THANKSGIVING WEEKEND FOOTBALL PICKS!
Gotta get these in before the weekend comes to an end...
Last week I went 11-4!  Not bad.
So far this week I'm only 1-2; I correctly had Green Bay covering
against the Lions...but I thought Dallas would beat the spread against the
Dolphins, and San Francisco would cover at Baltimore.  No dice.  Let's see
how I do the rest of the weekend:No

COLLEGE PICKS
Alabama at Auburn.  LINE:  Tide by 21.  MY PICK:  WAR EAGLE.  Alabama will win this game.  But 21 points is too much in a rivalry game like this, on the road.

Notre Dame at Stanford.  LINE:  Cardinal by 7.  MY PICK:  FIGHTING IRISH.  Oregon (and others) have exposed that Stanford defense.  I expect Andrew Luck to pull this game out late for Stanford...but look for the Irish to at least cover here, if not win outright.

NFL PICKS

Minnesota at Atlanta.  LINE:  Falcons by 9.5.  MY PICK:  FALCONS.  No Adrian Peterson for the Vikings means relatively easy pickins' for Atlanta.

Carolina at Indianapolis.  LINE:  Panthers by 3.  MY PICK:  PANTHERS.  There's been no sign that the Colts are anything but still beat-down without Peyton.

Cleveland at Cincinnati.  LINE:  Bengals by 7.  MY PICK:  BENGALS.  Yes, the Bengals lost the last two weeks, to the Steelers and Ravens.  But they played decently and were competitive in both.  Meanwhile the Browns have shown little improvement.

Houston at Jacksonville.  LINE:  Texans by 6.5.  MY PICK:  TEXANS.  Yes, Houston has lost QB Matt Schaub for the season.  But Matt Leinart has experience; and most importantly, the Texans' run in the past few weeks was fueled not by their passing game; but by an improved run game and a powerful offensive line.  Look for that to continue.

New England at Philadelphia.  LINE:  Patriots by 3.5.  MY PICK:  PATRIOTS.  Michael Vick's status is questionable for this game, at best; Tom Brady's isn't.  The Patriots come into this game healthier and playing better.

Buffalo at NY Jets.  LINE:  Jets by 9.  MY PICK:  JETS.  Both teams have issues.  But Buffalo seems to have completely had its wheels fall off--both figuratively and literally, as now leading rusher Fred Jackson is out.  Look for the Jets to feel good for a week.

Chicago at Oakland.  LINE:  Raiders by 4.  MY PICK:  RAIDERS.  For the Bears, Jay Cutler is out for at least several weeks; they may eventually be OK with Caleb Haney at QB, but this first week...on the road...look for them to struggle, and the Raiders to benefit.

Pittsburgh at Kansas City.  LINE:  Steelers by 10.5.  MY PICK:  STEELERS.  KC has to make do with a backup QB, too--Tyler Palko.  Against the Patriots, Palko's first reviews were not good.  It won't get any easier--or better--against Pittsburgh.

Arizona at St. Louis.  LINE:  Rams by 3.  MY PICK:  CARDINALS.  A battle of the weak.  A hard game to pick---just going with my gut.  The Cards have a few more explosive weapons...

Denver at San Diego.  LINE:  Chargers by 6.  MY PICK:  Hmm.  The Chargers have lost 5 straight.  Denver, with Tim Tebow, has won 4 of 5.  Yet the line on this game began at 7, and only reluctantly has gone down to 6.  Still no love in Vegas for Tebow, and still belief in the Chargers despite their poor play.  Me?  I guess I'm sort of on the Tebow bandwagon; I think his running ability, plus the improved play of the Bronco defense, will at least keep this one close.  Go with Denver.

Washington at Seattle. LINE:  Seahawks by 3.5.  MY PICK:  SEAHAWKS.   The Seahawks are playing better, with wins in the past two weeks; meanwhile the Redskins played with great emotion in their close loss to the Cowboys last week, but figure to have a letdown this week.

Tampa Bay at Tennessee.  LINE;  Titans by 3.5.  MY PICK:  TITANS.  The Bucs were very competitive at Green Bay last week.  But it was another loss, and now here they are on the road again against a Titans team with a lot to play for.  Look for the Bucs' slide to continue.

NY Giants at New Orleans.  LINE:  Saints by 7.  MY PICK:  SAINTS.  New Orleans at home, on a Monday night, against a Giants team that seems to have lost its mojo when it comes to running the ball, a necessity for the Giants...it all adds up to good tidings for the Saints.

"Never mind what others do; do better than yourself, beat
your own record each and everyday, and you are a success."
-William Boetcker