FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS

Last week I was only so-so:  I was 9-7-1.
I am now 59-38-1 for the year.
Let's go!:

COLLEGE PICKS

Notre Dame at Florida State.  My pick:  SEMINOLES.  Yes, many are picking ND in an upset.  And I expect this to be a close, tight game.  But--FSU is used to distractions; so is Jameis Winston; and I look for him and the Seminoles to make some late offensive plays late and pull this game out.

NFL PICKS

Atlanta at Baltimore.  My pick:  RAVENS  34-20.  Atlanta has problems--an offensive line ravaged by injuries, receivers dropping passes, etc.  And they haven't played well on the road yet.  Meanwhile Joe Flacco's 5 TD passes in 16 minutes indicates he's getting hot.

Tennessee at Washington.  My pick:  REDSKINS   23-13.  A chance for Kirk Cousins and the beleaguered Redskins to get a bit better at home against the inconsistent Titans.

Seattle at St. Louis.  My pick:  SEAHAWKS   24-10.  Seattle is not playing at the level at which they want to play, yet; last week's game against Dallas showed that.  But:  that probably also woke them up.  Here's a chance for them to get on the right track.

Cleveland at Jacksonville.  My pick:  BROWNS  31-21.  Cleveland has obviously improved; last week's win over the Steelers, their nemesis for years, I think proved that.  I really like Brian Hoyer as their QB.  They should win this game and in the end they will.

Cincinnati at Indianapolis.  My pick:  COLTS   30-27.  These are two pretty good teams.  I go with Colts here because  1] Cincy's defense has injuries and has proven to be leaky lately; 2] the Colts play well at home.

Minnesota at Buffalo.  My pick:  BILLS   24-20.  Teddy Bridgewater is after all a rookie; he got a bit exposed last week.  Kyle Orton has performed pretty well as Buffalo's QB; and they have a pretty good defense.  The Bills to win at home.

Miami at Chicago.  My pick:  UPSET ALERT---DOLPHINS   20-16.  This is one of those games.  You say, well, Miami's not very good; they're only 2-3.  You say, well, the Bears are back on track--look how they won last week in Atlanta.  But remember--the Bears have been inconsistent this year, especially when Cutler turns it over, and I think Miami might be a bit better than many think--they could have easily beaten Green Bay last week.  Look for the Dolphins to win thanks to at least one costly Cutler INT.

New Orleans at Detroit.  My pick:  SAINTS    24-23.  I'd love to pick the Lions here, but with some of their injuries (especially to Calvin Johnson) and their inability in the past to control Drew Brees, I just suspect the Saints pull this one out late.

Carolina at Green Bay.  My pick:  PACKERS   38-35.  As you can see, I expect this to be a high-scoring game; look for Cam Newton to make plays both with his feet and with his arm.  But--look for Aaron Rodgers to pull it out again late, just like last week.

Kansas City at San Diego.  My pick:  CHARGERS   24-20.  What can you say about the level of play we're seeing from Philip Rivers?  He's been phenomenal.  I expect a tough, close game from these two divisional rivals, but you have to expect Rivers to lead the Chargers to victory again.

Arizona at Oakland.  My pick:  CARDINALS   27-14.  The Cardinals remain one of the great but forgotten NFL stories.  They have a solid defense; and Carson Palmer is back.  Look for the Cards' secondary to pick off at least one Derek Carr pass and turn it into points, as the Cardinals win again.

NY Giants at Dallas.  My pick:  UPSET ALERT--GIANTS  28-27.  Now here you probably think I'm crazy.  The Cowboys just had a monumental win in Seattle; while the Giants last Sunday night looked awful in Philly.  But--the NFL is funny that way.  We think we know everything; but we don't.  Dallas is bound to have a bit of a letdown this week, after such a big win and then everybody saying such nice things about them.  Meanwhile, Eli Manning is very capable of putting up big numbers, and of rebounding from poor performances.  Reports are--Tony Romo will play but was a bit banged up after last week,  Cowboys O-lineman Doug Free is out for several weeks.  Demarco Murray was sick this week.  A Cowboys letdown could open the door for a Giant upset.

San Francisco at Denver.  My pick:  BRONCOS   31-24.  Both teams are good.  The keys here:  the Broncos are at home; they still have Peyton Manning; AND...that Denver defense is better than last year.  It's faster and more physical.  They will hold the 49ers in check just enough to get the Broncos to victory here.

Houston at Pittsburgh.  My pick:  TEXANS   17-14.  Both teams have struggled lately.  But I think the Steelers are in trouble; they've been out of sync offensively for some time now.  You don't want to be out of sync when playing J.J. Watt and company.  Note too that Arian Foster has had several good games in a row.  Look for him to run for over 100 yards in a close Texan win.