FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS
Let's start with...

NFL PICKS
Buffalo 3 over Detroit.  My pick:  BILLS.  Buffalo is improving, they've come so close to winning, they're due to break through, they're at home...and the Lions will be without Matthew Stafford.

Minnesota 2 over Chicago.  My pick:  VIKINGS.  Last week's dramatic come-from-behind win may have been the tonic the Vikes needed.  And you just have the feeling the Viking pass rush will shut Jay Cutler down.

NY Jets 3 over Cleveland.  My pick:  JETS.  Colt McCoy has done pretty well as the Browns' starting QB; but I think the Jets' defense will give him a rough time, and shut down the Browns' run game.

Indianapolis 7 over Cincinnati.  My pick:  COLTS.  They play well at home.  And Cincy seems to be a team that doesn't know how to win this year, and is demoralized.

Tennessee 2 over Miami.  My pick:  TITANS.  The Dolphins are in a bit of flux, and are now starting Chad Pennington at QB.  Switching QBs at this point usually isn't a good sign, and the Titans' defense is tough.

Tampa Bay 7 over Carolina.  My pick:  BUCS.  Time to give the Bucs some love--even in losing last week they were very competitive against a tough Atlanta club.  Now they play at home against a horrid Carolina offense.

Jacksonville 1 over Houston.  My pick:  JAGUARS.  Jacksonville is at home, and that Houston defense just can't get key stops.

Kansas City 1 over Denver.  My pick:  CHIEFS.  Denver is at home...but I just think the Chiefs are better-coached, faster, and in a better frame of mind.

NY Giants 14 over the Cowboys.  My pick:  GIANTS.  Usually in the NFL you never pick a team giving 14 points.  But the Cowboys have been terrible, and I'm not convinced a new coach will fix all their problems in just a few days.  And remember--the Giants are playing real well.

Arizona 3 over Seattle.  My pick:  CARDINALS.  I don't think either of these teams are especially good or consistent.  But playing at home seems to help the Cardinals, so...

San Francisco 6 over St. Louis.  My pick:  49ERS.  Because Sam Bradford and the Rams seem to struggle away from home...and the 49ers may finally be rejuvenated with Troy Smith.

Pittsburgh 5 over New England.  My pick:  STEELERS.  That Steeler defense finds ways to get it done.  And I suspect the Patriots' mojo was ruined a bit last week in Cleveland...

Philadelphia 3 over Washington.  My pick:  EAGLES.  The Eagles have a QB--his name is Michael Vick.  Does Mike Shanahan know his QB--does he trust him?  Given the problems in answering those questions, you've got to go with the team that can answer them.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
I have two upset picks this week...

NORTHWESTERN over Iowa.  Why?  Because this game is in Evanston...Northwestern is capable (they should have beaten Michigan State several weeks ago)...and Iowa has had so many tough games in a row, I predict they're a bit worn down.

TEXAS over Oklahoma State.  Why?  The game is in Austin...Oklahoma State hasn't beaten Texas there in forever...and I predict that will play on OSU's minds.

In other news...

DIET NEWS
Have you heard about the prof  who lost 27 pounds on a snack-food diet?  What does it mean?  Here's one take:
"You may have read recently about the Kansas State University nutrition professor who lost 27 pounds while eating a diet rich in... Little Debbies. Mark Haub reportedly went from 201 pounds to 174 pounds over two months; his meals were centered around packaged snacks, sweet and savory, such as can be bought in convenience stores. He augmented those snacks with canned green beans and celery sticks. He also took a multivitamin and drank a protein shake daily.  Haub's experience adds a new element to the ongoing question in nutrition circles: Should we focus on certain food groups, such as proteins or carbs, as keys to managing our weight, or in the end is losing pounds simply a matter of consuming fewer calories than you expend. Haub's weight loss seems to support the latter: Without changing his level of physical activity, he cut back from something like 2,600 to 1,800 calories a day.  On top of that, Haub says other markers of health such as his levels of good and bad cholesterol and triglycerides have improved as he's lost weight. You can read more about his experiment on the Facebook page he set up.  Of course, Haub's short experiment doesn't shed light on the long-term effects of eating a diet filled with convenience-food staples. But to my mind it takes some of the angst and mystery out of the whole weight-loss equation. Eat less and you'll lose weight. Period."

AND TRY TO STAY FOCUSED, TOO:
"In a typical day your mind is probably all over the place, worrying about your next appointment or what's for dinner. That's making you unhappy, according to a new study.  Harvard University researchers Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert found that about 47 percent of people's waking hours are spent doing anything except being in the moment and focusing on the current activity.  Having a wandering mind is an achievement in the animal kingdom, but it comes at an emotional cost, the authors write.  "It is likely the same capacity that allows humans to learn from the past, plan for the future, and imagine things that might never occur, which are clearly afford very important benefits," Killingsworth said in an e-mail. "But like people's desire for food, it may be a tendency that at some level is beneficial but can cause problems (e.g. obesity with respect to desire for food, and unnecessary worry or distraction with respect to mind-wandering)."

 "What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise."
-Oscar Wilde