Friday's football picks

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
OK, this week it's time to really get going. Last week I was only 7-12; I'm now 64-68-1 for the year.

CINCINNATI 8.5 over West Virginia. PICK: BEARCATS. That Cincy offense will continue to roll. And I think this time the Bearcat defense will get a stop or two.

Alabama 12.5 over MISSISSIPPI STATE. PICK: BULLDOGS. I still don't trust the Crimson Tide offense to put up a lot of points; and Mississippi State played both Florida and LSU real tough.

BOISE STATE 32 over Idaho. PICK: BOISE. They put up lots of points at home.

Clemson 8 over NORTH CAROLINA STATE. PICK: TIGERS. That Clemson offense, with C.J. Spiller, is hot; ride 'em.

Florida 17 over SOUTH CAROLINA. PICK: GAMECOCKS. It's a road game, and again Florida's performance last week at home vs Vandy...in which the Gators were good, but less than awesome...and in which that offense was not-quite-at-high-octane levels...makes you think 17 points is just too much.

Georgia Tech 12.5 over DUKE. PICK: YELLOW JACKETS. Tech was a bit sub-par last week, but that offense should perform well here in a game the Jackets really need, and against a defense that isn't exactly rock-solid.

ILLINOIS 4.5 over Northwestern. PICK: FIGHTING ILLINI. They've won two straight, they're at home, they seem to have turned things around and gotten momentum. They're hot; ride 'em.

Michigan State 3 over PURDUE. PICK: BOILERMAKERS. I'm a bit mystified as to why State is such a favorite here. They're not a good road team, and Purdue's got some momentum. Purdue has warmed up; ride 'em.

OHIO STATE 17 over Iowa. PICK: HAWKEYES. I know, Ohio State is at home, looked real good last week, and Iowa lost their starting QB. But I just have a feeling--OSU has been inconsistent. And Iowa has a good defense.

OKLAHOMA STATE 4 over Texas Tech. PICK: RED RAIDERS. That offense can score, no matter who's at QB. The Raider defense is improving. And Okie State doesn't have Dez Bryant.

PITTSBURGH 7 over Notre Dame. PICK: PANTHERS. This would seem to be an easy pick. I'm not sure it is; I expect ND to play hard. They have little left to lose, and that offense can still score behind Jimmy Clausen and Michael Floyd. But...but...that ND defense just can't jet the job done. And Pitt can score, too.

PENN STATE 25 over Indiana. PICK: HOOSIERS. Has anyone noticed? Yes, Indiana's lost a number of games. But they've been close in many of them. Meanwhile, I expect the Nittany Lions to have a post-Buckeye hangover.

TCU 20 over Utah. PICK: UTES. TCU is an excellent. They will win this game. But Utah is a solid club, and I just think 20 points is too much.

USC 10.5 over Stanford. PICK: CARDINAL. The Trojans aren't quite as good as some thought earlier this year; Matt Barclay is still learning. And, news flash: Stanford showed last week that they're good.

WISCONSIN 8.5 over Michigan. PICK: BADGERS. I've stuck with Michigan quite often this season. Can't do it this week--that defense just can't stop people, at all, and Wisconsin will prove that yet again.

NFL PICKS:
Again, last week a point here, a point there, literally a half-point in the Miami-New England game, kept me from a good mark. I wound up 5-8; I'm still 65-62-2 for the year. This week I'm due. Here goes:

ARIZONA 8.5 over Seattle. PICK: CARDINALS. They've been inconsistent at home and dominant on the road; but they're clearly the better team right now than is Seattle, and I think in a divisional game like this they'll show it.

Atlanta 1.5 over CAROLINA. PICK: FALCONS. The Falcons' run game with Michael Turner is rounding into shape, and just in time. Carolina consistently this year has made a lot of mistakes; that kills you in games like this.

Dallas 3 over GREEN BAY. PICK: COWBOYS. The Packers don't match up well with Dallas in a number of ways here, but especially up front. Aaron Rodgers has been sacked 37 times already this season. The Cowboys pass rush is improving game by game.

Denver 3.5 over WASHINGTON. PICK: BRONCOS. The Redskins' offense hasn't shown much sign yet of breaking out of its season-long slump, and now Clinton Portis is hurt. Look for Denver to win a low-scoring game.

INDIANAPOLIS 3 over New England. PICK: PATRIOTS. I think both these teams are very, very good; I just think the Colts' injuries on defense, especially in the secondary, will hurt them here.

MIAMI 10 over Tampa Bay. PICK: DOLPHINS. Yes, the Bucs finally won one last week--but it was largely due to Green Bay miscues. Don't look for the Dolphins to be nearly so generous.

MINNESOTA 17 over Detroit. PICK: VIKINGS. That Lions defense can't stop anyone; and Matthew Stafford will likely commit a few more turnovers, what with that fierce Minnesota pass rush.

New Orleans 13.5 over ST. LOUIS. PICK: SAINTS. Indianapolis put up 42 points a few weeks ago in St. Looey; look for New Orleans to roll up similar numbers.

NY JETS 7 over Jacksonville. PICK: JETS. It's hard to figure the Jags; they're 4-4, but at times this year have looked horrible. They're inconsistent, and haven't done well on the road. I look for them to struggle again at New York.

OAKLAND 1.5 over Kansas City. PICK: CHIEFS. So much turmoil in Oakland. KC should have beaten the Raiders a few weeks ago at home; I just have a feeling they'll find a way to finally do it here.

PITTSBURGH 7 over Cincinnati. PICK: STEELERS. Again, this was a harder pick than you might think. Cincinnati is much improved. But I have the feeling at the Steelers, with Polamalu back, Roethlisberger playing solidly, will play very well here.

SAN DIEGO 1.5 over Philadelphia. PICK: CHIEFS. I didn't get the sense last week that Philly's offense and McNabb were totally in sync. You have the feeling they're a bit beat up. The Chargers meanwhile are at home and playing better.

TENNESSEE 6.5 over Buffalo. PICK: TITANS. Hey, I didn't think he could do much of it; but sure enough, Vince Young gave Tennessee a spark. And now they're on a mini-roll; ride 'em, against a Buffalo team that just hasn't found its stride.

Baltimore 10.5 over CLEVELAND. PICK: RAVENS. Baltimore will need this game to get back in the playoff hunt. Brady Quinn will start for the Browns; hmmm...how well did that work for them earlier this season? Not well.

Friday's football picks

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
I was 9-4 last week; I'm now 52-46-1 for the season.

BOSTON COLLEGE 5.5 over Central Michigan. PICK: CHIPPEWAS. This is a good CMU team with a good QB in Dan LeFevour, who beat Michigan State on the road. They can and will win this game.

Cincinnati 15 over SYRACUSE. PICK: ORANGEMEN. Not to win; but to keep it close on the road. This could be Cincy's letdown game.

Florida 15 over Georgia. PICK: BULLDOGS. Not to win; but to keep it close. I've seen no evidence that the Gators have gotten out of their offensive funk.

Georgia Tech 12 over VANDERBILT. PICK: YELLOW JACKETS. Nobody can seem to stop that option offense.

IOWA 17.5 over Indiana. PICK: HOOSIERS. Not To win; but to keep it close. Iowa lost a key RB to injury last week, and they too may have a letdown here.

Michigan 7 over ILLINOIS. PICK: WOLVERINES. They and their still-potent offense have a chance to feel better about themselves and get healthy against the battered, wilting Illini.

Michigan State 3.5 over MINNESOTA. PICK: SPARTANS. Because Minnesota just can't move the ball; and now their top receiver is out indefinitely.

NAVY 6.5 over Temple. PICK: MIDSHIPMEN. Navy is on a roll, winning last week over Wake Forest even though their backup QB played most of the game.

Notre Dame 28 over Washington State. PICK: FIGHTING IRISH. This game is at a neutral site, in San Antonio. WSU is so bad they'll wish it hadn't been played at all, anywhere.

Penn State 15 over NORTHWESTERN. PICK: NITTANY LIONS. They and especially QB Daryl Clark seem to be jelling.

TCU 35 over UNLV. PICK: RUNNIN' REBELS. Not to win; but to keep it a bit closer than that. 35 points is an awful lot, even with TCU at home. The Horned Frogs are bound to have a little letdown after last week's win at BYU.

Texas 9 over OKLAHOMA STATE. PICK: LONGHORNS. Texas and Colt McCoy too seem to be jelling. Okie State will miss Dez Bryant in a game like this.

TEXAS TECH 6.5 over Kansas. PICK: RED RAIDERS. Both teams are horribly unpredictable, perhaps Tech most of all. Tech was horrible last week. I doubt they'll be horrible two weeks in a row.

Southern Cal 3 over OREGON. PICK: TROJANS. It's a big game on a big stage, and USC always seems to come up big in such situations.

WISCONSIN 7 over Purdue. PICK: BADGERS. Purdue is not a good road team.

NFL WEEKLY PICKS:
I was 7-5-1 last week--finally! Over .500 again!!
I'm now 54-47-2 for the year.

ARIZONA 10 over Carolina. PICK: PANTHERS. Not to win; but I see 10 points as too many here. Carolina still has a capable defense, and can run the ball. And Arizona can be a little unpredictable from week to week.

BALTIMORE 3.5 over Denver. PICK: RAVENS. This should be a close game, but you have the defense, the talent, and the home-field advantage to end the Broncos' remarkable run. Denver's had a bit of luck in this streak; it should be about to run out.

CHICAGO 13 over Cleveland. PICK: BEARS. This is a lot of points, and the Bears were awful last week. But they're at home, they're not as bad as they looked last week, and the Browns simply have shown no sign that they can exploit any team's weaknesses.

DALLAS 9.5 over Seattle. PICK: COWBOYS. The Cowboys finally showed us something last week, a big win against a good team. They appear to be jelling; while Seattle is just so beat up and injury-riddled that it's hard to see them giving the Cowboys a run for it.

DETROIT pick'em vs St. Louis. PICK: LIONS. This one for some reason is off the board. But it looks to me like, for the Lions, both Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson will play; the Lions are at home; and the Rams don't seem to have much of a pulse.

GREEN BAY 3 over Minnesota. PICK: PACKERS. The Pack is coming on; they're at home; and I suspect the emotions of the return to Green Bay might affect Favre more negatively than some would think.

Houston 3.5 over BUFFALO. PICK: TEXANS. Houston's offense is so much more dynamic and explosive than is Buffalo's, it's not funny. In the end, that will win out here.

INDIANAPOLIS 12 over San Francisco. PICK: COLTS. I worried about a Colts' letdown last week; it didn't happen. I don't see it coming this week either, despite San Fran's defense. Go with the Colts.

NY JETS 3 over Miami. PICK: JETS. I suspect Rex Ryan, with some time to study, has figured out ways to slow down the wildcat offense. And Miami's coming off a tough, tough loss.

PHILADELPHIA pick'em vs NY Giants. PICK: EAGLES. The Giants have offensive line issues and secondary issues. I know there's a question of whether Brian Westbrook will play. I say the Eagles will find a way to win this one no matter what.

SAN DIEGO 16.5 over Oakland. PICK: CHARGERS. The Raiders are just flat-out bad; that win over the Eagles was obviously just an aberration.

TENNESSEE 3 over Jacksonville. PICK: JAGUARS. Yes, I know, Vince Young is starting this week. But based on how the rest of the Titans have looked, it just doesn't seem like it will matter.

NEW ORLEANS 10 over Atlanta. PICK: FALCONS. Not to win; but to keep it close. This is a divisional game, and a big win. Atlanta can run the ball. I don't see a blowout.