New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints Monday Night Football Pick

New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints Monday Night Football Pick: The New York Giants could, quite possibly, lose every single game the rest of the way in what would be seen as an epic collapse, but would actually be an epic schedule that grabbed them by the collar and slapped them right in their overrated faces. I know, I don’t like the Football Giants much, and it shows, but I’m also keeping it real here. Who do they play going forward? After this very tough game at New Orleans, the Giants host Green Bay, travel to Dallas, host Washington, battle the Jets, and host Dallas on the last Sunday of the season. Okay, they should beat the Redskins, but besides that, will they be favored in any other game? I don’t think they should be.

It’s possible that Drew Brees absolutely slicing up the Giants’ secondary like a perfectly cooked turkey – okay, like mashed potatoes (easy cutting). But the Giants post a tough rush to stop with Justin Tuck and company, and Brees will have to deal with that all day long.

New Olreans is the better football team, playing at home where they are very good. Drew Brees is coming off a bye week to ready himself for New York – and that can’t be good for Giants’ fans. New Orleans has a couple weird losses, but has otherwise been very good this season. BUT… Yes, there’s a but, they play a lot of close football games, and as much as I don’t like the Giants, I find them a very good value getting a touchdown against a Saints team that has struggled against Carolina, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, and Atlanta. I know this is the time when Eli Manning starts evening out those TD to INT ratios with some questionable throws, but doesn’t that have to stop one of these years?

New York Giants (+7) @ New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs Sunday Night Football Pick

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs Sunday Night Football Pick: The Chiefs with Tyler Palko in what is probably his last start of the season look to upend the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. The Chiefs have pretty much lost everything great about their football team with Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry going down early in the season. Now with Cassel out and more guys beat up, the Chiefs get to host a tough Steelers team.

I know the Chiefs are usually very solid at home, a tough out for sure, but the Steelers are coming off a big win against Cincinnati and a bye-week to rest. They’ve gone 5-1 over their last 6 games and their only lost came on a last minute touchdown pass by Joe Flacco in a 20-23 loss to Baltimore. They’ve been playing their best football of the season as they walked into their bye week to heal up. The Chiefs were embarrassed last week on Monday Night Football when the Patriots carved them up. For reward they get a short week battle with that rested Steeler squad… Lucky!

The Steelers should look to run the ball more in KC. Holding the ball for long stretches and eating up close will be a good way to walk away with an easy win. I expect them to slowly build a lead and keep the Chiefs at bay throughout.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-10.5) @ Kansas City Chiefs

Redskins @ Seahawks, Broncos @ Chargers, Patriots @ Eagles Free Picks

Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks (-3.5)
The Seahawks have me believing in their defense. The Redskins seem like a team that has no idea what they do well, if anything, and that fits right along with their quarterback question marks. For what it’s worth, Rex Grossman is the guy that gives them the best chance to win, but in Seattle with tough weather and that stadium bringing the ruckus, I think Rexxy could have a tough day turning the ball over. The Hawks have found a running game over the last handful of weeks and they will undoubtedly use it to keep the Redskins honest defensively.

Denver Broncos (+7) @ San Diego Chargers
Listen, I am not gung-ho-Tebow, I promise. I didn’t think he’d be a good NFL quarterback and I still don’t think he’ll ever be a guy that can lead a team to a Championship – but he can win. Those who say he can’t, they are either stupid or ignorant, and I’m not sure what is worse. He wins. It’s ugly. The defense helps him. He’s absolutely below average for at least 3 quarters of football. But his team, the fans, the opponents, him, they all know that when it comes down to the last quarter, if it’s close, he gives them a great chance to win. He’s just a clutch kid that will give anything to win. The Chargers haven’t been good and the defensive ends in Denver should give the beat-up Chargers line some trouble. A touchdown seems like to much.

New England Patriots (-3) @ Philadelphia Eagles
I can’t believe the Eagles are only 3 point underdogs with New England coming to town and no Mike Vick to lean on. They better hand the ball off 30 times to LeSean McCoy if they want a chance. I think this one is easy, Pats all the way.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Tennessee Titans – Chicago Bears @ Oakland Raiders

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3.5) @ Tennessee Titans
I just keep going back to the well with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They have really struggled this season, and even with some good showings, they have failed to get back that confidence they played with last season. Josh Freeman is having a tough 2nd full season as the starter, and sophomores Mike Williams and Legarrette Blount have also struggled to help Freeman carry the load. That being said, they looked pretty solid last week against Green Bay and are really looking for a win to stop a bad 4 game losing streak. Tampa is better than they’ve played and I’m betting on that evening out on Sunday. Tennessee is probably worse than they’ve played, so that could help my cause as well.

Chicago Bears (+4) @ Oakland Raiders
I still believe in the Bears as a good football team, even with shame-faced Jay Cutler out of the lineup. People seem to be forgetting that Hanie looked very solid and really played a big role in giving the Bears a chance last year against Green Bay in the playoffs. Cutler was unproductive before he got hurt in that game, and Hanie honestly looked better and found more success running the offense. Now I don’t think Hanie is better, but the bottom line is, the kid is a gamer. He can find his check down and hand the ball off a lot to one of the best young running backs in football. The Bears are a tough group, and I think they out-muscle the Raiders in Oakland.

NFL Free Picks Vikings @ Falcons, Texans @ Jaguars, Cardinals @ Rams

Minnesota Vikings @ Atlanta Falcons (-9.5)
I can definitely see the Vikings coming to play in Atlanta and sticking right with the Falcons. There’s no doubt that Minnesota can play up and down, they’ve done it and they’ll continue to do it because they are a talented football team with gamebreakers on both sides of the ball. That being said, the Falcons are pretty dang good against the run, and the Vikings are a run first team missing a guy that is quite possibly the best running back in the league. Adrian Peterson is out for Sundays’ game, leaving Toby Gerhart and Percy Harvin to act as running backs for the Vikings. I just don’t think the Vikings will be able to take advantage of the Falcons’ shortcomings in the secondary – so I give this one to Atlanta by double digits.

Houston Texans (-3) @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Matt Schaub is a good quarterback. I have always believed that, even since his back-up days in Atlanta – I thought this guy would be legit. But I’m not so sure the Texans lose as much as everyone thinks with Schaub out. I know Matt Leinart is a bit of a pretty boy softy, but he’s an accurate passer that knows the offense. He can hand off the ball very well, and he will enjoy the return of Andre Johnson to the Texans’ offense. I expect Houston to keep running like the stole something, and Matt Leinart to be steady and solid at quarterback.

Arizona Cardinals (+1.5) @ St. Louis Rams
The Cardinals have played pretty close football with just about every single opponent they’ve gone up against this season. San Francisco had their number last week and Minnesota smacked them around the second week of October – but besides that they’ve been right in just about every football game. I suspect them to be the better team in this one, even without Kevin Kolb at the helm.

Washington State Cougars @ Washington Huskies Apple Cup Pick

Washington State Cougars @ Washington Huskies Apple Cup Pick: The APPLE CUP!!! I know this game has been unreasonably close most years, regardless of talent or ranking or how good either team actually is. This is the game in Washington, the game where everyone in the state has a side. Washington State, the Huskies’ red-headed step brother, just doesn’t have the talent, the publicity, the bowl eligibility – they’re playing for this game and this game only, to show they belong with the Dawgs – but I’m not sure they do.

Sure, Washington State has played some good games this year, and you know they have plenty of solid athletes, enough to win this game if the football bounces the right way. But the odds can’t be on them covering this game. Their top two quarterbacks are out of the game. The best receiver on the team is also out. Offensively, they won’t be able to capitalize on the Huskies’ shortcomings.

The Huskies are playing for a step in the right direction, a winning season for the first time in a long time. I think these Dawgs will be ready to play, and if both these teams give it their best, it shouldn’t be much of a game in Seattle. Price is looking to get back on track for the Huskies, but it will be Polk running wild that gets the Huskies a double digit win in this one.

Washington State Cougars @ Washington Huskies (-8.5)

Tigers @ Gamecocks, Fighting Irish @ Cardinal, Bruins @ Trojans

Clemson Tigers (+4) @ South Carolina Gamecocks
One of the top 3 teams in the SEC probably beats the best team in the ACC 9 out of 10 times. But could this be that once? I think so. I think the Clemson Tigers laid such a large goose egg last weekend that they couldn’t possibly do anything but play their best football against South Carolina. I know the Gamecocks have a very good defense, but I think Clemson has the talent to put up some points on even the best of defenses.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ Stanford Cardinal (-7)
I think the Cardinal are losing a little too much credit here after a tough loss to Oregon. This is still a very good football team, consistent, powerful up front, and one hell of a quarterback. I know Notre Dame has some talent, but I just don’t see them playing with Stanford for 4 quarters.

UCLA Bruins @ USC Trojans (-14)
It’s amazing how much this game means to the Bruins. From all the news about UCLA getting their coach fired, playing terrible, basically a non-existent team all season long – you’d think they were 0-12. Little does the rest of the world know that UCLA can clinch a spot in the PAC 12 Championship Game with a win over USC on Saturday. Not bad for a Bruin team with no offense, defense, or head coach job security. USC basically has nothing to play for – they ousted the Ducks last week, coming off that huge win with no post-season games available to them because of sanctions – all they have is this last game against lowly UCLA. That’s all fine and dandy, and maybe that does get the Trojans playing a little sloppy – but this team is super talented, playing great football, and waaayyy batter than the Bruins. I expect a slapping of baby blue face on southern California.

Week 13 2011 Free College Football Picks Against the Spread

Ohio State Buckeyes (+7.5) @ Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines have been very good lately, making me look silly week after week (kind of like Houston) but that doesn’t mean that I’ve giving in. I know that Vegas is begging me to take the Buckeyes when they give me that extra half point, but I just think averages play out here. The Buckeyes have certainly been up and down this season – I just think Saturday in Michigan will be an up-swing kind of day for the chestnuts. Hopefully I can stick it to Vegas with this one!

Georgia Bulldogs (-5.5) @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia’s the better team even if they never really can meet expectations. Georgia Tech is pretty one-dimensional, as they always are, but I see the Bulldogs’ defense being able to slow the Yellow Jackets’ attack just enough to cover this spread.

Alabama Crimson Tide (-21) @ Auburn Tigers
Alabama has a lot to lose in this contest and Auburn can play one heck of a spoiler in one of the biggest rivalry games around – but is it possible? I really don’t think so. Auburn has played close in some games they probably shouldn’t have, even winning a couple of them, but the Tigers aren’t on the same level as the Tide, and I expect it to show early and often this weekend.

Florida State Seminoles (-1.5) @ Florida Gators
This used to be “The Game” when I was just getting into football. I saw a few wide rights and a wide left, a couple upsets, and some great games between two programs that were up and coming and dominating college football. The old ball coach was getting Rex Grossman to do good things, and the Seminoles had Peter Warrick making dirty cuts in the middle of the field. Those were the days. Neither program is on top right now, but both have the talent to make this one heck of a game. I just think Florida State has a more complete team, so they are the bet here.

Bills @ Jets – Browns @ Bengals – Panthers @ Colts NFL Free Picks

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets (-9)
I’m very scared of this number, because I just can’t bring myself to take the Bills against anybody right now or give the Jets 9 points in an NFL football game. Seriously… This is my dilemma? Two terrible options? Hey, one of my coaches always told me there are no 50/50 decisions, there’s always a better choice. He probably never had to pick the Bills/Jets game this Sunday or he wouldn’t have said something like that. I guess it comes down to Fred Jackson’s absence. The Bills couldn’t think about getting worse and they did, big time, as their slide hit a cliff when Fred Jackson went down for the year this week. Because of this, I’ll take the greener of two evils.

Cleveland Browns (+8) @ Cincinnati Bengals
The Browns really can’t be trusted to win football games, but listen, I’m not trusting them to WIN a football game, I’m trusting them to play tough defense against a Bengals team that is going to come in knowing that, if they don’t many mistakes, they’ll win this football game. So I don’t expect them to take a lot of chances early, and a close game early often becomes a close game late. I think 8 points is too many to give a rookie QB against a solid defense – that’s the case here.

Carolina Panthers (-3) @ Indianapolis Colts
I know, I know, I’ve said for weeks that the Colts have to win sometime, why not now? Well, not know because the Panthers have played some good football this year and haven’t seen many wins, so they won’t take any chance for granted. I expect Cam Newton to have a huge game in many regards as the bye week probably didn’t do much to improve the Colts defense.

Free Friday Night College Football Picks for Week 13 2011

Iowa Hawkeyes (+9.5) @ Nebraska Cornhuskers
Iowa is pretty blah to me, really, they don’t do too much that impresses me, and Nebraska is surely the more talented team of the two – only they can’t really pass, and that kind of gives the edge to Iowa because they play smart enough to get their eggs in the run stopping basket as much as possible. I honestly don’t know if there’s much that separates these two teams. Both have been up and down all season long, and this game means a lot to both programs. I expect a close one.

Houston Cougars @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+3)
Oh, I don’t know, call it a hunch. I truly see two football teams that are just about as good as each other. I know the Cougars come in with all the hype because Case Keenum is one of the all time great college quarterbacks in terms of his numbers – but as far as football teams go, these two squads can both play ball. You add in all the hype that Houston gets coming into this game, and how Tulsa is almost ignored despite playing at home – my money’s on Tulsa. I’ve been around lots of sports on lots of levels and Tulsa is playing from a good mental place in this one.

Arkansas Razorbacks @ LSU Tigers (-11.5)
As I said in my newsletter, the Razorbacks are a good football team, it’s just that #1 and #2 (the two best teams in the Nation – I actually still think Alabama is the better of the two football teams, despite losing to LSU) are a lot better than everyone else. 11.5 points better, is the question. I think so. I just think LSU’s defense is so tough, and playing on such a high level, and conquering so much in terms of adversity all season long without shuttering – you just can’t go against them. I think they’ll beat the Razorbacks like they’ve beaten everyone else outside of Alabama – easily.

Next Page »