Here we go--this week we'll do both some college picks and some pro selections. There are some excellent college football games this weekend (finally). Last week's record: 7-5. For the year I am 35-27.
COLLEGE PICKS
Alabama at Ole Miss. My pick: CRIMSON TIDE 28-10. A lot of people talking about the Rebels. And yes, they're better. But this is Alabama we're talking about.
Oklahoma at TCU. My pick: UPSET ALERT---HORNED FROGS 34-31. I don't know that Oklahoma is over-rated; that's not what I am suggesting. But instead: TCU is at home, they have an offense that is starting to hum, and the Sooners do have some defensive vulnerabilities.
Texas A&M at Mississippi State. My pick: BULLDOGS 41-38. Mississippi State showed how good they are--they won _at_ LSU. Meanwhile, again--the Aggies can really score with Kenny Hill; but Arkansas showed last week--their defense is vulnerable. At some point that bites you.
Stanford at Notre Dame. My pick: IRISH 17-13. It's been kind of trendy this week for experts to be unsure of this one--and somewhat rightfully so: ND has not played anyone this year who has the kind of defense that Stanford brings. But--the Irish have Everett Golson at QB and I think that makes the difference.
Nebraska at Michigan State. My pick: SPARTANS 42-21. Hey, give the Huskers credit--they have won every game. But they have yet to play anyone like Sparty--and on the road, yet.
NFL PICKS
Chicago at Carolina. My pick: BEARS 27-20. By now, finally, some trends are developing in the NFL. It appeared earlier this season that the Panthers were solid. But now on offense their running game is messed up with injuries, and their pass rush is lacking. Look for Jay Cutler and the Bears to exploit this (even though the Bears lost last week, their offense still moved the ball well).
Cleveland at Tennessee. My pick: BROWNS 31-17. More trends--the Browns have been too much under-rated. Brian Hoyer and that offense can score. Meanwhile, after a good first week, the Titans have looked very bad and clearly still have a ways to go.
St. Louis at Philadelphia. My pick: EAGLES 35-17. Philly's troubles on offense recently have been well-chronicled. But look for them this week to get back on track against the Rams and their young QB Austin Davis.
Atlanta at NY Giants. My pick: GIANTS 30-24. The keys here: all indications are that the Giants offense and Eli Manning have found something; they've gotten in rhythm. Meanwhile the Falcons can score too; but they have serious injuries on the O-line and their defense, exemplified by last week's gashings by the Vikings, has holes.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans. My pick: SAINTS 38-20. New Orleans' struggles on the road too have been well-documented. This team probably is not as good as we all thought at the start of the season--their domination by the Cowboys last Sunday night showed that clearly. But--the Saints' success at home has been long-standing, too. And that will continue here.
Houston at Dallas. My pick: COWBOYS 21-13. The Texans have a good defense. They will give Tony Romo a sterner test than did the Saints. But--the Cowboys have a better offensive line than we thought and more firepower. The Texans' offense behind Ryan Fitzpatrick just doesn't scare anyone. Nor should it.
Buffalo at Detroit. My pick: LIONS 27-17. Just staying this makes me nervous as a Lions fan; seems like we tempt the gods. But--the Lions seem to have improved. Note especially--their defensive front four has been consistently getting a great push on opposing O-lines and putting pressure on the passer. Look for that to continue here--and a Bills offense led by Kyle Orton just doesn't scare anyone.
Baltimore at Indianapolis. My pick: COLTS 34-31. Two pretty good teams, two good quarterbacks. Look for a high scoring game, with the Colts barely prevailing; it will help that they are at home.
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville. My pick: STEELERS 29-10. The Steelers are making lots of mistakes. But they'll get away with it against the lowly Jags.
Arizona at Denver. My pick: BRONCOS 31-21. The Cardinals, I believe, are better than many think. But this is a tough matchup for them--Denver is rested, they are at home, and once again the Cards have to go with Drew Stanton, their backup QB. Too much to overcome.
Kansas City at San Francisco. My pick: 49ERS 24-23. The Chiefs started out 0-2, and many wrote them off. I think they've shown the last two weeks that it's premature to do that; this is a dangerous team. And they'll give the Niners a real battle here. But Colin Kaepernick will find a way to pull this one out at home.
NY Jets at San Diego. My pick: CHARGERS 21-17. Some people predict this will be an easy Chargers win. I would not go that far. Remember that the Chargers' run game is banged up due to injuries to Ryan Mathews and others; a tough Jets defense can exploit that. But Philip Rivers so far has been excellent; and the Jets offense cannot match its defense. The Bolts hold on and win this one.
Cincinnati at New England. My pick: BENGALS 27-21. You have to be careful about writing off a Pats team with Brady and Belichick as part of it. People have done that before and gotten burned. So this will be a tough game. But we talked before about trends. It appears a negative trend for the Patriots has been well-establshed: troubles on the offensive line...a lack of playmakers at wide receiver. The Pats can't move the ball. Meanwhile, note how in sync Andy Dalton is with his receivers, and how many good weapons and athletes the Bengals have. This is Cincy's chance to prove something. Finally, I think they'll do it.
Seattle at Washington. My pick: SEAHAWKS 24-6. When Seattle lost to the Chargers, we wondered--have the Hawks lost something? But the game vs Denver suggested--no, not really. Meanwhile, with Washington, we wondered--will Kirk Cousins as the new QB, at least for a while, make the Skins better? Last week's game vs the Giants suggested--maybe not. Go with the reigning Super Bowl champs here.
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