Week 5 NCAA pick

I went 7-3 in Big ten gaes last week, finishing 34-12 in the "preseason." I went 2-1 in non Big ten games, so I currently stand at 9-3 in those games. Now the conference season finally begins!

Indiana at Northwestern: Pick: Northwestern

Penn State at Illinois: Pick: Penn St

Minnesota at Iowa: Pick: Iowa

Ohio st at Michigan st: Pick: Michigan st

Wisconsin at Nebraska: Pick: Nebraska

Outside the Big ten
Missouri at UCF: Pick: UCF
Texas at Oklahoma st: Pick: Texas
Baylor at West Virginia: Pick: West Virginia

NCAA Week 4 picks

I went 10-2 in picking Big Ten games last week, 2-1 in games outside the Big Ten. So Far I am 27-9 in picking Big ten Games, but like I have said this is basically the preseason of picking games, a lot of them are easy picks. I am also a nice 7-2 in picking games in other conferences. This is the final week of non conference play in the Big ten, thank God, next week we get to the real games. Here we go:

UAB at Ohio St: I dont understand how Ohio st can be at home for four straight weeks to start the year, all against very inferior opponents. Whatever, im over it theyre going to East Lansing next week, and they wont be ready because they havent been road tested yet. Pick: Ohio st

Central Michigan at Iowa: Iowa has looked brutal so far this year, which can probably be said for about sic other big ten teams to a degree. Give them a win here though. Pick: Iowa

South Dakota at Northwestern: Who had Minnesota and Northwestern as the last unbeaten teams in the Big ten? didnt think so. The Wildcats will actually be undefeated heading into conference play, impressive. Pick: Northwestern

Eaastern Michigan at Michigan st: After last weeks ugly loss, Michigan st gets a breather this week. Pick: sparty

Idaho st at Nebraska: Another gimme game, conference play cant get here soon enough. Pick: Nebraska

Temple at Penn St: The Lions looked decent last week, I like their chances of evening up their record, though it wont be easy. Pick: Penn St

Michigan at Notre Dame: The only watchable game in the Big ten this week. Unfortunately, I think Notre Dame makes it a clean sweep of the conference this year. Pick:Notre Dame

Syracuse at Minnesota: I keep picking against the Gophers and they keep winning. Maybe its just wishful thinking, but Im doing ti again. Pick: Syracuse

Louisiana Tech at Illinois: One more gimme game. Pick: Illinois

As unappetizing as the Big ten slate is this week, thank god there is some really good games on tap outside the conference.

Kansas st at Oklahoma: Pick: Oklahoma
Clemson at Florida st: Pick: Florida St
Arizona at oregon: Pick: Oregon

Week 4 NFL picks

I went an embarrassing 6-10 last week, 25-23 on the season now.

Browns at Ravens: Pick: Ravens

Panthers at Falcons: Pick: Falcons

Patriots at Bills: Pick: Patriots

Vikings at Lions: Pick: Lions

Chargers at Chiefs: Pick: Chargers

Seahawks at Rams: Pick: Rams

49ers at Jets: Pick: 49ers

Titans at Texans: Pick: Texans

Raiders at Broncos: Pick: Broncos

Dolphins at Cardinals: Pick: Cardinals

Bengals at Jaguars: Pick: Bengals

Saints at Packers: Pick: Packers

Redskins at Buccanneers: Pick: Buccaneers

Giants at Eagles: Pick: Eagles

Bears at Cowboys: Pick: Cowboys

NCAA Week 4 picks

I went 10-2 in picking Big Ten games last week, 2-1 in games outside the Big Ten. So Far I am 27-9 in picking Big ten Games, but like I have said this is basically the preseason of picking games, a lot of them are easy picks. I am also a nice 7-2 in picking games in other conferences. This is the final week of non conference play in the Big ten, thank God, next week we get to the real games. Here we go:

UAB at Ohio St: I dont understand how Ohio st can be at home for four straight weeks to start the year, all against very inferior opponents. Whatever, im over it theyre going to East Lansing next week, and they wont be ready because they havent been road tested yet. Pick: Ohio st

Central Michigan at Iowa: Iowa has looked brutal so far this year, which can probably be said for about sic other big ten teams to a degree. Give them a win here though. Pick: Iowa

South Dakota at Northwestern: Who had Minnesota and Northwestern as the last unbeaten teams in the Big ten? didnt think so. The Wildcats will actually be undefeated heading into conference play, impressive. Pick: Northwestern

Eaastern Michigan at Michigan st: After last weeks ugly loss, Michigan st gets a breather this week. Pick: sparty

Idaho st at Nebraska: Another gimme game, conference play cant get here soon enough. Pick: Nebraska

Temple at Penn St: The Lions looked decent last week, I like their chances of evening up their record, though it wont be easy. Pick: Penn St

Michigan at Notre Dame: The only watchable game in the Big ten this week. Unfortunately, I think Notre Dame makes it a clean sweep of the conference this year. Pick:Notre Dame

Syracuse at Minnesota: I keep picking against the Gophers and they keep winning. Maybe its just wishful thinking, but Im doing ti again. Pick: Syracuse

Louisiana Tech at Illinois: One more gimme game. Pick: Illinois

As unappetizing as the Big ten slate is this week, thank god there is some really good games on tap outside the conference.

Kansas st at Oklahoma: Pick: Oklahome
Clemson at Florida st: Pick: Florida St
Arizona at oregon: Pick: Oregon

Week 3 NFL Picks

After a rough week one, I went a cool 11-5 last week in picking games including nailing upset picks in the Panthers over the Saints, and Rams over the Redskins. I looked foolish however in my Raiders over Dolphins and Titans over Chargers picks. after two weeks I stand at 19-13 on the season, which is better than a lot of the "experts" featured on ESPN.

Giants at Panthers: A tough one right off the bat. After picking them to beat the Saints, it would take a lot of guts to pick the Panthers over another top team in the Giants. Guess what, Im going to do it. Until proven otherwise, im taking home teams in close Thursday night matchups because I think the short turnaround is a big benefit to the home team. Pick: Panthers

Rams at Bears: In a recurring theme so far through two weeks, the NFC West, the doormat of the NFL the past few seasons has had a strong showing so far this year. The Rams nearly beat Detroit on the road, then took out RG3, but I think the Bears, with the benefit of extra rest, bounce back this week. Pick:Bears

Bills at Browns: Yawn. Pick: Bills

Buccaneers at Cowboys: Will the real Cowboys please stand up? after beating the champs, they got dominated by the seahawks on the road. The Buccaneers are coming off a tough loss, and Im not sure theyll recover in time for this one. Pick: Cowboys

Lions at Titans: I picked the Titans to pull off an upset and got burned big time. I guess this team wont be a darkhorse like I thought they may be. Detroit has looked less than stellar, but will get a win here I think. Pick: Lions

Jaguars at Colts: Im not going to be shocked if Jacksonville contends for 0-16 this year. I think theyll be that bad. The Colts are back baby, well not really, but 2-1 is something to build on. Pick: Colts

Jets at Dolphins: I honestly have no clue what to expect in this game, but Ive disrespected both these teams so far by picking against them both games, and each of them came out with one convincing win to prove me wrong. Gimme the home team I guess. Pick: Dolphins

49ers at Vikings: Now that the queens are back to reality after their cinderella 1-0 start, theyll begin their usual freefall towards rock bottom in the division standings. Pick: 49ers

Chiefs at Saints: If youll recall, in my week one picks I said the Chiefs would have a decent year and make a playoff push. Im fully redacting that, they may be the worst team in the NFL through two weeks. I was so relieved when I saw the Saints had an easy win this week, because I do not want them 0-3 heading into Lambeau. Pick: Saints

Bengals at Redskins: The skins were picked by many to be on a playoff run after their week one victory, but then reality struck hard with a tough loss in St Louis and now a slew of injuries. RG3 will still put up big rookie numbers, but its going to be hard to overcome those injuries for a playoff push. Pick: Bengals

Eagles at Cardinals: Like the Rams and Seahawks, another NFC west doormat has impressed in the first two games The Cardinals however, have been the most impressive, with a big win in New England. Im not saying im a believer, but I will pick them to go 3-0. Pick: Cardinals

Falcons at Chargers: Another matchup of 2-0 teams. The Falcons probably been the second most impressive team in the NFL so far besides the 49ers. The Chargers have been the least impressive 2-0 team in recent memory. Ill take them at home though, since I picked against them last week at home and they proved me wrong. Pick: Chargers

Texans at Broncos: I really like the Texans, and Maybe Payton really isnt back to top form yet after all. Pick: Texans

Steelers at Raiders: I picked Oakland last week, and they looked god awful. Not making that mistake again. Pick: Pittsburgh

Patriots at Ravens: If the Pats beat the Cards Id take the Ravens, but the Pats always seem to bounce back strong after a suprising loss, so now Im going with them. Pick: Pats

Badgers escape with undeserved 16-14 win

It was supposed to be the game where the Badgers put two awful performances behind them and come out playing inspired football. They were supposed to be the team we expected before the season started. Instead, it was more of the same as the Badgers put out their third straight atrocious offensive performance, and the growing feeling is this may be what we see all season long.

If it werent for a long punt return by Kenzel Doe, the Badgers would have lost this game. After falling behind 14-3 early, Wisconsin got the punt return, then another touchdown from Montee Ball to take a 16-14 lead in the third, after Kyle French missed the extra point, his second missed extra point in six tries this season. From there, they hung on by their fingernails, as a shirt field goal was missed as time expired.

There has been a lot thing go badly for the Badgers through the first two games but I want to highlight the two numbers that terrify me the most.

0: the number of turnovers the Badgers have forced in the first three games. Many people have said the defense has been a bright spot so far this season, and they have played well, but their inability to create turnovers has not gone unnoticed by me.

31.1: The Badgers third down conversion rate, a stunning 24 percent drop off from last season. Not many games are going to be won if your converting less than a third of your third downs. Even more startling is the number of failed third and short attempts the Badgers put out Saturday.

Danny O Brien was pulled in this game but I hope he returns this week because Stave was horrendous in my opinion. Matt Canada still had no idea what hes doing playcalling wise, three weeks in a row now. Bret Bielema called an idiotic timeout with less than thirty seconds left in the game that baffled me and many others. Those are just a few observations from Saturdays game.

If this team plays like this all year they will go 2-6 in Big ten play. They better get it together offensively, through 3 games they are 113th in the country out of 120 teams in points per game, and this is against bad teams!

Im exhausted covering this team already this year, hopefully it gets better, because theres still nine games left.

Up Next: UTEP 11:00 AM

Wisconsin (1-1) Vs Utah St (2-0)

The Badgers return to Camp Randall after their embarrassing defeat a week ago at the hands of Oregon St. Utah st is coming off a big win over rival Utah, and are probably feeling pretty confident about their prospects in this game. However, Wisconsins home performances the last couple of years have been significantly  better  than their road performances. The Badgers have won seventeen straight homes games, most of them have been slaughters, even against the good teams. The badgers are favored by 14.5 points in this game, a spread which I dont feel to comfortable picking the Badgers to cover.

Montee Ball comes into this game averaging just 3.9 yards per carry so far on the year. He really cant afford to have any more bad performances if he plans to be in the Heisman hunt come November. Danny O'Brien has also been less than impressive, but its hard to tell if this is his fault, or if OC Matt Canada isnt giving him the opportunity to show what he can do.

Looking back, this start probably shouldnt be much of a shock. With a completely different offensive line, different quarterback, and different receivers, there was no chance the offense was simply going to pick up where it left off last year. Still, 16.5 points per game is an incredible drop off, but I have faith the offense will improve.

Utah st has an explosive offense that can rack up yards and points with the best of them. Last year they 448 yards and 38 points against an SEC defense, but still lost, showing their defense is pretty suspect. Their offense is led by 6'1" QB Charlie Keeton, who last week threw for two touchdowns, completed seventy percent of his passes, and added another 86 yards rushing, and hes only a sophomore.

Prediction: As I said before, I cant predict the Badgers to cover the spread the way theyve been playing, But i do think they will come away with the win. Badgers 31-21

Packers D throttles Jay Cutler, win 23-10

You could almost feel the tension among Packer fans heading into Lambeau Field yesterday. It was almost like a somber and quiet atmosphere like one I had never seen before during a Packer tailgate, usually festive and upbeat. Everyone knew this was basically a must win. Maybe not in the long term, but if the Packers lost this game theyd definitely lose their title at least temporarily as the beasts of the division.

The defense would have none of that. Forcing seven sacks, four interceptions, and basically mauling Jay cutler and turning his night into a personal hell, much to the delight of the Lambeau faithful.

This was the first time in forever that the defense won the Packers a game. It didnt happen a single time last year, so it really has been a very long time. Honestly, this is the sort of game I was craving. Some people are panicking over the offense kind of sputtering again and I couldnt care less. I know the offense will come around at some point, I would have much rather seen a game like we saw yesterday than the 45-38, 42-34, 35-26, 45-41 games we saw last year. This was so refreshing to watch, and if the defense really is as good as it was yesterday, this team will no doubt be holding the Lombardi trophy in February.

There is no reason to be worried about the offense. So far this year the offense has put up 15.5 points per game, which is obviously not at all good, but like I said earlier they will come around, maybe next Monday night at Seattle will be the night it will, maybe not, but it will at some point this season, and it will be sooner rather than later dont worry. The defense needed to be the unit that won this game for the Packers, and they stepped up to the challenge. Bravo

I have a confession to make. I hate Jay Cutler. I know Im not alone in that camp, but I just can not stand his pouty face, standoffish personality. So to have Lambeau Field be his house of horrors is very satisfying to me. he now 0-3 with 2 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his career at Lambeau. To be a part of the crowd that got into his head last night was also very satisying. To see our our defense toss him around like a rag doll was one of the most satisfying things I have ever witnessed. It was awesome.

Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and the Bears fans were talking crap all week. Their heads got way to big after defeating the mighty colts, and you could tell the Bears were getting pretty full of themselves. Reality Check: Until further notice, you are still the Packers bitch.

So far this recap has been a jumble of thoughts, but now to actually dissect parts of the game. How about the stones on Mccarthy to call that fake field goal? The second I realized it was a fake, I screamed "what!?" I mean, does he not realize its 4th and 26! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jp3dMH4Kvc Dont click that link, just dont. Then I saw a massive hole in front of Crabtree, almost like there wasnt a single Bear on the field. Obviously the turning point of the game.

Tramon Williams was all over Brandon Marshall like a blanket the whole game. He was a big reason for the Packers drop off in defense last season, but it appears he has returned to pro bowl form. Thats great news for Packers fans.

Jarrett Bush didnt play a single snap on defense for the first time in two years, and the Packers had their best defensive performance in two years. Coincidence?

Once again I have to take issue with Mccarthys clock management at the end of the first half. Instead of letting the clock run down to two seconds and kick a field goal, why not call it with ten and take one shot at the endzone from just seventeen yards away? My one gripe with Mccarthy for seven years now has been his clock management in the final two minutes of first halves. Hes 0 for 2 already this year in that department in my opinion.

Why is this team having such a hard time converting third and ones? Two pathetic attempts last night, both falling short. Maybe the deep pass to Nelson wasnt such an awful call after all, since this team cant run for that yard anyway.

Despite the above complaint, the running game was solid, Benson had 81 yards, and had more carries yesterday than any Packers RB had in any single game last year.

The Claymaker is back baby. Already as many sacks in two games this year than all of last year.

Lambeau went absolutley nuts seeing Donald Driver get a touchdown reception. And the crowd ate up his little dance he did. They had to have replayed that dance on the video boards at least ten times.

My one dud yesterday was DJ Smith. He was called for a PI, should have been called for another, and was terrible in coverage on the Bears lone touchdown.

The drops keep adding up for the receiver corps. I counted two for Nelson, a couple more from Finley, one from Cobb, and at least one from Jones. People keep asking whats wrong with Rodgers, but he still has a 90+ QB rating through two games this year. Thats well above the league average, and if his receivers could catch the way they should, hed be over 100. I think we're just to spoiled by his usualy amazingness, that we say he had a "bad" game when its still well above average compared to other NFL Qbs.

MVP: Making up the rules as I go, on losses I will give one MVP out, who will be awarded a point, on wins I will also give one MVP, for a point, then several players can receive half points, basically honorable mentions. The MVP of this game was definitely Clay Matthews. 3.5 sacks, all over Cutler the whole game, and the Bears got so desperate they resorted to holding him every play (which went uncalled every time, moron replacement refs.) half points go to Tramon Williams, with two picks, Mason Crosby, 3/3 field goals, including a 54 yarder, the longest ever by a Packer kicker at Lambeau. Another half point goes to Tim Masthay. Masthay gets a half point for his punting services alone, tack on a touchdown pass, and its really a no brainer. Ill also toss in a half point for John Kuhn, for making some really good blocks on running plays, but mostly for his kick ass tackle on Devin Hester. The standings through two games are as follows

Cobb: 1 point
Matthews: 1 point
Masthay: 0.5 points
Crosby: 0.5 points
Williams: 0.5 points
Kuhn: 0.5 points


Up Next: The Packers head west to take on the Seahawks on Monday Night football

you clicked on that link didnt you? Well heres something to put you back in a happy mood

Red Sox (64-80) at Blue Jays (65-77) 9/14-9/16

The Blue Jays and Red Sox will meet for the sixth and final series this weekend. The Blue jays already have the season series won with a 10-5 lead.

Series one: The Red sox got their first win of the season in the first game with a ninth inning rally,  but the Jays took the next two.

Series two: The Sox slugged to two wins in the first two games, but Daniel Bards awful performance helped the Jays salvage the final game.

Series three; The Jays took game one despite two home runs from Ortiz, but the Sox took the next two thanks to a game tying homer in the seventh of game two from Saltalamachhia, and a six run first inning in game three.

Series four: The Jays swept the Sox at Fenway, concluding with a 15-7 win in game three, which was Jon Lesters worst performance of his career, and the game that, at least for me, officially ended the Red Sox hopes for the playoffs.

Series five: The Blue Jays again swept at Fenway, finishing with a ninth inning last at bat win in game three.

Now for this series

Game one: Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-5, 7.20 ERA) Vs Aaron Laffey (3-5, 4.43 ERA) 7:07 PM Apparently this will be Daisukes last start of the season, which likely makes it his last start of his Red Sox career, as he will be a free agent. Its hard to imagine him getting a good contract though.

Game two: Clay Buchholz (11-6, 4.46 ERA) Vs Carlos Villanueva (7-5, 3.48 ERA) 1:07 PM

Game three: Jon Lester (9-11 4.99 ERA) Vs Brandon Morrow (8-6, 3.16 ERA)

Sox lose fifth straight series, 2-1

My Red Sox posts are going to be very short and sweet the rest of the season. I just dont care to put in the time or effort to cover this team right now.

Game One: The Red Sox recorded their third walk off win on the season off the bat of Jacoby Ellsbury for a 4-3 win. Dustin Pedrioa hit his fifteenth home run of the season to continue his hot streak

Game two: Curtis Granderson hit two home runs, and Robinson Cano launched another to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead early. A Jarrod Saltalamachhia homer highlighted a comeback attempt by the Sox but it fell just short as the Yankees held on for a 5-4 win.

Gam three: Felix Doubront put out his best pitching performance in awhile, but Phil Hughes was better as he threw seven and a third innings of scoreless ball. The Red Sox only mustered six hits, with no one getting a multi hit game. The Yanks won a pitching duel 2-0.

With Thursdays win the Yankees clinched the season series. They have a 10-5 series lead with just three games left.

Game 2; Packers Vs Bears 9/13 7:20 PM

After last weeks dissapointing start to the season, the Packers return to Lambeau in a short week for a huge divisional game against the Bears. The packers really cant afford to fall behind two games in the division with only six home games left, so this is as close to a must win game in September as your going to get.

Injury Update: Greg Jennings is listed as doubtful, but its unclear what that really means. Jennings says he wants to play, feels like he can play, some people are reporting the chances are closer to 50-50, but doubtful usually means the odds are closer to 20% so we'll see. If he is indeed out, look for Driver to get an increased role this week over last week, where he only saw two snaps. Even if Jennings does play, Id expect him to see an increased role. Brian Urlacher and Charles Tillman are both listed as Questionable, bit it seems they are both closer to Probable.

How the Bears are doing: They routed Indy at home last week 41-21, though Jay Cutler had his moments of sloppiness, and the defense was a bit suspect giving up 21 to a rookie QB. They are sporting a 1-0 record.

Packers-Bears recent history: This is obviously one of the best rivalries in all of sports, s theres a big history between these twp, but well look at just the recent history. The Bears won four straight at Lambeau between 2004-07, but Aaron Rodgers is undefeated in his career against the Bears at Lambeau, going 4-0. Add that to his 3-2 record in soldier Field, and he has an impressive 7-2 overall record against the Bears. Rodgers also has an 11-1 home record in his career in division games, the best winning percentage in home division games for a starting quarterback in NFL history. Cutler is 1-6 in his career against the Pack, (one of the starts was for the Broncos) with seven touchdowns and twelve interceptions. Cutler has 1 touchdown to six interceptions in two starts at Lambeau, both losses. The Bears have averaged 13.8 points per game in Cutlers six starts against the Packers. the Packers have averaged 21.1 points per game in Rodgers nine starts against the Bears. Rodgers has 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his career against the Bears. Rodgers has only won two games in his career when the Packers have trailed after the 3rd quarter, both of those wins have came against the Bears, both in 2009.

They two keys in this one will be to protect the quarterback, and win the turnover battle. Cutler has been known to throw a ton of picks against the Packers, and the Bears are by far the team that has picked Rodgers off the most in his career. Both of these teams have big question marks at offensive line, if they give their QBs good protection, which is unlikely, but if they both do, it could be a shootout. If they both give bad protection, it could be a sloppy game in the teens to low twenties. If one team gives significantally better protection than the other, that team will win, guaranteed.

Pick: This will not be an easy win for the Packers, and I am very nervous about their prospects in this game. However, I think a Thursday night game really benefits the home team, especially if their previous game was also at home. I think the Packers will offer better protection to Rodgers than the Bears O-line do to Cutler. I think the Packers will force three turnovers, and that will be the difference. Pick: Packers 27 Bears 23

Week two NFL picks

I went 8-8 in picking week one games, including the survivor challenge, where I picked the Eagles. By the way, did I nail it or what when I said the Chargers and Raiders would be a snoozefest? What an awful game. Here are my picks for this week.

Chiefs at Bills: I picked both these teams to win last week, and both dissapointed. The Bills looked atrocious, but the Chiefs are really banged up right now, so Ill take the home team. Pick: Bills

Browns at Bengals: The Bengals looked pretty pathetic against the Ravens, while the Browns werent embarrassed like I thought theyd be. That wont help them from starting 0-2 however. Pick: Bengals

Vikings at Colts: The Vikings won their first game like I predicted, and now I see their fans boldly proclaiming a super bowl season is on the horizon. Because nothing screams super bowl like a 3 point home win against the Jaguars. Pick: Colts

Radiers at Dolphins: Both these teams looked bad in week one, but at the Raiders defense looked adequate, the same cant be said for the Dolphins. Pick: Raiders

Cardinals at Patriots: The Cardinals surprised me by winning their first game, but that doesnt make them a good team. The Patriots cakewalk schedule rolls on. Pick: Pats

Buccaneers at Giants: I should have picked the Bucs last week, because I told you they always overacheive when they are expected to be bad. Id love to see the defending champs start 0-2 but I just dont see it happening. Pick: Giants

Ravens at Eagles: Everyone jumped on the Eagles bandwagon again in the preseason, except me, and it may have been a smart move as they looked pretty bad in their opener. The Ravens meanwhile, looked like the surpeme challenger to the Patriots in the AFC. Pick: Ravens

Saints at Panthers: Im not sure what happened to the Saints in their season opener. They looked awful, and other teams have looked worse in their first game and gone on to have great seasons, and the Panthers certainly looked suspect in week one, so with hesitation, I boldly say Pick: Panthers

Texans at Jaguars: as road division games though, they dont get much easier to pick than this one. Hoston should roll, Jacksonville did lose to the pathetic queers in purple after all. Pick: Texans

Redskins at Rams: Both of these teams looked more impressive in week one than anyone expected, but the Redskins actually won, and dominated. If you recall, I did predict Sam Bradford to have a bounceback year in my week one predictions. Give st louis in an upset. Pick: Rams

Cowboys at Seahawks: I was dissapointed witht he Seahawks performance in week one, and impressed by the Cowboys. This is a tough one though, on the road for Dallas, but Ill still give them the edge. Pick: Cowboys

Jets at Steelers: The Jets had a fairytale week one, but its about to end, the Steelers arent starting 0-2. Pick: Steelers

Titans at Chargers: San Diego gets a favorable mathcup to get of to a very rare 2-0 start, but Im taking a big upset in this one. Pick: Titans

Lions at 49ers: The 49ers are currently the class of the NFC, but can be knocked off their perch. It wont be this week though. Pick: 49ers

Broncos at Falcons: One of these teams starts 2-0 and takes a big step toward making an impressive run. Im taking Denvert to be that team. Pick:Broncos

Survivior pick: Patriots

NCAA week 3 picks

I went 6-6 in picking Big ten games last week, not a good week, but still 17-7 overall on the season, which is a bit better. I went 3-0 in picking non-big ten games, so I am 5-1 in that category this season. Lets get to it:

Western Michigan at Minnesota: Minnesota has suffered some awful seasons the past few years, but they are off to a 2-0 this year, and are favored to go 3-0. Im not buying the resurgence, for no other reason other than I think they are not talented enough to sport that kind of record, Im picking against them. Pick: western Michigan

Arkansas st at Nebraska: Nebraska was stunned by UCLA last week at the Rose Bowl, putting on hold the talks that they were going to be an elite team this season. They do get a win this week though, cupcake city. Pick: Nebraska

California at Ohio St: The Buckeyes draw their third straight home game to start the season. Cal isnt a complete pushover, but they are still not quite up to par with Urban Meyers team. Pick: Buckeyes

Charleston Southern at Illinois: Word on the street is CSU is worse than Savannah state. Thats really all that needs to be said here. Pick: Illinois

Eastern Michigan at Purdue: Purdue has impressed through two weeks, dominating in week one, and pushing Notre Dame to the brink last week, solidyfying themselves as the biggest obstacle in the Badgers way for a leaders division title. They get another win this week, and start 3-0. Pick: Purdue

Boston College at Northwestern: Northwestern won the nerd bowl with Vandy last week, and Boston College isnt quite as good as Vanderbilt is. Northwestern starts 3-0 in an impressive start to their season. Pick: Northwestern

Massachesusettes at Michigan: I picked Mass to beat Indiana last week, and they let me down, big time. They really dont stand a chance against a team thats superior to Indiana. Pick; Michigan

Navy at Penn st: A disastrous start to the season for Penn st has left some questioning if they may be in store for a winless season. I myself am putting a bit of faith back in them and picking them to get their first win this week. Pick: Penn st

Northern Iowa at Iowa: Northern Iowa gave Wisconsin a big scare, and Iowa has been possibly the worst team in the Big ten so far this year. This could get hairy, but Im taking Iowa to pull it out. Pick: Iowa

Ball St at Indiana: could Minnesota, Northwestertn, and Indiana all start 3-0? its possible, but I already went against Minnesota, and Im doing the same here, sorry Hoosiers. Pick: Ball st

Notre Dame at Michigan st: Its not a point that can be argued, through two weeks, Michigan st has been the ost impressive Big ten team. I think they continue to impress this week. Pick: Michigan st

Outside the Big Ten

USC at Stanford: Pick: USC
Florida at Tennessee: Pick: Florida
Texas at Ole Miss: Pick: Texas

Boston Red Sox (63-78) Vs New York Yankees (79-61) 9/11-9/13

After the sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays, the Yankees come into Fenway Park for the third and final time this season. The Sox sport a 1-5 record against the Yankees at Fenway this season, and 4-8 overall.

Game one: Hiroki Kuroda (13-10, 3.14 ERA) Vs Jon Lester (9-11, 4.99 ERA) 7:10 PM

Game two: David Phelps (3-4, 3.55 ERA) Vs Aaron Cook (3-9, 5.17 ERA) 7:10 PM

Game three: Phil Hughes (14-12 4.13 ERA) Vs Felix Doubront (10-8, 5.21 ERA)

The Yankees are fighting for their playoff lives right now so if the Red Sox can take a couple games it may partially make up for the past month and a half of awfulness. Its not very likely obviously, because this team is just terrible, but after a really rough season, itd be very sweet to push the Yankees closer to the brink of missing the playoffs.

Packers fall in opener, 30-22

Through one game, the Packers have matched their loss total from all of last season. Green Bay opened the season as super bowl favorires, over half of the ESPN panel of experts picked them to win it all, but there was no doubt who the bettter team was on Sunday. The 49ers are the new NFC favorites, and the Packers new goal will be to spend the next four months trying to get to their level.

The game opened with a lot of the usual fanfare that comes with a season opener. Ive attended the last two season openers and I actually think the the buzz and pregame electricity was higher this year than last, probably because everyone was excited to get back to work after last years dissapointing finish. Donald Driver got by the far the loudest ovation when the team was introduced, and the 1962 team was honred in a pregame ceremony.

After all the fanfare the game finally got underway. The Packers defense looked awesome on the first drive forcing a three and out, highlighted by a sack from Clay matthews. Unfortunately that would be the only defensive bright point of the first half. the 49ers scored on each of their next five possessions, en route to taking a 23-7 lead, a lead that would hold up through three quarters. The Packers finally got a spark on a punt return for a touchdown for Randall Cobb, turning what had become a silent Lambeau Field for the whole second half into a frenzy. Then the defense came out and made a huge stop, and  Lambeau was going crazy, it really felt like the tides had turned and the Packers were going to come back and win this, despite being completely outclassed most of the game. As the offense took the field down by eight, a Go Pack Go chant erupted from the crowd, queting once the offense huddled so they could hear the playcall. Then Rodgers threw an interception, a bad one, one that happens to every QB, but whenever its Rodgers were all stunned. The 49ers took but one play to score and go up 30-15, Lambeau was dead again. The offense however, marched right down the field and scored again, 30-22, and the defense held strong. The Packers bid for a tie game however, stalled when Rodgers was sacked, and then threw an incompletion on fourth down to Nelson. final: 30-22

I kept a mental note, of turning points that stuck out to me in this game, and in the end there were four plays that in my opinion, determined the outcome of this game.

1. Roughing the Passer on Clay Matthews in the second quarter. This penalty occurred on a third down, and gave the 49ers a first. The drive ended in the first touchdown of the game.

2. Mccarthy calls a timeout before third and eight, thirty nine seconds left in the half. I am flabbergasted that mccarthy called that timeout. After first down resulted in nothing they should have just ran the ball and went to the locker room down by six. The 63 yard field goal never would have happened if Mccarthy didnt call that last timeout.

3. First drive of the second half, third and one, Rodgers throws seventy yards down field to Nelson. This play had no chance right from the throw. Nelson was in double coverage, and the play action fooled absolutely no one on the 49ers. Calling this on a third and one is ok early in a game, or when your winning, but when your down by two scores in the second half, just get the first down.

4. Rodgers interception. Theres really no way of knowing how this game would have turned out without this pick. This felt like a dagger at the time, and the Packers still had a chance at the end despite the seven free points.

Theres no doubt the Packers got outplayed, and the 49ers were a better team. But the Packers giftwrapped twenty points to the 49ers on dumb mistakes, that if they dont happen, the packers almost certainly win. Two third down penatlies that led to ten points, a dumb timeout call that led to three, and a bad interception that led to seven.

The good

Randall Cobb: Cobb led the team with nine reception, and he was also targeted nine times. when I saw that he caught the ball every single time he was targeted, I smiled. I think this is the Cobb we will see all year. Another big time weapon for Rodgers. Oh yea, and a 75 yard punt return for a touchdown.

Clay Matthews: Almost got half his sack total from all of last season in the first game. I dont think theres any doubt in anyones mind he returns to the double digit sack numbers he had two years ago.

Offensive line: I put this in the good category, because I thought this offensive line, which was a big question mark, held up pretty well against undoubtedly the best pass rush in the league. Rodgers did get sacked three times, but I dont think the 49ers got the consistent pass rush they were hoping for, especially considering the entire second half they knew the Packers would be throwing the ball.

The Bad

Defensive line: Four sacks, but none from the line. Of the top seven leading tacklers on the team, not one came from the line, against a team that ran the ball 32 times! Thats embarrassing. Raji, Francois, Pickett, Hayward, you all get a big F on this game.

Running game: This one is obvious, though it doesnt bother me. The 49ers have the best run defense in the league, and since the Packers were trailing nearly the entire game there was no chance or reason to even attempt to try and get a running game going.

Jermichael Finley: "officially" credited with only one drop, but I counted three that I felt he should have had. Maybe this is going to be all he ever is sadly.

I found it interesting how good the defense looked in the fourth quarter when the Packers absolutely needed a stop. Maybe they have been too dependant on the offense the past two years, and have gotten complacent because they think the offense will bail them out anyway. I saw some things to be positive about and some to be negative about from the defense. They held the 49ers to only two third down conversions on nine attempts. It should have been 2 for 11, but penalties bailed them out twice.

The 49ers are the best team the Packers will face this season, and the Packers played like crap and still almost won. I think worst case for the team is 11-5, and thats if they lose to the Bears Thursday, which I do think is a possibilily. The replacement officials were crap, but both teams benefitted from their awfulness, so Im not sure the result would have been much different with better refs. The Packers didnt force a turnover, the first time thats happened in a home game in six years.

MVP: Regardless of who wins, the MVP of the game will always go to a Packer, because I really dont give a crap who did or didnt play well on the other team. theres no doubt it was Cobb in this one. even without the punt return it would have been him, with the punt return it was Cobb in a blowout.

Up Next: Bears, thursday Night football. This can be classified as a must win or the Packers will have built a big hole in the divisional race early on. History says teams that lose divisional home games against teams they are behind in the standings, basically never win the division.

Red Sox get swept by Jays, right to the basement.

After this weekends sweep, the Red Sox are now all by themselves in last place in the division, they are twelfth out of fourteen teams in the American League, they are 1-11 in their last twelve games, and 10-26 since August 1st. This team hit rock bottom and still keeps finding ways to sink lower than that.

Game one: The Red sox fell behind 5-0 before making a bit of a run, they closed to within five to three, but in the top of the ninth, with two outs, Colby Rasmus hit a two run home run to extend the lead to 7-3. That home run proved costly, as the Sox would get two in the bottom of the ninth to lose by a final of 7-5. Pedrioa and Gomez both hit home runs for the Sox, who went 2-6 with runers in scoring position. Doubront and Bard had rough nights, as Doubronts ERA rose to 5.21, and Bards to 5.59

Game two: A blowout as Daisuke threw out another terrible start. A five run second inning for the Jays put this game away early. Daisuke didnt get out of the second inning, and his ERA now stands at 7.21. Andrew Bailey gave up three runs of his own in one inning, this was his first rough outing since returning from the disabled list.  The final score was 9-2

Game three: The best pitching matchup of the series did not dissapoint as Buccholz went 8 2/3, and Villanueva went six earning a quality start. The Sox jumped to a 2-0 lead thanks to a two run shot from Jacoby Ellsbury, but the Jays came back with three of their own runs in the fourth. Pedrioa tied the game with a solo blast in the sixth. The game remained tied in the ninth until Buccholz loaded the bases with one out, then gave up the go ahead run on a sacrifice fly. The Sox didnt get anything going in the ninth, and fell 4-3.

Pedrioa continues to be the only bright spot for this team in this brutal stretch, with his two home runs over the weekend. Ryan Lavarnway continues to dissapoint, going 1-6 over the weekend.

Oh Canada!, Offense sputters, Badgers lose 10-7

This is the first of three negative recaps that will be posted today so its going to be a fun day! Last year the Badgers offense rolled to 44 points per game, one of the best attacks in the contry. It wasnt going to be that good again this year, but with a hesiman trophy candidate returning, a couple stud receivers, and what we thought was going to be an efficient quarterback under center, there was absolutely no reason to believe the offense was going to be as pathetic as it has looked through the first two games of the season.

Im not even sure where to start with this one. The Badgers never got an offense rythm going in even the slightest way. Danny O'Brien finished 20/38 with 172 yards, barely over a fifty percent completion percentage. Ball rushed fifteen times. Fifteen! for a hesiman trophy candidate. Which brings me to my next point, something I noticed last week also, but let slide because it was the first game, but is simply to important to not let slide two weeks in a row. The Badgers new offensive coordinator, Matt Canada has been bad. Absolutely awful, attrocious and everything inbetween. The playcalling all the way from the first drive against northern Illinois to the last drive against Oregon st has been questionable at best. I put the blame not just part of the way, but nearly 100% squarely on him for the offensive shortcomings of this team so far.

The next disturbing thing about this game was the Badgers seemingly folding up like a cardboard box and having no clue what they were doing on third downs. Last year Wisconsin led the nation in third down efficiency. Saturday? 2-14 converting third downs, and through two games stand at a 36.7 percent conversion rate, twenty percent less than last year. Moving on, the Badgers have yet to force a single turnover this season. They have committed two, both against Oregon state.

The onside kick at the end of the half shouldnt have been overturned. But I guess when the team is the Badgers, all that crap about indisputable evidence goes out the window. Not only wasnt their indisputable evidence that Kyle French touched the ball before it went ten yards, in my opinion, there was near indisputable evidence that an Oregon state player touched the ball first! Making the bal eligble to be touched by a Badger player. Theres no doubt the Badgers should have had the chance to win but its not like they deserved it.

 I didnt adjust my opinion of this team ability after last weeks game, but after this week I have. Theres been a lot of comparisons to this team and the 2008 team. The 2008 team began the season ranked number twelve, just like this years, and the 2008 season ended being the worst season in Badger football since 2001. The Badgers went 3-5 in conference play, and finished the season by getting whomped by florida st 42-13 in the champs sports bowl. Highlights of the season included a 41 point loss at Camp Randall, and a near loss to Cal Poly. I too, initially drew comparisons to this team and the '08 one, but upon further review, Im not so sure the similarities are there. The 2008 team lost heartbreakers against Michigan and Ohio st to start their Big ten season 0-2, both games they should have won, but couldnt finish. After two games, all rose bowl hopes were dashed, and the team basically mentally checked out the rest of the year. They were still one of the most talented teams in the conference, they just didnt have the motivation to play like it. This years team might just not be very good period. Thats where the difference is.

Up Next is Utah St at Camp Randall for a night game. Luckily for the Badgers a 4-4 conference record should be all they need to win their division and get to the Big ten championship game. Indiana and Illinois wont get there, Penn st and Ohio st are ineligble obviously, so its a two team race this year in the leaders division between Purdue and Wisconsin.

Game 1: Green Bay Packers (0-0) Vs San Francisco 49ers (0-0) 3:25 PM

The Packers and 49ers were the two best teams by record in the NFC last season. However, they both had one major weakness, and they were both upended in the playoffs by the same team who was able to exploit both of their major weaknesses. Both teams spent the whole offseason improving and fixing that weakness, and now these two teams, retooled for success face off in the first game of the season as a potential precursor to the NFC championship game.

Trivia of the week: How many consecutive home games have the Packers forced at least one turnover?

That weakness for the Packers was defense, mainly pass rush. They worked to fix that by drafting Nick Perry and Jerel Worthy, two guys with tremendous upside, able to make an immediate impact. The 49ers weakness was playmakers on offense, mainly at the wide receiver position. They worked to fix that by signing future hall of famer Randy Moss, and super bowl champion Mario Manningham.

Many people will say this is just the first game of the season, and a loss wont be a big deal. And while its true, that a loss in week one doest crush super bowl hopes immediately, it can have a negative impact on a potential playoff run. For a good example, look no further to last season. The Saints and Packers played on opening weekend, if the Saints had won that game, they would have ended up as the number one seed in the NFC instead of their eventual 3 seed. Such a difference may have been enough to allow them to have ended up in the super bowl. The winner of this game basically takes a two game lead over the other in the standings, because of a automatic win in case of a tie, and these two teams dont lose much, so its a big hole to fall in right out of the gate.

The Packers have beaten the 49ers in eight straight games, dating all the way back to 1999. In those eight games the 49ers have averaged a mere 16.1 points per. Rodgers has a career 2-0 record against San Francisco.

Last Matchup: December 5th, 2010. Aaron Rodgers threw for 298 yards and Donald Driver had what was probably the play of the season on his long touchdown reception. The Packers won 34-16 in their throwback uniforms.

The Packers gave up an average of 104 more yards per game than the 49ers did last year, but the Packers averaged 125 more pass yards per game on offense than the 49ers did. They key to this game may very well be the turnover battle. Both teams had a tremenous turnover ratio last season, and if the 49ers force more turnovers, its going to be hard to make up for them against such a good defense. If the Packers force more, well they simply dont lose under Aaron Rodgers when that happens. In games in which Rodgers is the starter, the Packers are 39-5 in games where they force more turnover, three of those five losses occured in Rodgers rookie season.

The number one matchup in this game is probably Marshall Newhouse vs Justin Smith. Smith is one of the best, if not the best pass rushers in the NFL and Newhouse had a very rough preseason. If I wasnt so confident in Rodgers ability to evade pressure Id be more worried about this, but I dont remember many games, if any, in the Rodgers era where the Packers lost because of the other teams pass rush.

Which brings me to my prediction. Im not sure how improved the defense will be this year, but it will be improved. Despite all the hype about the 49ers defense, they did get carved up by Brees in the playoffs last year, and Brees was the only top tier quarterback they faced last year, so there no reason Rodgers cant do the same. I dont think the Packers will lose their home opener at Lambeau, still fueled by last years playoff defeat I say Packers 27-17

Trivia answer: 60 (including pre and postseason) The last time the Packers didnt force a turnover at home was October of 2006 against the Rams. The Packers are 42-18 in those sixty games.

Weather: 69 degrees, sunny

Week 2: Wisconsin (1-0) At Oregon St (0-0) 3:00 PM

After last weeks dissapointing close call, Ive been chomping at the bit to see this Badgers team back in action to get a better sense of wether or not the first game was a fluke, or if the Badgers may not be as good as originally thought. For the second game of the season, the Badgers head west to take on Oregon st. I mentioned in my weeks two picks that since 1990, the Big Ten is just 6-30 in road games against the Pac-10, now Pac-12. Wisconsin does have one of those six wins, and they themselves have an overall record of 11-2 againt this conference over the past twenty years. The Badgers and Beavers met last year at Camp Randall, and Wisconsin delivered a drubbing, winning 35-0. Oregon st had its first game of the season last week postponed due to hurricane Isaac, and its hard to tell whether or not that will hurt Wisconsin. On one hand, Oregon st may have to shake off the rust the Badgers already shook off last week, on the other hand Oregon st has game tape of the badgers to study, while the badgers do not have the same luxury for their opponent.

Last year Oregon St went 3-9 and stumbled to their second straight Big Ten season. Analysts have critisized the Badgers in recent years for having weak non-conference schedule, but the reality is, nonconference games are scheduled 5-7 years in advance, theres no telling how good that teams going to be when you play them. Obviously  in some cases you know your scheduling a weak school, like last year when the Badgers put Austin Peay on the schedule, but when Wisconsin scheduled Oregon St in back to back years, the beavers at the time were the best team in the Pac-10.

The Badgers have a clear advantage when it comes to the running game, as no back on the Oregon st roster has more than 100 career rushes under their belt. Danny O'Brien will look to improve off of last weeks economical effort that saw him throw for 219 yards. Minus the 53 yard touchdown pass, and O'Brien averaged 9.2 yards per completion last week. Under center for Oregon st will be Sophomore Sean Mannion. last year as a Freshman starter he three for 16 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

The key matchup in the game to me will be the Oregon st receivers vs the Wisconsin defensive backs. Last week this unit for Wisconsin had an awful fourth quarter, and thats coming off an overall bad season for the secondary last year. Oregon States strongest position meanwhile, may very well be at receiver. Markus Wheaton caught 75 passes last year, averaging 13.5 yards per catch, and second receiver James Rodgers is entering his sixth and final season as an Oregon st receiver. He has averaged 44 receptions a season in a Beaver uniform. he has 19 career touchdown recpetions and has averaged 11.8 yards per catch over the five years.

The Badgers are favored by seven points by vegas, and ESPN accuscore gives them a 64.6 percent chance of winning, by an average of nine points. Prediction: though Oregon states biggest strength can exploit the Badgers biggest weakness, the Badgers huge advantage in the running game will be more than enough to propel them to victory. Wisconsin 34-20

Weather: 84 degrees, sunny

Red Sox (63-75) Vs Blue Jays (61-75) series preview 9/8-9/10

It gives me no pleasure to be covering the Red Sox right now. I contemplated just ignoring them the rest of the season and putting the focus on the good teams I cover for the rest of the month. But since the Red Sox final twenty four games are all against divisonal opponents, I decided to cover these final eight series because  winning season series against division opponents means a lot to me, and the Red Sox still have a chance to do that against all four of their division opponents. The Red Sox season has been nothing short of a soap opera this season. Just to recap:

Clay Buccholz was the worst starter in all of baseball through the first month and a half of the season. He became the first player in MLB history to give up at least five runs in eight straight starts to begin the season.

The Red Sox blew a 9-0 lead on April 15th against the Yankees.

Josh Becket skipped a start in May due to a "sore shoulder" and was seen golfing the next day. When confronted as to why he was golfing when he was supposedly injured he said, "I spend my off days the way I f*ing want to."

Kelly Shoppach used someone elses cellphone to anonymously send a hate text to manager Bobby Valentine. He admitted to it after he was traded to the Mets.

One of the greatest icons in Red Sox history passed away, and only four players elected to attended his funeral. Four, out of twenty five. This, in my opinion, was the most embarrassing story of the year so far.

And the most recent incident, yesterday, Bobby Valentine, in a radio interview, became so enraged with a question, told the host "if I was there right now Id punch you right in the mouth."

On July 19th, Cody Ross hit a walk off hone run to give the Red Sox their fifth win in seven games. They had a ton of monentum and at the time were just one game out of the playoffs. There was excitement in the air. Since that game the Red Sox are 15-30 and now have an overall record of 63-75. They have all but guaranteed themselves their worst record since 1996, and its very possible they end up with their worst record since 1966. Now that the season has been recapped, a preview of the upcoming Blue Jays series.

Game one:  Henderson Alvarez (7-12, 5.04 ERA) Vs Felix Doubront (10-7, 5.03 ERA)  Friday 7:10 PM
Felix Doubront was probably the feel good story of the first half of the season for the Sox. He came out of nowhere to win a spot in the rotation, and pitched very strongly for the first half of season. He seems to have hit a wall lately though, as his ERA since the all star break is 6.75. He hasnt pitched more than five innings in a start since July 29th. Henderson Alvarez also has an ERA over six since the all star break. This may be a high scoring game.

Game two: Ricky Romero (8-13, 5.85 ERA) Vs Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-4, 6.15 ERA) Saturday 7:10 PM
After a strong start against the Royals, Daisuke went back to his usual sucky self against Oakland, not getting out of the fourth inning, and giving up 6 Earned runs, and four walks. Ricky Romero has struggled mightily since June, with an ERA over eight in the past three months. The theme of this series so far is struggling pitchers.

Game three: Carlos Villanueva (7-5, 3.42 ERA) Vs Clay Buchholz (11-5, 4.47 ERA) Sunday 1:35 PM
Buchholz struggled to start the year, then returned to shutdown form in June and July, and has gone back to struggling over the last month. Former Brewer Carlos Villanueva may be the most consistent pitcher for the Jays right now.

The Sox currently have a one game lead over the Jays for last place in the division. The Blue Jays lead the season series 7-5 with six games to go. If theres one team thats struggled more than the Red Sox over the past month, its Toronto. Ill take the Sox to take two out of three.

Week two NCAA picks

Im in midseason form in terms of picking games. Last week I went 11-1 in picking Big Ten games, 13-2 overall. This is just the preaseason of picking games however, the real record Im keeping track of this year is picking games between two big ten teams, which starts September 27th. Pretty much every team in the Big ten has a tougher opponent this week than last week, as most play a BCS school. Lets get right into it.

New Hampshire at Minnesota: The Gophers won in overtime last week, and now face an FCS opponent, so a 2-0 is a legitimate possibility for this team. Theyre still in for a rough season, but for now they can feel good about back to back wins. Pick: Minnesota

UCF at Ohio St: Ill be cheering hard for Central Florida to take this one, and I do think they have a legitimate chance. I cant bring myself to pick them though, not in Columbus. Pick: Ohio St

Penn St at Virginia: Im not going to be fooled again, the Nittany Lions have a terrible offense, and wont be able to get a win on the road against a BCS team. Pick: Virginia

Purdue at Notre Dame: Purdue looked good in their opener, and Notre Dame has been known to lose home games as favorites early in the season the past few years. It will be close but Ill take the Irish. Pick: Notre Dame

Indiana at Massachusetts: I dont know a whole lot about Massachusetts, but I do a lot about Indiana, I know they are a terrible football team. They nearly lost to an FCS school last week, their next win wont be until next September at the earliest. Pick: Massachusetts

Air Force at Michigan: I told you last week, Michigan was very overrated coming into the year. After last week they are now ranked 19, which I think is much more appropriate. Since this game is in Ann Arbor, Ill give Michigan the nod to even their record. Pick: Michigan

Michigan St at Central Michigan: The Spartans looked like the best team in the Big ten last week, and moved ahead of Michigan and Wisconsin in the lastest poll to now be ranked as the highest team in the Big ten. They also have a easy win this week, so Sparty keeps rolling. Pick: Michigan st

Iowa St at Iowa: The cyclones beat Iowa last year, but the game takes place at Kinnick stadium this year, so Ill give Iowa the slight edge in this rivalry. Pick: Iowa

Nebraska at UCLA: Even though Michigan st looked like the best conference team last week, Nebraska put out the most dominating performance, amassing over 500 yards of offense, and a big showing from the defense. The Big ten is 6-30 on the road against the Pac-10 (Pac-12) in the past 22 years. I think theyll go 3-0 in those games this week, and this is the first. Pick: Nebraska

Vanderbilt at Northwestern: Both these teams played week one thrillers, and I think this will be a very close game. Maybe Im reading to much into the fact that Vandy almost beat a top ten team last week, but I was impressed and for that reason Im picking them here. Pick_ vanderbilt

Illinois at Arizona St: Another big ten at pac 12 game. This is probably my boldest pick of the season so far, but Im taking the Illini in a upset on the road. Pick: Illinois

Outside the Big ten

Georgia at Missouri: Pick: Georgia

Florida at Texas A&M: pick: Florida

Pittsburgh at Cincinatti: Pick: Cincinatti

2012 Green Bay Packers season Preview

The past five season have seen the Packers be among the most successful in the league. The Packers take aim at 2012 with a renewed sense of focus and drive, and are again among the favorites to take home the Lombardi trophy. To fully understand where the Packers stand this season we are going to start by recapping each of the past five Packers seasons.

2007: The Packers stun everybody by rolling to a 13-3 record, thanks to a rejuvenation of Brett Favres career. They fall in overtime in the NFC championship game thanks to a late interception from Favre, the last pass of his Packers career.

2008: Aaron Rodgers takes over QB duties and does a fine job for a first year starter. Unfortunately the defense doesnt do so hot, especially in fourth quarters. A five game losing streak, four of which coming on last minute drives, dooms the Packers to a 6-10 season.

2009: A tale of two seasons. The first half sees Aaron Rodgers get sacked an ungodly amount of times, The Packers being beaten by Brett favre twice, and heavily upset twice more, to take on a 4-4  record. The second half sees the Packers offense soar to record breaking heights, the o-line tighten up, and the D play well, at times. The team goes 7-2, a playoff loss included. The losses sees the defense put up staggeringly atrocious performances. Nonetheless, the good second half sets up a run for 2010.

2010: For the first time in 13 years, the Packers open the season as a top three super bowl favorite. However, a myriad of injuries, coupled with a crazy amount of heartbreaking last second losses, lead to the Packers being 8-6 and needing two wins to make the playoffs. They get those two wins, and roll through the playoffs en route to their fourth super bowl victory in team history. The defense is dominant from start to finish on the season, Only giving up more than 25 points two times in twenty games.

2011: The Packers are favorites to repeat, and the offense doesnt dissapoint. The second most lethal offense in NFL history puts up 34 points a game, 40 a game at home, leading to a 15-1 regular season. However, the defense is alarmingly bad, leading to a number of shootouts. compared to last year, they gave up more than 25 points seven times in seventeen games. They lose in the divisional round of the playoffs, in what was probably the worst game the Packers played since Favre beat them at Lambeau over two years ago.

That brings us to 2012, what follows is a position by position breakdown of what we can expect from our Packers this season.

Quartberback: Aaron Rodgers is arguably the greatest player in the NFL right now. He is coming off a season in which he set the record for best QB rating in a season, thanks in part to a staggeringly low interception total. With the same weapons as last year, another great year is rightfully expected. Another year with 40+ touchdowns and single digit interceptions is likely. Graham Harrell has backup duties for now, but his play worried many fans during the preseason. He did put up a sharp performance in the last game however, and he seems adequate at the position as long as the O-line gives him time.

Running Back: The Packers should have their most potent rushing attack since the 2004 season. 1,000 yard back Cedric Benson will be starting, and he will certainly help take the load off Rodgers. He may not get to 1,000, but expect 800-900, good enough for this offense. Behind him is Alex Green and James Starks. Starks dissapointed last year, but in a backup role may be effecient. Green will probably get limited reps. Fan Favorite John Kuhn will be resuming his fullback duties.

Wide Receivers: Jordy Nelson had a breakout season last year, getting 15 TD receptions. Hes on my gameday shirt this year, so hopefully another good year is on the horizon. Jennings returns as the number one receiver, and Randall Cobb is coming off an impressive rookie year, and should have an increased role this year. Donald Driver will have a more limited role, but is still a threat for a big game. And Jarrett Boykin currently holds the fifth receiver spot, hoping for a chance to make an impact.

Tight ends: After a dissapointing 2011, Jermichael Finley has been given a chance to come back to Green Bay and try to prove he can live up to the hype as one of the best tight ends in the game.With Andrew Quarless on the PUP list,  Tom Crabtree should be number two on the tight end depth chart, giving him an increased role, and young guns DJ Williams and Ryan Taylor both have the potential to impress. Keep an eye on Williams, I think he has the potential to be the diamond in the rough that Thompson seems to find every year.

Offensive Line: Bryan Bulaga and Marshall Newhouse will man the guard positions. Its do or die time for both of these guys, as Bulaga has been adequate, but not first round pick adequate since his NFL debut, and Newhouse has been increasingly dissapointing. Josh Sitton and TJ Lang will take the Guard spots, and are about as reliable as guys you can have there. Free Agent signee Jeff Saturday wil have Center Duties this season, and is one of the top players in that position in the NFL.

Defensive Line: Ryan Pickett and CJ WIlson will man the inside, while First round pick Jerel Worthy will take Defensive End duties, hoping to fill a void the Packers had last year. BJ Raji will also be here, hoping to bounce back after a dissapointing 2011 season.

Linebackers: With Nick Perry being drafted and Jamari Lattimore stepping up, AJ Hawk has heard the message loud and clear that he needs to step up or he may lose his job. Clay Matthews returns hoping to return to a double digit sack nummber, but dont let that make you think he was ineffective last year despite the decreased sack total. he just found ways to help in other capacities.

Defensive Backs: With Charles Woodson moving to the secondary, its Tramon Williams time to shine as the number one corner. The Number two corner may be the overall weakness on the team, as it appears Jarrett Bush may be given a chance to start the season at this spot. Bush has been, at times, a disaster here in his time in Green Bay, but appears to have improved somewhat, judging by limited preseason action. If he cant fill the void, any number of players can step in, including Sam Shields, Davon House, or MD Jennings. Morgan Burnett returns to the free safety position.

Special teams: Mason Crosby returns to kick field goals, and he has been one of the most consistent guys in the league in doing so in his time in Green Bay. Tim Masthay returns to punting duties and is also one of the most reliable guys in the league at that position.

Now its time for the position power ranking, of the eight groups above, I will rank which units are the best, and which may be a weak point for the team this year.

8. Defensive Backs
7. Running Backs
6. Defensive Line
5. Offensive Line
4. Tight Ends
3. Linebackers
2. Wide Receivers
1. Quarterbacks

Taking a look at the Packers schedule, the first strecth of games is brutal. The Packers face one super bowl candidate right off the bat in the 49ers, then return three nights later to face another in the Chicago Bears. They then travel out West for a night game in Seattle, one of the most difficult environments to play in, then are faced with a short week to prepare for Drew Brees and the Saints. After this brutal four game swing, the Packers are dealt three straight road games, highlighted by a Sunday night game against another super bowl favorite in the Houston Texans. After the Houston games thing finally settle down; after a trip to St louis, the Pack have back to back games at Lambeau against much inferior teams Jacksonville and Arizona. Then a bye before two tough roadies against Detroit and the defending champion New York Giants. The december schedule is pretty favorable as it sees the Packers take on the Vikings twice, plus tennesse and Detroit both at Lambeau. The toughie in december is at Chicago, which could have major playoff implications.

Hopefully the Packers will rebound from last years playoff defeat and put together another great season. I see some predicting 16-0 for this team, and Id love that, but I dont think the schedule sets up very favorably for it. The old saying "its not who you play but when you play them" may be very true for the Packers here. Playing two tough teams in the Bears and Saints on short weeks could trip them up. Playing night road games in Houston and Seattle could trip them up. Getting the Giants off their bye could work against them. Only time will tell. et the games begin, and Go Pack Go!

Week 1 NFL picks

A new NFL season is finally upon us. It couldnt come soon enough after last years bitter playoff defeat for the Packers at the hands of the New York Giants. But enough about last season, this year promises to be another special season for the green and gold, and in just five short days, Ill be at Lambeau screaming my lungs out, hoping for another 1-0 start to the season for the pack. This post however, is not about the Packers, that comes later. This post is the first of my weekly picks segment, where I pick all the games in this weeks action. These will be straight up picks, not against the spread.

Cowboys at Giants: This is this years NFL kickoff game, and I honestly cant remember a less hyped kickoff game in recent memory, and I understand, because this game isnt all that appealing. Neither team made it to double digit wins last year, and unlike last years opening kickoff game, neither team is a popular pick to make the super bowl this year. Since the NFL started putting defending champions at home on Thursday night for the first game of the season, the defending champ is undefeated. Expect that continue for this year as well. Pick: Giants

Colts at Bears: The NFL schedule makers did the Packers no favors, by giving them a matchup in week one against a very physical team, before matching up against another physical team just four days later in the Bears. Chicago, meanwhile gets a break, as they essentially get a bye in week 1 before their matchup in Green Bay. Indy will be improved this year, and I think Andrew Luck will have a better rookie season than Cam Newton did last year, but it wont be nearly enough to beat the Bears in week 1, unfortunately. Pick: Bears

Eagles at Browns: After last years failure, many people are picking the Eagles to bounce back this year. On the opposite end, many people are again picking the Browns to be a doormat. I dont think the Eagles will make a super bowl run like some do, but I do expect them to start 1-0. pick: Eagles

Rams at Lions: After a sophmore slump last year, Sam Bradford should rebound for a nice season this year. But the Lions are a tough opening test. I pegged detroit to have a 9-7 record this year, a decline, from last year, bu I still think theyll take this one. Pick: Lions

Patriots at Titans: The Patriots have been blessed with an unbelievably easy schedule this year. The titans are no pushover, they may put up a fight, but they wont be able to keep up for a full sixty minutes. Pick: Patriots

Falcons at Chiefs: One of the toughest games of the week to pick, both of these teams are popular picks to win their divisions after dissapointing campaigns in 2011. In a very close call, Im taking the Chiefs, but I think Atlanta ends up with the better record after sixteen games. Pick: Chiefs

Jaguars at Vikings: Another tough game to pick, because no one knows just how bad these teams are. Some are predicitng aanother 3-13 year for the Vikes, and as much as Id love that, I picked them win six, as I think they have the talent to pull off a better season than last. The Jags offense is god awful, which is why I think the Vikes will win, Jacksonville doesnt have the weapons to expose Minnesota weakness, their secondary.

Redskins at Saints; This is the Penn state of NFL openers. After a tumultous offseason, a team starts the year at home with an emotional and angry team and fanbase fueling them. I picked penn state to win and they let me down, but that wont scare me away from picking New Orleans against an inferior oponent. Pick: Saints

Bills at Jets: The Jets were so bad in preseason, I may have to revise my picks and put them in last place behind the Dolphins in their division. The bills meanwhile, look to recapture that magic they had in the first few games of the year in 2011. I expect the Jets will still be a mess, and Buffalo will take advantage. Pick: Bills

Dolphins at Texans: Had it not been for Matt Schaubs injury last year, Houston may have made the super bowl instead of the Pats. They have just as good a shot to make that run this year, with a defense among the leagues best. Meanwhile, the Dolphins, well they are in for another year of rebuilding. Pick: Texans

Seahawks at Cardinals: The Cardinals were second only to the Jets in embarrassingly messy preseasons. Apparently John Skelton will be starting, which is really all you need to know, but well go on because the Seahawks QB situation is the most intriguing thing outside of Green Bay to me this year. Matt flynn was signed to a big contract, but rookie Russel Wilson made such a big impact, he was given the nod in the opener. This could be a good thing for the Seahawks, or an example of the typical cliche, when you have two quarterbacks, you dont have any. Luckily, they have a pushover in week one. Pick: Seahawks

Panthers at Buccanneers: The Buccaneers were a darkhorse pick to make the postseason last year and failed tremendously. This the Panthers are that team being picked by many to sneak into the tourny. This game is a tough call, as the Buccaneers over the past few years have overachieved greatly with low expectaton, and underachieved greatly with high expectations. History says this could be a good year for them, but Ill still Cam for the win. Pick: Panthers

Steelers at Broncos: Peyton Manning makes his return on an NFL field, against one of the powerhouse defenses in the NFL. This should be a great game, but Ill give the sligh nod the Pittsburgh, as Peyton still wil be a tad rusty. Pick: Steelers

Bengals at Ravens: The Benagls surprised everybody by winning ten games and making the playoffs. The Ravens finally got over the hump by winning their division and coming within three points of the superbowl. What no one really like to talk about is how the Bengals didnt have a single quality win last year, they won ten by beating weak teams, and losing to the good ones. Pick: Ravens

Chargers at Raiders: This game is a big yawn for me. Neither of these two teams inspire much excitement in me, but I do expect the Chargers to bounce back a bit this year. Not enough to make a super bowl run, but enough to start the year with a win. Pick: Chargers

Week 1 survivor pick: Philadelphia Eagles

Packers season preview coming tomorrow, week 2 NCAA picks on Thursday, Badger week 2 preview Friday, Packer week 1 preview Saturday. Also on Thursday night, Ill preview the Red Sox three game set over the weekend against the Blue Jays. I cant ignore them forever, though Id love to.

Badgers hang on 26-21 in season opener

Im a little late in getting a recap of this game, but better late than never right? Well, not if your Northern Iowa, whose offense waited for about 43 minutes to show up in this game, and it ended up being just a little to late. The Wisconsin offense started out slow, like I predicted, but never got the train rolling like I thought they would. There first few drives were slow and methodical, but they couldnt finish them off at first, which led to a paltry 6-0 lead as the first half winded down. Finally, in the two minute offense, O' Brien led a good drive and threw a ten yard touchdown pass to Jared Abbredaris to give the Badgers a 13-0 halftime lead. The Badgers came out firing in the third quarter with another long drive, capped by a one yard touchdown run by Montee Ball, and a 19-0 lead, as the PAT try was blocked.

At this point it appeared the Badgers were rolling to a season opening win, like they should have against an FCS opponent, but Northern Iowa fought back. They got across the 50 yard line for the first time in the game with three minutes left in the third, and continued to march thanks to a couple third down conversion attempts, and found the endzone to cut the Badger lead to 19-7 with one quarter left.

Wisconsin came right back punching in the fourth, finally finding that big play everyone at Camp Randall had been waiting for all day. That big play was a 53 yard touchdown pass again to Jared Abbredaris and a 26-7 Badger lead with just 12:31 remaining. game over, right? well from here the Badgers nearly melted down. Northern Iowa marched down the field with ease, scoring a touchdown in just over a minute, to cut the lead to 26-14. Then a short Badger drive, led to another way to easy touchdown drive for the Panthers and all of a sudden the lead was just 26-21 with half of the fourth quarter remaining. The badgers followed this up with a three and out, and the Panthers got the ball back with a chance to take the lead with over five minutes remaining. Northern Iowa converted a couple long third downs on the drive, and even crossed the fifty, petrifying badger fans everywhere, but the drive finally stalled with a tipped pass on a 4th and 1, and the Badgers got the ball back, and Montee Ball helped the Badgers run out the clock. 1-0. Some observations from the game

Despite having an explosive offense last year, the defense, especially the secondary left a lot to be desired, and those concerns werent extinguished yesterday. Northern Iowa made the defense look silly in the fourth quarter. This unit will have to improve if the Badgers will have another special season.

O'brien was solid. he completed 19 of 23 passes, and even though most of the throws were conservative, hes still going to fit in nicely with this offense. Dont expect the Badgers to put up 44 points a game again, but expect 35-40 by the time its all said and done.

Montee Ball was less than stellar. With only 12, or 13 games in a season, one bad game can ruin hesiman hopes. Ball averaged less than four yards a carry, and never broke one big. It doesnt ruin his chances, but a couple more games like that and his chances will start to slowly fade away.

Jared Abbredaris had six receptions for 84 yards and two touchdown receptions. I expect him to be one of the top receivers in the big ten all season and possibly a difference maker in some games. Hes the real deal.

There were no turnovers on either side in this game, but a few forced fumbles. The Badgers have an extremely talented linebacker corps, so expect a plethora of those forced fumbles this year.

Wisconsin converted 9-16 third downs and only allowed the Panthers to convert 3-11, though all of these conversions came at crucial points in the game. The Badgers converted their only fourth down attempt, and Northern Iowa converted two of three.

I went 11-1 in picking Big ten games this week, only missing out on Ohio-Penn state. I went 2-1 in picking outside games, missing on Clemson-Auburn.

Up Next: The Badgers head to Corvallis to take on Oregon State. I think I speak for everyone when I say Im happy the Badgers will get a true road game under their belt before Big ten play starts. As everyone knows, last year their first road game wasnt until October 22nd, and I think that hurt them. The Badgers went 2-2 in road games last year, and really struggled against clearly inferior opponents in the two games they won. Hopefully and early road game this year will help. the game time is 1:00 local time. And finally, one thing well be keeping track of all season..

Montee Ball touchdown counter: 1

Week 1: Wisconsin Badgers (0-0) Vs Northern Iowa Panthers (0-0) 2:30 PM

A new season is finally underway in madtown Saturday as the Badgers begin their season against an FCS opponent in Northern Iowa. The Badgers are coming off a season in which they had a record setting offense, a heisman trophy finalist, won a second straight big ten title, and lost their second consecutive Rose Bowl. The Badgers return that heisman finalist, and with Penn St and Ohio St ineligble, the Badgers are a very safe bet to at least return to a second straight Big ten championship game and win the Leaders Division again.

     Despite being an FCS opponent, Northern Iowa is no slouch. They nearly defeated two BCS opponents last year, and are ranked in the top 10 at their level in the preseason poll. Wisconsin has not lost at home since 2009, and hasnt lost a nonconference regular season game since 2003, the second longest streak in the nation.

   Its certainly good to have football back in mad town. Montee Ball should have another great season, but I find it hard to believe theyll be as impressive as last year. It may not have to be though, I think at the very least the Badgers will be back in Indy for the Big ten championship game, but I also think the skies the limit, and a run at the national title is not out of the question. One game at a time though, and Northern Iowa is a decent test to start the season.

Prediction: Despite being one of the best FCS teams in the country, the Badgers speed and size is simply to much, especially at Camp Randall, where the Badgers have made a habit of slaughtering inferior opponents. It may start slow, but at some point the Badgers will get the train rolling. Badgers 49 Panthers 13

Weather: 85 degrees, 30% chance of rain.