Week 10 NFL Picks

Well, Week 10 began a bit early on Thursday night, instead of doing a whole post, I will continue to post this before gametime and just give you my pick of who I thought would win. I'm an honest guy when it comes to sports and such, so no worries.

Jake has had it rough these past few weeks, giving me a sizeable lead as we move into the last 8 weeks. He sits at 68-62 for the season while I stand at 76-54. But there's plenty of time for me to blow this lead. I've done it before.

Jake's picks are in his blog right here. And if you like country music, then you'll enjoy it. If you don't like me, you'll just be confused with the reasoning for his picks.

THURSDAY
Denver @ Cleveland - DEN
--Something just told me that Denver wants this win more. Good luck to Brady Quinn though. I like the guy

SUNDAY
New Orleans @ Atlanta - NO
--Toss-up game for me. Love what the Falcons are doing but their defense has not played well against potent offenses. Plus, NO should be refreshed from their overseas trip.
Tennessee @ Chicago - TEN
--I learned from NE last year. Don't pick against an undefeated team until they give you a reason to.
Jacksonville @ Detroit - JAX
--Culpepper gotta work some real magic to get the win here for DET
Baltimore @ Houston - BALT
--Ravens defense vs. Sage Rosenfels. 'Nuff said.
Seattle @ Miami - MIA
--Miami is fighting to stay in the AFC East race. Seattle is fighting for....respect?
Green Bay @ Minnesota - GB
--I just don't think Minnesota is ready to beat a good team yet. Packers almost beat Titans so you know they are.
Buffalo @ New England - NE
--Really no good reason here. I just know that when it's a toss-up between NE and any team, I take NE.
St. Louis @ New York Jets - STL
--Favre and the Jets looked great last week. And that's the exact reason why I think the Rams will win this week.
Carolina @ Oakland - CAR
--If the Panthers lose this game, they don't deserve a playoff spot in the NFC, despite their regular season record.
Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh - INDY
--Slight upset pick here but with injuries ravaging the Steelers and the Colts needing wins, I think Peyton and crew pull this one out
Kansas City @ San Diego - SD
--Wouldn't be surprised to see KC win honestly. They played TB tough and SD has looked awful so far.
New York Giants @ Philadelphia - PHI
--Quite frankly, I don't like betting against McNabb at home.

MONDAY
San Francisco @ Arizona - AZ
--What a terrible Monday Night matchup. Kurt Warner prolly throws for 400+ in this game.


Enjoy the games! Look for Power Rankings after the Monday night game.

Brady Quinn's First Start

Well, it's been a long time coming. 24 games in fact. Ever since the Browns drafted Brady Quinn with the 23rd pick, he has been the quarterback most Browns fans wanted to see start under center. And after a 10-win 2007 and a Pro-Bowl season from Derek Anderson, it didn't look like the heralded QB from Notre Dame would ever play. But after a 3-5 start to the 2008 season, Romeo made his move.

So how did he do tonight against the Broncos? Or should I say, how do I think he did against the Broncos?

Well, all in all, I thought he did quite well. Considering this was his first start, Quinn looked calm from the get go. His first pass was iffy but by his second pass to Steptoe, you could see he had plenty of zip on the ball. And the 3-and-out to begin the game is tough to blame on him. Steptoe has got to get past the chains before he catches it.

His touchdown pass to Winslow was a thing of beauty. He ad-libbed nicely with a jump throw i some pretty good pressure and fired the ball into a small window for a score. Well done for his first career TD pass.

The second TD pass was nice as well. Again, pretty good pressure on Quinn and he finds Winslow, who did the rest to get the points. During that short drive, Quinn's quick decision-making was a good sign for the future. Not to mention the chemistry between him and Winslow in the first half.

In the third quarter, weren't really any highlights as the entire quarter just seemed to drag along. So I got nothing.

But in the 4th quarter, I think you really got to see the bright future Quinn has. He found the right receivers in the right spots. Sitting down in zones, coming across the middle, dropping it off in the flats, etc... Many of his 3-5 yd throws went for 10-20 yards because he threw the ball on the money so the receivers could stay on the run. Plus, Quinn's mobility began to shine. He was able to escape sacks and dump the ball off as well as buy some time to find a receiver downfield or just simply throw the ball away.

He seemed calm in the pocket and in the huddle all game, including on the final drive. I didn't like the play-calling on the final drive. 3rd and 1 and not running is okay. But 4th and 1, putting that kind of pressure on your quarterback instead of the running game that had been so dominant all game just seems dumb.

And I'd be wrong to say that the 4th down pass that was dropped by Winslow was a perfect throw by Quinn. In fact, Winslow said after the game that "legends catch that ball and that's where I wanna be. I thought I looked it in but...I let my team down". Hopefully, Winslow doesn't get fined for talking bad about himself.

But yeah, good game for Quinn. Not sacked at all. No turnovers. Led the team to 30 points on offense. And a darn good stat line of 23/25, 223 yds and 2 TD. Yeah, the Browns lost but tough to blame that on the new guy. At some point, the defense has to step up and make some plays. (But I don't really care. I had Jay Cutler on my fantasy team)

Browns fans, I think there's nothing but good news for this offense though. The combination of Quinn-Winslow is promising. Quinn-Edwards and Quinn-Stallworth will probably catch on. And whenever Jamal Lewis' legs fall off, you have to like the performance Jerome Harrison put on. All playoff hope is probably gone for 2008 but 2009 looks better already even after this loss.

College Football: Week 11

Well, we're getting into the final third of the season and obviously, it's the most important third. The remaining undefeated teams are in control of their own destiny while every team below is hoping and praying for an upset. And for a college football fan like me, I just want a good game on TV from 12 noon to midnight.

As for my Week 10 picks, they weren't too shabby. I went a respectable 10-5, including calling that Baylor would lose by 10 or less. I am particularly proud of that call. But this week, there are some tough calls and a good amount of games involving ranked teams playing a fellow ranked team. And of course, plenty of national title chances on the line once again.

TOP 15 GAMES

GAME OF THE WEEK
1. #8 Oklahoma State vs. #2 Texas Tech - Tough call to make this one the best but after seeing both teams play Texas, I am convinced that this one is bound to go to the end. OK State's offense is just as good as Texas so Tech's defense can't plan on taking it a little easier. Tech's offense has to make sure they play all 4 quarters this game unlike against Texas. Should be a good game to the end and while I think Tech will be ready for the Cowboys, I think OKLAHOMA STATE is the better team overall and has learned their lesson from losing at Texas.

REST OF THE BEST
2. #1 Alabama @ #15 LSU - If you read this blog regularly, you know I think Bama is overrated. I think the schedule has been kind to them and the games they have played against mediocre opponents, they have looked flat. Now, they already have a huge road win in the SEC against UGA so I know they are more than capable of doing that again. Nick Saban is a great coach but you know what, so is Les Miles. He will have this team upset-minded and ready to go. Not to mention the Tigers defense has a lot to prove after giving up 52 to UGA. So in my APPY pick, I'm taking LSU to give Bama their first loss.

3. #3 Penn State @ Iowa - So I've already called the other two unbeatens to lose. What about the third? Well, this game is on the road, which is a bit scary. The team is coming off a bye week, which can sometimes be a blessing or a hindrance. Meanwhile, Iowa is 5-4 and coming off a loss to Illinois. And with them being one win away from being bowl-eligible, you know they want this game bad. Iowa is not the hardest place to play and quite frankly, the Hawkeyes just aren't good enough to win this one. PENN STATE avoids the upset.

4. #11 TCU @ #10 Utah (THU) - At the beginning of the season, many would have thought this was the second-best Thursday night game. But now, this is the marquee one. TCU has been great all season, except for when Oklahoma reminded them that are in the Mountain West. And they are getting respect. They are ranked ahead of teams like OSU, Georgia, and Mizzou (who I am pretty sure would destroy TCU). Meanwhile, Utah has been less than stellar coming into this one. In fact, they've had some close calls. But it's at home and it's a big game. So I'll take UTAH in a close one.

5. #12 Ohio State @ Northwestern - This is a tough one to call. OSU is coming off a bye week, which means they will probably start off cold. Meanwhile, NW is flying high after an upset win in Minnesota. NW has a good offense, so if OSU's defense isn't ready, the Wildcats could easily grab a two-score lead. And coming back isn't exactly Pryor's strong suit. I know OSU is out to prove that they are still a dominant team after another loss but the Wildcats are gonna keep this one close. OHIO STATE wins but not by more than 10 points. Buckeyes 31-28

6. #22 Georgia Tech @ #19 North Carolina - I'm frustrated with the ACC. No team will take charge. But GT and UNC are the closest teams to doing that. GT may be without QB Josh Nesbitt, which is big since he has been running the option offense to near-perfection. Without him, Jaybo Shaw is at QB and this team struggles. UNC has been playing great despite injuries and after a week off to rest and get healthy, you have to like their chances to pull out the win. Both teams need this to take a big step forward to the ACC Championship game and in my mind, it will be NORTH CAROLINA who does it.

7. #4 Florida @ Vanderbilt - Some are saying Florida is the hottest team in college football right now. Tough to disagree, considering the way they have beaten their opponents since the Ole Miss loss. It was after that game when Tim Tebow said he and his team would not disappoint Gator fans for the rest of the year. Well, so far, so good. Vandy has dropped from Top 25 darling to their normal middle-of-the-road status but this is still a good team. And they have a chance to upset the Gators if Florida isn't ready to go. I wanna see Vandy win but common sense is telling me FLORIDA.

8. #21 California @ #7 USC - Every part of me is hoping Cal just destroys the Trojans in SoCal. But that's hard to foresee when looking at what USC has done since the Oregon State loss. The defense has given up just 20 points while the offense seems to be scoring on every possession. Cal is coming off a confidence-boosting win over Oregon so they may be coming into this game playing their best football. But USC is too good and will win big.

9. Cincinnati @ #20 West Virginia - I had a friend tell me that he thinks Cincinnati is going to win out and head to Orange Bowl representing the Big East. Well, as bad as the Big East is this season, he may be right. Cincy just beat a struggling USF squad while West Virginia just took down UConn. WVU is the only team undefeated in conference so a loss here puts them in a tie with a lot of teams. And after a 1-2 start, seeing them 5 in a row is an encouraging sign. I'll take WEST VIRGINIA in a blowout.

10. #23 Maryland @ Virginia Tech (THU) - This is another tough one to call. Maryland's 2 losses have come against unranked foes though they are 3-0 against ranked ones. VT was ranked just two weeks ago but have lost their last two. So what now? Well, the game is in Blacksburg and I don't see a Frank Beamer squad taking three on the chin. VIRGINIA TECH wins it.

11. Notre Dame @ Boston College - Talk about two teams that feel like they threw away their chance of being ranked. Notre Dame was up on Pitt 17-3 at the half and 24-17 with 5 min left but lost in 4OT. BC was down 17-0 but fought back to take a 21-17 lead, just to give up 10 more points and lose 27-21 to a bad Clemson team. Both teams are 5-3 so the winner becomes bowl-eligible. My pick: BOSTON COLLEGE

12. Clemson @ #24 Florida State - The monkey is off of Dabo Swinney's back. He has a win as Clemson head coach. Now, he gets to try again against an FSU team that should have beaten GT if not for an unfortunate goal-line fumble with less than a minute to go. This game should have been Bowden Bowl Ten but now, it's just an ACC game involving underachieving teams. But since I have to pick a winner, I'll pick FLORIDA STATE.

13. Oregon State @ UCLA - May be hard to believe but Oregon State can still win the Pac-10 title. Just like USC, the Beavers have just one loss (Week 1 vs. Stanford). So if they win out, they'll be the ones heading to the Rose Bowl, not the Trojans. But UCLA is no slouch. They've played well this season despite a lack of talent. But I gotta go with OREGON STATE with the Pac-10 title on the line.

14. #6 Oklahoma @ Texas A+M - If all is right with the world, this game won't be close. But this game reminds of the Mizzou-Baylor game. Heading into an inferior team's place and expecting to roll. Well, because of that, I think the Aggies keep it close. They don't win but keep it close. OKLAHOMA wins.

15. Louisville @ #25 Pittsburgh - Which Pitt team is going to show up? If it is the one that narrowly beat BG or the one that lost to Rutgers, than they are in trouble. If it's the team that took down USF or the second-half Panthers versus ND, then they have a good shot. Pitt has been an enigma all year while Louisville has just been decent at best. They also have a win over USF but that was a home game. I honestly don't know which Panther team will show up so I'll flip a coin. Who won it? PITTSBURGH did.

CFB Week 10 Recap

What up everyone? Sorry for the recap being later than usual. It was a mix of being busy and being lazy. But it did give me some time to really think about the week that was. And what a week it was. A few upsets, a lot of near-upsets and a blowout that I'm pretty sure no one saw coming. On to the recap though...

THE BIG 10 THINGS I LEARNED THIS WEEK

1. Michigan State better lose... - Well, OSU did not play this past week but I will continue to put them in the recap top spot. The reason MSU has to lose is that if they win out and Penn State loses one game, they will win the Big Ten. Yes, despite the fact that OSU destroyed them 45-7, the Spartans would have the tiebreaker over PSU and OSU because they did not play a FCS team. It's a Big Ten rule that i agree with but wow, it better not happen. PSU and OSU deserve a BCS game in my mind. And to see MSU sneak in there would just be wrong.

2. Blake Gideon can't be sleeping well - This is directed at Texas DB Blake Gideon, who dropped the game-winning interception in the Texas Tech game. Just like when Ryan Hamby dropped the touchdown pass against Texas for OSU a few years ago, Gideon choked on the biggest stage. Now, the kid is just a freshman so I cut him some slack but when you play for Texas, you are expected to make that play. But instead, the ball went right through his hands, as did any hopes of a perfect season for Texas.

3. Georgia is an enigma - I don't get it. They looked amazing against LSU. The offense could nto be stopped. But for some reason, when they play a team of similar talent, the Dawgs start playing as if they are inferior. And in the end, get pounded. Georgia is a good team with great players. Many of whom will be playing on the next level. The exact same can be said about Florida. So why this game ended up 49-10....no one will ever know. What we do know is that UGA is out of the BCS title hunt. And that's a damn shame.

4. Oklahoma and USC are just playing for pride - Have you noticed how these two teams continue to demolish conference opponents but get no credit for it? They're not really moving up any poll and not getting any title talk. And frankly, their games have just to not really matter. Oklahoma is 8-1 but because the Big 12 is stacked and their loss to Texas already, they seem irrelevant. And USC's loss to Oregon State just looks worse and worse as they see their wins get them nowhere despite losses in front of them. These teams should start making plans for games other than in Miami because the title game is not in their future.

5. The non-BCS schools aren't going away - Mad props to Utah, Boise State and TCU. All 3 are staying in the conversation when it comes to the BCS. Utah and Boise are undefeated while TCU's lone loss is to Oklahoma. Plus, don't forget about Ball State, who enjoyed a week off, and BYU which snuck by Colorado State. The lone loser was Tulsa, which isn't a big deal in all honesty, considering no one cared. Utah-TCU is Thursday so one of those two will be bounced out of the talk but so far, nothing but impressed.

6. ACC...Who wants it? - It's kind of ridiculous. Each week, the team that seems to be leading and on its way loses. This time, it was Florida State losing to a good Georgia Tech team, that lost to Virginia the week before. And how about Virginia? Well, after winning 3 in a row, they fall to Miami. What about BC? Oh, well they lost to Clemson so forget about them. Wake did beat Duke but it took OT. UNC and VT were off this week but odds are, they'll lose soon too. Someone has to take charge at some point.

7. Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel should have stayed assistants - I don't really mean this. In fact, I was a big fan of both getting their opportunities at their respectative organizations. But man, talk about frustrating seasons. While Notre Dame's 5-3 may look good, it's actually disappointing considering their losses, especially this week's loss to Pitt. Outscored 21-7 in the second half. And in OT, couldn't muster up a TD (neither could Pitt) and missed a FG in the 4th OT to leave the door wide open for Pitt to win. The silver lining for the Irish is that once they get their 6th win, they know they will go to a bowl game cause well, they are Notre Dame.

8. Auburn and Tennessee are just pathetic - It just doesn't seem that long ago that these two were always in the national title conversation. Or at least in the SEC title mix. But now, both are stuck in long losing streaks and are bound to see their coaches fired at season's end, (Well, Tennessee did!). Just tough to see programs just fall apart like this. But hey, maybe this will help the image of the SEC, which is that they are God's gift to college football. Cause honestly, they sure haven't looked/played like it this season.

9. Alabama is not impressing me at all - Yeah, they are gonna be #1 but why? Because of one big win on the road. I've tried to see why people think they are so good but I don't see it yet. Their wins have been less than stellar, including this week's 35-0 win over Arkansas State. John Parker Wilson throwing for just 152 yards, no TD and an INT. A measly 14-0 lead at the half. And while their defense did shut them out, they also allowed 4.8 yds/carry to a Sun Belt runningback. Maybe it's just me but this is not the performance of the top team in the land.

10. Lloyd Carr is smiling right now - That's cause he doesn't have to coach this mockery of a Michigan team. Carr knew what he had left in the cupboard and well, let's just say he left Richie Rodriguez with scraps and spiderwebs. Michigan is 2-7 and have guarnteed themselves of a losing season, the first one in 40 years. And as much as I love to see this team struggle, I also know how much pressure this puts on OSU now to destroy their rival in three weeks. I don't like that feeling but after seeing Michigan play this season, I probably shouldn't be worried.

11. National Title Chase down to 7 - With their devastating loss to the Gators, Georgia is out of it. So in mind, the race is down to Bama, Tech, PSU, Okla, OKST, Texas and FLA. Again, I think USC is done regardless. And week-by-week, those Big 12 teams will eliminate themselves. FLA and Bama just need to stay away from the upset before the SEC Championship. And PSU needs some losses from others and convincing wins of their own. 5 weeks to go!

BEST GAME - Texas vs. Tech Tech
There's no need to even defend this decision. The game comes down to a dropped INT and a courageous pass that goes for a TD with one second left. Not to mention watching the Tech fans rush the field, not once, not twice, but three times was quite the scene.

WORST GAME - Florida vs. Georgia
For a Gator fan, it was great. For a Dawg fan, it was terrible. And for the viewer like me who was watching for entertainment, it was a disappointment. What was supposed to be an SEC shooutout tight to end was over when it began.

OVER/UNDER
Gonna have to say that TEXAS TECH is the UNDERRATED team this week. Despite their undefeated record, people jsut weren't sold on the Red Raiders. Well, maybe they will be now after the way they played Texas from start to finish.
As far as OVERRATED, I think it's safe to say SOUTH FLORIDA. For the second staright season, they have sputtered to the finish and proven they aren't among the elite. The fact that they were rated going into Thursday's loss showed voters' confidence but again, the Bulls come up short.

HE/SHE SAID WHAT?
"Some guys handle wet balls better than others." - David Norrie

"He stripped that like he was starting a lawnmower." - Mike Hogewood

"This is a guy who is a combination of great courage and nuts."- Steve Physioc

3 QUESTIONS
1. Now that UGA is out of the title hunt, does they cause Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno lean towards coming back for another shot next year or head to the greener (as in money green) pastures of the pros?

2. Since Graham Harrell beat Colt McCoy, does that make Harrell the new Heisman favorite?

3. When is ESPN gonna fire Pam Ward? She's god-awful on TV play-by-play.


Hakuna Matata.

Week 9 NFL Picks

Here are the picks...late on the blog but don't worry. I didn't cheat.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 2ND

New York Jets @ Buffalo - BUF
Detroit @ Chicago - CHI
Jacksonville @ Cincinnati - JAX
Baltimore @ Cleveland - BAL
Tampa Bay @ Kansas City - TB
Houston @ Minnesota - MIN
Arizona @ St. Louis - STL
Green Bay @ Tennessee - TEN
Miami @ Denver - DEN
Dallas @ New York Giants - NYG
Atlanta @ Oakland - ATL
Philadelphia @ Seattle - PHI
New England @ Indianapolis - IND

MONDAY NOVEMBER 3RD

Pittsburgh @ Washington - PIT