injuries. I just think the Bears' offense is struggling so much that the Eagles will find a way to win this one behind McNabb's arm.
Pittsburgh 10 over KANSAS CITY. PICK: STEELERS. Kansas City still struggles to score so much that you can't see how they'll cover.
HOUSTON 4.5 over Tennessee. PICK: TEXANS. Vince Young and the Titans have had a nice run. But it's largely been against so-so or inferior teams. It'll end here against a Texans' team that needs a win and is rested after a bye.
In other news...
I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN DEPT:
In polling news, not such good news for the Obama administration:
"Nearly two years into the recession, opinion about which political party is responsible for the severe economic downturn is shifting, according to a new national poll. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Friday morning indicates that 38 percent of the public blames Republicans for the country's current economic problems. In May, 53 percent blamed the GOP. According to the poll, 27 percent now blame the Democrats for the recession, up 6 points from May, and 27 percent now say both parties are responsible."
After a while, the party in power starts to own things.
Blaming Bush can't be the Obama administration's default position much longer.
