COLLEGE WEEKEND PICKS

Well last week wasn't my best week when it came to my picks. If I have learned something this year it is to stay away from picking the Michigan State games. Back to back weeks I pick against them, and both weeks they come out victorious. Although I am going to stay clear of including them in my three picks for the weekend, I do think their luck comes to an end this weekend in Lincoln, when they take on Nebraska, but I am still not willing to go on the record with that. Despite the fact there are some pretty good games scheduled for this weekend, the talk has already begun in full force, for next weekend's tilt between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama. Many have already said that this game is the closest to the Super Bowl that college football has had in a while. I myself, although I am thoroughly looking forward to that game next week, will stick with this week's games. So here are my top 3 picks of the week.

1) Oklahoma vs Kansas State: I, like many, thought for sure Oklahoma was at least going to be undefeated going into their game with Oklahoma State. I even included them as one of the teams to be in the BCS title game. Last weekend however against Texas Tech their secondary got torn to shreds, and their offense never looked fully in sync. Kansas State on the other hand, tends to be the Cinderella story of the year. Wildcat quarterback Collin Klein hasn't been flashy with his arm, but he proves to be one of the Wildcats' biggest threats with his feet, as he is the team's leading rusher. Although KSU has been one of the great stories this year, I do think their luck comes to an end, as they begin the toughest part of their schedule. I have seen Oklahoma a few times this year, and with the exception of last weekend, they have consistently outmatched their opponents, and that's why I consider last week a blip on the radar. I do believe the game will be close, but in the end I think Landry Jones and the Sooner receiving corps take over the game in the second half. I like Oklahoma to win 35-24.

2) Clemson vs Georgia Tech: If KSU is one of the Cinderella stories of the year, Clemson has to be the other. Clemson has always been a team that has always had tremendous athletes on their team, but for various reasons they never seem to fully meet expectations. This year however they have seemed to turn the corner. Every game it seems like they have scored a touchdown in all phases of the game. Sammy Watkins is playing as a man amongst boys both as a receiver and kick returner, and if he was allowed (he's a freshman), I'm convinced he would be a top 5 pick. Also,Tajh Boyd has finally been the consistent quarterback that the Tigers have been looking for over the last 5 years. The Yellow Jackets on the other hand through the first six games looked like the team that won them an ACC title in 2009 (it has since been vacated). The relentless running attack of quarterback Tevin Washington and running back Orwin Smith over powered every defense they encountered. The last two weeks on the road however their running game has been put to a halt as they lost both to UVA and Miami. So the question is, will Clemson be able to stop their running game as well, since there now appears to be a blue print? I'm not going to say that Clemson will shut down the Georgia Tech running attack, but I do think they come out victorious, in what I consider their last true test until they play their in state rival South Carolina, and potentially a re-match with Virginia Tech in the ACC title game. I like Clemson 35-Georgia Tech 27.

3) USC vs Stanford: I am still kicking myself over my pick of Notre Dame to beat USC last week. In my heart I knew USC was the more talented team, but I just thought maybe it being the first night game in 21 years at Notre Dame, that it would be enough to put the Irish over the hump. Because of that I am going to try to redeem myself this week, and go with the Trojans over the Cardinal. Although I am not totally confident in this pick, I do believe that USC is treating this like thier Super Bowl for the season, since they can't play in the PAC 12 title game or go to a bowl game. Although I have always been impressed by the Matt Barkley and Robert Woods connection, last week truly re-affirmed that thought. I do think Andrew Luck will also have a great day, but for Stanford to go home victorious I think they will have to utilize it's running game, to the fullest, led by Stepfan Taylor, and keep the USC offense off the field. Despite the facr I am going with USC, I also do believe that Stanford may use this game to make a statement in their hopes of getting into the BCS title game. I like USC 38-Stanford 35.

As for my BC pick, I am going to go out on the limb and actually pick BC. I did like what I saw in the first half of the game against Virginia Tech last week, both offensively and defensively, but a game is 60 minutes, not 30. Maryland comes into the game struggling just as much as BC, so this game is basically going to determine who will finish last or second to last in the ACC Atlantic standings. If there is one positive to take away from last week, it was the running of sophomore running back Rolandan Finch, who rushed for 92 yards. I'm hoping BC will continue to pound the ball, and not have to pass the ball as much. This game could be tough to watch, but a victory could be a huge momentum booster with FSU coming to Chestnut Hill on Thursday night. I like BC to win 20-17.

COLLEGE WEEKEND PICKS

It's the third Saturday in October and that can only mean one thing....Alabama vs Tennessee. Unfortunatly this rivalry has become one sided in recent years, and I expect the Tide to Roll big time on Saturday night, but despite that there are still some very good games on the slate this weekend. So here are my top 3 games.


1) Wisconsin vs Michigan State: Although this isn't a divisional game, I think both these teams will meet up again in Indy to play for the Big 10 title game. Despite most people saying Wisconsin hasn't played anyone, with the exception of Nebraska thus far, I still think Wisconsin has the edge in this game. Russell Wilson has been one of the more electrifying quarterbacks this year, as he can be effective both with his legs and with his arm. Michigan State was able to contain Denard Robinson last weekend, but Russell Wilson has a lot stronger arm than Denard. Michigan State is also without arguably its top defender William Gholston after delivering a cheap shot in their win over the Wolverines last week. Although I think Kirk Cousins and the Michigan State offense will be able to put up some points, I think the ground and pound dual threat running game of the Badgers with Montee Ball and James White, will eventually tire down the Spartan defense. I like Wisconsin to win 31-21.

2) USC vs Notre Dame: Although both teams come into the game unranked, this game has the potential to be a huge spring board for the rest of the season for the team who comes out victorious. After a slow start the Irish have started to look like the team many thought they would coming into the season. The Trojans on the other hand come into the game with just one loss, but have yet to look like the USC teams of recent past. They lack the swagger that the teams during the Pete Carroll possessed. Last year the Irish finally was able to beat the Trojans after a long drought of getting steamrolled. I think this will be an exciting game to watch because both teams strengths are their offense, so I expect a lot of points to be scored. Despite the fact that Matt Barkley and Robert Woods are one of the best quarterback-wide receiver tandems in college football, I think Notre Dame's Michael Floyd will have a field day against the USC secondary. Another reason why I like the Irish is because it is the first night game at Notre Dame stadium in 21 years. We saw how electric Michigan stadium was for their first night game against the Irish earlier this season, and I expect the same atmosphere Saturday night in South Bend. I also expect a similar game and that's why I like the Irish real close. Notre Dame 35-USC 31.

3) LSU vs AUBURN: Now normally I would have probably picked the Stanford vs Washington game to be my third game of the weekend, but with the suspensions of running back Spencer Ware, stud cornerback Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu, and cornerback Tharold Simon for testing positive for synthetic marijuana, I think this game has potential to be a lot closer than was previously expected. Auburn has definitely been one of the surprise teams of the year, in that they have exceed expectations thus far. Although their defense has improved each week, there are two things going against the Tigers (Auburn Tigers that is), and that is they are starting a new quarterback in Clint Moseley and the game is at LSU. As a result I expect a lot of running by Michael Dyer, but in the end I think the LSU defense, despite being short handed, will shut down the Auburn offense, and the speed of the LSU wide receivers will overrun the young Auburn secondary. In the end I like the Bayou Bengals to win 31-17.

The final game I will pick like every week is the BC game. I'm hoping BC had a productive bye week and was able to work on their offense, but no matter how much they may have improved, I still give them no chance to win in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech. I like the Hokies to roll 41-14.

That's it for now, but look forward to reading my NFL picks later this weekend.

NFL WEEK 6 PICKS

I'm not going to get to in depth today with my picks, but I will give you my top 3 picks of the week. I went 2-1 on my college picks. Only loss was Michigan, who couldn't throw the ball a lick in the swirling wind in East Lansing. Anyways here you go. Since I already picked the Patriots to win 27-17 earlier this week, I will pick 3 other games.

1) Lions 35-49ers 21

2) Redskins 20-Eagles 17

3) Giants 28-Bills 24

Well enjoy the games and Go Pats.

WEEKEND PICKS

Well it's the weekend again, and I'm here to make my picks for what I think will be the top 3 college football games of the weekend. I will follow this up with my pro picks tomorrow or Sunday morning. Last week I went 3-0 in my picks, and came relatively close in all the scores, and 4-0 for the weekend if you include my Clemson thumping of BC. Overall this week's slate isn't that impressive, but there are still a handful of games that are worth watching. Well enough rambling, and here are my college picks.

1) Michigan vs Michigan State: Going into this game, many people are wondering if Michigan is going to falter similar to the way they did around this time last year. Just watching them this year though I do think this team is vastly improved, especially on the defensive front. Head Coach Brady Hoke is known for his defense and he has brought in Greg Mattison, formerly the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, and so far their impact has been quite noticeable. Their offense led by "Shoelace" Denard Robinson, continues to impress and it is for that reason, why I believe Michigan will be in every game this season, due to their ability to score points so quickly, as was seen at the end of the miraculous win over Notre Dame in the final seconds. Michigan State on the other hand has also been impressive. Statistically they have one of the best defenses in the country, and they also have one of the better quarterback-receiver combinations in Kirk Cousins and BJ Cunningham. Despite the game being in East Lansing, there is something about this year's Michigan squad, that makes me think "Hail to the Victors," will be the last some playing. I like Michigan close. Michigan 28-Michigan State 24.

2) Baylor vs Texas A&M: When looking across the schedule this week, the sexier match-up in the Big 12, seemed to be Oklahoma State vs Texas, but after seeing Texas last weekend against Oklahoma, I realized that they are still very young and I think will be overpowered for the second weekend in a row by the Polks offense. It is for this reason why I think Baylor and Texas A&M will be a lot more intriguing of a game. If anyone didn't watch the Baylor vs TCU game on the opening weekend of the college football game, not only did they miss in my mind one of the top games of the year, but they missed the opportunity to watch Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III aka RG3. If he didn't play at Baylor, he would probably be one of the leaders in the Heisman race, but because of their lack of television exposure, he tends to be overlooked a lot. Over the past few years Baylor coach Art Briles has brought the Bears from being a push over to a very respectable program within the Big 12. Texas A&M on the other hand, came into the season with high expectations, and after blowing two big leads in the second half in consecutive games over Oklahoma State and Arkansas, many thought their season would start to take the form of a downward spiral. Last week however they went on the road and beat a very good Texas Tech team, and it seems people are again starting to believe in the Aggies. This game I think will be one of the more exciting games, because both teams have very fun offenses to watch. In the end though I like the Aggies to win close at home in College Station. Texas A&M 38 - Baylor 31.

3) Oregon vs Arizona State: This is another game where offense will be main focus of the game. After losing to LSU in week 1, the Ducks have come back nicely, and dominated every game they have played, and looked a lot like the Ducks of last year. The Sun Devils, whom many people picked to represent the Pac 12 South in the conference title game, mainly due to the fact that USC can't participate this year, has also put together a nice season. I have never been a big ASU fan, mainly because they seem to never live up to expectations, but this year they have been competitive in all games, and have already beat USC pretty handily. Their only loss was against Illinois on the road, which at the time I picked ASU to lose in an upset, but with Illinois still undefeated, that loss isn't looking as bad for the Sun Devils. Despite LaMichael James being out, I do feel like Kenjon Barner will be able to fill in just fine at the running back position for the Ducks. Most teams don't tend to play well up in Eugene against the Ducks, and add in the fact it's a night game and College Gameday is there, I like the Ducks to win, and win pretty easily. Oregon 45 - ASU 21.

FINAL THOUGHT:

I know we are in the heart of the college football season, but tonight marks the kick-off of the college basketball season, as teams can participate in midnight madness. With the NBA season looking more in doubt with each passing day, college basketball may be our only source of the game on television this year.

Well that's about it, hope you all have a good weekend, and I will have my NFL picks later this weekend.

PATRIOTS ARE LOOKING GOOD; BC FOOTBALL NOT SO MUCH

So this past Sunday the Patriots took on the AFC rival Jets. I am not shocked that the Pats won, but what was very encouraging about the victory was how they did it. In my mind this was their first complete game of the season. They had a very balanced offensive attack having attempted 33 pass attempts to their 35 rushing attempts, including a career high 136 yard from BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Along with their impressive offensive game, the defense played their best game of the season, when many feared it would continue to falter with Jerod Mayo out. What makes the balanced offensive attack so important for the Patriots is that going into the game the Patriots have been mainly a passing team, which makes it easier for defenses to plan for, even though Tom Brady continues to shred the majority of defenses apart. With a strong running attack though it would leave many teams guessing on what the Pats will due, and thus harder to game plan for. Although I like the Patriots to beat the Cowboys this weekend, I would like to remind Pats fans that the team's worst offensive performance last year was against the Rob Ryan's defense in Cleveland. Rob Ryan is now the Dallas defensive coordinator, so the game could be closer than most people think. In the end though I like the Pats to win 27-17. I will have more of my picks, both in the pros and college ranks later on this week.

STATE OF BC SPORTS:

This past weekend was the first time in a long time, if ever, where I chose the gifts Mother Nature blessing us New Englanders with 80 degree weather in October, over watching the BC football game. Now every other year since I have either been a student at BC or an Alum, I would always have chosen the BC football game over the nice weather, but this year has really begun to irritate me. BC football for as long as I can remember has caused me great stress. It seems almost every season we lose a game that causes fans to scratch their heads and ask "how did we lose that game" and it seems forever we have never won the big game or had a major upset. We seem to have been close when we played a top ranked team, but found a way to lose it in the end. This year's squad isn't so much frustrating as it is painful. Last week against Clemson not only did I had zero confidence that we would win, but I had zero confidence that we would even be in the game. And both trains of thought proved to be true as the Tigers soundly beat BC 36-14.

University of Arizona fired Mike Stoops this week after the Wildcats started 1-5. Now I don't think Frank Spaziani will be fired mid-season after his own 1-5 start , but I hope Gene Defilippo, realizes that a change must be done. I have said it in previous posts that Coach Spaz had been a great defensive coordinator over the years for BC, but I don't think many people ever felt he would be a great coach. When Jeff Jagodzinski took over from Tom O'Brien as BC's head coach, it was a breath of fresh air, because he was a man that had great energy. College football unlike the pros isn't so much about the x's and the o's, but the most important part in my mind is the recruiting. High School athletes tend to gravitate towards coaches that are not only successful, but also have great energy. If anyone has ever watched a Coach Spaz press conference, one can quickly see that he doesn't come across as the most lively guy. I don't think BC will win more than 2 more games this year, and I am still dumbfounded that with a lost season they brought back Montel Harris, only to see him re-injure himself and lose him for the rest of the year. It is for these reasons that a change must be named.

If it was up to me I'd really like Oklahoma's defensive coordinator Brent Venables to be the next BC coach. He has learned from one of this best coaches in the country in Bob Stoops. Has been part of teams that have won not only numerous conference titles, but also a National Title. If anyone watched the Oklahoma-Texas game this past weekend, one would not only see how tough the Oklahoma defense was, but one would also see the passion Veneables had on the sideline. Although I don't think Gene will look at him, I really do hope that he stops the sinking ship known as BC football and fires Coach Spaz.

On a brighter note, BC hockey is back and they had two impressive victories last weekend over Michigan State and host North Dakota to win the Ice Breaker tournament. As a result BC goes into this weekend's tilt against #3 ranked Denver, as the #1 team in the country. The only negative that came from this weekend's game is that I'm not the biggest fan of the new Under Armour hockey uniforms. I have liked the partnership BC has had with Under Armour and I definitely think their uniforms and gear is a huge step up from the one's BC had with Reebok, but I don't think they did the best of job with the hockey jerseys as is seen above. With that being said, if that's the only thing I can complain about in terms of the state of BC hockey, then that means that Coach York is continuing to put a tremendous product on the ice.

Well that's about it. Once again I will give you all my picks later this week.

WEEKEND PICKS

So Columbus Weekend is here and the picture is starting to become a little clearer in the College ranks on who are contenders and who are pretenders. Due to a lack of time today I am going to keep it short and sweet , so I will pick what I think are the top 3 college games of the weekend.

1)Oklahoma vs Texas: The Red River Shootout is one of my favorite college football games of the year, with half the stadium in red and the other in burn orange at the Texas state fair. Although both teams come in undefeated, I look for the Sooners to win pretty handily. The McCoy and Shipley on the Longhorns are not the McCoy and Shipley of two years ago (they younger brothers of Colt and Jordan), and I still think the Sooners led by Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles will still make the BCS Title game. So I, along with Lee Corso (the video above is my favorite Corso pick of all time) will go with the Sooners. Oklahoma 38 Texas 21

2) Auburn vs Arkansas: Like many pundits, coming into the season I thought defending BCS champion Auburn Tigers would be a borderline .500 team, having lost the majority of their defense and their Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in Cam Newton. But despite receiving a scare from Utah State in the season opener, they have held their ground, including most recently beating SEC East favorite South Carolina on the road. Arkansas on the other bounced back nicely from a drubbing at Alabama by having a nice second half comeback over Texas AM in Dallas last week. As for this game, I think this may be a case of who is ever the home team is going to win, so I am going to with the Razorbacks. I think Tyler Wilson and the Arkansas offense will in the end be too much for the young Auburn defense. Arkansas 41 Auburn 24.

3) Georgia vs Tennessee: This game may be a head scratcher for some, since neither team is ranked, but with South Carolina losing last week, this game has huge implications in the SEC East race. Georgia had a tough start to the season in losing to Boise State and South Carolina, but have played well in their last three outings. The young Volunteers come in at 4-1, with their wins coming against mostly cupcakes and got beat pretty handily at Florida. Their offense however, led by quarterback Tyler Bray, is 1th in the nation in passing yards and 19th in the nation in points per game, which is a year or two ahead of schedule from what many were predicting. Despite Tennessee's surprising start, I am going to go with the Bulldogs. I believe Aaron Murray is still one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC, and I think Mark Richt's hot seat gets a little cooler after this week. Georgia 28 Tennessee 24.

FINAL THOUGHT:

Due to my lack of time I'm not going to give pro picks this week, but I do think the Patriots will beat the Jets 35-21. It's a story of two sides for both teams. Patriots have a great offense and struggling defense, whereas the Jets have one of the better defenses and an under performing offense. In the end I believe Tom Brady and Wes Welker will overpower the Jets defense.

As for my Alma Mater Boston College, this weekend's game on the road at Clemson is one of the first games in a long long time, that I am going into thinking they have absolutely no chance of winning. They have been extremely frustrating to watch. All their games with the exception of the UCF game has come down to the final possession, but they continue to allow the big play on defense and their offense is settling for too many field goals. Clemson on the other hand has been one of the Cinderella teams this season coming off wins against Auburn, Florida State and most recently on the road at Virginia Tech. I have a feeling the announcers will be saying a lot of "Tajh Boyd to Sammy Watkins" on Saturday and as a result I'm going with Clemson 41 BC 10.

That's about it. I will most likely give my weekend recap on Monday. Have a good Columbus day weekend.

BRUINS ARE BACK

So the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins begin tomorrow night. Although they are the reigning champs and were the toast of the town in the late spring and early summer earlier this year, they appear to be entering this upcoming season rather quietly. With the recent Red Sox September swoon and the subsequent firing/stepping down (depending on whose story you believe) of Terry Francona along with the Patriots season, including this upcoming week's big AFC match-up with the Jets, the Bruins haven't received much publicity. Hopefully however, with the NBA season status in limbo, this could be the year that the Bruins along with the NHL as a whole can capitalize and become a lead story in the papers and on shows such as Sportscenter.

I am not going to take this opportunity to give my season predictions, just because I haven't done enough research or watched much of the pre-season, but what I do know is that the Bruins should be a very good team, not only this year, but for years to come. Although the B's lost Ryder, Kaberle, and most importantly Recchi, they have signed many of their core players for the forseeable future including Lucic, Bergeron and Chara. Another reason why there is much hope for the Bruins future is their youth, with players like Seguin, Marchand and even Rask who showed much promise in the 2009-2010 season in net, and who is expected to play more reguarly during the upcoming season. In any sport all the great teams seem to have a nice blend of youth and experience and last years Bruins team, along with this season's seem to have just that. And one last thing, as long as Tim Thomas is in net, I will always bet on the Bruins to win. I don't think any player in Boston sports history has become an instant legend as much as Tim Thomas, based on his rock solid performances in the net throughout the playoffs last year.

Before the banner is raised and the first puck drops tomorrow, I would like to take this time to give my final reflection on last year's Cup winning squad. The team definitely had its moments that caused much frustration (most notably the power play in the playoffs) but in general, they were an easy and very likable team to root for. In many ways they reminded me a lot like the "Idiots" from the 2004 World Series winning Red Sox squad. The guys were very personable and liked to have a good time. They wanted The Cup just as much for them, as for the fans who have been waiting since 1972 for the Cup to return home to Boston. In the days after the winning it all the Bruins made sure that they brought The Cup out in public to places such as Tia's on the waterfront, so the fans could see and touch it. It is for reasons like this why this upcoming Bruins season is being greeted with much delight by the fans. People have been yearning for a month now for a team that they truly want to root for on a daily basis, and I along with many fans can't wait for 7 PM tomorrow night.

RANDOM CLOSING PIECE OF ADVICE:

If the Bruins or hockey isn't your thing, but are still a sports fan and fantasy football player, I HIGHLY recommend watching the season 3 premier of "The League" tomorrow on FX at 10:30 PM (if you are a Comcast user it is also on demand). I started watching it during season 2 last year and quickly became a fan of the show. It does a great job in using comedy within the fantasy football world. However, even if you aren't into fantasy football, people still seem to find it very funny.

Well That's about it. I look forward to seeing the Bruins banner being raised tomorrow and I will have my football picks either tomorrow or on Friday.