November 19 Weekend Football Picks

No commentary today, just picks...except for this, UT better not lose to Vandy this weekend, or their name is M-U-D!

NCAA

Auburn/Alabama- This game is always a slobber-knocker, no matter where it is held. Tide coach Mike Shula is not on the hot seat yet, but it's getting warmer because he can't seem to beat winning teams in big games. A win over Auburn would certainly help his chances. The Tigers aren't nearly as bad as they played against Georgia last week, but I don't think they are necessarily a top 10 team either. Alabama played a very hot LSU team tough for 4 quarters last week on both sides of the ball, and if they can repeat that performance at home, they should pull off the upset. This is my upset special of the week (hope you like this one Leigh), Tide 20, Auburn 17.

MTSU/South Carolina- MTSU has played lights out against Sun Belt competition all year, and they even played Maryland very tough before getting squashed by Oklahoma. South Carolina is a bit better than Maryland but not quite as good as the Sooners. MTSU will stay in the game and not get embarrassed, but the Gamecocks will win this one at home 34-23.

Tennessee at Vanderbilt- The Vols lost to Vandy last year for the first time in about 2 decades, capping off a miserable season and costing them a bowl bid. Despite getting absolutely throttled by a white hot Arkansas team last week in Fayetteville, the Vols still have more talent in every phase of the game than the Commodores. The Nashville crowd will be rowdier and have more Vandy fans than usual, but a couple of early scores would take them out of it. UT returns the favor and officially ends Vandy's bowl dreams, Vols 41, Commodores 17.

Michigan @ Ohio State- This is definitely the most hyped, premier game of the week. It pits an outstanding Michigan D and a good Wolverines offense against a great Ohio St. offense and very good D. The slight edge in tailbacks goes to OSU because of their depth, while the wideouts on both sides are outstanding, a wash. As always, big plays, special teams, and turnovers will determine the outcome, but this year, Troy Smith is better than Chad Henne, and between that and the Buckeye crowd, Ohio State should sail into the national title game with a hard fought win...Buckeyes 27, Michigan 20.

NFL

Bears at Jets- Last week, the Jets sprang the upset on Tom Brady and the Pats in a rainstorm at the Meadowlands, while the Bears whipped an injury-depleted Giants squad. Bears QB Rex Grossman has struggled all year against good blitzing teams, and Jets coach Eric Mangini is one of the best at devising these schemes. Jets QB Chad Pennington has done well all year managing the game and not turning the ball over, but the offense still needs to score more. The Bears are better on D and should bottle up the Jets for most of the game, but Bears turnovers keep it close until the end...Chicago wins a low-scoring game 16-13.

Falcons at Ravens- Steve McNair led the comeback last week against a sorry Titans team playing not to lose instead of playing to win, and now they have a three game division lead despite losing LB Ray Lewis to injury indefinitely. The Falcons last week lost to a bad Browns team because they couldn't score and because Mike Vick kept turning the ball over, and their D has been decimated by injuries. That is a bad mix coming to play the Ravens in Baltimore, and if they keep turning the ball over that way, the Falcons will get blown out of the stadium. The Ravens improve to 8-2 here, they beat the Falcons 30-17.

Chargers at Broncos- This should be a very fun game to watch, but who knows whether it will be a shootout or a defensive war. Absent inclement weather, I'd say it will be a shootout. Despite the talent on Denver's D, Charges QB Phillip Rivers is playing as well as any QB this side of Peyton Manning, and having LaDainian Tomlinson, the game's best RB, doesn't hurt. The Chargers' D has been hurt by injuries and suspensions, and the Bengals hung 41 on them last week and still lost. If Broncos' QB Jake Plummer craps the bed here and throws a bunch of picks, it will seal the deal of him being gone at season's end. Chargers win close in a high-scoring game, Bolts 44, Broncos 38.