FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS

I was 11-7 last week.
I am 99-60-1 for the year.
Let's go!

COLLEGE PICKS

Mississippi State at Alabama.  My pick:  BULLDOGS   24-17.  I know; everyone is picking 'Bama.  They've been there before; they have the pedigree.  But listen--Mississippi State has faced a gauntlet this year.  And won every game.  I don't think they'll be afraid.  MSU to win.

Florida State at Miami.  My pick:  SEMINOLES   31-24.  Lots of people are picking the Hurricanes in an upset here.  And yes, FSU has lived on the edge.  But--why can't the Noles keep doing so?  They have more talent than Miami.  FSU to survive again.

NFL PICKS

Minnesota at Chicago.  My pick:  BEARS  20-14.  I know, I know--the Bears have looked terrible.  But--they're at home here, I can't believe they're quite as bad as they've looked, they've been getting ripped by the media--and any team and any bunch of football players will hunker down when getting ripped like that; and so it's time for some things to go right for the Bears.

Houston at Cleveland.  My pick:  BROWNS  21-17.  What's helping the Browns is that they have a good defense, and a quarterback who plays within himself.  They don't always look hugely impressive; but they seem to mostly get it done, especially at home.  Look for the Texans to struggle as they start a new QB, Ryan Mallett.

Seattle at Kansas City.  My pick:  CHIEFS  24-23.  This is a very interesting matchup.  At the start of this season, looking ahead, I would have thought for sure I'd be picking Seattle here.  But--there have chinks in the Seahawk armor.  They've been sloppy, even in their wins.  You saw that again last week.  This Chiefs team has improved.  They'll capitalize on Seattle sloppiness.

Atlanta at Carolina.  My pick:  FALCONS  31-30.  You can't like the way Carolina has been playing--mistakes, poor QB play, you name it.  Meanwhile it seems like Atlanta maybe found some footing last week in their win; Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are connecting well.  Look for them to score more points this week.

Cincinnati at New Orleans.  My pick:  SAINTS    30-20.  The Bengals are in trouble.  A big reason why:  A.J. Green's health, and lately Andy Dalton's inconsistent play.  Those are not good trends going into New Orleans, where the Saints are very hard to beat (they should have won last week) and where Drew Brees' offense functions well.

Tampa Bay at Washington.  My pick:  REDSKINS  24-16.  Two teams which aren't going anywhere; but Washington at least has shown some signs of life lately.  Look for them to take care of business at home.

Denver at St. Louis.  My pick:  BRONCOS   34-17  So now Shaun Hill is going to start this week for the Rams?  Won't help here--the Broncos have too much firepower.

San Francisco at NY Giants.  My pick:  49ERS  28-20.  I think the Niners are starting to piece things together; look for their defense to force turnovers from the inconsistent Giants, and for Colin Kaepernick to run, pass, and generally make plays.

Oakland at San Diego.  My pick:  CHARGERS   24-10.  Finally, a chance for the Chargers to get well.  I don't think they'll let the opportunity slip.

Philadelphia at Green Bay.  My pick:  PACKERS  35-24.  This game will be fascinating to watch.  But I just think the Pack, at home, in cold weather, with Aaron Rodgers playing as well as he is (and thus giving the Pack a big edge in QBs over Mark Sanchez) will be too tough to beat.

Detroit at Arizona.  My pick:  CARDINALS 21-20.  Obviously I'm a Lions fan and I'd love to see them win this one; I am glad to have been wrong on the Lions so many times this year.  But on the road...against that tough Cardinals' defense?  I see AZ prevailing.

New England at Indianapolis.  My pick:  COLTS  38-34.  This is a really tough one to pick.  The Patriots obviously have played very well lately, especially Tom Brady.  But--the Colts do get them away from Foxboro; the Colts are coming off a bye and are rested, and have had time to prepare.  The stars would seem to align well for the Colts, who are very tough at home.

Pittsburgh at Tennessee.  My pick:  STEELERS  27-10.  The Steelers were flat against the Jets last week.  I don't expect that to happen again.  Zach Mettenberger is now playing QB for the Titans; this will be a real tough, and probably not good, matchup for him.