A quick note before I go on – I know that Michigan beat Notre Dame by 26 points in South Bend in September. And it certainly appears as thought nobody is beating Ohio State this year. But if the Irish can go out to The Coliseum tomorrow night and beat USC, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Irish in the BCS National Championship game. Would that be fair? That’s debatable. What’s not debatable is the old college football adage: When you lose matters. Notre Dame’s loss to the Wolverines occurred many, many moons ago, and a win over USC would be fresh in the voters’ minds. Basically, tomorrow night is the season for Touchdown Charlie and the Irish. Here’s a bonus pick for you this week. Notre Dame 24, USC 20. Bring on the Buckeyes!
Sunday, November 26th, 2006
The Match-up: Pittsburgh (+3.0) @ Baltimore
The Skinny: The Ravens come into this game with a 4-0 record and a re-commitment to the ground game since Brian Billick fired Jim Fassel and took over the play-calling duties. Perhaps the Steelers should be taking notes.
Straight Up: Baltimore
Against the Spread: Baltimore
The Match-up: Cincinnati (–3.0) @ Cleveland
The Skinny: Ocho Cinco is white hot, putting up ridiculous numbers (450 yards, 5 TD) in his last two games. LaDanian Tomlinson thinks Ocho is on a roll.
Straight Up: Cleveland
Against the Spread: Cleveland
The Match-up: San Francisco (+5.5) @ St. Louis
The Skinny: The 49ers are 5-5 and in the NFC playoff race, which should tell you all you need to know about the strength of the NFC. The NFL calls it “parity.” I call it the JV.
Straight Up: St. Louis
Against the Spread: St. Louis
The Match-up: Arizona (+6.0) @ Minnesota
The Skinny: It’s old home week in the NFC North. Joey Harrington led Miami to a win over his old Lions mates yesterday, and Denny Green and the Cardinals head to the Homerdome to take on the Vikings. Green may be able to spend a lot of time in the Land of Lakes come January.
Straight Up: Minnesota
Against the Spread: Minnesota
The Match-up: Houston (+6.0) @ New York Jets
The Skinny: I was intrigued to see that the Texans amassed 188 rushing yards against the Bills a week ago, and the Jets have allowed a minimum of 125 yards per game for the last nine. Not intriguing enough to pick the Texans, however, as the game is in the swamps of Jersey and Houston is 1-4 on the road.
Straight Up: New York Jets
Against the Spread: New York Jets
The Match-up: New Orleans (+3.0) @ Atlanta
The Skinny: The loser is all but eliminated from the NFC playoffs.
Straight Up: New Orleans
Against the Spread: New Orleans
The Match-up: Carolina (–4.0) @ Washington
The Skinny: Nice debut for Jason Campbell last week. Not a winning one, but still, Campbell looks like an upgrade over Mark Brunell. With the Falcons or Saints guaranteed to lose, the Panthers could grab a stranglehold on the NFC South.
Straight Up: Carolina
Against the Spread: Carolina
The Match-up: Jacksonville (–3.0) @ Buffalo
The Skinny: I know the Jags are hot (4-1 in their last five), but they’re 1-3 non the road and their defense surrenders almost fifty yards and nine points per game more on the road than at home. Gotta play the odds.
Straight Up: Buffalo
Against the Spread: Buffalo
The Match-up: Oakland (+13.0) @ San Diego
The Skinny: On the first Monday night of the season, the Chargers beat the Raiders 31-0 in Oakland. They meet again in San Diego. And the Chargers look even better than they did that night. And if possible, the Raiders look worse. Hmmm…
Straight Up: San Diego
Against the Spread: San Diego
The Match-up: New York Giants (–3.0) @ Tennessee
The Skinny: Tiki Barber is the latest Giant to express his issues with Tom Coughlin. Why? He’s hands down their best player, and he only touched the ball ten times on Monday night. No wonder they lost. And no wonder Tiki’s pissed.
Straight Up: New York Giants
Against the Spread: New York Giants
The Match-up: Chicago (+3.0) @ New England
The Skinny: The Bears could clinch the NFC North with a win over New England and losses by Minnesota and Green Bay. I only see one of those three things happening, meaning the Bears will have to clinch another day.
Straight Up: New England
Against the Spread: New England
The Match-up: Philadelphia (+9.0) @ Indianapolis
The Skinny: Remember in 2002 when Donovan McNabb broke his leg and everybody thought the Eagles were done? Wrong. Koy Detmer and A.J. Feeley led the Birds to a 5-1 record down the stretch. Now McNabb is down again, and everyone’s doubting Philly. But at 5-5, they’re still alive in the playoff race, and they could hand the reins to none other than…A.J. Feeley! Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.
Straight Up: Philadelphia
Against the Spread: Philadelphia
The Match-up: Green Bay (+9.5) @ Seattle
The Skinny: Again, it’s old home week in the NFC North. Green Bay and former Seahawk Ahman Green heads to Seattle where former Packers Mike Holmgren and Matt Hasselbeck are waiting. Remember when Favre on Monday night was a lock?
Straight Up: Seattle
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