COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS:
Last week: 6-8. I'm 23-18-1 for the season.
Pitt 7 over LOUISVILLE. PICK: PANTHERS. They'll bounce back after their tough loss last week, and score a lot of points. Louisville's defense is suspect.
Alabama 15.5 over KENTUCKY. PICK: CRIMSON TIDE. See for example Kentucky's poor effort last week at home vs Florida.
Florida State 4 over BOSTON COLLEGE. PICK: EAGLES. Florida State is very inconsistent; BC is coming off a good win last week.
GEORGIA 3 over LSU. PICK: BULLDOGS. LSU has barely been escaping in recent weeks against mediocre competition; now they play Georgia, which is battle-tested and improving, on the road.
Georgia Tech 6 over MISSISSIPPI STATE. PICK: YELLOW JACKETS. Because Mississippi State is coming off that tough loss to LSU, and there's the danger of letdown. And that Georgia Tech offense is tough to prepare for.
MICHIGAN STATE 3 over Michigan. PICK: WOLVERINES. Yes, we all know about Michigan's defensive problems. But how about those of the Spartans? The last 3 weeks they've given up 29 points to Central Michigan, 33 to Notre Dame, and 38 to Wisconsin. Michigan can and will outscore 'em.
MINNESOTA 2.5 over Wisconsin. PICK: GOLDEN GOPHERS. I like their defense. And they're at home.
NAVY 3 over Air Force. PICK: MIDSHIPMEN. They have good athletes at Navy. And they're at home.
NOTRE DAME 12.5 over Washington. PICK: FIGHTING IRISH. The Irish are still mopping their brow after that close shave against Purdue. But they survived, and both Jimmy Clausen and Armando Allen are in improved health. And they're at home.
Ohio State 18 over INDIANA. PICK: HOOSIERS (upset special). Against Michigan, IU showed they've got some athletes and can run that offense pretty well. And I don't see OSU's offense clicking that well yet. 18 points is too much.
Oklahoma 7 over MIAMI. PICK: HURRICANES. No, Miami's not a world-beater; they showed that last week. But they're at home, and there will be no driving rainstorm a la last week. They still have good athletes. And the Sooners still will be without Sam Bradford.
Penn State 7 over ILLINOIS. PICK: NITTANY LIONS. They'll bounce back. The Illini continue to struggle.
Southern Cal 5 over CALIFORNIA. PICK: TROJANS. I think Cal was exposed last week; and USC knows it must win to retain BCS hopes.
STANFORD 5 over UCLA. PICK: CARDINAL. Toby Gearhart is one tough runner. Stanford plays well at home.
TENNESSEE 2 over Auburn. PICK: TIGERS. Auburn's done nothing but win and pile up points so far this year. I'm amazed they're the underdog in this game, given Tennessee's struggles.
NFL PICKS:
I was 9-7 last week; I'm 27-20-1 so far this season.
Buffalo 2 over MIAMI. PICK: BILLS. Because despite their struggles, Buffalo is set at QB with Trent Edwards; meanwhile Miami has lost Chad Pennington, probably for the year.
CHICAGO 10 over Detroit. PICK: LIONS. Not to win; but to keep it close. The Bears' offense continues to struggle a bit; meanwhile the Lions' O-line is improving.
Cincinnat 5.5 over CLEVELAND. PICK: BENGALS. This one makes me a bit nervous, given that it's a road game for Cincy. But the Browns' offense has been putrid, and the Bengals won at Green Bay, remember. The victory over the Steelers should give the Bengals big momentum.
Dallas 3 over DENVER. PICK: BRONCOS. They're at home; the Broncos' running game is improving. And I'm not sure Dallas' offens is there yet; despite the win Monday night, Tony Romo and co. only put up 13 points against Carolina.
HOUSTON 9 over Oakland. PICK: TEXANS. The Raiders and JaMarcus Russell have struggled so much...while Matt Schaub and the Texans have shown they can score (while the Raiders can't).
INDIANAPOLIS 10.5 over Seattle. PICK: COLTS. They appear to be rolling, while the Seahawks have a lot of injury issues.
NEW ENGLAND 2 over Baltimore. PICK: RAVENS. The Ravens and Joe Flacco seem to have their offense really rolling, and of course their defense remains more than capable. The Patriots and Tom Brady meanwhile are improving, but...the timing etc just isn't quite there yet. Go with the hot team.
NEW ORLEANS 7 over NY Jets. PICK: SAINTS. The Saints have covered every week. Meanwhile Rex Ryan's defense hasn't seen an offense like this one yet. Look for Mark Sanchez to finally make a few mistakes.
NY Giants 8.5 over KANSAS CITY. PICK: GIANTS. The Chiefs and Matt Cassel are still a ways off; meanwhile the Giants showed last week that they play well in games they should win.
PITTSBURGH 6.5 over San Diego. PICK: CHARGERS. LaDainian Tomlinson should be back; and while it's very possible that the Steelers will win this game, look for it to be very tight, probably just a field goal difference. Ben Roethlisberger keeps the Steelers in every game. But the Steeler D isn't forcing turnovers--and that allows their opponents to stay in games.
SAN FRANCISCO 9.5 over St. Louis. PICK: 49ERS. That defense should shut the Rams down.
Tennessee 3 over JACKSONVILLE. PICK: TITANS. I just can't see Tennessee starting 0-4.
WASHINGTON 7 over Tampa Bay. PICK: REDSKINS. Because Tampa Bay appears to be in sad shape, and are now rushing in a very young, untested QB.
MINNESOTA 3 over Green Bay. PICK: VIKINGS. A battle between two good teams, with lots of hype and emotion. But, at home, I don't think the hype will get to Brett Favre or Adrian Peterson; they're used to it.
Showing posts with label college football; National Football League; weekly picks;. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college football; National Football League; weekly picks;. Show all posts
Friday, October 2, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Friday football picks (and other stuff)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS:
Last week: I went 6-6. Gotta do better:
AUBURN 7 over West Virginia. PICK: TIGERS. They've looked good so far, and are at home.
BAYLOR 10 over UConn. PICK: BEARS. They have an exciting young QB in Robert Griffin, and are much improved from 2 years ago. And they're at home.
BYU 7.5 over Florida State. PICK: COUGARS. I don't think FSU has recovered from the loss to Miami yet. And this BYU team is good.
Cincinnati 1 over OREGON STATE. PICK: BEARCATS. People forget--Cincinnati went to a BCS bowl last year, and so far have shown an explosive offense.
IOWA 5.5 over Arizona. PICK: HAWKEYES. Iowa appeared to improve a lot last week over their shaky first week showing. And they're at home.
MICHIGAN 24 over Eastern Michigan. PICK: WOLVERINES. That's a lot of points. But the Wolverines will have a lot of confidence after last week's big upset of the Irish, and Tate Forcier is good.
NOTRE DAME 10 over Michigan State. PICK: IRISH. They're at home; they're going to have a lot of motivation to avenge past losses to the Spartans...and if MSU thought they had trouble with the very capable Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan, wait 'til they see Jimmy Clausen and those Irish receivers.
OREGON 4.5 over Utah. PICK: DUCKS. They have an explosive offense, and it's getting in gear.
UCLA 12.5 over Kansas State. PICK: BRUINS. They're a much-improved team, coming off a big win on the road over Tennessee.
ARKANSAS 1 over Georgia. PICK: BULLDOGS. They've played two tough games already, against Oklahoma State and South Carolina, and have played capably in both.
California 14 over MINNESOTA. PICK: GOLDEN GOPHERS (upset special). Cal will very likely win this game, but look for the Gopher defense and the home crowd in Minnesota's brand-new stadium to keep it close.
FLORIDA 29.5 over Tennessee. PICK: VOLUNTEERS (upset special). Not to win; but I do think 29 + points is too much to give; look for Tennessee to keep this one closer than that.
Northwestern 3 over SYRACUSE. PICK: ORANGEMEN. Northwestern looked shaky last week, just edging a MAC team. Syracuse is primed to finally get one at home; remember, they almost beat Minnesota in week 1.
TEXAS 17.5 over Texas Tech. PICK: RED RAIDERS. Again, I look for Texas to win this game; but this Tech offense so far this season hasn't seemed to miss a beat under new QB Taylor Potts. I think Tech will score enough points to keep this one under a 17 pt margin.
Southern Cal 18.5 over WASHINGTON. PICK: HUSKIES. Again, not to win; but Washington played LSU tough in week 1, and then looked good last week. Remember that USC is starting a freshman QB; yes, he grew up a lot last week. But that USC offense still has jelling to do. Washington can keep this one closer than 18.
VIRGINIA TECH 5 over Nebraska. PICK: HOKIES. They play well at home, and seem to have recovered from that close first loss to a powerful Alabama squad.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PICKS:
I was 8-7-1 last week. Not bad--let's see if I can do better:
ATLANTA 6.5 over Carolina. PICK: FALCONS. Jake Delhomme's confidence appears to be shot, what with all the INTs he's thrown in his last two games, including last year's playoff loss. Meanwhile, the Falcons' success last year appears to be no fluke.
BUFFALO 5 over Tampa Bay. PICK: BILLS. They should have beaten the Pats on Monday night; their defense looks solid. If they maintain their mental focus, they should beat the declining Bucs.
DALLAS 3 over NY Giants. PICK: GIANTS. I like the Giants' defense and running game; I think it will take the crowd out of this first regular-season game in Jerry Jones' new palace, and the Giants will edge out a win here. Note that the Cowboys' D gave up 450 yards last week to the less-than-an-offensive-powerhouse Bucs.
DENVER 3 over Cleveland. PICK: BRONCOS. Neither team looked awesome last week. But I think the Broncos, at home, should be able with their receivers to make more plays than the Browns.
GREEN BAY 9 over Cincinnati. PICK: BENGALS. Not to win; but that Cincy defense, which is pretty good, will keep this game close.
JACKSONVILLE 3 over Arizona. PICK: CARDINALS. I know, the Cardinals lost at home last week and made a ton of mistakes; plus, they traditionally have struggled on the east coast. But their defense is still capable, they still have a ton of playmakers on offense, and I'm betting they'll improve from week 1 to week 2.
KANSAS CITY 3 over Oakland. PICK: CHIEFS. Because they're at home, they gave the Ravens a good run last week, Matt Cassel should play, and I'm betting the Raiders won't put up two good performances in a row.
Minnesota 10 over DETROIT. PICK: VIKINGS. The Lions will improve eventually, but it's still early, and how will that porous defense slow down Adrian Peterson?
New England 3.5 over NY JETS. PICK: PATRIOTS. They're bound to improve over their slow start in week 1; they have a history of winning at the Meadowlands; and the Jets still have a rookie coach and rookie QB.
PHILADELPHIA pick'em vs New Orleand. PICK: SAINTS. I know; Philly is at home and has a good defense, and the Saints have never been a great road team. But Donovan McNabb is banged up, and I think it's doubtful he'll last the entire game (if he plays at all). And I think the Saints offense is playing at a high level, and it appears to me that their defense is improved, too.
Pittsburgh 3 over CHICAGO. PICK: STEELERS. No Brian Urlacher for the Bears, and Jay Cutler makes too many turnovers.
SAN DIEGO 3 over Baltimore. PICK: CHARGERS. They play well at home. They have injuries; but they also have Philip Rivers.
SAN FRANCISCO 1 over Seattle. PICK: 49ERS. I like that San Fran defense.
TENNESSEE 6.5 over Houston. PICK: TITANS. They're too strong both on the D-line and on the O-line. Look for them to push the Texans around.
WASHINGTON 10 over St. Louis. PICK: REDSKINS. Because St. Louis still has a long, long way to go.
Indianapolis 3 over MIAMI. PICK: COLTS. It'll be a tough, close game; but Indy's defense is better this year, and the Dolphins offense hasn't shown much. Indy will have enough to win by a TD or so.
Last week: I went 6-6. Gotta do better:
AUBURN 7 over West Virginia. PICK: TIGERS. They've looked good so far, and are at home.
BAYLOR 10 over UConn. PICK: BEARS. They have an exciting young QB in Robert Griffin, and are much improved from 2 years ago. And they're at home.
BYU 7.5 over Florida State. PICK: COUGARS. I don't think FSU has recovered from the loss to Miami yet. And this BYU team is good.
Cincinnati 1 over OREGON STATE. PICK: BEARCATS. People forget--Cincinnati went to a BCS bowl last year, and so far have shown an explosive offense.
IOWA 5.5 over Arizona. PICK: HAWKEYES. Iowa appeared to improve a lot last week over their shaky first week showing. And they're at home.
MICHIGAN 24 over Eastern Michigan. PICK: WOLVERINES. That's a lot of points. But the Wolverines will have a lot of confidence after last week's big upset of the Irish, and Tate Forcier is good.
NOTRE DAME 10 over Michigan State. PICK: IRISH. They're at home; they're going to have a lot of motivation to avenge past losses to the Spartans...and if MSU thought they had trouble with the very capable Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan, wait 'til they see Jimmy Clausen and those Irish receivers.
OREGON 4.5 over Utah. PICK: DUCKS. They have an explosive offense, and it's getting in gear.
UCLA 12.5 over Kansas State. PICK: BRUINS. They're a much-improved team, coming off a big win on the road over Tennessee.
ARKANSAS 1 over Georgia. PICK: BULLDOGS. They've played two tough games already, against Oklahoma State and South Carolina, and have played capably in both.
California 14 over MINNESOTA. PICK: GOLDEN GOPHERS (upset special). Cal will very likely win this game, but look for the Gopher defense and the home crowd in Minnesota's brand-new stadium to keep it close.
FLORIDA 29.5 over Tennessee. PICK: VOLUNTEERS (upset special). Not to win; but I do think 29 + points is too much to give; look for Tennessee to keep this one closer than that.
Northwestern 3 over SYRACUSE. PICK: ORANGEMEN. Northwestern looked shaky last week, just edging a MAC team. Syracuse is primed to finally get one at home; remember, they almost beat Minnesota in week 1.
TEXAS 17.5 over Texas Tech. PICK: RED RAIDERS. Again, I look for Texas to win this game; but this Tech offense so far this season hasn't seemed to miss a beat under new QB Taylor Potts. I think Tech will score enough points to keep this one under a 17 pt margin.
Southern Cal 18.5 over WASHINGTON. PICK: HUSKIES. Again, not to win; but Washington played LSU tough in week 1, and then looked good last week. Remember that USC is starting a freshman QB; yes, he grew up a lot last week. But that USC offense still has jelling to do. Washington can keep this one closer than 18.
VIRGINIA TECH 5 over Nebraska. PICK: HOKIES. They play well at home, and seem to have recovered from that close first loss to a powerful Alabama squad.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PICKS:
I was 8-7-1 last week. Not bad--let's see if I can do better:
ATLANTA 6.5 over Carolina. PICK: FALCONS. Jake Delhomme's confidence appears to be shot, what with all the INTs he's thrown in his last two games, including last year's playoff loss. Meanwhile, the Falcons' success last year appears to be no fluke.
BUFFALO 5 over Tampa Bay. PICK: BILLS. They should have beaten the Pats on Monday night; their defense looks solid. If they maintain their mental focus, they should beat the declining Bucs.
DALLAS 3 over NY Giants. PICK: GIANTS. I like the Giants' defense and running game; I think it will take the crowd out of this first regular-season game in Jerry Jones' new palace, and the Giants will edge out a win here. Note that the Cowboys' D gave up 450 yards last week to the less-than-an-offensive-powerhouse Bucs.
DENVER 3 over Cleveland. PICK: BRONCOS. Neither team looked awesome last week. But I think the Broncos, at home, should be able with their receivers to make more plays than the Browns.
GREEN BAY 9 over Cincinnati. PICK: BENGALS. Not to win; but that Cincy defense, which is pretty good, will keep this game close.
JACKSONVILLE 3 over Arizona. PICK: CARDINALS. I know, the Cardinals lost at home last week and made a ton of mistakes; plus, they traditionally have struggled on the east coast. But their defense is still capable, they still have a ton of playmakers on offense, and I'm betting they'll improve from week 1 to week 2.
KANSAS CITY 3 over Oakland. PICK: CHIEFS. Because they're at home, they gave the Ravens a good run last week, Matt Cassel should play, and I'm betting the Raiders won't put up two good performances in a row.
Minnesota 10 over DETROIT. PICK: VIKINGS. The Lions will improve eventually, but it's still early, and how will that porous defense slow down Adrian Peterson?
New England 3.5 over NY JETS. PICK: PATRIOTS. They're bound to improve over their slow start in week 1; they have a history of winning at the Meadowlands; and the Jets still have a rookie coach and rookie QB.
PHILADELPHIA pick'em vs New Orleand. PICK: SAINTS. I know; Philly is at home and has a good defense, and the Saints have never been a great road team. But Donovan McNabb is banged up, and I think it's doubtful he'll last the entire game (if he plays at all). And I think the Saints offense is playing at a high level, and it appears to me that their defense is improved, too.
Pittsburgh 3 over CHICAGO. PICK: STEELERS. No Brian Urlacher for the Bears, and Jay Cutler makes too many turnovers.
SAN DIEGO 3 over Baltimore. PICK: CHARGERS. They play well at home. They have injuries; but they also have Philip Rivers.
SAN FRANCISCO 1 over Seattle. PICK: 49ERS. I like that San Fran defense.
TENNESSEE 6.5 over Houston. PICK: TITANS. They're too strong both on the D-line and on the O-line. Look for them to push the Texans around.
WASHINGTON 10 over St. Louis. PICK: REDSKINS. Because St. Louis still has a long, long way to go.
Indianapolis 3 over MIAMI. PICK: COLTS. It'll be a tough, close game; but Indy's defense is better this year, and the Dolphins offense hasn't shown much. Indy will have enough to win by a TD or so.
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