College Football Week 6 Picks

It’s week six of the 2014 College Football season, which is significant for one reason: a team could become bowl eligible this week.

However, most teams will accomplish that feat in the next few weeks, as only Texas A&M and Nebraska have five wins and play this week.  A new set of bowl projections will come out next week.

Last Week:  21-5 (.808)

Overall:  126-22 (.851)

Arizona vs. #2 Oregon

Louisville vs. Syracuse

Utah State vs. #18 BYU

Wake Forest vs. #1 Florida State

#3 Alabama vs. #11 Ole Miss (Ole Miss is a nice story, but I don’t think they measure up against Alabama.)

#4 Oklahoma vs. #25 TCU

#15 LSU vs. #5 Auburn

#6 Texas A&M vs. #12 Mississippi State (See comment about Alabama vs. Ole Miss and apply here.)

#7 Baylor vs. Texas

Utah vs. #8 UCLA

#14 Stanford vs. #9 Notre Dame

#19 Nebraska vs. #10 Michigan State

Vanderbilt vs. #13 Georgia

Arizona State vs. #16 USC

#17 Wisconsin vs. Northwestern

#20 Ohio State vs. Maryland (Maybe this is where Maryland gets their true welcome to the Big Ten Conference.)

Iowa State vs. #21 Oklahoma State

SMU vs. #22 East Carolina (This is probably the only top-25 team, pretty much assured of a win.)

Texas Tech vs. #23 Kansas State

Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina (The Tar Heels can’t stop anybody.)

NC State vs. Clemson

Miami (FL) vs. Georgia Tech

Pittsburgh vs. Virginia

Florida vs. Tennessee (With two teams evenly matched, got to go with the home team.)

South Carolina vs. Kentucky (It’s been awhile since the Gamecocks were included with the non-top-25 teams from the SEC.)

NFL Picks Week 4

There is not a whole lot to say, except with all of the issues going on in the NFL (and not to belittle them either), but let’s concentrate on the games.

Last Week: 12-4 (.750)

Overall:  30-18 (.625)

Giants vs. Redskins

Packers vs. Bears

Bills vs. Texans

Titans vs. Colts

Panthers vs. Ravens (Panthers are looking for running backs.  I mean if you have ever been a running back, or maybe even wanted to be a running back, the Panthers might want to talk to you.)

Lions vs. Jets

Buccaneers vs. Steelers (It’s probably not going to get any easier for Tampa Bay.)

Dolphins vs. Raiders

Jaguars vs. Chargers

Falcons vs. Vikings (It does manage to stay easy for Atlanta, one week after pummeling Tampa Bay.)

Eagles vs. 49ers

Saints vs. Cowboys

Patriots vs. Chiefs

College Football Week 5 Picks

Many schools are beginning their conference schedules this week, meaning the games get tougher, and the picks get even tougher.

There seems to be a lot more parity across college football this year.  Look at last week’s wins by East Carolina (over North Carolina) and Indiana (over Missouri) as examples; or it could simply be luck.

In case you missed them, don’t forget to check out the bowl projections.  They will be updated after next week’s games.

Last Week:  19-5 (.792)

Overall:  105-17 (.861)

#11 UCLA vs. #15 Arizona State

Texas Tech vs. #24 Oklahoma State

#1 Florida State vs. North Carolina State (This is normally a tough game for the Seminoles, but they got their scare from Clemson.)

Louisiana Tech vs. #5 Auburn

Arkansas vs. #6 Texas A&M (Interesting game for both teams, because it’s an opportunity to see if both teams are for real.)

#7 Baylor vs. Iowa State

#8 Notre Dame vs. Syracuse

Wyoming vs. #9 Michigan State

Memphis vs. #10 Ole Miss

Tennessee vs. #12 Georgia

Missouri vs. #13 South Carolina (Is the home-field advantage for the Gamecocks a greater advantage than a team wanting to put an embarrassing loss behind them?)

#16 Stanford vs. Washington (Upset game of the week.)

New Mexico State vs. #17 LSU

Oregon State vs. #18 USC

South Florida vs. #19 Wisconsin

Illinois vs. #21 Nebraska

Cincinnati vs. #22 Ohio State

UTEP vs. #25 Kansas State

Colorado State vs. Boston College

Western Michigan vs. Virginia Tech

Akron vs. Pittsburgh

Wake Forest vs. Louisville

Kent State vs. Virginia

North Carolina vs. Clemson (Which team has more to play for: one who lost to East Carolina or one who choked away a win against the #1 team in the country?)

Duke vs. Miami (FL)

Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky (A month ago, I thought this would be all Vanderbilt, but it has swung the other way.)

College Football Picks Week 4

With a few minor exceptions, this season in providing all of the reasons why you love college football.  So far, many of the close games have been close, and even some of the predicted blow-outs, have been nail-biters.

Last Week:  23-6 (.793)

Overall:  86-12 (.878)

#5 Auburn vs. #20 Kansas State

#22 Clemson vs. #1 Florida State (The Seminoles should be able to weather any sort of storm that comes with QB Jameis Winston being suspended for the first half.)

#2 Oregon vs. Washington State

Florida vs. #3 Alabama

#4 Oklahoma vs. West Virginia

#6 Texas A&M vs. SMU

Mississippi State vs. #8 LSU

Eastern Michigan vs. #11 Michigan State

Troy vs. #13 Georgia

#14 South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt (Gamecock fans might wonder why they are not getting any respect in the polls.  A dominating win over the Commodores rather than a normal game against Vanderbilt would help greatly.)

Indiana vs. #18 Missouri

Bowling Green vs. #19 Wisconsin

Virginia vs. #21 BYU

Miami (FL) vs. #24 Nebraska

Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech

Iowa vs. Pittsburgh

Maryland vs. Syracuse

Tulane vs. Duke

Maine vs. Boston College

Louisville vs. FIU

Army vs. Wake Forest

North Carolina vs. East Carolina (It’s hard to believe that East Carolina is favored in this game.)

Presbyterian vs. North Carolina State

Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas (The Razorbacks should win, but if there is a team that needs to be on upset alert, it is Arkansas.)

NFL Picks Week 3

Three weeks into the 2014 NFL season, and Roger Goodell and the league office is hoping the attention shifts back to being about what is happening on the field, rather than off it.

Last week:  10-6 (.625)

Overall:  18-14 (.563)

Buccaneers vs. Falcons

Chargers vs. Bills

Cowboys vs. Rams

Redskins vs. Eagles

Texans vs. Giants

Vikings vs. Saints (New Orleans is an unexpected 0-2 to start the season, they should get in the win column this week.)

Titans vs. Bengals

Ravens vs. Browns (Very impressed by the Browns, but Baltimore is better.)

Packers vs. Lions

Colts vs. Jaguars

Raiders vs. Patriots

49ers vs. Cardinals

Broncos vs. Seahawks (The Broncos might be the better team, if this is on a neutral field.)

Chiefs vs. Dolphins

Steelers vs. Panthers

Bears vs. Jets

2014-15 Bowl Projections: Struggling to fill the Bowls

Through three weeks of the college football season, many schools are getting ready to take on their conference schedules.  That means it will become more apparent which teams are destined for a top bowl, and which might struggle to make a bowl.

Speaking of struggling to make a bowl, with the additional bowl games this year, it is becoming a challenge to fill all of the bowl games.  Based on my predictions, there were just enough teams, plus a predicted 6-7 Hawaii team.  Should something like this become a reality, there are provisions on how to fill the bowls.

These new projections also reflect Penn State now being eligible for a bowl.

Note:  It has not been determined which of the semifinal games will be played in which bowl.  In 2014, the rotation awards the games to the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.  The #1 and #4 ranked teams will be in one game, while the other will be between the second and third ranked teams.  Which bowl will host each game, has not been determined.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF	TEAM	TEAM
Rose Bowl Game Presented By Northwestern Mutual Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California Thursday, January 1st 5:00 p.m. – ESPN	Florida State	Alabama
Allstate Sugar Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana Thursday, January 1st 8:30 p.m. – ESPN	Oklahoma	Wisconsin
College Football Playoff National Championship Game AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas Monday, January 12th 8:30 p.m. – ESPN	Rose Bowl Game Winner	Allstate Sugar Bowl Winner
OTHER ‘BIG’ BOWLS	TEAM	TEAM
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Georgia Dome – Atlanta, Georgia Wednesday, December 31st 1:00 p.m. – ESPN	Penn State	LSU
Fiesta Bowl University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, Arizona Wednesday, December 31st 5:00 p.m. – ESPN	Michigan State	Oregon
Orange Bowl Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida Wednesday, December 31st 8:30 p.m. – ESPN	Virginia Tech	Auburn
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas Thursday, January 1st 1:00 p.m. – ESPN	Louisiana Tech	UCLA
BOWL	TEAM	TEAM
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana Saturday, December 20th 11:00 am – ESPN	Colorado State	Louisiana-Lafayette
Gildan New Mexico Bowl University Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico Saturday, December 20th 2:20 p.m. – ESPN	Florida Atlantic	San Diego State
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, Nevada Saturday, December 20th 3:30 p.m. – ABC	Boise State	Arizona
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Bronco Stadium – Boise, Idaho Saturday, December 20th 5:45 p.m. – ESPN	Ohio	Nevada
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl Cramton Bowl Montgomery, Alabama Saturday, December 20th 9:15 p.m. – ESPN	Ball State	Arkansas State
Miami Beach Bowl Marlins Park – Miami, Florida Monday, December 22nd 2:00 p.m. – TBD	BYU	UCF
Boca Raton Bowl FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Florida Tuesday, December 23rd 6:00 p.m. – ESPN	Middle Tennessee	Toledo
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, California Tuesday, December 23rd 9:30 p.m. – ESPN	Fresno State	Navy
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas Wednesday, December 24th 12:00 p.m. – ESPN	UTSA	Bowling Green
Hawaii Bowl Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii Wednesday, December 24th 8:00 p.m. – ESPN	Marshall	Hawaii
Heart of Dallas Bowl Cotton Bowl Stadium Dallas, Texas Friday, December 26th 1:00 p.m. – ESPN	Utah State	Rice
Quick Lane Bowl Ford Field – Detroit, Michigan Friday, December 26th 4:30 p.m. – ESPN	Central Michigan	North Carolina State
BITCOIN St. Petersburg Bowl Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, Florida Friday, December 26th 8:00 p.m. – ESPN	Miami (FL)	Houston
Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman Navy-Marine Corps. Stadium Annapolis, Maryland Saturday, December 27th 1:00 p.m. – ESPN	Duke	South Florida
Hyundai Sun Bowl Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas Saturday, December 27th 2:00 p.m. – CBS	Louisville	Oregon State
Duck Commander Independence Bowl Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana Saturday, December 27th 4:00 p.m. – ESPN2	Georgia Tech	UTEP
New Era Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York Saturday, December 27th 4:30 p.m. – ESPN	Pittsburgh	Minnesota
National University Holiday Bowl Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, California Saturday, December 27th 8:00 p.m. – ESPN	Iowa	Washington
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memphis, Tennessee Monday, December 29th 2:00 p.m. – ESPN	TCU	Ole Miss
Russell Athletic Bowl Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida Monday, December 29th 5:30 p.m. – ESPN	North Carolina	Baylor
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl NRG Stadium – Houston, Texas Monday, December 29th 9:00 p.m. – ESPN	Kansas State	Florida
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl LP Field – Nashville, Tennessee Tuesday, December 30th 3:00 p.m. – ESPN	Michigan	Georgia
Belk Bowl Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina Tuesday, December 30th 6:30 p.m. – ESPN	Clemson	Mississippi State
San Francisco Bowl Levi’s Stadium Santa Clara, California Tuesday, December 30th 10:00 p.m. – ESPN	Rutgers	Stanford
Capital One Bowl Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida Thursday, January 1st 1:00 p.m. – ABC	Nebraska	Texas A&M
Outback Bowl Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida Thursday, January 1st 1:00 p.m. – ESPN2	Ohio State	South Carolina
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, Texas Friday, January 2nd 12:00 p.m. – ESPN	Texas	Connecticut
TaxSlayer Bowl EverBank Field Jacksonville, Florida Friday, January 2nd 3:20 p.m. – ESPN	Notre Dame	Missouri
Valero Alamo Bowl Alamodome San Antonio, Texas Friday, January 2nd 6:45 p.m. – ESPN	Oklahoma State	USC
Cactus Bowl Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona Friday, January 2nd 10:15 p.m. – ESPN	West Virginia	Arizona State
Birmingham Bowl Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama Saturday, January 3rd 1:00 p.m. – ESPN/ESPN2	South Alabama	Cincinnati
GoDaddy Bowl Ladd-Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama Sunday, January 4th 9:00 p.m. – ESPN	Northern Illinois	Louisiana-Monroe

Disclaimer:  I have come up with these projections on my own, based on predicting each team’s record for the upcoming season.  Any likenesses to the real experts is purely coincidental.  If you wish to share, please give credit to where credit is due.

NFL Picks Week 2

Much like half of the NFL teams, week two of the season means a rebound and getting back to the winning ways.  Luckily, the season is not over for the teams who lost in their first week, or for me.

Last Week:  8-8 (.500)

Steelers vs. Ravens (It will be interesting to see how the Ravens play after all that has happened this week.)

Dolphins vs. Bills

Jaguars vs. Redskins

Cowboys vs. Titans

Cardinals vs. Giants

Patriots vs. Vikings

Saints vs. Browns (Can Cleveland carry over its second half success against Pittsburgh to this game.)

Falcons vs. Bengals

Lions vs. Panthers

Rams vs. Buccaneers

Seahawks vs. Chargers

Texans vs. Raiders

Jets vs. Packers

Chiefs vs. Broncos

Bears vs. 49ers

Eagles vs. Colts

Week Three College Football Picks

Three weeks into the 2014 College Football season, and you begin to see which teams are living up to expectations, and which ones are not.  Unlike previous years, there is no precedent for knowing how the selection committee will base early season losses.  Under the BCS, losing early was not always catastrophic.

Last Week:  31-3 (.912)

Overall:  63-6 (.913)

Houston vs. #25 BYU

#8 Baylor vs. Buffalo

Wyoming vs. #2 Oregon

Southern Miss vs. #3 Alabama

Tennessee vs. #4 Oklahoma

#6 Georgia vs. #24 South Carolina (The SEC East could be decided in this game.  Plus, a lot of questions will be answered about both teams in this game.)

Rice vs. #7 Texas A&M

#9 USC vs. Boston College (Based on when and what channel this game is airing on, you would think this would be a great game.  It won’t be.)

UL-Monroe vs. #10 LSU

Purdue vs. #11 Notre Dame

#12 UCLA vs. Texas

LA-Lafayette vs. #14 Ole Miss

Army vs. #15 Stanford

#16 Arizona State vs. Colorado

East Carolina vs. #17 Virginia Tech

UCF vs. #20 Missouri

#21 Louisville vs. Virginia

Kent State vs. #22 Ohio State

Georgia Southern vs. Georgia Tech

Pittsburgh vs. FIU

Syracuse vs. Central Michigan

Arkansas State vs. Miami (FL)

NC State vs. South Florida

Kansas vs. Duke

Wake Forest vs. Utah State

Massachusetts vs. Vanderbilt

Arkansas vs. Texas Tech

Mississippi State vs. South Alabama

Kentucky vs. Florida

College Football Week 2 Picks

Last week was a good one to start off the season.  My alma mater let me down, and no one could have expected Temple’s embarrassment of Vanderbilt.

Last Week:  32-3 (.914)

Pittsburgh vs. Boston College

Citadel vs. #1 Florida State

Florida Atlantic vs. #2 Alabama

#7 Michigan State vs. #3 Oregon (At one time, you would pick defense, but with this game being on the West Coast and how offense goes right now in college football, the edge goes to the Ducks.)

#4 Oklahoma vs. Tulsa

San Jose State vs. #5 Auburn

Virginia Tech vs. #8 Ohio State (Not Navy for Ohio State, but this will be the Buckeyes true measuring stick for how their season will go without Braxton Miller.)

Lamar vs. #9 Texas A&M

Northwestern State vs. #10 Baylor

Memphis vs. #11 UCLA

Sam Houston vs. #12 LSU

#14 USC vs. #13 Stanford

#15 Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt (Based on last week’s game, this one might get ugly.)

Michigan vs. #16 Notre Dame

#17 Arizona State vs. New Mexico

Western Illinois vs. #18 Wisconsin

McNeese State vs. #19 Nebraska

#20 Kansas State vs. Iowa State

East Carolina vs. #21 South Carolina

San Diego State vs. #21 North Carolina

South Carolina State vs. #23 Clemson

#24 Missouri vs. Toledo

Murray State vs. #25 Louisville

Richmond vs. Virginia

Georgia Tech vs. Tulane

Old Dominion vs. North Carolina State

Gardner-Webb vs. Wake Forest

Florida A&M vs. Miami (FL)

Duke vs. Troy

Arkansas State vs. Tennessee

UAB vs. Mississippi State

Ohio vs. Kentucky

Eastern Michigan vs. Florida

Nicholls State vs. Arkansas

NFL Week One Picks

The NFL regular season begins tonight, as college football already has one week in the books.  There appears to be a couple great teams, a whole bunch of good teams, and a few mediocre teams.

Last Season:  170-96-1 (.637)

3 Year Total:  524-264-2 (.663)

The Picks:

Packers vs. Seahawks

Saints vs. Falcons

Vikings vs. Rams (Good measuring stick for the Rams, to determine if it is going to be another long season after losing Sam Bradford, again.)

Browns vs. Steelers

Jaguars vs. Eagles

Raiders vs. Jets (Two bad teams.)

Bengals vs. Ravens

Bills vs. Bears

Redskins vs. Texans

Titans vs. Chiefs

Patriots vs. Dolphins

Panthers vs. Buccaneers (Carolina held this rivalry for a few years, but despite Tampa’s struggles last year, they played extremely well against Carolina.)

49ers vs. Cowboys (If you like offense, this is the game for you.)

Colts vs. Broncos (See note of last game.)

Giants vs. Lions

Chargers vs. Cardinals (San Diego always seems to bring it when they play in showcase games.)