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FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS!
Last week I was 7-7-1; over the past 3 weeks I've gone 27-16-2.  Let's do better this week!

COLLEGE PICK
Just one...

Wisconsin at Michigan State.  MY PICK:  SPARTANS.  Wisconsin is a good football team.  But they have yet to play a truly good team on the road, in a hostile environment.  Nor have they played a team with the caliber of defense that State has--they have something like 17 sacks in their last couple of games.  Look for MSU to be able to contain the Badger offense and do enough themselves to eke out an upset win.

NFL PICKS

Chicago vs Tampa Bay (in London).  LINE:  Bears by 1.  MY PICK:  BUCCANEERS.  The Bears still have offensive line issues.  Meanwhile, the Bucs had a very impressive win last week, coming off a tough loss.  Look for Josh Freeman to expose the Bears' secondary.

Washington at Carolina.  LINE:  Panthers by 2.5.  MY PICK:  REDSKINS.  I think Washington will use their run game effectively against Carolina's suspect defense, and will get a couple of turnovers from Cam Newton--although Newton will again get his yards.

San Diego at NY Jets.  LINE:  Chargers by 2.  MY PICK:  CHARGERS.  The Jets' ugly win last week didn't solve their problems, both of running the ball and stopping the run.  Look for Philip Rivers to take advantage of it.

Seattle at Cleveland.  LINE:  Browns by 3.  MY PICK:  BROWNS.  They're at home in colder weather; and Cleveland has settled on a QB, while one doesn't sense Seattle has.

Houston at Tennessee.  LINE:  Titans by 3.  MY PICK:  TITANS.  Houston hasn't looked the same without Andre Johnson and Mario Williams; and Tennessee is at home.

Denver at Miami.  LINE:  Dolphins by 1.  MY PICK:  BRONCOS.  Tim Tebow will provide a spark for Denver; and he may have 20,000 fans or more in Miami rooting for him.

Atlanta at Detroit.  LINE:  Lions by 3.5.  MY PICK:  LIONS.  Frank Gore hurt the Lions last week.  But Atlanta's run game has not been consistent, and when it's not, the Falcons are beatable.  Look for the Lions' D-line to see that it happens just that way.

Kansas City at Oakland.  LINE:  Raiders by 6.  MY PICK:  CHIEFS.  Not to win; but to keep it close.  The Raiders will either be breaking in a rusty Carson Palmer or going with the journeyman-at-best Kyle Boller.  I think Oakland with its run game will eke out a win here, but with such QB issues it's bound to be a closer game.

Pittsburgh at Arizona.  LINE:  Steelers by 4.  MY PICK:  STEELERS.  Arizona just makes mistakes and has O-line issues, and meanwhile one has the sense the Steelers are finding themselves a bit.

St. Louis at Dallas.  LINE:  Cowboys by 13.  MY PICK:  RAMS.  I think Dallas will win this game.  But...13 points is a lot, especially given Dallas' struggles this year both in turning the ball over and in scoring TDs in the red zone.  Sam Bradford will play in this one; so I see it being a bit closer than 13.

Green Bay at Minnesota.  LINE:  Packers by 9.  MY PICK:  PACKERS.  Of course; probably the Packers cover here very easily; Christian Ponder at QB for the Vikes is almost certainly in way over his head.

Indianapolis at New Orleans.  LINE:  Saints by 14.  MY PICK:  SAINTS.  Drew Brees against Curtis Painter?  Painter is not that bad, but the Colts are beaten down by now and the Saints need a win.

Baltimore at Jacksonville.  LINE:  Ravens by 8.  MY PICK:  RAVENS.  Once again, a rookie QB in over his head; this time it's Blaine Gabbert.  And I don't expect the Ravens to ease up on him as the Steelers did last week...

"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid." -Basil King