FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS!

Last week's record--horrible!  5-9.
I am now 98-60 on the year.  Time for a rebound!

COLLEGE PICKS

Michigan State at Ohio State.  My pick:  BUCKEYES.  Ohio State despite being a unanimous #1 pick all year has struggled at time.  MSU meanwhile is 9-1.  Upset?  Well, but--Connor Cook is beat up, that Spartan defense just isn't what it has been in seasons past, and the Buckeyes still have a lot of weapons.  Advantage:  OSU.

Baylor at Oklahoma State. My pick:  COWBOYS.  Okie State had their trap game last week at Iowa State.  It almost got them.  But--they somehow got through it, and now are back home where they have played very well.  Meanwhile for Baylor--I think their problem is not so much their QB; Stidham has played well.  It's instead their defense, which has holes.  Oklahoma State to remain unbeaten.

TCU at Oklahoma.  My pick:  SOONERS.  I suspect this game might be closer than people think; I bet that somehow Trevone Boykin will play, plus OU is coming off a big win at Baylor, with now questions over whether Boykin will play and everyone assuming the Sooners will win this one...that can make you prime for a letdown.  But--I expect Oklahoma will in the end survive this one; they have been playing very well.

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NFL PICKS

Oakland at Detroit.  My pick:  RAIDERS  20-16.  No, clearly the Lions haven't quit; last week's win at Green Bay showed that.  But they still have massive O-line problems, and Oakland has some good offensive weapons.

Indianapolis at Atlanta.  My pick:  FALCONS  24-10.  I know Atlanta has struggled, Indy must again start Matt Hasselbeck, and he is undefeated as a starter.  But...ya gotta think Hasselbeck's luck may run out, and at some point the Falcons will get untracked.  Probably this week.

NY Jets at Houston.  My pick:  JETS 13-10.  The Texans' defense has some fight; last week in Cincinnati showed that.  But Todd Bowles' Jets D can make it really tough on QBs, and I expect that to happen this week.  Look for the Jets to force several turnovers.

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia.  My pick:  EAGLES 21-9.  I know the Bucs won last week. But they struggled to score and still made many mistakes.  Mark Sanchez isn't that bad; he'll help Philly get this one at home.

Denver at Chicago.  My pick:  BRONCOS  17-10.  The Bears on last week, the Broncos meanwhile suffered an embarrassing loss and Peyton Manning is banged up.  I suspect we'll see Brock Osweiler. So why not the Bears?  But--they have been an inconsistent team, especially at home, and look for the Broncos defense to play well here, while Osweiler manages the game.

St. Louis at Baltimore.  My pick:  RAVENS  23-20.  Who can figure either of these teams out--especially the Rams, who suffered a horrible loss at home last week against the mediocre Bears? Gotta go with the Ravens here at home, simply because, well, they still have Joe Flacco and...they're due.

Dallas at Miami.  My pick:  COWBOYS  27-21.  Tony Romo is back; but this is still a tough one to pick, as he might be rusty, Miami's defense is playing better and can force turnovers, etc.  My guess--Romo will give the Cowboys the jolt they need.

Washington at Carolina.  My pick:  PANTHERS  30-17.  When will people begin to believe in the undefeated Panthers?  Maybe after this week, as they win again.

Kansas City at San Diego.  My pick:  CHIEFS  24-21.  The Chargers' injuries on defense and inconsistency on offense will again hurt them here, I suspect, as the somewhat-rejuvenated Chiefs stay on a roll.

Green Bay at Minnesota.  My pick:  VIKINGS  23-17.  One of the biggest stats from Green Bay's loss at home to Detroit last week was this:  RB James Starks was held to only 42 yards rushing.  The Pack's offense is badly out of sync. That's not good news against a Viking defense that has been stingy all year; and Adrian Peterson now has 4 consecutive 100 yard rushing games.  The Pack is in trouble.

San Francisco at Seattle.  My pick:  SEAHAWKS  21-7.  A chance for the Seahawks to at least for one week right the ship--they should do so, as they've dominated the Niners for a while now.

Cincinnati at Arizona.  My pick:  CARDINALS  28-20.  Are people ready to admit? The Arizona Cardinals have a good team; surely last week's win at Seattle proved that.  Meanwhile the Bengals have probably lost their mojo a bit after last week's bewildering loss at home to Houston; now they must play a tough road game.  Look for AZ to keep it going.

Buffalo at New England.  My pick:  PATRIOTS  31-17.  When will the Patriots finally lose a game this year?  Their consistency is amazing, and it starts with Brady.  He's playing Monday night, right?  Yes?  Then the Pats' first loss won't happen here.