Week 17 NFL Picks and Results

Saturday
NY Giants at Washington- With the way that the Giants are playing and how the players are pointing toward one another and the coaching staff for blame, I don't have much confidence in the team to win in Washington.
Washington 28 NY Giants 21
NY Giants 34 Washington 28 (0-1)

Sunday
Carolina at New Orleans- The Saints have the second seed locked up, so the real question is, how long will they play their starters? I wouldn't want to play the underachieving Panthers in the playoffs, so I'd think that they'd play them the majority of the game. Having lost to Carolina already once this year, I think it's important for the Saints to finish the Panthers off, so they don't have to face them again, having lost two of two to them during the course of the season.
New Orleans 27 Carolina 21
Carolina 31 New Orleans 21 (0-2)

Cleveland at Houston- The Browns are struggling, especially after Charlie Frye went down with an injury. Houston is coming off a shocking win over the now 11-4 Colts. Will they have a letdown week (yes, it can happen in the NFL, especially if you're the Texans)? I'm not thinking so. I like Houston to finish the year strong, with a 6-10 record, and something to build off of for next year.
Houston 24 Cleveland 17
Houston 14 Cleveland 6 (1-2)

Detroit at Dallas- The Lions almost beat the Bears last week. They were within a dropped pass by Mike Williams of defeating Chicago. Dallas got spanked by Philly on Monday night. Even though I haven't been too impressed with Dallas of late, especially on defense, I have to pick them at home against the Lions.
Dallas 28 Detroit 17
Detroit 39 Dallas 31 (1-3)

Jacksonville at Kansas City- The Jags are just finding ways to lose, aren't they? Things aren't getting any easier when they have to travel to Arrowhead. The Jags should be very motivated for this game and I see them stating their case as a potential Wild Card team.
Jacksonville 21 Kansas City 17
Kansas City 35 Jacksonville 30 (1-4)

New England at Tennessee- How do the Titans keep on winning? Their D scored the only three touchdowns of the game for their team two weeks ago against Jacksonville to win a game where they held the ball for about 14 of the 60 minutes. Maybe I'm just not a big believer yet, but I have to go with Tom Brady and the Pats against the pesky Titans.
New England 24 Tennessee 17
New England 40 Tennessee 23 (2-4)

Oakland at NY Jets- Like the Titans, the Jets are just finding ways to win football games. With receivers Randy Moss and Jerry Porter doubtful for Sunday's game, it's very hard for me to see Oakland generating much offense. NY should lock up a solid playoff spot with this win.
NY Jets 17 Oakland 3
NY Jets 23 Oakland 3 (3-4)

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati- Pitt is out of the playoff race and Cincinnati is praying for a chance to play following this weekend's game. With how they were embarrassed a week ago, I look for the Steelers and Willie Parker to exploit the subpar Bengal defense and come away with a victory to close the year out at an even 8-8.
Pittsburgh 27 Cincinnati 24
Pittsburgh 23 Cincinnati 17 OT (4-4)

Seattle at Tampa Bay- Seattle is playing anything but stellar of late and Tampa has done anything but give up, even though they've been out of the playoff race for quite some time. I look for Tampa to fight for sixty minutes, yet again, but to fall just short in the end.
Seattle 24 Tampa Bay 17
Seattle 23 Tampa Bay 7 (5-4)

St. Louis at Minnesota- Two teams that are heading in opposite directions. The Rams' offense has exploded like old times in recent weeks and Minnesota can't get anything done on that end. I look for the two teams to continue their current streaks, with the Rams coming out on top.
St. Louis 31 Minnesota 13
St. Louis 41 Minnesota 21 (6-4)

Atlanta at Philadelphia- As much as I want the Falcons to win, I find it hard to believe that, as distracted as they are, they'll be able to beat a red hot Philly squad away from home. They have the talent to win this game, but I just don't see it happening.
Philadelphia 27 Atlanta 20
Philadelphia 24 Atlanta 17 (7-4)

Buffalo at Baltimore- Buffalo seems to play great at home, and not so great away from home. That's not a good ingredient when you're playing in Baltimore against the tenacious Raven defense. I look for Brian Billick and his squad to finish the regular season on a high note and march into the playoffs on a roll.
Baltimore 17 Buffalo 10
Baltimore 19 Buffalo 7 (8-4)

Miami at Indianapolis- The Colts have lost 4 of their past 6 games, following a 9-0 start. They fell to now 5-10 Houston last week. Good news for them is that Miami is anything but spectacular offensively and the Colts should rebound from an embarrassing loss a week ago to finish the year at 12-4.
Indianapolis 24 Miami 17
Indianapolis 27 Miami 22 (9-4)

Arizona at San Diego- The Cards have been showing some life lately. It's hard for me to believe that they'll show enough life to win in San Diego, though. The Chargers are hotter than anyone in the league and are the team to beat in the playoffs. Just don't tell Marty that. He's had the rep of...well, you know (I won't say it).
San Diego 27 Arizona 17
San Diego 27 Arizona 20 (10-4)

San Francisco at Denver- The Niners had an opportunity to make a playoff run, but fell to Arizona 26-20 last week. With this game at Mile High, and coming off a high in their 24-23 victory over Cincy last week, I like the Broncos to finish the regular season on a similar (high) note.
Denver 24 San Francisco 14
San Francisco 26 Denver 23 OT (10-5)

Green Bay at Chicago- Like last week, I just have to wonder how long Chicago will play their regular starters. For how much the Bears have struggled in recent weeks, I'd play the starters for the majority of the game. If they do, I think they'll win. If not, then it's anybody's game.
Chicago 27 Green Bay 21
Green Bay 26 Chicago 7 (10-6)

Week 17 Record: 10-6 (.625)
Overall Record: 146-108 (.575)

Week 17 NFL Predictions

Saturday
NY Giants at Washington- With the way that the Giants are playing and how the players are pointing toward one another and the coaching staff for blame, I don't have much confidence in the team to win in Washington.
Washington 28 NY Giants 21

Sunday
Carolina at New Orleans- The Saints have the second seed locked up, so the real question is, how long will they play their starters? I wouldn't want to play the underachieving Panthers in the playoffs, so I'd think that they'd play them the majority of the game. Having lost to Carolina already once this year, I think it's important for the Saints to finish the Panthers off, so they don't have to face them again, having lost two of two to them during the course of the season.
New Orleans 27 Carolina 21

Cleveland at Houston- The Browns are struggling, especially after Charlie Frye went down with an injury. Houston is coming off a shocking win over the now 11-4 Colts. Will they have a letdown week (yes, it can happen in the NFL, especially if you're the Texans)? I'm not thinking so. I like Houston to finish the year strong, with a 6-10 record, and something to build off of for next year.
Houston 24 Cleveland 17

Detroit at Dallas- The Lions almost beat the Bears last week. They were within a dropped pass by Mike Williams of defeating Chicago. Dallas got spanked by Philly on Monday night. Even though I haven't been too impressed with Dallas of late, especially on defense, I have to pick them at home against the Lions.
Dallas 28 Detroit 17

Jacksonville at Kansas City- The Jags are just finding ways to lose, aren't they? Things aren't getting any easier when they have to travel to Arrowhead. The Jags should be very motivated for this game and I see them stating their case as a potential Wild Card team.
Jacksonville 21 Kansas City 17

New England at Tennessee- How do the Titans keep on winning? Their D scored the only three touchdowns of the game for their team two weeks ago against Jacksonville to win a game where they held the ball for about 14 of the 60 minutes. Maybe I'm just not a big believer yet, but I have to go with Tom Brady and the Pats against the pesky Titans.
New England 24 Tennessee 17

Oakland at NY Jets- Like the Titans, the Jets are just finding ways to win football games. With receivers Randy Moss and Jerry Porter doubtful for Sunday's game, it's very hard for me to see Oakland generating much offense. NY should lock up a solid playoff spot with this win.
NY Jets 17 Oakland 3

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati- Pitt is out of the playoff race and Cincinnati is praying for a chance to play following this weekend's game. With how they were embarrassed a week ago, I look for the Steelers and Willie Parker to exploit the subpar Bengal defense and come away with a victory to close the year out at an even 8-8.
Pittsburgh 27 Cincinnati 24

Seattle at Tampa Bay- Seattle is playing anything but stellar of late and Tampa has done anything but give up, even though they've been out of the playoff race for quite some time. I look for Tampa to fight for sixty minutes, yet again, but to fall just short in the end.
Seattle 24 Tampa Bay 17

St. Louis at Minnesota- Two teams that are heading in opposite directions. The Rams' offense has exploded like old times in recent weeks and Minnesota can't get anything done on that end. I look for the two teams to continue their current streaks, with the Rams coming out on top.
St. Louis 31 Minnesota 13

Atlanta at Philadelphia- As much as I want the Falcons to win, I find it hard to believe that, as distracted as they are, they'll be able to beat a red hot Philly squad away from home. They have the talent to win this game, but I just don't see it happening.
Philadelphia 27 Atlanta 20

Buffalo at Baltimore- Buffalo seems to play great at home, and not so great away from home. That's not a good ingredient when you're playing in Baltimore against the tenacious Raven defense. I look for Brian Billick and his squad to finish the regular season on a high note and march into the playoffs on a roll.
Baltimore 17 Buffalo 10

Miami at Indianapolis- The Colts have lost 4 of their past 6 games, following a 9-0 start. They fell to now 5-10 Houston last week. Good news for them is that Miami is anything but spectacular offensively and the Colts should rebound from an embarrassing loss a week ago to finish the year at 12-4.
Indianapolis 24 Miami 17

Arizona at San Diego- The Cards have been showing some life lately. It's hard for me to believe that they'll show enough life to win in San Diego, though. The Chargers are hotter than anyone in the league and are the team to beat in the playoffs. Just don't tell Marty that. He's had the rep of...well, you know (I won't say it).
San Diego 27 Arizona 17

San Francisco at Denver- The Niners had an opportunity to make a playoff run, but fell to Arizona 26-20 last week. With this game at Mile High, and coming off a high in their 24-23 victory over Cincy last week, I like the Broncos to finish the regular season on a similar (high) note.
Denver 24 San Francisco 14

Green Bay at Chicago- Like last week, I just have to wonder how long Chicago will play their regular starters. For how much the Bears have struggled in recent weeks, I'd play the starters for the majority of the game. If they do, I think they'll win. If not, then it's anybody's game.
Chicago 27 Green Bay 21

Panthers 10 Falcons 3

I got to watch the first half of this game, but was unable to watch the second. In Atlanta's opening drive, Vick became the first NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. Kicker Morten Andersen capped the drive off with a field goal, to become the all-time leader in field goal's made. It was all downhill from that point for the Falcons.

The very next drive by the Panthers was painful to watch and that's an understatement. The drive took over ten minutes, which ended in a Carolina touchdown to take an early 7-3 lead. That was a commonality for the Panthers. They simply beat the Falcons at their own game. They ran plays where the tailback was lined up in the quarterback position in the shotgun and ran for a total of 183 yards compared to the Falcons' 83 yards.

Atlanta's defense played well overall, if one wants to look at the stats, but were very bend but don't break, as Carolina held the ball for almost 42 minutes compared to Atlanta's 18. Vick attempted only twenty passes in the game. Warrick Dunn ran the ball 9 times for 29 yards. Vick ran it 4 times for 32 yards. Jerious Norwood had 5 carries for 20 yards. That was about it for the offense. They never got into a rhythm. The opening drive was about as good as it got for the Falcons offensively. While the Falcons are not eliminated from the playoffs just yet, they need to beat a hot Eagles team on Sunday in Philly and get some help from other clubs around the league.

Michael Vick didn't seem like the happiest guy in the world with his post-game comments. He seemed to question the coaching staff with their decisions. It'll be interesting to see how that affects the team this upcoming week. Does the team, as a whole, believe in what head coach Jim Mora, defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp are saying, doing, and calling? Does owner Arthur Blank believe in those three guys? A question on the ESPN show 1st and 10 today was, "Should the Falcons keep Vick or Mora?" Idiot Skip Bayless believes in back-up quarterback (who has never posted an NFL win) Matt Schaub and that Jim Mora could build a winning team with Schaub at quarterback. The other guy (not Woody Paige) said that the Falcons should get rid of both Vick and Mora and sign Jeff Garcia. Let me get this straight, the Falcons should get rid of a 26-year old quarterback about to enter the prime of his career, just coming off a season where he posted a career high in touchdown passes and rushing yards in favor of a soon-to-be-over-the-hill quarterback who has played a few good games in the absence of Donovan McNabb in Philly? Give me a break. How much longer can Garcia last? A year? Two?

I know what the problems are in Atlanta. Yeah, call me a know it all. But, I've watched this team game after game in the Vick/Mora era and am blunt and honest on what I see. Can Michael Vick improve as an NFL quarterback? Yes, he can. He can learn how to not hold the ball out away from his body, making him more apt to fumbling and he can improve on his consistency in the passing game. But the offense (team) doesn't begin and end with Vick. Defenses have finally adjusted to the zone-blocking scheme of the Falcons. Atlanta dominated in the run game early in the season. The rushed for over 300 yards against the Buccaneers and well over 200 against the Panthers. The entire offense revolved around this run game. But, the offense slowed down some, so the Falcons went to the air, as they showcased in their wins against the Steelers and Bengals. For some reason, they felt the need to go back to the ground and that's where they've been ever since.

The offensive linemen for the Falcons are some of the smallest in the NFL. They need to be to operate the zone-blocking method. But, there are more downsides than upsides, as I've come to learn through watching the Falcons. While the scheme can be very successful between the 20s, it's typically not very successful inside the red zone. The Falcons are tops in the league in yards per carry from their own goalline to the opponent's 20. They are last in the league in yards per carry inside the red zone. They can cut and find the holes between the 20s, but can't block straight up and run the ball right at the defense inside the red zone. Plus, being the smaller linemen that they are, it makes things very difficult when it comes to pass protection for the quarterback. The Falcons need to stop getting "cute" with this zone-blocking scheme, sign and draft bigger lineman, so they can better protect Vick when he's sitting in the pocket and be able to run with more success inside the red zone.

Defensively, just like with the offensive line, is too small to be consistently successful in the NFL. The Falcons have attempted to build a college-like team in terms of their size and speed, and though, it may be successful at times, it's very difficult for an NFL team to be consistent for a season with the lack of size in the front seven on defense.

I have nothing against Jim Mora. But, I do think that Arthur Blank needs to talk to him following the season to see where Mora is exactly with what he wants to do and where he wants to go. I wasn't a fan (like most weren't) of his comments about going to Washington. He may have seen that as a joke, but not many others did. Does Mora truly want to coach this team? That's the question that has to be answered. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp has done a decent job from a statistical standpoint, but the offense has lacked consistency and much of an identity under him. It seems that Knapp doesn't know how to utilize Vick and worse off, doesn't know how to do so consistently. One game, Vick's asked to run for 150 yards. The next, he's asked to just be a pocket quarterback. The next, he's asked to run for 75 and throw for 200. There are times when the Falcons are so intent on running, that Vick is only called on to throw on third and longs and it's very difficult to find a rhythm in the passing game in that scenario. Even though I've criticized Knapp quite thoroughly the past couple years, Ed Donatell, the defensive coordinator is a sure go, in my opinion. The guy expects NFL offenses to beat themselves time and time again. Give any NFL quarterback time in the pocket, and chances are, he's going to beat you. Just ask Donovan McNabb on the infamous 4th and 26 play, which Donatell lost his job over. Atlanta has a quick front seven, with linebackers such as Michael Boley, Ed Hartwell, Keith Brooking, and DeMorrio Williams. It seems that Donatell is afraid to blitz early in the game and it's one major factor in why the Falcons' have consistently been down in the 1st and 2nd quarters this year. Donatell will then be more aggressive in the second half and that's usually when Atlanta makes their move to either make the game close or take a lead. In my opinion, Donatell has got to go and I'm uncertain on Knapp or Mora yet.

Fortunately, even though the Falcons currently sit at 7-8, they do have a shot to make the playoffs as a six seed. It will be tough, though. The Falcons have to, first of all, beat Philly on Sunday, which will be anything but easy with how the Eagles are currently playing. Then, the Giants need to lose to the Redskins on Saturday, the Panthers need to lose to the Saints, and the Packers need to lose to the Bears. So, it's possible, but the Giants have to lose Saturday, the Falcons have to win Sunday, and then the Panthers and Packers have to lose also.

Bowl Picks and Results

Poinsettia- TCU (+11.5) vs. Northern Illinois: This kind of spread is always dangerous, especially in bowl games. I'm particularly wary, because of NIU tailback Garrett Wolfe. But, with how TCU improved at the tail-end of the season and for how steady their defense is, I'm tentatively going with them to cover the spread.
TCU 31 Northern Illinois 17
TCU 37 Northern Illinois 7 (1-0) (1-0)

Las Vegas- BYU (+3.5) vs. Oregon: Both teams have been going in completely opposite directions since the start of the season. BYU has pulled off nine straight victories since their 1-2 start and Oregon has dropped five of eight since their 4-0 start. With the teams' momentum playing a factor, I like the Cougars to pull out the win, their eleventh of the season. Oregon should keep it close, however. This will not be a game for the defensive lovers out there. It should be fast-paced, up and down, exciting, and entertaining throughout.
BYU 38 Oregon 35
BYU 38 Oregon 8 (2-0) (1-1)

New Orleans- Rice (+4.5) vs. Troy: Both teams finished the season strong, especially Rice, winning their last six. But, being the fact that Troy faced some stiff competition this year in the likes of Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Nebraska, I'm going to give them the slight edge in this one.
Troy 28 Rice 24
Troy 41 Rice 17 (3-0) (2-1)

Papajohns.com- South Florida (+4.5) vs. East Carolina: This is a very difficult game to pick. South Florida has not been too consistent this year, getting trounced by Cincinnati, yet upsetting West Virginia. East Carolina has improved enormously this season as opposed to their previous couple. ECU's defense is pretty stiff, but I'm going to give the edge to South Florida and their exciting young quarterback Groethe.
South Florida 24 East Carolina 21
South Florida 24 East Carolina 7 (4-0) (2-2)

New Mexico- New Mexico (+4) vs. San Jose State: Why, oh why, is 6-6 New Mexico in a bowl game and the likes of 6-6 Arizona, Kansas, Washington State, and Pittsburgh are not? Oh, that's because it's the New Mexico Bowl. Ahh, that makes sense. The Lobos are even favored in this game, mainly due to their home-field advantage. Even if that's the case, I see Dick Tomey and his Spartans win this one, because of their rushing attack. I wonder if Tomey will be heading to a bigger school anytime soon, as with this win, he would have improved SJSU to 9-4 on the season.
San Jose State 28 New Mexico 17
San Jose State 20 New Mexico 12 (5-0) (3-2)

Armed Forces- Utah (+1) vs. Tulsa: This was one of the toughest games for me to choose, because neither team has shown any kind of consistency all year. Tulsa started the year great at 7-1, but have since dropped three of four. Utah has been up and down all season. Because Tulsa has shown a slight bit more consistency throughout the course of the season, I'm giving them the slight edge, but you may well flip a coin on this one. It could go either way.
Tulsa 31 Utah 28
Utah 25 Tulsa 13 (5-1) (3-3)

Hawaii- Hawaii (+7) vs. Arizona State: After another bowl appearance, Dirk Koetter is out as ASU head coach and in is Dennis Erickson. Because of the post-season shake-up, that gives a slight edge right away to the Warriors. Home-field advantage gives another slight edge to Hawaii. But, I wouldn't call this one an easy pick by any stretch of the imagination. Hawaii finished the year against Purdue and Oregon State. They had to come back late against Purdue to pull out the W and lost by a couple points to the Beavers. When Hawaii plays decent competition from major conferences, they're usually in a high-scoring dogfight and I think there will be no exception to that here.
Hawaii 42 Arizona State 38
Hawaii 41 Arizona State 24 (6-1) (3-4)

Motor City- Central Michigan (+10) vs. Middle Tennessee State: The only way I see MTSU winning this one is if CMU lays an egg and the Blue Raiders play their best game of the season. How MTSU even made a bowl game as the #2 team from the Sun Belt Conference (the worst conference in football) is beyond me.
Central Michigan 35 Middle Tennessee State 17
Central Michigan 31 Middle Tennessee State 14 (7-1) (4-4)

Emerald- UCLA (+4.5) vs. Florida State: Like defense? Then, this is the game for you! If not, you may want to watch something else. This could have the feeling of a SEC-type dogfight or of that Georgia-Georgia Tech game at the end of the year. At home and with their defense playing much more consistently than their counterpart's, I give the edge to UCLA. It'll be close, though.
UCLA 17 Florida State 14
Florida State 44 UCLA 27 (7-2) (5-4)

Independence- Oklahoma State (+2) vs. Alabama: Mike Shula is gone and no one has been hired yet in Tuscaloosa. With all that going on, it's hard for me to take the Tide in this one. They have the talent, especially on defense and in the backfield, to do it, but with all the added distractions, I have a difficult time seeing them pull this out.
Oklahoma State 24 Alabama 17
Oklahoma State 34 Alabama 31 (8-2) (6-4)

Texas- Rutgers (+7.5) vs. Kansas State: Rutgers finishes the year 10-2 and winds up in the Texas Bowl against 7-5 Kansas State? To say the Big East received little respect this year would be quite the understatement. But, since it's Rutgers, Coach Schiano is staying put, and the team would like to win a bowl game to cap off their great year, I do see incentive for the Scarlet Knights in this one. It may be tough to cover the spread, but they should get the W, which is what's most important.
Rutgers 31 Kansas State 24
Rutgers 37 Kansas State 10 (9-2) (6-5)

Holiday- California (+5) vs. Texas A&M: This is a tough game for me to call, because the Pac 10's second gets quite the drop-off year-to-year. You go from the Rose Bowl to the Holiday Bowl. Cal also didn't play particularly well in their final couple outings, falling to USC and barely sneaking by a one-win Stanford club. A&M played in close games all year, losing heartbreakers to Texas Tech and Nebraska along the way. So, whether A&M wins or not, they seem to know how to play the opposition close. Cal's quarterback will have to complete some balls in order to free up some room for stud tailback Marshawn Lynch and the running game. I see them doing this and squeaking one out over a pesky Aggie club.
California 31 Texas A&M 28
California 45 Texas A&M 10 (10-2) (6-6)

Music City- Clemson (+10) vs. Kentucky: Clemson probably has one of the two most talented all around teams in the ACC, along with Georgia Tech. But, the Tigers did not play up to that potential week in and week out this year. Kentucky was a pleasant surprise coming out of the SEC, with Rich Brooks turning in an impressive 7-5 season. While I wouldn't wager too much for Clemson to cover the spread, I would think (hope) that they have enough motivation to allow their talent to overcome their shortfalls in this one.
Clemson 28 Kentucky 21
Kentucky 28 Clemson 20 (10-3) (7-6)

Sun- Oregon State (+3.5) vs. Missouri: Oregon State burst onto the scene with their upset win over then unbeaten USC. They closed the season strong, as well, getting past then 10-2 Hawaii. Missouri has shown that they have the talent necessary to be competitive on a weekly basis, and in most cases, pull out the W's. But, they've also shown a lack of focus, which has gotten them into trouble, especially when it deals with turnovers, penalties, and burying themselves in too deep a hole to crawl themselves back out of. With all that in mind, I give OSU a slight edge in this one.
Oregon State 31 Missouri 28
Oregon State 39 Missouri 38 (11-3) (8-6)

Liberty- South Carolina (+6.5) vs. Houston: This is a game that makes me nervous. I'm going with Spurrier and Carolina, but Houston is not a team to be taken lightly and I could see them pulling off the upset. The Cougars dominated the always steady Southern Miss Golden Eagles in the Conference USA title game to close the regular season at 10-3. I give Carolina a slight edge because of the speed of their defense and the size and speed at their skill positions.
South Carolina 31 Houston 24
South Carolina 44 Houston 36 (12-3) (9-6)

Champs Sports- Maryland (+1) vs. Purdue: This shouldn't be called the "Champs" Sports Bowl this year. It should be called "The Mediocre Power Conference Schools Who Either Get Outplayed and Find a Way to Win or Play Weak Competition Bowl." Yeah, Maryland finished 8-4, yet was outscored for the season. They like to win the close game. Purdue finished 8-5, but has yet to beat a team with a winning record. If this game isn't close, I'll be shocked. But, I'm going with the Terps, because regardless of how they get outplayed, they seem to find ways to stay in the game and eventually win.
Maryland 24 Purdue 21
Maryland 24 Purdue 7 (13-3) (10-6)

Insight- Texas Tech (+7) vs. Minnesota: The GO-phers had to win a few games there down the stretch just to become bowl eligible at 6-6. None of those wins were against very quality opponents. The most quality was a 6-6 Iowa team. I don't think they'll get pounded. Heck, I don't even think Tech will cover the spread, but I believe Leach and his offense will be a bit too much for the GO-phers to overcome.
Texas Tech 31 Minnesota 28
Texas Tech 44 Minnesota 41 OT (14-3) (11-6)

Meineke Car Care- Boston College (+6) vs. Navy: The big question I have about this game is, how distracted will BC be because of the coaching change? What's playing in their favor? Navy played the weakest schedule in Division I-A this year. They've got a decent team, but got pounded in games such as these. If BC can stay focused, I don't think they'll have many problems. If not...well, then, that's another story.
Boston College 31 Navy 17
Boston College 25 Navy 24 (15-3) (11-7)

Alamo- Texas (+10) vs. Iowa: What will Texas do? They were about guaranteed a spot in the Big XII title game and with a win, would have represented the conference in a BCS game. The only way they wouldn't go is if they lost their final two games and Oklahoma won theirs. Well, that's exactly what happened, when Texas lost a shootout to Kansas State and a slugfest to Texas A&M. Will they continue to mope, disappointed about failing to make the most of an almost guaranteed opportunity and fall flat in this one? Or, will they feel an extra incentive to rebound from those two losses to end the year with a bowl victory and something to carry them into next season? I'm going to go with the latter as opposed to the former.
Texas 28 Iowa 17
Texas 26 Iowa 24 (16-3) (11-8)

Peach- Virginia Tech (+2.5) vs. Georgia: If you thought the UCLA-Florida State game showcased two special defenses, that was nothing compared to this. The first team to score may this one, as that could be the only score of the game. The offense with the least amount of mistakes will probably pull through with the victory in this one. With VT quarterback Sean Glennon's tendency to lose the football when hit more times than not, chances are that it'll happen at least once in this game and when it does, Georgia should be able to take full advantage.
Georgia 14 Virginia Tech 10
Georgia 31 Virginia Tech 24 (17-3) (12-8)

MPC Computers- Miami (Florida) (+3.5) vs. Nevada: I had a hard time picking this one. Miami quarterback Kyle Wright is out with an injury. Larry Coker was fired and in comes a new head coach. The team has played anything but spectacularly this year. Nevada is 8-4 and winners of seven of their last eight. That one loss was a beatdown at the hands of Boise State, however. It was really difficult for me to pull the trigger in this one, but for some reason, I'm going with the speed, tenacity, and athleticism of Miami's defense. It won't be easy, though. It's never easy when the offense doesn't put up many points on the scoreboard.
Miami (Florida) 24 Nevada 17
Miami (Florida) 21 Nevada 20 (18-3) (12-9)

Cotton- Auburn (+2) vs. Nebraska: Three Auburn players have already been suspended for this game, including a starting linebacker. Auburn kind of reminds me of the Oklahoma team that just beat the Huskers 21-7 for the Big XII title. If Tiger QB Brandon Cox has enough time to throw the ball and is able to exploit the rather weak secondary of Nebraska, Auburn should come out with the victory. But, if he's getting pressured and they become a one-dimensional offense, it'll be a dogfight. I like the Tigers, in a close one.
Auburn 24 Nebraska 21
Auburn 17 Nebraska 14 (19-3) (13-9)

Outback- Tennessee (+4.5) vs. Penn State: Just like Wisconsin and Purdue, I'm just not sure how good 8-4 Penn State is. They seem to be fairly stout defensively, but haven't been very consistent on offense this year. I have a hard time believing that they'll be able to keep up with the Vols' quickness and physicality on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Tennessee 24 Penn State 10
Penn State 20 Tennessee 10 (19-4) (13-10)

Capital One- Arkansas (+1) vs. Wisconsin: Both teams feed off the running game. Any yardage in the passing game for either team will just be a bonus. While Arkansas beat three opponents with winning records in Auburn, South Carolina, and Tennessee, who have a combined record of 26-10 (.722) and they dominated the games against 10-2 Auburn and 9-3 Tennessee, Wisconsin beat two teams with winning records, against Penn State and Purdue, with combined records of 16-9 (.640). The Badgers' schedule ranked 114th out of 119 teams. Even though Arkansas is rather one dimensional, I can't remember anybody slowing down Darren McFadden and the Razorbacks' running game all year. I have a hard time believing the Badgers will either.
Arkansas 31 Wisconsin 17
Wisconsin 17 Arkansas 14 (19-5) (13-11)

Gator- West Virginia (+7) vs. Georgia Tech: Word is in that Yellow Jackets' quarterback Reggie Ball will not be playing in this game. If that is a good or bad thing is beyond me. Ball has been dreadfully inconsistent this year and throughout his entire career at Georgia Tech. But, he has been the starter for four years, so I can't imagine the backup is any better. Georgia Tech's defense will keep things from getting too ugly, but the speed on the Mountaineer offense will reign superior in the end.
West Virginia 28 Georgia Tech 17
West Virginia 38 Georgia Tech 35 (20-5) (13-12)

Rose- USC (+1) vs. Michigan: Who wants this game more? Or, at all? Michigan comes in believing they got shafted by the BCS system and should be playing for a national title. USC had an opportunity to go to the title game with a win over UCLA, but the Bruins had other ideas. With the loss, USC knows they're not worthy of the big game, so I believe they'll be able to focus on this game and not the hypothetical what ifs more so than Michigan. USC is also very young and this gives Pete Carroll a chance to preach to his club that this is the first game of next year's season and to let the college football world know that they're back. Lloyd Carr has had more difficulty in motivating his club for big games, losing five of six to Ohio State and even to Nebraska in last year's bowl game.
USC 24 Michigan 21
USC 32 Michigan 18 (21-5) (14-12)

Fiesta- Oklahoma (+7.5) vs. Boise State: That's quite the spread against a 12-0 club like Boise State. Adrian Peterson will be back for the game, which should benefit Oklahoma immensely, but I would not look past Boise. They're 12-0 and have beaten 9-4 Oregon State by twenty-eight points. Bob Stoops has struggled in bowl games in recent years. It will be Peterson's first game back in quite some time. Also, we must ask the question, who wants the game more? An Oklahoma squad who's used to being in such games and may feel like they got little respect by being paired up with a WAC opponent or an undefeated Boise State team who wants to let the world know that they're legit? Boise State, most definitely.
Boise State 31 Oklahoma 28
Boise State 43 Oklahoma 42 OT (22-5) (15-12)

Orange- Louisville (+10) vs. Wake Forest: Wake can be a pain. They run a lot of motion on offense, which can confuse some defenses. I think that will frustrate Louisville for about a half, but the Cardinals should get in a rhythm offensively in the third and into the fourth quarters for the win.
Louisville 31 Wake Forest 21
Louisville 24 Wake Forest 13 (23-5) (16-12)

Sugar- LSU (+9) vs. Notre Dame: Notre Dame lost ugly to Michigan and to USC, the only two teams they faced who were solid on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Well, LSU fits that curriculum as well, and may have even a better defense than either Michigan or USC. With the game in New Orleans and the majority of fans wearing yellow and purple, the Tigers should feast on the Irish.
LSU 31 Notre Dame 14
LSU 41 Notre Dame 14 (24-5) (17-12)

International- Cincinnati (+8) vs. Western Michigan: It was nice to see the Bearcats go bowling following their 7-5 season against very tough competition, including games against Louisville (11-1), West Virginia (10-2), Rutgers (10-2), Virginia Tech (10-2), and Ohio State (12-0). Western Michigan should keep things fairly low scoring, but they don't have enough on offense to win in the end.
Cincinnati 20 Western Michigan 6
Cincinnati 27 Western Michigan 24 (25-5) (17-13)

GMAC- Southern Mississippi (+8.5) vs. Ohio: The Bobcats are coming off an annihilation at the hands of Central Michigan in the MAC title game, but they have to be satisfied with the improvement from year 1 to year 2 in the Frank Solich era. Ohio was 4-7 in his first season and 9-4 (including the MAC title game) this year. Southern Miss shouldn't have any problem with the Bobcats, but kudos to Solich and Ohio for their solid season.
Southern Mississippi 24 Ohio 14
Southern Mississippi 28 Ohio 7 (26-5) (18-13)

BCS Championship- Ohio State (+7.5) vs. Florida: Here it is- THE GAME, #1 vs. #2, to be crowned champion. That's quite a spread for a title game, isn't it? Most analysts aren't giving Florida a chance in this game. With their defense, they always have a chance. Remember, Ohio State's last game came two weeks before Florida's last game. They may be very rusty coming out of the gates in this one. If Florida's offense can run a balanced offense and keep OSU on their heels, they'll have a great chance at pulling off the upset, but I don't see that happening. Florida's defense will keep them in it throughout, but the Heisman Trophy winner will come through (again) for the Buckeyes, to finish the year 13-0.
Ohio State 24 Florida 17
Florida 41 Ohio State 14 (26-6) (19-13)

Week 15 Record For the Win: 26-6 (.813)
Overall Record For the Win: 490-180 (.731)
Week 15 Record Vs. the Spread: 19-13 (.594)
Overall Record Vs. the Spread: 333-337 (.497)

Week 16 NFL Picks and Results

Thursday
Minnesota at Green Bay: With both teams coming into the game at 6-8, they need the victory to still have a shot at the playoffs. The loser will be officially eliminated. With rookie quarterback Jackson getting his first start for Minnesota and the game being played in Lambeau, I give the edge to the crafty veteran Favre over the newbie.
Green Bay 21 Minnesota 17
Green Bay 9 Minnesota 7 (1-0)


Saturday
Kansas City at Oakland: The Chiefs have been struggling some of late, but at 7-7 and playing in the superior AFC, they need to win their final two games to have any shot at going to the playoffs. Fortunately for them, that first game is against the hapless Raiders.
Kansas City 20 Oakland 6
Kansas City 20 Oakland 9 (2-0)


Sunday
Baltimore at Pittsburgh: Like the before-mentioned Chiefs, the Steelers sit at 7-7 and need to win their final two games to have any shot at going to the post-season. Like last year, Pittsburgh is playing their best football at this juncture of the season. With the game at home, with the quarterback position being a question mark for the Ravens, and with all the momentum they bring into the game, I'm going with Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh 24 Baltimore 17
Baltimore 31 Pittsburgh 7 (2-1)


Carolina at Atlanta: This is a potential make or break game for both teams with the Panthers strolling in at 6-8 and the Falcons at 7-7. The Panthers need this game to have any shot at a post-season berth and the Falcons most likely need this one for a similar fate. With the game at home, revenge on the Falcons' minds following their dominating defeat at home last year to these same Panthers, and Vick's wanting to make up for last year's lazy performance to close the season, I like Atlanta to up their mark to 8-7.
Atlanta 24 Carolina 17
Carolina 10 Atlanta 3 (2-2)


Chicago at Detroit: I'm going to pick the Bears for the simple fact that they're 12-2 and going against a 2-12 Lions club. I am somewhat hesitant, however, for the simple fact that Chicago has clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and don't have much to play for in this game.
Chicago 31 Detroit 24
Chicago 26 Detroit 21 (3-2)


Indianapolis at Houston: The Colts lost to the Titans once, almost twice this year, so it's no game is a gimme. With how they performed against the Bengals on Monday night, it's hard for me to see Houston putting up much of a fight.
Indianapolis 38 Houston 17
Houston 27 Indianapolia 24 (3-3)


New England at Jacksonville: It will be a tough week of practice for the Jaguars this week following their 24-17 loss to the Titans. Jacksonville dominated from start to finish, but allowed three defensive touchdowns. At home, I like Coach Del Rio to help his team rebound for a big victory to stay in the playoff hunt.
Jacksonville 24 New England 21
New England 24 Jacksonville 21 (3-4)


New Orleans at NY Giants: I don't know which way to really lean in this one. But, with the Giants playing the way they have been, especially on defense, I see the Saints' offense having their way with them. The Giants' O should make things interesting, though. This has all the ingredients of being quite an entertaining game.
New Orleans 31 NY Giants 28
New Orleans 30 NY Giants 7 (4-4)


Tampa Bay at Cleveland: The Bucs should a lot of grit and fight last week in their 34-31 loss to Chicago. Even with their record being what it is, they haven't given up in any week and I see that as being the reason for their beating the Browns on Sunday.
Tampa Bay 20 Cleveland 13
Tampa Bay 22 Cleveland 7 (5-4)


Tennessee at Buffalo: I don't know that I've been right on Buffalo all year. Both teams enter the game at 7-7 and have an outside shot at making the playoffs. With the game at home and their defense playing very well over the past month, I'm taking the Bills. Knowing that, I should probably take the Titans, but I'll stick with my first pick.
Buffalo 21 Tennessee 17
Tennessee 30 Buffalo 29 (5-5)


Washington at St. Louis: St. Louis still has an outside chance at making the playoffs, but with how they've played the past month or so, I'm not thinking they'll even get past the Redskins to keep their slim hopes alive. Washington's defense has played well the past month, Jason Campbell has filled in nicely for Mark Brunell, and LaDell Betts has run all over defenses recently. Clinton who?
Washington 24 St. Louis 20
St. Louis 37 Washington 31 OT (5-6)


Arizona at San Francisco: As hard as it is for me to believe, the 49ers are not out of the playoff race yet. At 6-8 and with two of those wins against NFC West-leading Seattle, the Niners could win out and make the playoffs if Seattle falls to San Diego and their Week 17 opponent. Well, I see Week 16 as providing more hope for 49er fans, as they come up with a big home win against the Cardinals.
San Francisco 28 Arizona 24
Arizona 26 San Francisco 20 (5-7)


Cincinnati at Denver: Cincy didn't play very well on Monday night, but are still right in the thick of the playoff race, as are the Broncos. With Carson Palmer, Rudi and Chad Johnson, and T.J. Houshmanzadeh, I see the Broncos rebounding and winning a big one in Denver.
Cincinnati 24 Denver 17
Denver 24 Cincinnati 23 (5-8)


San Diego at Seattle: The Seahawks have fallen on hard times. At 8-6, they've yet to clinch a playoff berth and may need a win in Week 17 to do so, because I can't see them beating the Chargers in this one.
San Diego 31 Seattle 17
San Diego 20 Seattle 17 (6-8)


Monday
Philadelphia at Dallas: The only chance Philly has of winning the East is to beat Dallas on Monday Night. Even if they lose, they face Atlanta in Week 17 and have a shot at making the playoffs with a win in that game. Marion Barber, Terrell Owens, and Tony Romo are all playing solid football and even though the Eagles are overachieving, it's hard for me to see them win this one in Dallas.
Dallas 28 Philadelphia 24
Philadelphia 23 Dallas 7 (6-9)


NY Jets at Miami: Outside of the Patriots, there seems to be little to no consistency in the rest of the AFC East. Miami shut out those Pats 21-0 two weeks ago and then got shutout 21-0 by Buffalo. With the game at home, I give the edge to the Dolphins.
Miami 21 NY Jets 17
NY Jets 13 Miami 10 (6-10)


Week 16 Record: 6-10 (.375)
Overall Record:136-102 (.571)

Week 16 NFL Predictions

Thursday
Minnesota at Green Bay: With both teams coming into the game at 6-8, they need the victory to still have a shot at the playoffs. The loser will be officially eliminated. With rookie quarterback Jackson getting his first start for Minnesota and the game being played in Lambeau, I give the edge to the crafty veteran Favre over the newbie.
Green Bay 21 Minnesota 17

Saturday
Kansas City at Oakland: The Chiefs have been struggling some of late, but at 7-7 and playing in the superior AFC, they need to win their final two games to have any shot at going to the playoffs. Fortunately for them, that first game is against the hapless Raiders.
Kansas City 20 Oakland 6

Sunday
Baltimore at Pittsburgh: Like the before-mentioned Chiefs, the Steelers sit at 7-7 and need to win their final two games to have any shot at going to the post-season. Like last year, Pittsburgh is playing their best football at this juncture of the season. With the game at home, with the quarterback position being a question mark for the Ravens, and with all the momentum they bring into the game, I'm going with Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh 24 Baltimore 17

Carolina at Atlanta: This is a potential make or break game for both teams with the Panthers strolling in at 6-8 and the Falcons at 7-7. The Panthers need this game to have any shot at a post-season berth and the Falcons most likely need this one for a similar fate. With the game at home, revenge on the Falcons' minds following their dominating defeat at home last year to these same Panthers, and Vick's wanting to make up for last year's lazy performance to close the season, I like Atlanta to up their mark to 8-7.
Atlanta 24 Carolina 17

Chicago at Detroit: I'm going to pick the Bears for the simple fact that they're 12-2 and going against a 2-12 Lions club. I am somewhat hesitant, however, for the simple fact that Chicago has clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and don't have much to play for in this game.
Chicago 31 Detroit 24

Indianapolis at Houston: The Colts lost to the Titans once, almost twice this year, so it's no game is a gimme. With how they performed against the Bengals on Monday night, it's hard for me to see Houston putting up much of a fight.
Indianapolis 38 Houston 17

New England at Jacksonville: It will be a tough week of practice for the Jaguars this week following their 24-17 loss to the Titans. Jacksonville dominated from start to finish, but allowed three defensive touchdowns. At home, I like Coach Del Rio to help his team rebound for a big victory to stay in the playoff hunt.
Jacksonville 24 New England 21

New Orleans at NY Giants: I don't know which way to really lean in this one. But, with the Giants playing the way they have been, especially on defense, I see the Saints' offense having their way with them. The Giants' O should make things interesting, though. This has all the ingredients of being quite an entertaining game.
New Orleans 31 NY Giants 28

Tampa Bay at Cleveland: The Bucs should a lot of grit and fight last week in their 34-31 loss to Chicago. Even with their record being what it is, they haven't given up in any week and I see that as being the reason for their beating the Browns on Sunday.
Tampa Bay 20 Cleveland 13

Tennessee at Buffalo: I don't know that I've been right on Buffalo all year. Both teams enter the game at 7-7 and have an outside shot at making the playoffs. With the game at home and their defense playing very well over the past month, I'm taking the Bills. Knowing that, I should probably take the Titans, but I'll stick with my first pick.
Buffalo 21 Tennessee 17

Washington at St. Louis: St. Louis still has an outside chance at making the playoffs, but with how they've played the past month or so, I'm not thinking they'll even get past the Redskins to keep their slim hopes alive. Washington's defense has played well the past month, Jason Campbell has filled in nicely for Mark Brunell, and LaDell Betts has run all over defenses recently. Clinton who?
Washington 24 St. Louis 20

Arizona at San Francisco: As hard as it is for me to believe, the 49ers are not out of the playoff race yet. At 6-8 and with two of those wins against NFC West-leading Seattle, the Niners could win out and make the playoffs if Seattle falls to San Diego and their Week 17 opponent. Well, I see Week 16 as providing more hope for 49er fans, as they come up with a big home win against the Cardinals.
San Francisco 28 Arizona 24

Cincinnati at Denver: Cincy didn't play very well on Monday night, but are still right in the thick of the playoff race, as are the Broncos. With Carson Palmer, Rudi and Chad Johnson, and T.J. Houshmanzadeh, I see the Broncos rebounding and winning a big one in Denver.
Cincinnati 24 Denver 17

San Diego at Seattle: The Seahawks have fallen on hard times. At 8-6, they've yet to clinch a playoff berth and may need a win in Week 17 to do so, because I can't see them beating the Chargers in this one.
San Diego 31 Seattle 17

Monday
Philadelphia at Dallas: The only chance Philly has of winning the East is to beat Dallas on Monday Night. Even if they lose, they face Atlanta in Week 17 and have a shot at making the playoffs with a win in that game. Marion Barber, Terrell Owens, and Tony Romo are all playing solid football and even though the Eagles are overachieving, it's hard for me to see them win this one in Dallas.
Dallas 28 Philadelphia 24

NY Jets at Miami: Outside of the Patriots, there seems to be little to no consistency in the rest of the AFC East. Miami shut out those Pats 21-0 two weeks ago and then got shutout 21-0 by Buffalo. With the game at home, I give the edge to the Dolphins.
Miami 21 NY Jets 17

Week 16 Record:
Overall Record:

NFL Notes

-The Tennessee Titans 24-17 win over Jacksonville on Sunday was one of the oddest games I've ever been witness to. I'm not making these numbers up either. I'm not exaggerating. For the game, Tennessee had under 100 yards on offense. Also, for the game, Tennessee held the ball for just over 15 minutes compared to almost 45 minutes for the Jaguars. All three of Tennessee's touchdowns came on defense, on two interception returns and one fumble return. Unbelievable!

-Tony Romo made the Pro Bowl? What? He has how many starts to his credit? Drew Brees getting the start is a no-brainer, in my opinion. Marc Bulger has had a good year stats wise, so I could see him being the third quarterback. But, Romo? The guy has ten picks in half a season? Oh wait, let's invite Jeff Garcia, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler to the Pro Bowl! Meanwhile, Michael Vick has 19 touchdown passes (21 overall), will finish with over 2,500 throwing yards and 1,000 rushing yards. He was invited to last year's Pro Bowl with similar passing numbers (yardage wise), less touchdowns, and 600 rushing yards. Hmmm.

-How many average teams are there in the NFL? Buffalo, Miami, NY Jets, Kansas City, Denver, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, NY Giants, Atlanta, Carolina, Green Bay, Minnesota, Seattle, St. Louis, and San Francisco all have 6-8, 7-7, or 8-6 records right now. That's 18 of the 32 teams!

-So, after the 37-3 smack down they suffered against Pittsburgh on Sunday, are the 6-8 Carolina Panthers the "experts" favorite still to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl?

-It is still possible for an 8-8 team to make the playoffs from the NFC.

-If it wasn't for LaDanian Tomlinson, New Orleans' quarterback Drew Brees would be handed the MVP Trophy.

-The Giants and Falcons sure know how to struggle in the second half of the season, don't they? Last year and this year, they started off strong, but have struggled to their current 7-7 marks in the second half of the year. Do head coaches Tom Coughlin and Jim Mora have anything to worry about? I'm thinking they might, especially if their team doesn't make the playoffs.

-Can we please stop playing that song, "The Saints Are Coming" during New Orleans Saints' games? It worked for their first night back at the Superdome. But, does it have to carry on throughout the rest of the year? I'm getting a little tired of hearing that song.

-Will Matt Millen finally be out of Detroit (job wise) after another dreadful season? The guy has been there far too long as it is. It's time to get the guy out!

-Will the 57-year old Brett Favre return for another season in Green Bay? Do Packers' fans want him to return for another year? Do cornerbacks want him to return for another year?

-How and why did Tom Brady get snubbed from the Pro Bowl roster? With his receiving corps (or lack there of), solid numbers, good leadership, and another NFC East title, I don't know how this guy could get the snub in favor of newbie Philip Rivers. Rivers has had a solid year, but if it wasn't for LaDanian Tomlinson, Rivers' job would not be so easy and his numbers would likely reflect that. Brady's job has been less easy this season and his numbers are superior.

-Is anyone surprised that Terrell Owens spit in DeAngelo Hall's face on Saturday and admitted it proudly to reporters following the game? T.O. is a great player, but as a person, I don't know that one could classify him as great.

-What has happened to the Bears' defense? In the past two games, against the Rams and Bucs, they've allowed 58 points. They allowed 31 to a Tampa team who has gone without scoring a touchdown in six games this year.

Dating Secrets

No, believe me, I don't have any to dish out. I wish I did, but I'd be lying if I said such a thing.

A friend of mine told me last night, "There is no magical formula that makes things work," in reference to dating and relationships. While this seems to be fairly common sense, it is very true. I've heard, read, and witnessed all kinds of different stories on how two people met: at school, at work, at church, at a party, at a restaurant, through friends, online, traveling, on a blind date, at a bar, through friends of friends, and the list goes on.

This is why I see dating secrets like medications. While someone may tell you to go to some pub, because they're loaded with singles there and not to date anyone you're working with, for the simple fact that they had a positive experience at the pub and a negative one at work, another will come along and say the direct opposite. Someone else will come in and say, "Well, I met (fill in the blank) at a party. You should just hit the parties!" There will be some people who agree, others who disagree, but we all have a unique story to tell in regard to how we met someone, even if there are similarities involved to others'. It reminds me of medications, because while one pill may work quite well with one person, there may be atrocious side effects, with none of the positive relief the first person felt, for another. So, is there a right way? Is there a wrong way? No. But, how do we find that right way for ourselves? The pill that actually works with our system with little to no negative side effects?

A lot of people like to use cliche's when telling people what should be done to meet that special someone or to just meet people in general, along with what they've experienced. Some like to say that the moment will come when you least expect it. This reminds me of the cliche', "It's always in the last place you'd look," when wanting to find something. Well, yeah, because, once you've found it, there's really no need to continue looking, right? If one has never experienced something truly special in terms of love, every single moment is when they'd least expect it, so regardless of when that time comes, it'll be when they least expect it. Some like to say that if you want to find something special, you have to go out and look for yourself, not to be passive, but to take action, treating it as a race, in a way. Others like to say that it's best to not go about things in that manner, to just let everything come to you. Is there a 100% correct answer? No, again.

So, what will work for me? That is the question. I've gone about the dating routine through several different methods and they've all failed up to this point. Whenever I bring up a new suggestion, it usually gets shot down, that it won't work, that I've done similar things before, which have failed. They'll then bring up another suggestion, and I'll point out the fact that that hasn't worked for me either. I've dated people I met: at school, at parties, through friends, blind dates, online, through friends of friends, at get-togethers, etc. No formula has worked yet. But, just because one method has failed up to this point, does that mean necessarily that it will forever fail? No. Just like when a pitcher seems to have gone about his preparation, alteration in arm movements, and every change that he could possibly think of to get back on track, one day, it might just click for him.

It just seems to be a guessing game at this point, as it is for many doctors on what medicine to prescribe to a particular patient, and if that pill doesn't work, we'll try this other one over here. What will work? What won't work? I haven't the slightest idea. I guess that depends on the person. Everyone has their own little unique story and I'm just attempting to find a way so that I may have my own to tell.

Bowl Predictions

Poinsettia- TCU (+11.5) vs. Northern Illinois: This kind of spread is always dangerous, especially in bowl games. I'm particularly wary, because of NIU tailback Garrett Wolfe. But, with how TCU improved at the tail-end of the season and for how steady their defense is, I'm tentatively going with them to cover the spread.
TCU 31 Northern Illinois 17

Las Vegas- BYU (+3.5) vs. Oregon: Both teams have been going in completely opposite directions since the start of the season. BYU has pulled off nine straight victories since their 1-2 start and Oregon has dropped five of eight since their 4-0 start. With the teams' momentum playing a factor, I like the Cougars to pull out the win, their eleventh of the season. Oregon should keep it close, however. This will not be a game for the defensive lovers out there. It should be fast-paced, up and down, exciting, and entertaining throughout.
BYU 38 Oregon 35

New Orleans- Rice (+4.5) vs. Troy: Both teams finished the season strong, especially Rice, winning their last six. But, being the fact that Troy faced some stiff competition this year in the likes of Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Nebraska, I'm going to give them the slight edge in this one.
Troy 28 Rice 24

Papajohns.com- South Florida (+4.5) vs. East Carolina: This is a very difficult game to pick. South Florida has not been too consistent this year, getting trounced by Cincinnati, yet upsetting West Virginia. East Carolina has improved enormously this season as opposed to their previous couple. ECU's defense is pretty stiff, but I'm going to give the edge to South Florida and their exciting young quarterback Groethe.
South Florida 24 East Carolina 21

New Mexico- New Mexico (+4) vs. San Jose State: Why, oh why, is 6-6 New Mexico in a bowl game and the likes of 6-6 Arizona, Kansas, Washington State, and Pittsburgh are not? Oh, that's because it's the New Mexico Bowl. Ahh, that makes sense. The Lobos are even favored in this game, mainly due to their home-field advantage. Even if that's the case, I see Dick Tomey and his Spartans win this one, because of their rushing attack. I wonder if Tomey will be heading to a bigger school anytime soon, as with this win, he would have improved SJSU to 9-4 on the season.
San Jose State 28 New Mexico 17

Armed Forces- Utah (+1) vs. Tulsa: This was one of the toughest games for me to choose, because neither team has shown any kind of consistency all year. Tulsa started the year great at 7-1, but have since dropped three of four. Utah has been up and down all season. Because Tulsa has shown a slight bit more consistency throughout the course of the season, I'm giving them the slight edge, but you may well flip a coin on this one. It could go either way.
Tulsa 31 Utah 28

Hawaii- Hawaii (+7) vs. Arizona State: After another bowl appearance, Dirk Koetter is out as ASU head coach and in is Dennis Erickson. Because of the post-season shake-up, that gives a slight edge right away to the Warriors. Home-field advantage gives another slight edge to Hawaii. But, I wouldn't call this one an easy pick by any stretch of the imagination. Hawaii finished the year against Purdue and Oregon State. They had to come back late against Purdue to pull out the W and lost by a couple points to the Beavers. When Hawaii plays decent competition from major conferences, they're usually in a high-scoring dogfight and I think there will be no exception to that here.
Hawaii 42 Arizona State 38

Motor City- Central Michigan (+10) vs. Middle Tennessee State: The only way I see MTSU winning this one is if CMU lays an egg and the Blue Raiders play their best game of the season. How MTSU even made a bowl game as the #2 team from the Sun Belt Conference (the worst conference in football) is beyond me.
Central Michigan 35 Middle Tennessee State 17

Emerald- UCLA (+4.5) vs. Florida State: Like defense? Then, this is the game for you! If not, you may want to watch something else. This could have the feeling of a SEC-type dogfight or of that Georgia-Georgia Tech game at the end of the year. At home and with their defense playing much more consistently than their counterpart's, I give the edge to UCLA. It'll be close, though.
UCLA 17 Florida State 14

Independence- Oklahoma State (+2) vs. Alabama: Mike Shula is gone and no one has been hired yet in Tuscaloosa. With all that going on, it's hard for me to take the Tide in this one. They have the talent, especially on defense and in the backfield, to do it, but with all the added distractions, I have a difficult time seeing them pull this out.
Oklahoma State 24 Alabama 17

Texas- Rutgers (+7.5) vs. Kansas State: Rutgers finishes the year 10-2 and winds up in the Texas Bowl against 7-5 Kansas State? To say the Big East received little respect this year would be quite the understatement. But, since it's Rutgers, Coach Schiano is staying put, and the team would like to win a bowl game to cap off their great year, I do see incentive for the Scarlet Knights in this one. It may be tough to cover the spread, but they should get the W, which is what's most important.
Rutgers 31 Kansas State 24

Holiday- California (+5) vs. Texas A&M: This is a tough game for me to call, because the Pac 10's second gets quite the drop-off year-to-year. You go from the Rose Bowl to the Holiday Bowl. Cal also didn't play particularly well in their final couple outings, falling to USC and barely sneaking by a one-win Stanford club. A&M played in close games all year, losing heartbreakers to Texas Tech and Nebraska along the way. So, whether A&M wins or not, they seem to know how to play the opposition close. Cal's quarterback will have to complete some balls in order to free up some room for stud tailback Marshawn Lynch and the running game. I see them doing this and squeaking one out over a pesky Aggie club.
California 31 Texas A&M 28

Music City- Clemson (+10) vs. Kentucky: Clemson probably has one of the two most talented all around teams in the ACC, along with Georgia Tech. But, the Tigers did not play up to that potential week in and week out this year. Kentucky was a pleasant surprise coming out of the SEC, with Rich Brooks turning in an impressive 7-5 season. While I wouldn't wager too much for Clemson to cover the spread, I would think (hope) that they have enough motivation to allow their talent to overcome their shortfalls in this one.
Clemson 28 Kentucky 21

Sun- Oregon State (+3.5) vs. Missouri: Oregon State burst onto the scene with their upset win over then unbeaten USC. They closed the season strong, as well, getting past then 10-2 Hawaii. Missouri has shown that they have the talent necessary to be competitive on a weekly basis, and in most cases, pull out the W's. But, they've also shown a lack of focus, which has gotten them into trouble, especially when it deals with turnovers, penalties, and burying themselves in too deep a hole to crawl themselves back out of. With all that in mind, I give OSU a slight edge in this one.
Oregon State 31 Missouri 28

Liberty- South Carolina (+6.5) vs. Houston: This is a game that makes me nervous. I'm going with Spurrier and Carolina, but Houston is not a team to be taken lightly and I could see them pulling off the upset. The Cougars dominated the always steady Southern Miss Golden Eagles in the Conference USA title game to close the regular season at 10-3. I give Carolina a slight edge because of the speed of their defense and the size and speed at their skill positions.
South Carolina 31 Houston 24

Champs Sports- Maryland (+1) vs. Purdue: This shouldn't be called the "Champs" Sports Bowl this year. It should be called "The Mediocre Power Conference Schools Who Either Get Outplayed and Find a Way to Win or Play Weak Competition Bowl." Yeah, Maryland finished 8-4, yet was outscored for the season. They like to win the close game. Purdue finished 8-5, but has yet to beat a team with a winning record. If this game isn't close, I'll be shocked. But, I'm going with the Terps, because regardless of how they get outplayed, they seem to find ways to stay in the game and eventually win.
Maryland 24 Purdue 21

Insight- Texas Tech (+7) vs. Minnesota: The GO-phers had to win a few games there down the stretch just to become bowl eligible at 6-6. None of those wins were against very quality opponents. The most quality was a 6-6 Iowa team. I don't think they'll get pounded. Heck, I don't even think Tech will cover the spread, but I believe Leach and his offense will be a bit too much for the GO-phers to overcome.
Texas Tech 31 Minnesota 28

Meineke Car Care- Boston College (+6) vs. Navy: The big question I have about this game is, how distracted will BC be because of the coaching change? What's playing in their favor? Navy played the weakest schedule in Division I-A this year. They've got a decent team, but got pounded in games such as these. If BC can stay focused, I don't think they'll have many problems. If not...well, then, that's another story.
Boston College 31 Navy 17

Alamo- Texas (+10) vs. Iowa: What will Texas do? They were about guaranteed a spot in the Big XII title game and with a win, would have represented the conference in a BCS game. The only way they wouldn't go is if they lost their final two games and Oklahoma won theirs. Well, that's exactly what happened, when Texas lost a shootout to Kansas State and a slugfest to Texas A&M. Will they continue to mope, disappointed about failing to make the most of an almost guaranteed opportunity and fall flat in this one? Or, will they feel an extra incentive to rebound from those two losses to end the year with a bowl victory and something to carry them into next season? I'm going to go with the latter as opposed to the former.
Texas 28 Iowa 17

Peach- Virginia Tech (+2.5) vs. Georgia: If you thought the UCLA-Florida State game showcased two special defenses, that was nothing compared to this. The first team to score may this one, as that could be the only score of the game. The offense with the least amount of mistakes will probably pull through with the victory in this one. With VT quarterback Sean Glennon's tendency to lose the football when hit more times than not, chances are that it'll happen at least once in this game and when it does, Georgia should be able to take full advantage.
Georgia 14 Virginia Tech 10

MPC Computers- Miami (Florida) (+3.5) vs. Nevada: I had a hard time picking this one. Miami quarterback Kyle Wright is out with an injury. Larry Coker was fired and in comes a new head coach. The team has played anything but spectacularly this year. Nevada is 8-4 and winners of seven of their last eight. That one loss was a beatdown at the hands of Boise State, however. It was really difficult for me to pull the trigger in this one, but for some reason, I'm going with the speed, tenacity, and athleticism of Miami's defense. It won't be easy, though. It's never easy when the offense doesn't put up many points on the scoreboard.
Miami (Florida) 24 Nevada 17

Cotton- Auburn (+2) vs. Nebraska: Three Auburn players have already been suspended for this game, including a starting linebacker. Auburn kind of reminds me of the Oklahoma team that just beat the Huskers 21-7 for the Big XII title. If Tiger QB Brandon Cox has enough time to throw the ball and is able to exploit the rather weak secondary of Nebraska, Auburn should come out with the victory. But, if he's getting pressured and they become a one-dimensional offense, it'll be a dogfight. I like the Tigers, in a close one.
Auburn 24 Nebraska 21

Outback- Tennessee (+4.5) vs. Penn State: Just like Wisconsin and Purdue, I'm just not sure how good 8-4 Penn State is. They seem to be fairly stout defensively, but haven't been very consistent on offense this year. I have a hard time believing that they'll be able to keep up with the Vols' quickness and physicality on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Tennessee 24 Penn State 10

Capital One- Arkansas (+1) vs. Wisconsin: Both teams feed off the running game. Any yardage in the passing game for either team will just be a bonus. While Arkansas beat three opponents with winning records in Auburn, South Carolina, and Tennessee, who have a combined record of 26-10 (.722) and they dominated the games against 10-2 Auburn and 9-3 Tennessee, Wisconsin beat two teams with winning records, against Penn State and Purdue, with combined records of 16-9 (.640). The Badgers' schedule ranked 114th out of 119 teams. Even though Arkansas is rather one dimensional, I can't remember anybody slowing down Darren McFadden and the Razorbacks' running game all year. I have a hard time believing the Badgers will either.
Arkansas 31 Wisconsin 17

Gator- West Virginia (+7) vs. Georgia Tech: Word is in that Yellow Jackets' quarterback Reggie Ball will not be playing in this game. If that is a good or bad thing is beyond me. Ball has been dreadfully inconsistent this year and throughout his entire career at Georgia Tech. But, he has been the starter for four years, so I can't imagine the backup is any better. Georgia Tech's defense will keep things from getting too ugly, but the speed on the Mountaineer offense will reign superior in the end.
West Virginia 28 Georgia Tech 17

Rose- USC (+1) vs. Michigan: Who wants this game more? Or, at all? Michigan comes in believing they got shafted by the BCS system and should be playing for a national title. USC had an opportunity to go to the title game with a win over UCLA, but the Bruins had other ideas. With the loss, USC knows they're not worthy of the big game, so I believe they'll be able to focus on this game and not the hypothetical what ifs more so than Michigan. USC is also very young and this gives Pete Carroll a chance to preach to his club that this is the first game of next year's season and to let the college football world know that they're back. Lloyd Carr has had more difficulty in motivating his club for big games, losing five of six to Ohio State and even to Nebraska in last year's bowl game.
USC 24 Michigan 21

Fiesta- Oklahoma (+7.5) vs. Boise State: That's quite the spread against a 12-0 club like Boise State. Adrian Peterson will be back for the game, which should benefit Oklahoma immensely, but I would not look past Boise. They're 12-0 and have beaten 9-4 Oregon State by twenty-eight points. Bob Stoops has struggled in bowl games in recent years. It will be Peterson's first game back in quite some time. Also, we must ask the question, who wants the game more? An Oklahoma squad who's used to being in such games and may feel like they got little respect by being paired up with a WAC opponent or an undefeated Boise State team who wants to let the world know that they're legit? Boise State, most definitely.
Boise State 31 Oklahoma 28

Orange- Louisville (+10) vs. Wake Forest: Wake can be a pain. They run a lot of motion on offense, which can confuse some defenses. I think that will frustrate Louisville for about a half, but the Cardinals should get in a rhythm offensively in the third and into the fourth quarters for the win.
Louisville 31 Wake Forest 21

Sugar- LSU (+9) vs. Notre Dame: Notre Dame lost ugly to Michigan and to USC, the only two teams they faced who were solid on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Well, LSU fits that curriculum as well, and may have even a better defense than either Michigan or USC. With the game in New Orleans and the majority of fans wearing yellow and purple, the Tigers should feast on the Irish.
LSU 31 Notre Dame 14

International- Cincinnati (+8) vs. Western Michigan: It was nice to see the Bearcats go bowling following their 7-5 season against very tough competition, including games against Louisville (11-1), West Virginia (10-2), Rutgers (10-2), Virginia Tech (10-2), and Ohio State (12-0). Western Michigan should keep things fairly low scoring, but they don't have enough on offense to win in the end.
Cincinnati 20 Western Michigan 6

GMAC- Southern Mississippi (+8.5) vs. Ohio: The Bobcats are coming off an annihilation at the hands of Central Michigan in the MAC title game, but they have to be satisfied with the improvement from year 1 to year 2 in the Frank Solich era. Ohio was 4-7 in his first season and 9-4 (including the MAC title game) this year. Southern Miss shouldn't have any problem with the Bobcats, but kudos to Solich and Ohio for their solid season.
Southern Mississippi 24 Ohio 14

BCS Championship- Ohio State (+7.5) vs. Florida: Here it is- THE GAME, #1 vs. #2, to be crowned champion. That's quite a spread for a title game, isn't it? Most analysts aren't giving Florida a chance in this game. With their defense, they always have a chance. Remember, Ohio State's last game came two weeks before Florida's last game. They may be very rusty coming out of the gates in this one. If Florida's offense can run a balanced offense and keep OSU on their heels, they'll have a great chance at pulling off the upset, but I don't see that happening. Florida's defense will keep them in it throughout, but the Heisman Trophy winner will come through (again) for the Buckeyes, to finish the year 13-0.
Ohio State 24 Florida 17

Cowboys 38 Falcons 28

First off, let me say that the NFL Network was tough to listen to. It was my debut experience in listening to the network and let's just say the announcers made it very difficult to listen and not want to bop their heads a few times. It was like listening to some friends of mine and I calling a game. Heck, I imagine we would do a better job, because we actually observe what's going on. How did Bryant Gumbel and Dick Vermeil get the spots? Then, out of nowhere, comes Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders. Vermeil is a great coach, but I wish he'd stick to coaching. I'm not sure what Gumbel is great at. Faulk and Sanders sounded like they should still be playing. So, don't announce. Go out there and play. Oh, you can't anymore? Then don't announce it like you're still one of the current greats in the NFL.

On Atlanta's first drive, Alge Crumpler was pushed in the back before the ball got to him on a 3rd down play. Gumbel and Vermeil were calling it accidental and because of that, it shouldn't be pass interference. Is this why coaches get upset with every call? They don't know what constitutes a penalty and what doesn't? Guys, if the players' feet get tangled with one another, then it can be called accidental. If the defender has his left arm around the back of the receiver and bumps him before the ball gets there, that is pass interference. They went on about this for five minutes (it seemed longer). Perhaps they should be given a Dummy's Guide to the Rules of Football for Christmas or a Cliff's Notes for Football, so they can better follow along during sixty minutes of action.

Toward the end of the game, Michael Vick came out with a minute left and down by 10 points with an apparent groin injury. Gumbel, Faulk, and Sanders got on his case the rest of the game, saying that it would call into question Vick's leadership, Vick as a player, Vick as a teammate, etc. The Falcons were backed up inside their own 10-yard line, with one timeout left, down 38-28, with about a minute left to play. They would need to go 90 yards for a touchdown, recover an onside kick, and gain another few yards to get into field goal range. They'd have to do all this with one timeout in about a minute. What's more important? Having Vick in at quarterback in an almost impossible to win game where all he could do is further injure the groin, enough so, that he'd be out of next week's game against Carolina or limiting the damage as much as possible, so that he's almost certain to go in the final home game against the Panthers? Faulk and Sanders went on and on about how, if they were playing, they'd stay in the game, even with a strained groin. Yeah, right. Deion, a cornerback, would stay in the game with a strained groin? Not going to happen. If he had a banged up finger or arm, then I could see him still playing, because he could still cover a lot of ground with his legs and the guy couldn't tackle anyway. Faulk could play with a strained groin? A tailback and a guy like him, who was just as valuable in the passing game as in the running game? Again, not a chance. While the game on Saturday, just like any other, was important for the Falcons to win. A loss didn't mean the end of the season. If they lost Vick for an extended period of time, then you might as well throw in the towels. Idiots.

Now, on to the game and it was a fun one. It didn't appear to be that way at first when Dallas jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but the Falcons came storming back to score 21 points in the 2nd quarter and tie the game at 21-21 going into halftime. Atlanta continued to build off its momentum at the start of the second half when they drove down the field for the go-ahead touchdown to lead 28-21, their first lead of the game. But, it was all Dallas from there on out. Halfback Marion Barber and wideout Terrell Owens had two touchdowns each in the Cowboys' 38-28 win on Saturday night. This loss dropped the Falcons to 7-7 on the season and are currently ranked 7th in the NFC, one game back of Philly and even with the Giants. But, because of New York's head-to-head win against Atlanta, that gives them the tie-breaker.

So, how about that defense? What Atlanta did in their previous two wins against Washington and Tampa Bay was make big plays on defense and prevent the big plays. They made a big play on defense Saturday, when outside linebacker Michael Boley picked a pass off and ran it down inside the Dallas 20-yard line. But, the Falcons D gave up the big play. Terrell Owens burned Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall early and often. Marion Barber ran all over the Falcons in the second half. The Cowboys had the ability to convert on third and long. The pass rush wasn't all too effective. There were some missed tackles, especially in the second half. I don't know what to say about the defense. They have been inconsistent all year long. When their front seven has played well, their secondary hasn't and vice versa. You won't win many games in the NFL if you allow 38 points. The Falcons D has allowed 27 points or more six times this season. Surprisingly, they're 2-4 in those games. They allowed 38 to Dallas, 31 to New Orleans, 30 to Detroit, 38 to Pittsburgh, 27 to NY Giants, and 27 to Cincinnati. In about 43% of the games this year, the defense has allowed four touchdowns or more. It's hard to win consistently when the defense plays like that.

Offensively, Atlanta played pretty well. Vick was on target for most of the game. The receivers actually made the catches. The line didn't block too well at times and Warrick Dunn had another mediocre game. But, overall, the offense was able to click, generate some solid yardage, make the big play, and keep the defense off balance, through the first three quarters, at least. Vick broke the single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback, which was 968 by Bobby Douglass of the Chicago Bears in 1972. Vick, with his 56 yards on Saturday, now sits at 990 and needs just ten yards in the final two games to be the first NFL quarterback in history to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark rushing. He also tied a career high with four touchdown passes in the game: one to Michael Jenkins, one to Ashley Lelie, and two to fullback Justin Griffith. He had two touchdown passes called back because of penalties, but in both scenarios, he threw another touchdown toss on the very next down. Kicker Morten Andersen also set a record, becoming the NFL's all-time leading scorer. Roddy White played good ball and has shown improvements in the second half of the year as compared to the horrendous first.

What hurt the Falcons most? Five things: Penalties, the 4th down play call, the field goal, the drive, and the slow start. What is with the Falcons and their slow starts? They fell behind 14-0 to Washington before they stormed back and won 24-14 three games ago. They were down 6-0 to Tampa two games ago following two field goals before winning 17-6. Again, they fell back 14-0 to Dallas, before coming back to take a 28-21 lead in the third quarter. Ill-timed penalties made things very difficult for the Falcons in this game. The penalties either backed them deep into their own territory, erased an interception, or took back two touchdowns. The 48-yard 3rd quarter field goal by Martin Gramatica was overlooked by the announcers, but that was a huge play in the game. Atlanta was up 28-21 at that point when Dallas looked to be on the move. The defense came up with a couple big plays though, including a big sack of Tony Romo on third down to force a much longer field goal than anticipated. If Gramatica had missed, it would've set up the Falcons in great field position with a chance to increase their lead to ten or even fourteen with all the momentum they could have ever dreamed up at that point in the game. But, Gramatica nailed it, to trim the lead to four, erase any chance of the Falcons getting the ball in great field position with a seven point edge, and stripping away the temporary momentum the defense had attained through the sack. With Atlanta down 31-28 in the 4th quarter, Jim Mora decided to go for it on a 4th and 1 in Dallas territory. What was the play call? A play action pass. While Dunn wasn't exceptional in the game, I'd hope that the guy could be counted on for a 4th and 1. What about Vick? Run him to the outside and give him the option of running or throwing the ball. Atlanta tried to get cute (which they did a lot of in this game) and it didn't work. Some like to point to that play as being Vick's fault, since Alge Crumpler was wide open, but as can be seen by the play call and Vick's positioning on the field, unless the guy truly had eyes in the back of his head, there was no way he could have spotted Crumpler and thrown the ball to him. It was just a bad play call. That's all there is to it. Finally, THE DRIVE. This happened against Baltimore, New Orleans, and now Dallas. Atlanta was within one possession of these teams in the 4th quarter when their defense got pounded for a double-digit play, 7-9 minute drive, which took the breath out of the team and gave the offense little to no chance at coming back. Atlanta pulled to within 17-10 of Baltimore when the Ravens did this to win 24-10. Atlanta was within 21-13 when New Orleans did this. Finally, this past Saturday, the Falcons were within 31-28 when Dallas marched down the field in almost eight minutes to drain the clock and the life out of Atlanta.

Word has it that Michael Vick, John Abraham, Jerious Norwood, and Jason Webster are all likely to play on Sunday against Carolina. While it's not a "must win" game for Atlanta, if they want to control their own destiny, they better win out. It's a much more comfortable situation to win and not have to worry about what other teams do. Atlanta has lost four of seven home games this year, including their last three. I sincerely hope that they are able to snap out of that odd funk this upcoming Sunday. There are three games Falcons' fans should keep their eyes on this weekend: Dallas/Philadelphia, NY Giants/New Orleans, and of course Carolina/Atlanta. If either the Eagles or Giants lose on Sunday, Atlanta would still have a chance to make the playoffs even if they lose to the Panthers. It'd be much more comforting if the Eagles lost to the Cowboys, because Philly plays Atlanta in the final week of the season. Philly would then enter the game at 8-7, Atlanta at 7-8 and if the Falcons won, would win the tie-breaker between the two clubs based on head-to-head. The Giants currently own the head-to-head tie breaker on the Falcons, so the only way Atlanta can move past New York is if they finish a game ahead of them in the standings. The only way that's likely possible is for Atlanta to win out and for the Giants to lose to the Saints. Anything's possible. As long as the Falcons win their final two, they'll be fine, but we must root against the Eagles and Giants, just in case.

Another ESPN Idiot on Michigan's Side

Let me copy and taste the article and then I will give my take on it. Here you go:

Ohio State, Michigan prove to be class of Big Ten

By Bruce Hooley
Special to ESPN.com

The Big Ten plays for its share -- OK, more than its share -- of goofy trophies, like a bronze pig, a spittoon, an oversized axe and a wooden turtle.

What then, to give Michigan for joining the unenviable fraternity of worthy national championship game participants hosed by the ever-changing-yet-still-never-getting-it-right Bowl Championship Series formula?

How about The Golden Screw?

Congratulations, Lloyd Carr and the Wolverines.

Hey, and while we're at it, let's give the Platinum Dagger to Bret Bielema and the boys up there at Wisconsin.

Here you go, guys, enjoy it … right between the shoulder blades.

In a year where the Big Ten could be celebrating a historic monopoly on the BCS title game participants, Michigan won't get the chance to play Ohio State for the national championship.

And Wisconsin, despite an 11-1 record, a No. 7 ranking in the BCS standings and a spot as high as fifth in the polls, won't get in any of the five most lucrative and prestigious bowls because no conference can have more than two participants. (And, because, well, you know, we gotta make room for Notre Dame and that snazzy 26-point loss to Michigan and impressive 20-point beat down by USC).

The Wolverines made a compelling argument all season that they were, indeed, the nation's second-best team.

Too bad they eventually were undone by several unpardonable sins:

• Losing by three points on the consensus No. 1 team's home field, where the third set of sod this season afforded the same secure footing an ice rink offers someone in tap shoes.

• Concluding its season by Nov. 18, thus giving Florida the chance to impress brain dead voters with a rout of the always-stuborn Division I-AA Western Carolina Kick-Me-Hards, and an Arkansas club in the SEC championship game that can't pass a lick.

• Refusing to engage in the same posturing of Florida coach Urban Meyer, who whined and complained about everyone from university presidents to poll voters when a Michigan-Ohio State rematch looked like a certain fallback if USC fell to UCLA.

Carr declined to go that route, saying it wouldn't be good for the game. He meant the entire sport, of course, while Meyer's look at the issue was more, shall we say, Gatorcentric.

Does anyone see the irony of Meyer successfully lobbying about the unfairness of an OSU-Michigan rematch, when the only national championship trophy in his program's history came courtesy of a rematch in 1996 after a regular-season loss to Florida State?

Let's see, what was the score back then? Oh, Florida State 24, Florida 21.

And about five weeks later in the Sugar Bowl it was Florida 52, Florida State 20.

Yeah, Urban.

You're right.

Rematches are so unfair.

Link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2688353

Notice that only Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin were brought up from the eleven team Big Ten conference. Why is that? Oh, let's just say that the other eight weren't too impressive this year. We have 8-4 Penn State whose only win against a team with a winning record was 8-5 Purdue. How many wins did the Boilermakers have against opponents with a winning record? Zero. There's 6-6 Iowa and Minnesota. Indiana finished 5-7, Michigan State and Northwestern at 4-8, and Illinois at 2-10. How many wins did 11-1 Wisconsin have against winning teams? Two. Who were they? Penn State and Purdue. If one were to look at the winning percentages of team's opponents, Wisconsin had the 114th toughest schedule in the nation (119 teams), as their opponents had a winning percentage of .401. Beautiful, isn't it? Yeah, we'll see how porous Arkansas' passing game is against the Badgers. They may not need to pass. That's the beautiful thing about it. Notre Dame, meanwhile, beat UCLA (7-5), Georgia Tech (9-4), Purdue (8-5), and Navy (9-3). Yeah, they got hammered by the likes of Michigan and USC. Wisconsin lost to Michigan, as well and only have two victories against weak conference opponents with winning records. I think Notre Dame is overrated, but they're more deserving of a BCS bowl than Wisconsin.

On to Michigan. Why do people have to point to the final score like that truly signifies how tightly Michigan played the Buckeyes all game long? Did these people actually watch the game? Excluding Michigan's first drive, which they scored a touchdown on, was there ever any doubt who was the better team and who had control of the game? If not for a phantom interference call on Michigan's final drive, we wouldn't even be having this discussion, because Michigan would've lost by a more indicative 42-31 score. Was it a good game? It was pretty good, but not the game of the century, the decade, the year, or even the week. Ohio State controlled the game from about midway in the first quarter through the rest of the game. They ran the ball all over the Wolverines defense. Troy Smith stepped it up when he had to. Ohio State lost the turnover battle by 3! Three! They turned it over three times compared to a goose egg for Michigan and still, the Buckeyes basically won by 11 points. Ohio State was and is the better team, plain and simple. So, why is there any need for a rematch?

Ohio State has appeared to be the best team in the country from start to finish this year. Do I think Florida, USC, Louisville, or LSU could beat them? I don't know, but Michigan was given a three turnover handicap and they still basically lost by two scores. They had their chance, were given plenty of opportunities, and lost the football game. It's time for someone else to get a crack at the Buckeyes.

What was with that final note of Hooley's? Yeah, the game back in 1996! That was ten years ago. This is Urban Meyer's second year at Florida. He had NOTHING to do with the program in '96. What, because he's a member of the Gators now, that makes him somehow responsible for all of its past history? The 62-24 loss to Nebraska? That rematch victory against Florida State? Recruiting the likes of Danny Weurffel, Reche Caldwell, and Alex Brown? What, should we start shouting out at Rich Rodriguez for things that happened during Don Nehlen's tenure at West Virginia? Jim Tressel in regard to John Cooper's years in Columbus? Who knows what Urban Meyer would've done or said back in '96 if he was in Gainesville. He wasn't in Gainesville. Geez. Oh, and this just in, Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan is reportedly getting fired for an embarrassing loss in Happy Valley a few years ago when Frank Solich led the team.

Rumor that Vick to Start at Tailback

Because of injuries to starting and back-up tailbacks Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood, there have been rumors circulating talk radio and "the internets" that the Falcons are pondering the possibility of starting quarterback Michael Vick at tailback and starting backup quarterback Matt Schaub at the quarterback position for their Saturday night game against Dallas. Head coach Jim Mora has called out since the rumors began circulating that it's too late in the season to make any kind of drastic change like that. But, if it were true, I will give reasons why it'd be one of the dumbest moves the Falcons could make:

1) Vick is not built like a running back. The guy attempts to fall down, dive, or get out of bounds as much as he possibly can when his hands are on the football to avoid hits. The guy is not a running back.

2) The move would make Vick much more susceptible to an injury. Atlanta still has two games to go following their Saturday night contest with Dallas. Even if they lose to the Cowboys, they'll be right in the thick of the playoff race at 7-7 with games left in 6-7 Carolina and 7-6 Philadelphia. Now's not the time to put your star quarterback in extra harm's way.

3) Vick's biggest weakness is his sometimes careless manner of carrying the football. He's been known to fumble it a few times and this is just in the backfield or when he carries the ball five to ten times a game. This isn't when the guy is lined up as a tailback and expected to carry it 20 to 30 times.

4) Justin Griffith, the guy who would ordinarily get the start if Dunn and Norwood were both hurt, is a solid tailback. For a starting fullback, he's very quick, athletic, and versatile and can do a lot of things out of the backfield, including block, catch, and run. The guy outran Dunn, Norwood, and Vick last weekend against Tampa. Why make a drastic move by switching your quarterback over to running back when your #3 guy is very fit for that position in the first place?

5) Matt Schaub has taken how many snaps this year? Under ten? How many balls has he thrown? Three? He has no rhythm or chemistry with the rest of the offense right now. Starting him and moving Vick to running back for a game would completely obliterate the offensive chemistry that the Falcons have built through thirteen games.

6) Moving Vick to running back would take the ball out of his hands on many snaps in the game. Vick is one of the most dangerous players when his hands are on the football and fortunately, for the Falcons, his hands are on the ball every offensive snap.

7) This move would show a lack of confidence in Griffith as a running back and Vick as a quarterback. The coaches may say that they're only moving Vick for this one game due to injuries, but will he see it like that? Griffith put on a solid showing last week. What's his reward? To go back to fullback when both true halfbacks are hurt. Why tinker with the mental and emotional chemistry of the team?

8) It's crazy and ludicrous to make these moves in the fourteenth game of the season, especially when you're right in the thick of the playoff race. If the Falcons were 4-9 and had nothing really to play for, then I guess they could toy around with the idea, to see what happened. But, that's not the case. They're 7-6 and currently tied for 5th in the NFC. Now's not the time to move a quarterback to running back, a backup quarterback to starting quarterback, or a place kicker to tight end.

9) What will this due for fans in Atlanta? Saturday night is a home game. The last time the Falcons played at home was in their loss to the Saints, when a Falcon fan had some unkind words for Vick and Vick returned the favor by raising a couple fingers (no, not a peace sign). Atlanta also isn't the most "black friendly" city in the country. I've read from several sources that many in Atlanta want to see Schaub start. Nevermind the fact that Vick is second in team history in wins, is third in NFL history in rushing yards for a quarterback, has led them to the NFC Championship all but two years ago. No, they want to see Schaub. I'll never forget the ovation Schaub received a couple games ago at home when Vick was out for one play. He received a huge ovation. What will truly happen if Schaub starts at quarterback and Vick at running back? It could get ugly.

10) Dallas coach Bill Parcells basically said that he hopes Vick starts at running back, for the simple fact that he won't have his hands on the ball every snap. If the opposing coach says it's in his best interests, then guess what, it's not in yours!