FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS
Let's do these first this week...and hey, I'm on a roll; I went 5-3 last week.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS:

TCU at Utah.  My pick:  HORNED FROGS.  TCU over the past several weeks has played consistent, dominating football.  Their defense has been stifling.  Going to Utah and winning is a tough task; but remember last year when the Frogs went to another tough place--BYU?  They won going away.  This one might be closer, but go with the Frogs.

Alabama at LSU.  My pick:  TIGERS.  Just a gut feeling on this one.  Alabama has won a lot of tough SEC road games over the past couple of years.  I have the sense that their luck has changed a bit.  They lost at South Carolina.  This is another tough road game, against a team with a lot of talent and desperate for a win against 'Bama, with a home crowd roaring.  Go with LSU.

Baylor at Oklahoma State.  My pick:  BEARS.  Baylor is hot.  They won at Texas last week; their defense is playing better; they have a dynamic QB in Robert Griffin who's making good decisions.  Oklahoma State can score.  But I think Baylor can outscore 'em.

NFL PICKS:
This week, for fun, we'll pick all the NFL games.

Atlanta 9 over Tampa Bay.  My pick:  BUCS.  Atlanta is at home.  But 9 points seems to me to be way too many for a Tampa team that plays solid defense most of the time, and is learning how to win.

Chicago 3 over Buffalo.  My pick:  BILLS.  This game is being played in Toronto.  Buffalo is winless.  But behind QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, they've been playing decent ball, losing many close games.  I predict they break through here and get a win, over a Chicago team with a horrible offensive line and a quarterback, Jay Cutler, who's not playing well.

New England 5 over Cleveland.  My pick:  PATRIOTS.  Cleveland has improved.  But New England has too much talent and right now is playing some of the best football in the league.

NY Jets 5 over Detroit.  My pick:  JETS.  Same deal here--the Lions are improved and will give the Jets a battle.  But the Jets' defense and overall talent/experience level will win out.

Minnesota 8 over Arizona.  My pick:  VIKINGS.  The Cardinals are a bad road team (usually), they're unsettled at QB, and the Vikings are due to break out.

New Orleans 7 over Carolina.  My pick:  SAINTS.  They have Reggie Bush back.  And again, Carolina, despite being at home, seems so unsettled at QB and on offense generally that it gives New Orleans a huge advantage.

Baltimore 5 over Miami.  My pick:  RAVENS.  They're at home.  Miami has been tough on the road, but that Ravens defense is tough against the run.

San Diego 3 over Houston.  My pick:  TEXANS.  Apparently the oddsmakers believe that one Charger win, and a Texan Monday night loss, means all is well again in San Diego.  I'm not sure.  This game is in Houston, the Texans' offense is still very capable of moving the ball, and I'm not convinced the Chargers have rid themselves of all their mistake-prone ways, especially on special teams.

NY Giants 7 over Seattle.  My pick:  SEAHAWKS.  I think the Giants have more overall talent and will eke out a win in this game.  But the Giants have a tendency to play a bit down to the level of their competition and thus to have a hard time covering (see for example their home game against Detroit a few weeks ago).  And the Seahawks are tough at home.

Oakland 3 over Kansas City.  My pick:  CHIEFS.  The game is in Oakland.  But I love KC's overall team speed, and they've been more consistent, top to bottom, year-long, than have the Raiders.

Philadelphia 3 over Indianapolis.  My pick:  COLTS.  The game is in Philly and yes, the Colts are still beat up.  But rumor has it that Michael Vick might come back; but is he healthy?  The Indy pass rush will test him.  And Peyton Manning keeps this offense moving despite the injuries.  The Colts know how to win.  Does Philly?

Green Bay 9 over Dallas.  My pick:  COWBOYS.  Not to win; but to keep this game closer.  The Cowboys have been trashed, bashed, and buried all week, especially by their local media.  Their manhood's been challenged.  I just HAVE to believe they'll respond and play better and tougher.

Pittsburgh 5 over Cincinnati.  My pick:  STEELERS.  The Bengals have been very inconsistent all year; really on the whole the Steelers, especially on defense, meanwhile, have played well.  And now they have Big Ben.  Historically Pittsburgh has had the edge in this rivalry; I see it continuing.

In other news...

FOOD NEWS
Okay, now I have to admit, this sounds a little disgusting:
"When you're too lazy to make bacon, why not pop a bottle and just drink bacon instead?  J&D Foods, a company that specializes in all things bacon -- including bacon-flavored envelopes and the bacon Kevin Bacon sculpture that made headlines recently -- has taken the obsession one step further by coming up with a new drinkable pork product: bacon-flavored soda.  That's right, Coca-Cola is out, and swine soda is in.  J&D Foods owner Justin Esch told AOL News that his company recently partnered with Jones Soda to create a special-edition bacon-flavored drink just in time for the holidays."

Me, I prefer my bacon with eggs, not soda...

EATING AND SLEEPING BETTER
What, meanwhile, besides bacon soda (yecch!) can you eat to help you sleep better?  Some good ideas here, including this one:

"Your road to being able to sleep better could start with a simple half- to one cup of cottage cheese before you turn in for the night. Cottage cheese is a perfect source of protein before bed since it contains slow-digesting casein proteins that will distribute the amino acids to the muscle tissues for hours to come.  In addition to this, it's really going to help improve your sleep as it contains the amino acid tryptophan, which will naturally induce sleep in the body and help you get a better night's rest. Yes, the idea that turkey has enough tryptophan to knock you out is a little farfetched, but the amino acid does facilitate serotonin production and serotonin is the neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep."

You can eat such things as warm milk, oatmeal, and peanut butter, too...