Big 12 Preview
South
1. Texas – I’m still sick and tired of hearing every talking head, commentator, and announcer say that Texas was robbed last year because head-to-head results don’t matter in a 3-way tie. Anyone who can’t figure out that you can’t resolve a 3-way tie with head-to-head results should not have a job in broadcasting. That’s my opinion and I could go on for a while on this topic because Texas didn’t deserve to win the tie-breaker just because they won the head-to-head. Anyway, 16 returning starters, only 12 lettermen lost, return Colt McCoy and their top 5 tacklers. A talented, experienced team with lots to play for.
2. Oklahoma – Should be a great team again with the return of Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray (if he can stay healthy), but Bradford won’t have nearly the caliber of receiver to throw to and the defense has some holes. This year, the winner of the Red River Shootout really will be in the Big 12 title game as I don’t foresee another 3-way tie. As a side note, I just had to include this picture below the South Preview of Sam Bradford that was in a Dallas Mavericks game program earlier this year. It cracks me up. I thought at first, what is Princess Leia doing holding that trophy? Then I realized that was just Sam posing with the O’Brien. Does he use the force during games? Is that why his completion percentage was so high last year? Too bad none of his receivers are named Luke, that would be too much.
3. Oklahoma State – I’m not buying all the hype that the Cowboys are getting. Sure, the offense can be explosive at times and the defense should be improved this year, but I’m not convinced they can do anything more than play the top teams int he conference closer. The schedule sets up nice for them as they avoid Nebraska and the Kansas teams out of the North and get Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Texas as home. Still, I’m not sure it makes a difference and still think they should be happen with 3rd in the conference.
4. Texas Tech – Mike Leech won’t be kept down for long, but it’s hard to slot them much higher than this with so little coming back on offense. They should put up numbers and have a decent year, but I don’t see them matching last years 11 wins, although, 8 should be expected.
5. Baylor – I wish the schedule set up a little nicer for the Bears because this is an improved team. 16 returning starters for the Bears including playmakers Robert Griffin and Jay Finley. The schedule is tough, although they should match or exceed last year’s 4 wins.
6. Texas A&M – Anyone who of a school looking for a coach who can’t make it in either college or the NFL? Because I’m guessing that Mike Sherman is going to be job hunting about 12 games from now. 10 starters back on offense and 6 back on defense and they will all need to step up their production considerably if they expect to finish out of the basement.
North
1. Nebraska – I believe in Bo Pelini. The defense should be great this year. While they lose a great QB in Joe Ganz and will not match last years offensive numbers, the offense should be good enough to win the North. Interesting stat I found in Phil Steele, since 2001, only 2 BCS schools haven’t beaten a team ranked in the top 19, Nebraska and Duke. Looking at the schedule this year, they could continue that streak and still win the North.
2. Colorado – I feel like it’s the 90′s all over again picking Nebraska and Colorado as the top 2 in the conference. If Dan Hawkins’ system is going to work in Colorado and keep him in his job next year, he needs to finish second in the North this year. He has the talent to do so and I like the guys he has returning and the schedule sets up nicely for them.
3. Kansas – Most people will be picking Kansas to win the North because of Reesing. And while he is the best QB on this side of the conference, I don’t think he can do it alone. Mangino just might make a fool of me and win the conference, but I just don’t see it happening. There are too many question marks at linebacker and offensive line for me.
4. Kansas State – Bill Snyder returns! That alone should be worth 1 win. The loss of Freeman hurts and the team will need to learn new schemes on offense and defense, but I think they will be improved from year’s past when they were barely competitive. The defense will be much improved and keep them in a lot of ball games, they will should whether or not they appear in a bowl games will be decided by a few plays that either go their way or don’t.
5. Missouri – Feels weird to pick Missouri so low after their recent success, but with only 9 returning starters, the loss of Daniel, Maclin, and … well, 7 other All-Big 12 defenders, it’s a rebuilding year in Columbia. I don’t even think they have enough to make it to a bowl this year and the Missouri fans will be left wondering what happened.
6. Iowa State – The easiest of all the Big 12 teams to predict. The tough thing is deciding whether they will win 0 or 1 conference games. My guess this year is 1. It’ll be another long year in Ames, but hey, at least they have that long, frigid Midwest winter to look forward to.
Pac-10 Preview
The Pac-10 is always one of the toughest conferences for me to pick. The winner is easy, USC, and second and third aren’t bad, but after that, it all gets blurry to me, especially since the Pac-10 is so bad out of conference that last couple years. So, hopefully, I can get a couple teams right this year in this conference.
1. USC - One of the most talented teams in the country again this year. They have 9 starters back on offense, but will be breaking in a new quarterback. They have just 3 back on defense. With the new QB and road games against Ohio State and the rest of my top conference teams, I call for them to be down a bit, but still among the top 10 teams in the country.
2. California – The 2nd most talented team in the conference and the only team that has been able to give USC a run for their money the last couple years. However, they always seem to trip up in a game or two and haven’t been able to be consistent thoughout the year. They return 15 starters (7 offense and 8 defense) including their QB, top 2 RBs, and top 2 WRs. I have my questions about the offense line and the amount of road games against some tough competition (Oregon, Arizona St, UCLA) and face two BCS schools out of conference. However, they should be able to get to double digit wins this season.
3. UCLA – I have UCLA here almost by default. I am somewhat proud of myself for not overvaluing UCLA when they had 20 returning starters and actually called that Dorrell would be fired at the end of that season. Neuheisel didn’t inherit much talent last year, but this year, the team is much more experienced and enjoyed a decent recuriting class. They have 16 returning starters. They will easily top last year’s 4 wins, but with Neuheisel as coach, I think the ceiling is 9 wins every year.
4. Arizona - If this team didn’t go from having a 4 year starter at QB to starting a QB with only 11 career pass attempts, I’d have Arizona ahead of UCLA. The defense should be very good and I look for good years out of Delashaun Dean and Terrell Turner at WR. However, I have my doubts about the offensive line, and whereas Grigsby is a serviceable RB, he may not be able to overcome bad line play. They should match or exceed last years 8 wins and make it to their second straight bowl game.
T-5. Oregon - This team scares me, I almost feel like they could be 6th or 7th actually. The coaching situation bewilders me (Bellotti stepping aside after a 10 win season prior to spring training) and I think the losses of Jeremiah Johnson and Terence Scott and returning only 4 of their top 10 OL hurts. They do have 5 conference home games, but start the season at Boise State, home against Purdue, Utah, then California. Only 9 returning starters and the new coaching staff have me convinced this is a bowl team, but not much more. I’m thinking 7-5 or 8-4.
T-5. Stanford – I know, call me crazy, but I like what Jim Harbaugh has done here and I think he is rewarded with with a bowl bid this year. He returns 9 on offense and 8 on defense. They play 7 teams who had bowl victories last year, but if Toby Gerhart and Tavita Pritchard can stay healthy, I think they can get to 7 wins.
7. Oregon State - Mike Riley is a great coach and has earned his keep so far, coming with a couple big victories every season. However, they return only 3 on defense, and just 4 of their top 13 tacklers. They should be able to keep up offensively with most teams, but I don’t see them matching last years 9 wins.
8. Arizona State – The more I look at this team, the more I’m just not thrilled with it. The recruiting class was not very good and they just seem to have lost starters in all the wrong places. Plus, it’s hard to lose a QB like Rudy Carpenter and improve. I predict them to finish 5-7 again.
9. Washington – With a new coaching staff, I normally call for teams to have a slightly down year. However, if you go winless the year before, 1-2 wins under the new regime is actually quite an improvement. The new coaches have 18 returning starters to work with, including Jake Locker. Overall, I think the team is much improved, but I don’t expect more than a couple wins.
10. Washington State - It was a long year last year for the Cougars, even though they had a whole 2 wins vs rival UW’s 0 wins, they became the first team in Pac 10 history to give up more than 500 points in a season and that was with 3 games left. They have 15 returning starters, lost 37 starts to injury and were -25 in turnovers, which all point to an improved season. However, I just don’t see more than 2 wins on the schedule again this year.
Big Ten Preview
1. Penn State – No surprise here as most people have them winning the conference. Even with a measly 9 returning starters, they still have the most talent in the conference again this year as Paterno continues to be able to recruit well. The secondary has some holes that concern me, but playing in the Big 10, you can have some holes in the secondary and be ok. They have to play Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan St on the road or I’d call for them to be undefeated. Regardless, if Clark and Royster stay healthy, the schedule sets them up to be a darkhorse national champion contender.
2. Ohio State – This pick is largely based on Terrelle Pryor. With the huge losses to the NFL draft this year (only 12 returning starters, 5 O, 7 D), normally I would be calling for them to have a down year. They do have good talent on both lines and that will make all the difference in tight games. They should finish the season with just 2 losses, but won’t blow out everything like they have in recent seasons.
T-3. Iowa – Last year, they were 9-4 and all 4 losses less than 7 points. They have to replace their best offensive weapon in Shonn Greene, but they have 99 starts returning on the offensive line so they should be able to open up some holes for whoever ends up with the starting RB spot. They return 8 on defense, including their top 4 tacklers. They get Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State on the road, but should be able to match or top last years 9 wins.
T-3. Illinois – They return a lot of yeards on offense with Juice Williams returning to run an offense that has the top 6 rushers, QB, and 9 out of the top 10 receivers all returning. They will need to get better play out of the offensive line this year, and they lose their top 2 tacklers on defense and only return 5 starters on that side of the ball. Overall, this is a talented bunch and they should easily be back in the a bowl game this year.
5. Michigan State – Despite having the most returning starters yet under coach Dantonio and avoiding Ohio State on the schedule, I think last year proved that they still have a ways to go until they are back to the top of the Big 10 getting blown out by both Ohio State and Penn State. They were fortunate to be 6-2 in league play last year. They should be bowl bound again, but may have trouble scoring points now that Javon Ringer is gone.
6. Michigan – I love to see the Wolverines struggle, so you can imagine that I enjoyed last years 3-9 season. However, Rodriguez returns all 5 offensive lineman this year and they will be much more successful upfront in the second year of his system. He also now has QB’s that fit his system. They do have several holes on defense though and will likely be in several high scoring games. They should be back in a bowl this season.
7. Wisconsin – This team is not quite as experienced, not as talented as in years past and every year under Bret Bielma the Badgers have gotten progressive worse. The nonconference schedule is easy enough that they should match last years 7 win total, but I don’t expect them to top it.
8. Minnesota – Tons of returning talent here (17 starters), including their exposive QB Weber and WR Decker who can change a game in one play. They will also be playing their first season in their new stadium that is actually on campus. They were +12 in the turnover category last year though and got lucky in several ballgames to get to 7 wins.
9. Northwestern – Pat Fitzgerald has done a great job here as head coach and has shown improvement each year. However, this year’s team has some giant holes to fill on offense at QB, RB, and WR. They return a good bit of talent on D (8 starters, 6 of 7 top tackers), but will likely find it hard to score points this season. The non-conference schedule is a cakewalk though and they will just need 2 conference wins to make it to a bowl game again this year.
10. Purdue – For the last couple years, Purdue has continued to disappoint despite quality returning talent. Two year ago, they returned 18 starters, yet could only manage a 8-5 record. This year, they lose QB Painter, RB Sheets and their top two WRs and coach Joe Tiller, who has been the coach for the previous 12 seasons. There are just way too many question marks for me to think they can get past 5 or 6 wins this season.
11. Indiana – With Kellen Lewis getting kicked off the team in April, they lose their top offensive weapon, leaving coach Bill Lynch very little to work with. They do return 9 starters on defense, but that doesn’t mean they are a talented returning 9. I expect the offensive line to be improved and the defensive line to be one of the best in the conference, but I can’t see them topping 3-4 wins this season.
ACC Preview
Atlantic Division
1. Florida State – Despite a few holes on defense (they lose their top 3 tacklers and only return 5 starters), this should be an even better team than last years. The schedule is brutal playing BYU, Florida, and USF out of conference. 11 of the 12 teams on their schedule had winning records last year, so I’m only projecting them to finish 9-3, but I think that’s all it will take to win the Atlanta this year.
2. NC State – It’s Tom O’Brien’s magical 3rd year when good coaches make their move. Last year, they finished strong and were plagued with injuries all year. If they can stay healthy, they are a tough team and the front 7 on defense is the best in the Atlantic.
T-3. Clemson – The Tigers are a tough team to get a feel for this year. They have a lot of questions at WR and QB and I’m still not convinced that the O-line is any better than last year just because they have more experience. The defense will be good again though as Kevin Steele was a great hire and they will keep them in every game, but it could be another 8-4 season.
T-3. Boston College - At some point, you have to think that the coaching carousel will have it’s effect on the team. I think it would happen last year, so surely it will happen this year, right? However, they are very experienced with 14 returning starters, and only 16 lettermen lost. I think questions at QB keep them from matching the 9 wins from last year, but 8 is very much within grasp.
5. Wake Forest – It’s hard to pick against a Jim Grobe team when he keeps finding ways to win no matter what personnel he has on the field. They return 9 starters on offense, so they will be more proficient there, but lose their top 5 tacklers and only return 4 starters on defense. For a team that doesn’t do as well in shootouts, they may find themselves in a couple this season. I think they are bowl eligible, but won’t be able to match last years 8 wins.
6.Maryland – Last year, MD was a jeckyll and hyde team to say the least. This year, they have just 9 returning starters and only 56% of their lettermen returning. Both defensive line and offensive line have too many holes though for them to compete week in and week out.
Coastal Division
1. Virginia Tech – my pick to win not only the Coastal, but the ACC Championship game as well. This is a team that won 10 games last year with just 10 returning starters and a tough schedule. The schedule still isn’t easy (though they avoid Clemson and FSU from the Atlantic). The holes to run through on offense will be bigger for Tyrod Taylor and Darren Evans and the defense will be the best in the division once again. If they can get past Alabama in their opener, they could finish the season with 1 loss and be a national champion contender.
2. Georgia Tech – Get ready for your last year of success under Paul Johnson Yellow Jacket fans. After this year, the coaches will have seen your 5 plays enough times to have caught on to them and how to stop them. And once recruits figure out that they the NFL is not looking for players who only run the option, the talent will dry up too. For this year though, the talent and edge are still there and 18 returning starters will make them a formiddable opponent every week this season.
T- 3. North Carolina - Butch Davis has had several good recruiting classes now and has shown that he knows what to do with the talent he is bring in. The defense returns 9 starters and should be much better than last year when the defense continually let them down. I’m not sold on the offense or the offensive line or I’d have them ranked higher. They should easily win the Coastal division next season.
T- 3. Miami - Oh, how the mighty have fallen. However, Randy Shannon is doing a great job and is beginning to assemble quite a bit of talent. He has his most talented team yet and I feel that Jacoby Harris will have a breakout season at QB. However, the schedule includes Clemson and FSU from the Atlanta and USF and Oklahoma out of conference. Unfortunately, they will be underdogs in each of their first 4 games and could feasibly start 0-4. I just hope they let coach Shannon finish out the season if that happens and I think they will be pleased with the results. I’m projecting a return to the postseason for the U.
5. Virginia - Al Groh has just 36 returning lettermen and 11 returning starters (same as last year). This year though, they lost their top 5 tacklers, top 5 receivers, and RB. They get Sewell back at QB this year (sat out with academic problems last year), but I don’t see it being enough. Gregg Brandon is a great hire at OC, but he won’t have much to work with this year. So long Al Groh, thanks for the memories. Although I do with you’d left the cupboard a little more bare, I can’t stand UVA or their obnoxious fans.
6. Duke - Dear David Cutcliffe, I’m sorry that Mississippi and Tennesee never gave you the respect you deserve and thus you have been relegated to Duke. Congratulations on winning 4 games last year as that’s how many Roof won his entire tenure there. I see the improvement, I see your ability, but alas, it’s still Duke. Maybe if you painted the ball orange and put down some hardwood in the middle of the field, someone up there would care about what you are doing. I’ve heard that this is another “rebuidling” year, but can you have a rebuilding year if you haven’t had a winning season in 15 years? What are you rebuilding from? Anyway, two FCS teams on the schedule should provide a couple wins and I look for at least 1 ACC game along the way, other than that, it’s the basement again for the Blue Devils.
Big East Preview
Time once again for my college football conference previews. This year, we’ll start with the Big East because I’m still working out the details of my picks for the other conferences. This should be a fun season and I’m really looking forward to it. So, without further ado.
1. Rutgers – Not quite the best of the top teams, however I think the schedule sets up for them to make it out on top. They get the top 3 teams at home, and on top of that, Pitt on a short week, USF in November, and WVU the week after their Backyard Brawl.
2. Pittsburgh - I think they are the best defense in the conference and have the most returning starters of any team in the league.
3. USF - I’ve felt they were the best team in the conference the last 2 years, but they have dissappointed me each time so I can’t justify picking them above the 3 spot this year. I can easily seem them winning the conference if they play up to their ability every week.
4. Cincinnati – They year, the Bearcats were underrated most of the season, but finished the regular season an amazing 11-2 despite QB problems. This year, they return 9 starters on offense, but only 1 on defense. They should be much improved on offense this year and I think Brian Kelly is one of the best coaches in the league, so he will find a way to overcome the holes in the defense and salvage a decent season and a decent bowl bid.
5. West Virginia – Tough pick here as the defense will be tough and keep them in every game and they have a good QB, RB, and WR combo that are game changers. But they have no depth and 4 Big East road games I think do this team in. I predict their lowest Big East finish since 2001, but they should still be bowl eligible.
6. Connecticut – They have just 6 starters back on offense and 6 back on defense, and lose their best player on each side of the ball and will need to get better play out of the QB position if they hope be bowl eligible again this season. Randy Edsall has done a great job as coach here over the last 11 years but I think that this season ends without a bowl appearance.
7. Louisville – It feels odd picking Louisville so low, but it could be a tough season for the Cards. They are coming off their first losing season since 1997, so Steve Kragthorpe will be on one of a very hot seat this season (joining Al Groh). They are breaking in a new QB and have just 13 returning starters, so it will be an uphill battle in every game, not to mention 9 teams on the schedule that went to a bowl last year with 6 of those games on the road.
8. Syracuse – Dragging up the rear again this year, the Orange, who start the season with 3 straight Big Ten games since the Big Ten seeks out the weakest members of other conferences them and makes sure they get on their schedules. 1st year coach Doug Marrone didn’t go himself any favors hiring Rob Spence as his offensive coordinator and a defensive coordinator who is working at his 4th school in 4 years, so either he realyl likes a change of scenery every year, or he’s not that good. At least the offense will be dreadfully predictable with Spence at the helm. On their schedule, they should be able to beat Maine and Akron. Enjoy your two wins Syracuse fans.
Day 1 in the books
Just like last year, day 1 of the NCAA tournament this year provided little excitement. Memphis was down late against CS Northridge, but there is always a 1 or 2 seed that gets behind or lets a teams stay in the game late before waking up and pulling away.
To me, the biggest surprise was Texas A&M playing as well as they did. I thought it might be a competitive game, but being a revenge game for BYU and their overall improvement this year, I thought that one would come down to the wire. The biggest upsets were that VCU didn’t beat UCLA like everyone thought they would and that an underrated and underseeded Western Kentucky team beat an overrated and underachieving Illinois team, which in my mind wasn’t really an upset, I have Western KY in my Sweet 16.
Since Day 1 was so similar, hopefully day 2 will be too and be full of surprises and upsets.
I did learn one thing yesterday though, that as bad as this sounds and believe me, I want my alma mater to do well and to be respected, but the tournament is a lot less stressful and more fun for me when my alma mater is not in it. I like not having a strong emotional attachment to any of the teams in it so I can enjoy the tournament for what it is, and it’s certainly easier to cross out incorrect picks when they are not a team you care about.
Can fantasy hockey save the NHL?
Those of you who know me may be shocked to learn that I have a fantasy hockey team. Because I’m not really a hockey fan, at all. I know next to nothing about hockey actually. However, 3 years ago I played and won a Yahoo! public league. So, I’m playing in a Yahoo! public league again, I just like to feel like a winner every once in a while and I enjoy beating up on Canadians and yankees. So, fantasy football has not only helped out the NFL, it’s changed NFL broadcasting to be more fantasy focused. It gave people a reason to start caring about baseball again after the steroids scandal. It’s given basketball new life after no one could relate to any of the players in the 90s and given people a reason to follow the NBA again.
So, can fantasy hockey 1) bring fans back to hockey after the horrible season long strike and subsequent difficulty in getting TV deals to broadcast games by adding fantasy broadcastability, 2) add new fans that are following teams and players because of their fantasy team and therefore may buy the occasional ticket to a game or watch a game on TV, and 3) create an Internet following in order to generate revenue from online ad sales.
The answer, I think, is no. There are two main reasons and one minor reason. The first main one is that no one’s name is pronounceable. I have a team and I can pronounce maybe 3 players out of 18 on the team. Because of that, it’s difficult to feel attached to any of your players. In fact, I know Roberto Lungo is on my team and Chris Mason is on my team. I have the number one player in the league and I don’t even know his name. Evan? Anyway. Thats an issue and it’s probably not fixable unless you give everyone nicknames or make all star players change their name (which would be for their own good anyway, might help them earn a few extra promotional dollars). Another major issue that also may be unsolvable is the lack of stats. Out of the 20-25 players who get significant playing time each game, only half of those or less are going to put up a decent amount of goals, assists, or shots on goal. So, the other categories are Power Play Points and Penalty Minutes. Not much, so they have this contrived +/- category. If you are on the ice when your team scores, you get +1, if you are on the ice with the oppostion scores its -1 point for you. Ok, that’s fine, that way defenders can earn stats of some kind other than penalty minutes, I get that. But we are stat hungry fans lately and unless they can contrive a couple more things, I don’t see it taking off.
The other minor thing is something that the GMs recently met about and that’s fighting. I know it sells tickets and that its an integral part of the game. But I also think that it takes away from the integrity of the sport as well. What if after a hard pass interference play in the NFL, the players could just fight it out and the penalty is that both players have to stand on the sidelines for 5 minutes and the teams play down a man during that time? You wouldn’t take football as seriously, would you? I just think that it takes away from the sport aspect of it and adds a street and barbaric aspect and keeps it from gaining mass spectator appeal. We simply can’t relate as fans to being able to fight as part of your job or sport. In the long run, I don’t think you can rely on only a portion of your sport to be popular and maintain growth and fandom, i.e wrecks in racing, fighting in hockey, etc. You need for people to be intrigued by the sport itself. So, maybe you need to tweak some rules to make the sport as a whole entertaining and leave the fighting to boxers.
So, there, I provided no answers, but concluded that fantasy hockey alone can’t save the NHL and the obstacles that stand in the way of hockey becoming a major sport may be unsolvable.
NFL Playoff Picks 2009
Since 2001 when I missed just 1 game, I’ve been trying to pick the winners of every NFL playoff game prior to the playoffs starting. Just picking the winners straight up, not against the spread. My career record is really good, but still, I’d like to go undefeated one year. Without further ado, here goes:
Wild card games:
Colts over Chargers. Tough one to pick as I like to pick hot teams coming into the playoffs and both of these teams qualify. But LT and Gates are both banged up slightly and Indianapolis is the better team despite having to travel across the country.
Ravens over Dolphins. The toughest opening round game to pick for me. Joe Flacco on the road or Chad Pennington at home. I do think it will be a low scoring game with lots of defense. The Dolphins showed me something last week by taking it to the Jets in a must win game, but I think the Raven defense will be too much for them and the Ravens do just enough to win.
Falcons over Cardinals. The Falcons are hot right now and the Cardinals are cold. They can’t even sell the game out to lift the blackout. If this game were on the East Coast, it would be a blowout (in favor of whoever were playing the Cardinals) but at home I think they keep it close. I hate picking rookie QBs in the playoffs, but here, I just don’t see the Cardinals finding a way to win.
Eagles over Vikings . This game will be decided by turnovers. Both teams were impressive in the final week of the season, but you have to look at more than just that. With Westbrook healthy and the defense causing more takeaways the last couple weeks, I like the Eagles to win. But if the Vikes hang onto the ball and the Eagles make some mistakes, then it wouldn’t surprise me to see Minnesota pull this one out.
Division Round:
Titans over Ravens – This should be a great game to watch. Overall, I think the Titans just have too much talent overall and I don’t think Joe Flacco has two playoff upsets in him, not yet. He needs some more experience because we start picking him to lead a team deep into the playoffs. The Titan defense will be ready for this game.
Colts over Steelers - Home Field advantage is a big help here and will help make an exciting game and the Steelers are playing great football right now. However, Indianapolis is the hotter team right now, will have the momentum coming off their Wild Card win and have the playoff experience to make a run.
Panthers over Falcons - Again, on the road, I’m not sure Carolina pulls out the win, but they play very well at home and experience will be the key here.
Giants over Eagles – I just don’t the Eagles having enough to stop the Giants. They are a team that want to return the Super Bowl very badly and have played with that intensity all season. Even with the Plaxico distraction, they should get through this game handily.
Conference Championships
Titans over Colts – I think. Another tough game for me to decide. I like the Colts playoff experience, and they should be able to slow down the Titans running game, still, I’m just not sure they have enough defensively to win the game. Should be a shootout.
Panthers over Giants - In a major upset, the Panthers go up to New York and surprise the Giants by 1) catching them off guard and 2) simply wanting it more. Without the deep threat of Plaxico, the Carolina D can hunker down and slow down the New York offense. Should be one of the better playoff games though.
Super Bowl.
Titans over Panthers – How about this AFC over NFC. I’ver considered the Colts making it here, the Titans, and the Steelers. All three would ruin the Panthers day again and once again send them home from a Super Bowl without the Lombardi trophy. I just think the AFC is better this year and will win whichever team makes it here.
NFL Picks for the week
Cincinnati +13.5 over Indianapolis
Green Bay -6 over Houston
Minnesota -10 over Detroit
Atlanta +3 over New Orleans
Buffalo -1 over Miami
Pittsburgh -3 over Dallas
New England -6.5 over Seattle
Carolina -3 over Tampa Bay
Picks for Saturday games
Wake Forest -4 over Vandy
Boston College -6.5 over Maryland
Texas Tech -22 over Baylor
Oklahoma -7.5 over Oklahoma State
Georgia -7.5 over Georgia Tech
Kentucky +3.5 over Tennessee
Washington State +28.5 over Hawaii