Rivalry Weekend in NCAA Football...

Rivalry weekend continues in NCAA Football

We have reached Week 13 of the NCAA season, with a few games already completed over the last couple of days; there are a few others this weekend that could help decide conference, bowl and BCS berths. If nothing else, there is always the “braggin’ rights” to be won for some of the rivalries.

Last week on my Blog Picks, I had a 17-9 week putting me at 154-92 for the season, meanwhile as a Fearless Forecaster, I had a subpar 9-11 week sending my record to 146-94 in the Roanoke Times (Virginia) newspaper.

I have had mixed results from my seven predictions so far this week so I am looking to consolidate on Saturday.

Here we go with the picks:

Iowa State @ Oklahoma (9)

Can the Cyclones do it two weeks in a row….na, not this season.

Oklahoma 38-24

Georgia (13) @ Georgia Tech (23)

Georgia will be hoping to get out unscathed heading into the SEC title tilt with LSU. Could be a tricky one!!

Georgia 20-16

Michigan State (14) @ Northwestern

Michigan State 27-16

Ohio State @ Michigan (15)

Michigan 31-21

Wyoming @ Boise State (7)

Wyoming may go bowling but will find it tough to win at Boise.

Boise State 42-22

Alabama (2) @ Auburn (24)

Records out the window…I’ll call for an upset again this weekend….BCS chaos may ensue!!

Auburn 20-18

Virginia Tech (5) @ Virginia

Big one back in the home state, the Cavs (Wahoos) have improved but may not be ready for the Hokies this season.

VA Tech 28-20

Oregon State @ Oregon (10)

Oregon 50-21

Penn State (19) @ Wisconsin (16)

Wisconsin 29-13

Texas Tech @ Baylor (18)

Baylor should be ranked higher…

Baylor 48-28

Clemson (17) @ South Carolina (12)

Tigers get the better of the Gamecocks and improve their bowl prospects.

Clemson 19-14

Notre Dame (22) @ Stanford (6)

Stanford 40-17

Cincinnati @ Syracuse

Syracuse 27-23

Duke @ North Carolina

UNC 30-12

Florida State @ Florida

Florida 18-17

Tennessee @ Kentucky

Tennessee 31-21

Maryland @ NC State

NC State 41-14

Missouri @ Kansas

Missouri 48-10

That will do it for the rest of the weekend, enjoy the games and let’s see how the BCS pans out!!!

Virginia High School Playoff predictions

Crunch time for High Schools this weekend!!

Back in Virginia, the VHSL high school football playoffs have reached the regional finals with a few Timesland, Piedmont District and Southside Virginia teams still alive with big games this weekend.

Last week, I had a perfect 14-0 record on VarsityCast in the Roanoke Times newspaper in Virginia taking me to 234-80 for the season. In my Blog Picks, I went 9-1 sending me to 108-22 for the year….here we go for this week:

Magna Vista @ Christiansburg

Rematch of last year’s Regional Final but this may be the year for Magna Vista!!

Magna Vista by 8

Brookville @ Northside

Brookville by 4

Jefferson Forest @ Broadway

Broadway by 12

Cave Spring @ Richlands

Richlands by 14

Honaker @ Galax

Galax by 13

Clintwood @ George Wythe

George Wythe by 16

Covington @ Sussex Central

Sussex Central by 10

Dan River @ Wilson Memorial

Wildcats have been a surprise!!

Dan River by 6

Gretna @ Riverheads

Gretna by 6

Lunenburg Central vs. William Campbell

William Campbell by 13

Ok, that will do it for this week, enjoy the long weekend!!

Thanksgiving Weekend NFL & some NCAA picks

NFL Week 12 predictions…

I am back this week after an awesome 12-2 effort in my Week 11 NFL picks. I am now 94-66 for the season in NFL games for this season.

This week has the annual Thanksgiving Day games featuring the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. There should be some exciting action on tap!!

Ok, here we go:

Green Bay @ Detroit

There is always room for a surprise when these two meet on Thanksgiving Day. Green Bay is looking to keep its unbeaten streak intact while Detroit has reversed their slump with a win last week. The Lions managed a split of the series last season and are my upset picks in this one!!

Detroit 28-24

Miami @ Dallas

The Dolphins have quietly won three in a row and are my picks for a “Turkey Day” surprise in Dallas.

Miami 21-13

San Francisco @ Baltimore

Two very stingy defences meet in Baltimore…advantage to the home team!!

Baltimore 23-14

Houston @ Jacksonville

Houston 30-20

Buffalo @ NY Jets

NY Jets 28-20

Cleveland @ Cincinnati

Cincinnati 17-13

Minnesota @ Atlanta

Atlanta 40-13

Arizona @ St. Louis

Arizona 30-28

Carolina @ Indianapolis

Carolina 31-17

Tampa Bay @ Tennessee

Tampa Bay 24-20

Chicago @ Oakland

Oakland 23-21

Washington @ Seattle

Seattle 23-17

Denver @ San Diego

Chargers need this one!!

San Diego 30-20

New England @ Philadelphia

Philadelphia 34-30

Pittsburgh @ Kansas City

Pittsburgh 40-14

NY Giants @ New Orleans

New Orleans 35-27

That will do it for my NFL picks this week…Happy Thanksgiving!!

Early NCAA Games

There are also a few appetizing NCAA games over the next two days, one with major BCS ramifications.

Texas (25) @ Texas A&M

Texas 41-34

Houston (8) @ Tulsa

Houston 51-31

Iowa @ Nebraska (21)

Nebraska 27-20

Arkansas (3) @ LSU (1)

A Razorback win would send the BCS into a tizzy…why not pick an upset with this one!!

Arkansas 23-16

Boston College @ Miami, Fla.

Miami 30-14

Colorado @ Utah

Utah 40-23

Pitt @ West Virginia

West Virginia 30-21

I will be back in a day or so with the rest of my NCAA picks…enjoy all of the action!!

NCAA Week 12 picks......

BCS getting muddled…Week 12 NCAA picks

With # 2 Oklahoma State getting upset on Friday night…the BCS landscape has become an unpredictable proposition below # 1 LSU.

Last week, I had another 12-8 computer aided week as a Fearless Forecaster in the Roanoke Times (Virginia) putting me at 137-83 for the season. I did get my picks done on time this week so it is all me!!

In my Blog Picks, I had a 20-3 week sending me to 148-80 on the season. Not too bad!!

Week 12 predictions:

Citadel @ South Carolina (12)

South Carolina 42-10

Indiana @ Michigan State (15)

Michigan State 43-7

Nebraska (16) @ Michigan (18)

Nebraska 31-24

Wisconsin (17) @ Illinois

Wisconsin 48-21

Kentucky @ Georgia (14)

Georgia 34-7

Samford @ Auburn (24)

Auburn 50-7

Mississippi State @ Arkansas (6)

Arkansas 43-20

Georgia Southern @ Alabama (3)

Alabama 42-10

Clemson (7) @ NC State

Clemson 30-24

SMU @ Houston (11)

Houston rolls on!!

Houston 52-23

Colorado State @ TCU (19)

TCU 38-24

Penn State (21) @ Ohio State

Ohio State 17-11

LSU (1) @ Ole Miss

LSU 45-8

Virginia @ Florida State (25)

Florida State 27-22

USC @ Oregon (4)

Upset special!!

USC 38-34

Oklahoma (5) @ Baylor (22)

Baylor strikes again!!

Baylor 40-37

Boise State (10) @ San Diego State

Boise State 31-17

Kansas State (13) @ Texas (23)

Kansas State 24-20

California @ Stanford (9)

Stanford 34-10

Miami @ South Florida

Miami 30-28

Texas Tech @ Missouri

Missouri 34-24

Vanderbilt @ Tennessee

Vanderbilt 28-20

Arizona @ Arizona State

Arizona State 40-30

Kansas @ Texas A&M

Texas A&M 41-16

That will do it for this week…..stay tuned for the latest BCS Standings on Sunday!!

High School playoff picks....

Virginia High School Playoffs continue

The Virginia High School League playoffs are into their second week across the state. I will be attempting to pick some winners in my old stomping grounds of SW/Southside Virginia.

Last week on VarsityCast I barely broke .500 going 9-8 putting me at 220-80 for the season. On my blog picks I had a perfect 10-0 week again taking me to 99-21 on the year.

Here we go for this week:

Franklin County @ Battlefield

Eagles run may end on the road this week.

Battlefield by 4

Martinsville @ Cave Spring

Tough one for the ‘Dogs on the road.

Cave Spring by 8

Salem @ Magna Vista

This season, the Warriors finally get to host their annual playoff tilt with Salem. This one is the rubber match of the last three seasons. I think Magna Vista is on a mission this season.

Magna Vista by 10

Dan River @ Grayson County

Grayson County by 3

Tunstall @ Richlands

Richlands by 13

GW Danville @ Broad Run

Broad Run by 6

Staunton River @ Jefferson Forest

Jefferson Forest by 14

Hidden Valley @ Christiansburg

Christiansburg by 16

Gretna @ Giles

Gretna by 2

Radford @ George Wythe

George Wythe by 3

That will do it for this week’s high school edition…’til next week!!

NFL Week 10 picks plus extras!!

Recovery needed in Week 11 NFL picks

In my prediction history whether it be NFL, NCAA or high school football, I have never had a 2-14 week…until last week’s NFL predictions!! The abysmal week put me at 82-64 for the season.

I am looking for major redemption in this week’s predictions in a week with a few quality games so here we go:

NY Jets @ Denver

Ok, now we have Tebow vs. Revis Island, question is will Tim Tebow throw over 15 passes for the game. Denver has a banged up core of running backs so this one could get ugly.

NY Jets 30-14

Tampa Bay @ Green Bay

Green Bay 28-24

Carolina @ Detroit

Detroit 30-17

Jacksonville @ Cleveland

Cleveland 20-16

Oakland @ Minnesota

Oakland 30-27

Buffalo @ Miami

Are the Bills done?? Is Miami on the move??

Miami 27-21

Dallas @ Washington

Hmmm…my must not see game of the week but someone has to win!!

Dallas 30-20

Cincinnati @ Baltimore

Ravens usually bounce back after poor road performances. Bengals are not under the radar anymore and in trouble.

Baltimore 24-20

Arizona @ San Francisco

San Francisco 31-21

Seattle @ St. Louis

Seattle 23-17

Tennessee @ Atlanta

Atlanta 34-27

San Diego @ Chicago

Ok, staying loyal to my brand (Bolts)!!

San Diego 28-24

Philadelphia @ NY Giants

Somehow Eagles will pull it off!!

Philadelphia 30-28

Kansas City @ New England

New England 38-24

That will do it for the week’s NFL picks…

NCAA Ranked teams are up on Thursday and Friday nights

It is the stage of the season where there are a few Top 25 NCAA teams playing on Thursday and Friday nights…here are a few of the early ones for this week.

North Carolina @ Virginia Tech (8)

Is it any tougher to play an NCAA game anywhere else than in Blacksburg on a Thursday night?? Ask Carolina on Friday morning!!

VA Tech 30-20

Southern Mississippi (20) @ UAB

S. Miss 41-21

Oklahoma State (2) @ Iowa State

Cyclones can be dangerous if teams come in looking ahead to bigger games!! Cowboys should be prepared though.

Oklahoma State 51-30

Stay tuned for the rest of my NCAA picks for Week 12 over the next day or so.

NCAA Picks Week 11...

Another Crunch Weekend for NCAA Teams

With most of the college football world focused on activities at Penn State the last few days…let’s not forget there will be action on the field this weekend with several games of interest on tap.

Last week, I went 15-10 for my Blog Picks so I am 128-77 for the season. As a Fearless Forecaster, the mystery picker picked for me as I missed the tips deadline which I did again this week….bad boy!! Anyhow, I was credited with a 12-8 week there putting me at 125-75 for the year.

Here we go with the rest of this week’s games….I have already tipped two games correctly with Virginia Tech and Houston winning on Thursday night. Here we go with the rest:

Oklahoma State (2) @ Texas Tech

There will definitely be points scored in bunches!! Texas Tech has been known to pull an upset but Oklahoma State is gunning for a BCS title game shot so the Cowboys get the nod.

Oklahoma State 51-44

Wake Forest @ Clemson (9)

Clemson 38-28

Nebraska (19) @ Penn State (12)

This one will be vital for Penn State as they try to deal with the off field turmoil of the last few days. Passions will be running high and the Lions may be primed to be upset.

Nebraska 23-16

Florida @ South Carolina

Still hard to process a Steve Spurrier team as a tough defensive force!!

South Carolina 24-14

Texas (16) @ Missouri

Missouri bounces back from the loss to Baylor

Missouri 33-28

Michigan State (17) @ Iowa

Michigan State 27-17

West Virginia @ Cincinnati (23)

Cincy 30-22

Texas A&M @ Kansas State (14)

Kansas State 27-21

Auburn (20) @ Georgia (15)

Georgia 24-20

Wisconsin (18) @ Minnesota

Wisconsin 43-23

Michigan (24) @ Illinois

Illinois 27-23

Alabama (3) @ Mississippi State

Alabama 38-20

Oregon (7) @ Stanford (4)

Big one in the PAC 12 as Stanford looks to stay unbeaten and in National Championship contention, the Ducks may be too fast for them now that they are healthy.

Oregon 38-30

Central Florida @ Southern Mississippi (22)

Southern Miss 27-17

Rice @ Northwestern

Norhtwestern 30-13

Duke @ Virginia

Virginia 40-24

TCU @ Boise State (5)

Boise State 30-24

Washington @ USC

USC 34-21

Tennessee @ Arkansas (8)

Arkansas 41-13

Western Kentucky @ LSU

LSU 55-10

Miami (FL) @ Florida State

In the preseason this one figured to be huge, no more for bragging rights.

Miami 30-27

That will do it for this week….

High School picks for the week!!

Playoff time in Virginia!!

Virginia high schools have reached the post season with action getting underway around the state this weekend.

Last week, a 7-3 record on my blog took me to 89-21 for the regular season. Meanwhile, I went 20-6 at VarsityCast putting me at 211-72.

Here we go for this week:

Colonial Forge @ Franklin County

Franklin County by 8

Bassett @ Hidden Valley

Close on in the regular season but Hidden Valley is at home this time around.

Hidden Valley by 10

Marion @ Tunstall

Tunstall by 4

Abingdon @ Martinsville

Martinsville by 10

Pulaski @ Salem

Salem by 12 or so again

Thomas Walker @ Radford

Radford by 13

Dan River @ Gate City

Gate City by 3

Glenvar @ Giles

Giles by 17

Amherst County @ Heritage

Amherst by 2

Holston @ Galax

Galax by 13

That will do it for this week….tune in next week for more picks…good luck to all teams.

NFL Week 10 picks plus 2!!!

Early start to NFL week

Week 10 Predictions

Well, last week I broke even….7-7 in my NFL Predictions so going into Week 10, I have an 80-50 record for the season.

This week we have an early start with a Thursday night game on tap from the AFC West.

I'll jump right into it:

Oakland @ San Diego

San Diego had a near miss last week and hosts an Oakland outfit that is banged up at home. The Chargers should get back on track in this one.

San Diego 30-17

Arizona @ Philadelphia

Philadelphia 31-14

Tennessee @ Carolina

Carolina 27-24

Houston @ Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay will be looking to surprise the Texans and need the “W”.

Tampa Bay 24-20

Washington @ Miami

Break up the Dolphins!! Miami to win two in a row??

Miami 23-17

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis

Indianapolis 20-14

Denver @ Kansas City

Tebow Mania is getting to a fever pitch but Kansas City may quell the wave!!

Kansas City 28-21

Buffalo @ Dallas

Buffalo 23-21

New Orleans @ Atlanta

Atlanta 30-28

St. Louis @ Cleveland

Cleveland 17-13

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati

Bengals have quietly got themselves into a “control your own destiny” situation and will make more of a proclamation this weekend.

Cincy 27-26

Baltimore @ Seattle

Baltimore 30-20

NY Giants @ San Francisco

NY Giants 34-24

Detroit @ Chicago

Detroit 28-24

New England @ NY Jets

Jets are looking to be the better team at the moment.

NY Jets 27-21

Minnesota @ Green Bay

Green Bay 40-24

That will do it for this week’s NFL Predictions…see you next week.

Thursday Night NCAA Games

There are a couple of NCAA games featuring ranked teams on Thursday night so I will throw in my picks for those now and do my full set of NCAA Predictions in a couple of days.

Virginia Tech (10) @ Georgia Tech (21)

A team from Tech will win!! But I will swing my pick to the Virginia ones. The Hokies are improving and gunning for a higher BCS Ranking.

The Va. Tech defense should control the option game of Ga. Tech and get the win in Atlanta.

Virginia Tech 34-20

Houston (11) @ Tulane

Houston continues to move up in the rankings and have a showcase game for the nation on Thursday night.

Houston 50-27