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      2010 NFL Week 5 Picks

      October 10, 2010 /
      MINNEAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings warms up prior to the start of the game against the Miami Dolphins on September 19, 2010 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

      The Bills cost me my first perfect weekend in the NFL with their embarrassing display of football against the Jets last Sunday. But I won’t let them ruin my otherwise stellar 3-1 week.

      Let’s keep the good times rolling – ah, WOO-HOO!

      Packers at. Redskins, 1:00PM ET
      The injuries are starting to pile up for Green Bay, who finds itself a 2.5-point favorite in Washington this Sunday. The Redskins were fortunate Michael Vick went down last week and they were able to grind out a win on the road, but that’s not to say that this is a bad football team. They played tough at home against the Cowboys and Texans to start the season and I think they get an outright win this Sunday. Brian Orakpo records at least one sack and spends most of the afternoon tormenting Aaron Rodgers.
      THE PICK: REDSKINS +2.5

      Vikings at. Jets, 8:30PM ET
      This one scares me a little because there’s no doubt Johnny Public is sucking the teet of the Vikings after they acquired Randy Moss on Wednesday. The line opened at 4.5 and is already down to 3.5 and I fear it could be a field goal game by kickoff on Monday night. That said, I love Minnesota here, but I worry about where Brett Favre’s head is at for this one. Will it be on the Jets or will it be…actually, I’ve decided not to finish that sentence.
      THE PICK: VIKINGS +3.5

      Broncos at. Ravens, 1:00PM ET
      The Broncos are far from a great football team and I struggle to even say that they’re good. But they continue to be an underrated play. The Ravens are coming off two straight divisional games and are now laying a touchdown at home against a non-divisional opponent. It’s only natural that Baltimore suffers a letdown this Sunday coming off its huge win over Pittsburgh last week and Denver could take advantage. The Broncos proved last week against the Titans that they can win on the road. I like the dog here.
      THE PICK: BRONCOS +7

      Jaguars at. Bills, 1:00PM ET
      To show that I’m not afraid of the Bills, I’m going right back to the well again this week. This is a trap game of epic proportions. The Jaguars are coming off a dramatic upset of the Colts last Sunday, while the Bills forgot what time their game with the Jets started and were absolutely waxed. So why, oh why, would I take Buffalo and actually lay a point? Because Jacksonville is about to suffer the mother of all letdowns – that’s why. Why has the line gone from Bills +1 to Bills –1? Who the hell is betting on the Bills after last week? Don’t be fooled by the line – take the Bills and lay the point.
      THE PICK: BILLS -1

      Season Record: 6-5-1

      External Sports, NFL

      Spartans humanize Denard Robinson, make it three straight against “big brother”

      October 9, 2010 /
      MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 26: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Michigan State Spartans looks to pass the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers on September 26, 2009 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

      Michigan State might be changing the pecking order in Michigan. With its third straight win today against Michigan, the Spartans may be soon taking control of the moniker “big brother.”

      In a battle of unbeaten teams that had captured the undivided attention of most of the state, the Spartans put in a fairly dominant performance against Michigan at Big House, winning 34-17. It’s the first three-game winning streak in the series for Sparty since the 1960s, and this one was definitely the sweetest of the three.

      Michigan State’s ability to move the ball on Michigan — to the tune of 536 yards of total offense — wasn’t a surprise. What the Spartans defense did to Heisman Trophy front-runner Denard Robinson, however, was.

      Robinson had 84 yards rushing on 21 carries, which for him might as well have been negative yardage. It was his performance through the air, though, that put the biggest dent in his Heisman campaign, and — dare I say it — cost Michigan the game. Robinson not only threw three interceptions, but he also missed on a couple of would-be big plays in the passing game. Granted, his receivers didn’t really help him out a ton — Roy Roundtree dropped a perfectly thrown touchdown pass — but it was proven today that Robinson still struggles when he’s forced to make proper reads and deliver a pass in a tight spot.

      So how did the Spartans do it? They have great linebackers, but it was some great play up front at times that helped corral Robinson before he could get started — which is always the key with him. They also decided at times that even if they didn’t get him right away, they weren’t going to let him break a big run. This resulted in a few trips to the red zone for the Wolverines, which is apparently their kryptonite. Their offense is predicated on getting athletes in space, winning one-on-one speed battles and breaking the big one. When the defense can collapse on them in a confined space like we saw today, they aren’t nearly as effective.

      But back to the Michigan defense, which continues to be an absolute disgrace. It started out strong, but the Spartans ground attack eventually overwhelmed Michigan, gaining 261 yards, including 149 from Edwin Baker.

      Going forward, Michigan State has a very manageable schedule. Ohio State is absent, and the biggest hurdle remaining is a road game at Iowa. Granted, that’s a pretty big hurdle, but the Spartans going 12-0 is not at all out of the realm of possibility. How’s that for little brother?

      Michigan, meanwhile, has Iowa at home next week, a team that has the defensive front to stop Robinson, and enough offense to put up a lot of points against Michigan. Illinois no longer looks like a gimme for the Wolverines, and the finishing games with Wisconsin and Ohio State will be real tough. Eight wins is a definite possibility — maybe probability — but then again, so is seven. And does 7-5 keep Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor for another year?

      College Football, External Sports

      Will Alabama loss cost the the Tide (and the SEC) a shot at the national title?

      October 9, 2010 /
      AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 25: Quarterback Stephen Garcia of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks to pass against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      The Southeastern Conference may have lost its stranglehold on the national championship today.

      South Carolina shocked the world (OK, so it wasn’t exactly the biggest upset ever, but it was still pretty big) when it knocked off No. 1 Alabama 35-21 this afternoon. The win is huge for Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks, who were showing signs of being a legitimate SEC title contender this season. It’s also vindication for Stephen Garcia, the much-maligned South Carolina quarterback who could only watch from the bench two weeks ago as his team lost to Auburn.

      But for the conference, it could be a big problem. In most years a one-loss SEC team makes the title game without hesitation, but this isn’t most years. This year is all about the Boise State argument, and don’t look now, but TCU is still undefeated, and Ohio State might not have anyone on its schedule that can beat it. And, oh yeah, that team in Eugene, Ore. is looking pretty good this year, too.

      Basically, the chances of there being two undefeated teams at the end of the season are pretty high right now, and while Alabama (or heck, South Carolina) would have played one heck of a schedule if it runs the table the rest of the way, keeping out one of the undefeated teams would start quite an uproar.

      I am personally of the belief that while the SEC is probably still the country’s toughest conference, you can’t keep an undefeated Boise State team out of the championship game. The Broncos have done enough over the past few years to show they’re not a fluke, and it would be high time they got their shot.

      What do you think? Should a one-loss Alabama (or SEC) team get a title shot over Boise?

      College Football, External Sports

      It’s time for Joe Paterno to let Penn State move on

      October 9, 2010 /
      TUSCALOOSA, AL - SEPTEMBER 11: Head coach Joe Paterno of the Penn State Nittany Lions walks out onto the field during warmups before facing the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 11, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      I’m not the first person to write that headline. Heck, I wouldn’t have been the first had I written it 10 years ago.

      But after today’s showing against Illinois, and this season in general, I think we can all agree that it’s time for Joe Paterno to step down at Penn State and let a new regime come in. In all honesty, he probably should have hung it up last year, as Daryll Clark walked out the door with a host of seniors, leaving behind a young team in a rebuilding state.

      There’s no need for Joe Paterno to go through any kind of rebuilding, not at 83 years old. He probably didn’t need to be going through it as a 76-year-old, either, but he did and managed to make it out with a few more quality seasons. Whether or not that was good for the future of the Penn State program, who knows. I don’t know what coaches would have taken that job in 2004 or 2005, and even if I did, there’s no way to say they would have succeeded.

      But now — with a young team that, even though it’s hitting some serious bumps in the road this year, has quite a bit of talent — would be a good time for Paterno to hand the reins to someone else. Whether it’s his son Jay or Greg Schiano (not the wisest move, in my opinion) or a great up-and-coming coach like a Jim Harbaugh (this is the best-case scenario for Penn State), it’s time.

      Paterno has given more to college football than most anyone in history. He basically put Penn State on the map, and that will never be forgotten. But he needs to realize that now is clearly the time to step away and let the program grow without him.

      College Football, External Sports

      Nothing at noon: Early college football slate has been boring

      October 9, 2010 /
      CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 02: Terrelle Pryor of the Ohio State Buckeyes leads teammates including Justin Boren , Dan Herron and Mike Adams off the field during a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on October 2, 2010 in Champaign, Illinois. Ohio State defeated Illinois 24-13. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

      If you like to sleep in on Saturdays (like, really sleep in), you’ve been in luck. The noon (eastern) slate of college football games this season has been both lacking big-time games, and any kind of surprises. It’s essentially the bad Big Ten and ACC games, and maybe lower-level SEC matchup.

      I imagine it has a lot to do with television, and the networks trying to get the biggest games in the prime spots (3:30 and 8). But in year’s past, I seem to remember there being some noon games that were worth watching. And even if they weren’t worth turning on at the start, there always seemed to be at least one game that you saw the score for that made you turn on the TV.

      Outside of Florida’s scare against Miami (OH) in Week 1, South Carolina’s win over Georgia in Week 2 and Miami’s win over Clemson last week, there really hasn’t been that much to watch early in the day. And really, none of those were all that exciting. This is surprising in a year where college football has had a ton of big games with a lot of hype. As a couch potato who loves to come home from my morning duties and take in some football right away, I’m very dismayed by this.

      Sure, the 3:30 and 8 time slots are great, but if you plan on focusing on one game, the others might as well not even be on. Plus, some of the bigger games get pushed completely off of television in different markets. For instance, last week’s 8 p.m. ABC game in Michigan was Notre Dame vs. Boston College. If you’re not a Notre Dame fan (or I suppose a BC fan, but there’s really not many of those in this state), that doesn’t do much for you. The mirror game on ESPN2 was Washington at USC, which turned out to be a good game, but really doesn’t draw that much interest in the Midwest.

      One of last week’s biggest games, Stanford at Oregon, wasn’t even on TV, and I’m not just talking about my crappy basic digital package at home. Buffalo Wild Wings, which has like 75 TVs, didn’t have the game on because it wasn’t available. You’re telling me Notre Dame at Boston College couldn’t have been moved to the noon time slot where people in the Midwest and East (the obvious major markets for that game) could have been awake and watching?

      Surely there are more pressing issues in college football right now, but this dearth of noon games seems to be the easiest to fix. So get on it, NCAA, because not only is this boring me early in the day, but it’s really making it hard to find things to write about before 3:30.

      College Football, External Sports

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