FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS!
It's that time again.  Last week's record?  Horrible:  5 correct, 12 wrong.  So far this week I'm off to a slow start too; I had the Ravens, a 12 pt favorite, covering last night...and they didn't.  Well---I'll keep trying:

NFL PICKS

ARIZONA 5.5 over Miami.  My pick:  CARDINALS.  What have we learned so far this season?  Ride that AZ defense--it's big and fast.  They'll shut Miami down.

ATLANTA 7 over Carolina.  My pick:  FALCONS.  Again, what have we learned?  Atlanta appears to be very good; Carolina is still, to be kind, finding itself.

Cincinnat 2.5 over JACKSONVILLE.  My pick:  BENGALS.  I think so far we've learned:  the Bengals have developed some real speed and weapons on offense--more than the Jags, in my opinion.

DENVER 6.5 over Oakland.  My pick:  BRONCOS.  Peyton Manning hasn't yet quite clicked with his receivers, but...I can see it coming, and this week might be it.  Oakland's defense?  Not so great.

DETROIT 4.5 over Minnesota.  My pick:  LIONS.  The Lions have been a disappointment this year; the Vikings a pleasant surprise.  But Detroit remains loaded on offense, and I think they'll play better this week at home...while the Vikings tend to not look the same on the road.

GREEN BAY 7.5 over New Orleans.  My pick:  PACKERS.  The Packers are angry and should be focused.  The Saints defense?  Just can't stop folks.

HOUSTON 12 over Tennessee.  My pick:  TITANS.  I like Houston to win this game; I think they're really good.  But the Titans aren't as bad as they looked in their first couple games; 12 pts is too much.

KANSAS CITY 1 over San Diego.  My pick:  CHARGERS.  It's just kind of a feeling...but I think Philip Rivers will play much better this week, and find a way to win this one.

New England 4 over BUFFALO.  My pick:  PATRIOTS.  Again, a feeling, and a pretty strong one:  the Patriots still just have too much talent to let this one get away, despite the fact that the Bills are improving.

PHILADELPHIA 2 over NY Giants.  My pick:  EAGLES.  The Eagles and Michael Vick were horrible last week; but they still have a lot of offensive weapons, and so look for them to bounce back at home.  The Giants remain a banged-up team, don't forget.

San Francisco 4 over NY JETS.  My pick:  49ERS.  A tough one; the Niners did not play well at Minnesota, and now are on the road again.  But the Jets' offense continues to struggle, and now no more Revis Island to rely on.  Look for the San Fran defense to be the key here in shutting down the Jets.

Seattle 2.5 over ST. LOUIS.  My pick:  RAMS.  The Rams are improving; while the Seahawks, who truly have a great defense, still are coming off a short week, one full of distractions.

TAMPA BAY 2.5 over Washington.  My pick:  BUCCANEERS.  The Redskins' defense has so many problems; while the Bucs' D is solid.  Look for that to be the difference here.

DALLAS 3 over Chicago.  My pick:  BEARS.  Just a feeling...but if I'm a Cowboys fan, I just don't like that matchup of the Dallas O-line vs the Bears pass rush.  Look for Jay Cutler to do just enough to eke out a Bears' upset.

COLLEGE PICKS

MICHIGAN STATE 2 over Ohio State.  My pick:  SPARTANS.  Two struggling teams, really; but look for MSU's defense to again play well, and maybe for the Spartans' offense to get a bit untracked at home.

WEST VIRGINIA 11.5 over Baylor.  My pick:  BEARS.  No, Baylor won't win this game; WVU will outscore them.  But Baylor can score too and move the ball; so look for them to keep this game closer than people think.

"ClapclapclapclapclapCHEEER!"--what NFL refs will hear from NFL crowds this weekend, for probably the first time, as they return to work.