NHL Preview!

Yes, I know the NHL season is already nearly two weeks in, however, all teams have played five games or less, and there have been zero significant injuries. So, with that said, its fair enough that I'm still writing a preview. Plus, I didn't even realize the NHL season was even beginning until opening night when Versus/NBC Sports network started to hype it and the Flyers were playing their first game against the defending champion Bruins. But, now I'm writing a preview, along with my friend Bryan Miller who wrote the Western conference portion of the blog, as I don't have much of a clue about that side of the NHL.
There are two significant changes headed into the season that I'd like to blog about before getting into the actual teams. The first is that the aforementioned Versus/NBC Sports network and NBC are the exclusive rights holders of the NHL in the United States for the next decade. So, if you're still having trouble finding Versus on your cable/satellite provider and you're a NHL fan, find it soon and keep it there. NBC also now has 10 exclusive games over the course of a season, including a  Black Friday telecast and the now holy grail of the regular season, the Winter Classic, which this year will feature the Philadelphia Flyers taking on the New York Rangers at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on January 2, as January 1 falls on a Sunday and the NHL didn't want to compete against the NFL as far as ratings attention goes.
The second change is that there is no longer a team in Atlanta, as the team once known as the Thrashers now play in a former/new NHL city in Winnipeg, and its about time. The team is now known as the Jets, which was the name of the former Coyotes in Winnipeg. Now, as Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the league should figure out, never put a team in the south again. Especially in Atlanta, where hockey has failed twice now. It failed in the '70s and it has failed again. I feel bad for the true fans in Atlanta, but now root for your team in Winnipeg, as the previous owner was a bum, but the team still has the same players. Granted, Winnipeg is still in the Southeastern division which makes zero sense, but scheduling and shuffling of teams would've been way too difficult. So, for this season, Winnipeg still has to travel to Miami to play the Panthers four times and vice versa. But, its the way it is for now. Next year, it should be different.
Now, as I actually get into the preview, I'll only be writing three paragraphs, one of the teams which should make it in the east, one of some teams that you traditionally think of as playoff teams but will fail, and the last will be of some surprising teams. Bryan wrote three paragraphs, basically giving you a slight preview of each division. At the end of each conference preview, we'll give you our playoff teams along with division winners as noted by asterisk and a Stanley Cup Final match up. Now, on to the preview!

Eastern Conference

The East is filled with traditional powerhouses such as the Rangers, Flyers, Penguins, Capitals, Lightning, Bruins, and Canadiens. Granted the Lightning have only been relevant for the past decade, but they've been pretty good in that decade. All of these teams should have a relatively easy road to the playoffs, as all these teams have solid goaltending and great offenses. As an example, the Capitals have arguably the biggest superstar in the league in Alex Ovechkin, and while his point total has been going down a little bit, he's still an offensive horse. Then the Flyers have some budding superstars in James Van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux to play with an experienced player like Jaromir Jagr who wanted one last chance at a cup. The only teams out of these seven which I see as having potential hurdles to making it back to the playoffs would be the Lightning if Dwayne Roloson, their 41 year old goalie breaks down, as they don't really have a reliable backup. The Canadiens, as they have three good players, but not truly great. And the Bruins, as they may have a Stanley Cup hangover, but they should still be ok.
Now, for some of the teams which you think of as being normally good, and could really stink it up. The first team that comes to mind is the New Jersey Devils, as this team is continually getting older, and they had a dreadful start to last season before turning the jets on in the second half and making a run at the playoffs which eventually failed. Then, some people may remember the Carolina Hurricanes, who won the Stanley Cup in 2006 under now Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette, they haven't made the playoffs since 2009, and they look to be on the outside again, as they have a fairly thin defense.
Finally, there are two teams which I think could surprise, in the New York Islanders, who have a very good goalie in Evgeni Nabokov who finally agreed to play for them this season, after refusing to report to Long Island last season. Nabokov is still a solid goalie, even at the age of 35, and the Isles have some good young talent around him in John Tavares, who has the capability of scoring 50 goals in a season, as well as Nino Niederreiter, who also has the same capability. The other team would be the Toronto Maple Leafs, who, under the direction of genius general manager Brian Burke have been rebuilding and look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004. I think this team has the talent to do it, and they should be able to.


Playoff teams:
1. Washington Capitals*
2. Pittsburgh Penguins*
3. Buffalo Sabres*
4. New York Rangers*
5. Philadelphia Flyers*
6. Boston Bruins
7. Toronto Maple Leafs
8. New York Islanders


Stanley Cup Final: Pittsburgh vs. Detroit Red Wings


Western Conference



Central Division


This division is on of the best in hockey talent wise. All 5 of these teams could win the division cause thats how good these teams are. In reality tho only 3 possibly 4 have a chance of making it since they play each other so many times in the year. Detroit and Chicago are def the front runners. I say watch out for St. Louis though. They are going to surprise people this year. Nashville and Columbus will bring up the rear of the division and battle for one of the last playoff spots.




Northwest Division


Vancouver is the top of the division I wouldn't expect anything less unless bearing injuries. Minnesota, Colorado, and Edmonton are the middle of the pack in this division and can go in any order with all the youth they have on their teams.
Calgary has a lot of the same players as last year and need to shake things up to make their team better and didn't do that.




Pacific Division


L.A. is the front runner with all the great moves this off-season not even close with any other team.  San Jose and Anaheim are your middle of the pack and San Jose will have something to prove this year cause they want to get over the hump of the western conference finals this year. Phoenix and Dallas still have some work to do I think and their are some players who want out of Phoenix which is not a good thing for chemistry for the team.






Playoff Rankings


1. L.A. Kings*
2 Vancouver Canucks*
3 Detroit Red Wings*
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5.San Jose Sharks
6. Colorado Avalanche
7. St. Louis Blues
8. Anaheim Ducks
-------------------------------------
9. Nashville Predators
10 Minnesota Wild
11. Edmonton Oilers
12. Dallas Stars
13. Columbus Blue Jackets
14.Phoenix Coyotes
15. Calgary Flames

Stanley Cup Final: Detroit vs. Buffalo Sabres

Hope you all enjoyed and have fun watching another exciting season of hockey!

World Series Preview!

Major League Baseball has once again had a great season, and now it comes down to a rather unlikely match up in the World Series, the Texas Rangers versus the St. Louis Cardinals. The reason it is somewhat unlikely is because the Rangers have never made back to back World Series in franchise history, which goes back 50 years. Heck, the Rangers never even made a World Series until last season where they lost to the San Francisco Giants in five games. But, the Rangers were predicted by many not to make the World Series again, including this prognosticator. Texas had also lost out on keeping their ace, Cliff Lee for another six or so seasons, as he went to Philadelphia. Texas had also lost another cog in their rotation in Tommy Hunter, who had started game four in last year's World Series. Texas also lost their starting catcher in Bengie Molina and some other pieces which helped them in last year's playoffs. Texas had a relatively "easy" road to the World Series, as no route to the World Series is easy. But, they washed away the Rays, perhaps the second hottest team in baseball behind the Cardinals out in the divisional series. They then beat the Tigers and Justin Verlander in six games in the League Championship Series to get here.
St. Louis' road to the World Series wasn't an easy one either, as most everyone knows by now, they came back from a 10.5 game deficit to catch the Braves in the Wild Card standings, then beat the best team in baseball in the divisional series, then they beat their divisional rival and Central division champion Brewers in the LCS. St. Louis has been a consistent team under arguably the best manager ever in Tony LaRussa, who has guided the Cardinals to their third World Series under his watchful eye. Now, they're trying to help him capture the Cardinals 11th World Series title and second under :LaRussa.
Finally, allow me to examine both teams and give an edge to either side and pick a winner.
Relief pitching: Looking through both teams, both have outstanding bullpens bolstered by trades made at the trade deadline, and both teams definitely utilized them a lot during the LCS, as both teams starting rotations faltered big time there. As an example, no Texas starter went more than six innings in their series against the Tigers, and the Cardinals relievers worked more innings in the LCS than the starters. Keep in mind that in the NLCS, no game went into extra innings either. St. Louis grabbed Mark Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel from the Blue Jays in exchange for their budding superstar Colby Rasmus. They also picked up veteran left hander Arthur Rhodes, who ironically was released by the Rangers. St. Louis also has a closer who only became their closer in mid-August in Jason Motte. Motte is very unusual, as he is converting to pitcher after being a catcher within the Cardinals system. So, he has a very unusual throwing motion, but when you are effectively erratic as Motte is, and you throw nearly 100 mph, it works out.
Texas meanwhile also has a great bullpen, led by their closer, Neftali Feliz, who can throw 100 mph while mixing in a nasty slider. No wonder why Feliz held the record for rookie saves last year until Craig Kimbrel of the Braves broke it this season. But, the Rangers also have a solid bullpen behind Feliz with Mike Gonzalez, Darren Oliver, Koji Uehara and their secret weapon in Alexi Ogando, who was a starter during the regular season, but in the playoffs has been devastatingly effective with his slider and fastball.
Advantage: Texas, because of Ogando

Starting Pitching
Both teams starting pitching didn't fare too well in the LCS, but they did fare pretty well in the LDS, where both teams starting pitching lasted at least five innings in each game, except for Chris Carpenter who in game two of the division series against Philadelphia only pitched three innings on his first ever start on three days rest. But, overall, I think the Cardinals have a better four man rotation with Carpenter, Jackson, Lohse and Garcia than the Rangers four man of Wilson, Harrison, Lewis and Holland.
Advantage: St. Louis, their depth.

Offense
Texas can knock the ball out of the park anytime with any of their hitters one through nine. Granted, that advantage will be negated a little bit with St. Louis having home field in the Series due to the stupid rule of the winning league from the All-Star game getting it. So, Texas pitchers will have to bat, and the game will be changed a little bit, but all of the Ranger hitters are scary. Granted, the Cardinals lineup isn't too shabby either with the best player in the game, Albert Pujols, flanked by NL comeback player of the year Lance Berkman and always dangerous Matt Holliday in the lineup. St. Louis however doesn't have the depth that the Texas lineup has.
Advantage: Texas, depth is too great.

Defense
Both teams have very solid defenses, as St. Louis will put in defensive replacements if they have a lead late, and will try to protect that lead with defensive replacements at third, second and at least one spot in the outfield. Texas is just all around very solid at every position.
Advantage: Push, too close to call.

Mangers
Ron Washington is finishing his fifth season as Rangers manager and has improved this team every single season since he came on board in 2007. But, as mentioned earlier, he's going up against in most opinions, one of the best managers of all time in Tony LaRussa who knows how to plug in pieces wherever and whenever and they always seem to work.
Advantage: St. Louis, greatness trumps.

X-factor
St. Louis is just hot as all get out, and seem to be a runaway freight train. Texas meanwhile has a lot of experience as well, as they were here last season and want to win the Dallas area's second championship within the year. Remember, the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA title in June. Plus, St. Louis has home field advantage, so I must give the slight advantage to the Cardinals.
Advantage: St. Louis

So, who is my pick to win the 2011 World Series? I think the Cardinals in six games, due to them just being so hot, and having a better bullpen than the Rangers.

Now, I know I said the NHL preview would come over the weekend, but my friend didn't get his portion to me til late tonight, so it'll be delivered later Wednesday.

10 Best Football Games-Week 7

This week has games that nearly nobody thought would be good games, but now, going strictly on records in both the college and professional games, they should be good games. Perhaps the premier game of the week in the NFL is San Francisco at Detroit, which to most is completely shocking. Then, in college, there are four clashes between ranked foes, and all of them are conference games, which is great, to see some rivalry games and also to further separate the national title contenders from the non-contenders. Now, on to the games.

College

# 11 Michigan at #23 Michigan State, noon, ESPN

Michigan State is looking to beat their in-state rivals for the fourth consecutive year, and Michigan is looking to continue its march towards the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis, which is looking very sharp currently. However, Michigan was 5-0 last season and then just crumbled down the stretch, which helped to get Brady Hoke into Ann Arbor. Michigan will rely on its Heisman contender, and do it all quarterback Denard Robinson who averages over 400 yards a game combined rushing and passing.
Michigan State should be able to control Robinson, as they have the past two seasons, holding Robinson to under 300 yards. Although in 2009, Robinson was only in part-time. Michigan State also is very capable of holding their opponents down as far as points are concerned, only holding them to 10.6 points per game during the season. Michigan State also has a pretty good quarterback of its own in Kirk Cousins, who is in a much different mold than Robisnon, as he is more of a pocket passer. Cousins ranks in the top third in all of college football in passing yards as well. This game is also at East Lansing, so give the advantage to Sparty.

Pick: Michigan State 27, Michigan 17

#6 Oklahoma State at #22 Texas, 3:30 p.m., ABC

Oklahoma State was off last week to get ready for the Longhorns who really fell flat on their faces last week in their trouncing by Oklahoma. State should easily be able to match the 55 points that their rivals put up last week, due to their explosive offense, which averages just over 50 points a game. Texas proved last week that they're not ready for the big boys just yet, so even with this game being at home, don't expect the Longhorns to put up all that much of a fight.

Pick: Oklahoma State 58, Texas 24

#18 Arizona State at #9 Oregon, 10:15 p.m., ESPN

Oregon is without their star running back LaMichael James for this game, as he is out with a dislocated elbow, much like the one Rajon Rondo suffered during this past year's NBA playoffs. James has gone off in the past three games, rushing for over 200 yards in each of them. So, to make up for James' loss, the Ducks will now run out De'Anthony Thomas, who is a true freshman and only has about 200 yards rushing on the season. Thomas has had a few problems with ball security, but has learned to rectify those problems during the course of the season.
Arizona State deploys a much different offense than the Ducks, as they are much more of a pro style offense with Brock Osweiler at quarterback, who is probably the second best quarterback in the Pac-12, behind Andrew Luck of course. Osweiler has close to a 2-1 touchdown to interception ratio on the season, and nearly 1300 yards passing. The Sun Devils are a very good team, and their only loss this season came on a road trip to Illinois and a 11 a.m. central start. Well, after this game, Arizona State will have two losses, as this game has Gameday in Eugene along with a rare night game for the Ducks, so this will be an even tougher environment to play in.

Pick: Oregon 38, Arizona State 30

#20 Baylor at #21 Texas A&M, noon, FX

This game has the "Law of Gus" written all over it. Now, for those unfamiliar with that term, it means that nearly every game Gus Johnson, the play-by-play man for FX's coverage of college football has covered in the pros, each game has been close, and Gus Johnson is notorious for some of the most enthusiastic calls you would ever hear. Now, for the game itself. This game could definitely be a shootout, as Robert Griffin III of Baylor continues to dominate the season with both his legs and arm. Griffin has only one interception on the year, and 19 touchdowns. Griffin also has averaged a little bit over 50 yards on the ground per game. Baylor is the only team in the nation in which to have averaged over 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing per game.
Texas A&M meanwhile is 3-2 and still ranked somehow because they played two top 10 opponents in Oklahoma State and Arkansas in back to back weeks, and lost both due to some epic failure in the second half of each of those games. A&M barely hung on last week against Texas Tech and their potent offense. The Aggies got outscored 27-9 in their loss at home to OSU and then the very next week got outscored 25-3 in their loss at a neutral site to old/new rival Arkansas. The reason for the old/new designation is because both schools were once in the now defunct Southwest Conference and now Texas A&M will be joining Arkansas in the SEC. But, this game has shootout written all over it. And, I'm going with the hopeful Heisman contender in Griffin and the Bears.

Pick: Baylor 58, Texas A&M 55

#19 Virginia Tech at Wake Forest, 6:30 p.m., ESPN3.com

This game has upset written all over it. Wake Forest, while unranked, has won four straight since their heartbreaking overtime loss in Syracuse. Wake is playing some of its best football since they won the ACC back in 2006 right now due to the great coaching of Jim Grobe and his assistants. Wake doesn't really have any "star" power, but they are just a solid team, much like Kansas State, which is also flying under the radar. Wake Forest will look to deploy the same strategy which Clemson deployed in their win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Clemson stopped the Hokie running attack, only allowing 3.3 yards per rush in their win over Tech, and Wake has an even stronger rush defense, only allowing 102 yards per game. Tech had a big passing game last week against a fairly weak Miami team, so I don't expect that to continue this week against a formidable Wake team.

Pick: Wake 24, Tech 16

NFL

San Francisco at Detroit, 1, FOX

This game should be amazing. Both teams are a combined 9-1 after going a combined 1-9 through five weeks last season. That should tell you what kind of turnaround both of these teams are having. San Francisco just completely mauled the Tampa Bay Bucs last week, winning 48-3. Detroit meanwhile continues just to win, winning last week 21-10 in their first home Monday Night Football appearance since 2001. Matthew Stafford is continuing to mature and is not getting killed this year behind an improved offensive line. Detroit also has a pretty good running game in Jahvid Best, who in his second season is getting some more carries and averaging just a shade under 5 yards per rush. Detroit then has one of the best defensive lines in football, which will just wreak havoc upon the opponents offensive line.
San Francisco hasn't been too flashy, just playing solid defense, running the ball well with perennial pro bowler Frank Gore and rookie Kendall Hunter, then giving Alex Smith nice short passes and then letting his receivers do the rest of the work. San Francisco lost one of its better receivers in Josh Morgan due to a torn ACL last week, so that will hurt a bit.
This game will be very close, but since San Francisco is making its third trip out east in the first five weeks of the season, they will be tired and without Morgan, give the edge to Detroit to continue its undefeated season.

Pick: Detroit 27, San Francisco 23

Buffalo at New York Giants, 1, CBS

This game is also a good one, as the Giants want to come back with a vengeance after their embarrassing loss to Seattle last week. New York has some very good pieces in their one-two punch of a running game in Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, which will deplete a defense's energy throughout the game and then two good young receivers in Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, and then a pretty good all around defense, but they just haven't been able to put all of that together throughout all five games thus far, they've been up and down.
Buffalo is much like Wake Forest, not many "name" people, they just go out and win. Their latest example was last week against Philadelphia where they forced five turnovers against the Eagles. Buffalo then just runs the ball with Fred Jackson and throw it up to their best receiver in Steve Johnson. Buffalo's defense then just gets the job done.

Pick: Buffalo 28, New York Giants 20

Houston at Baltimore, 4:05, CBS

Baltimore has had one slip up in their season thus far, a somewhat surprising 26-13 at Tennessee after their big win against Pittsburgh the week before. Now, Baltimore is coming off their bye week, so they are very fresh and should be able to do very well against a fairly mediocre Houston team. Houston is coming off an emotional loss to Oakland at home, and now will have to travel to Baltimore to face this rested and great defense. Baltimore should win based on the strength of that defense.

Pick: Baltimore 31, Houston 14

Dallas at New England, 4:15, FOX

Dallas has a big advantage in this game through their defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who was the defensive coordinator of the Browns last year. Cleveland beat New England last season in Cleveland by just bringing a whole bunch of folks on each play and just confusing Tom Brady and the New England offensive line. New England should learn from last season's mistake and make the necessary changes. New England just continues to roll after their loss against Buffalo in week 3. Although New England doesn't have the best defense now, they should still have enough to disrupt Tony Romo and turn him from "good" Tony to "bad" Tony in the second half, which Romo has done thus far this season.

Pick: New England 38, Dallas 21

New Orleans at Tampa Bay, 4:15, FOX

Tampa Bay is looking to rebound from their awful loss out west last week and try to prove themselves against the undisputed leaders of the NFC South in New Orleans. Tampa Bay will continue to try their method of running the ball with Earnest Graham and LeGarrette Blount and then try and have Josh Freeman lead them on a comeback in the fourth quarter. New Orleans will continue their method of winning. Out-throw you with Drew Brees and all of his different receivers who are great, while sprinkling in a power running game with Mark Ingram. Both teams should have big offensive days, as neither defense is all that strong.

Pick: New Orleans 35, Tampa Bay 34

Enjoy the weekend of football, and expect an NHL preview sometime over the weekend. Yes, I know the season is a week old, but hockey seems to sneak up on you.

MLB LCS Preview!

The League Division Series produced some great games, and for the first time ever, it had 19 out of a possible 20 games played, with the only series not going the distance being the Tampa Bay/Texas series. Now that the hometown Phillies are out of it, and the fact that the biggest three name teams in baseball are out of it now, expect for lower ratings. However, if these series are exciting as the Division Series, then there will still be folks talking about this great game. Now, on to the previews!

ALCS

Detroit vs. Texas, Game 1 Saturday, 8:05. Game 2, Sunday 7:45, Game 3, Tuesday 8:05, Games 4&5 Wednesday and Thursday at 4:19, Game 6 Saturday 8:05, Game 7 Sunday October 16 8:05.
Games 1,2,6,7 in Texas, Games 3,4,5 in Detroit. All games on FOX

This series is looking very good on paper, as both teams have good starting pitching, very good bullpens, and pretty good offenses. Both teams also have fairly good defenses. Both teams have done very well in the second half of the season.  Detroit has done amazingly well in the second half of the season, pulling away from the pack in the Central division starting July 10, when they went 46-24 down the stretch when nobody else could catch them. Texas pulled away from the Angels starting August 27, when they had their slimmest lead of two, to go an amazing 31-7 in late August/early September. So, both teams are coming in incredibly hot, and the Rangers have a few days extra rest due to them eliminating the Rays on Tuesday and the Tigers only clinching on Thursday.
  The key to the series will be which team gets more breaks. Detroit has a slightly better four man rotation than the Rangers do. However, I think the Rangers starting pitching is more consistent than the Tigers. As Detroit has a very good one two punch in Justin Verlander and Doug Fister, with the rest of the rotation dipping off slightly more with Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer. The Rangers have better overall depth with C.J. Wilson, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis. Plus, the Rangers overall lineup I believe is better than Detroit, as they have power 1-9, and some speed sprinkled in as well. Detroit meanwhile only really has the middle of the order to really concern the Rangers. So, I think the Rangers go back-to-back with American League pennants for the first time in franchise history.

Pick: Texas 4, Detroit 2, with Detroit's two victories coming from the arm of Justin Verlander.

NLCS

Milwaukee vs. St. Louis. Series schedule: Games 1 Sunday, 4:05, Game 2 Monday 8:05, Games 3,4,5 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday all at 8:05, Game 6 Sunday 4:05, Game 7 Monday October 17 8:05. If ALCS goes six or less, Game 6 will move to 8:05. Games 1,2,6,7 in Milwaukee. Games 3,4,5 in St. Louis. All games will air on TBS.

This is a classic division rivalry that has bad blood throughout the season. An example is from a game in August when the Brewers threw behind Albert Pujols and the Cardinals answered by hitting Ryan Braun. So, simply, these two teams despise each other on the field. Do not be surprised if you see both teams clear their benches one of these games. Both teams are coming off very hard fought victories in their respective LDS. Both teams are incredibly hot, although the Cardinals more so, as they came back from a 10.5 game deficit to catch the Atlanta Braves and win the Wild Card on the last day of the season. Milwaukee has the best home record in all of baseball this season at 60-24 including the postseason. So, I think this series will go the distance, as it's a divisional rivalry, with the Cardinals with their never say die attitude coming away with at least one victory in Milwaukee.

Pick: St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 3

10 Best Football Games-Week 6

We are now a quarter way mark of the NFL season, with every team playing four games and you are starting to see which teams are separating themselves from the pack, like the Packers, Lions, Saints, Texans, Patriots, Baltimore, and some others. Plus, every college team has played at least four games, but some teams have yet to prove themselves on the road, like three Big Ten teams in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Plus, there's Kansas State. So, really only the Big Ten teams are at fault, as at least K-State played Baylor at home, a ranked team and upset them. Wisconsin also played the biggest game of the season thus far and beat Nebraska soundly at home. But, enough with the previews, and move on to the picks!

College

#3 Oklahoma vs. #11 Texas, noon, ABC, at Cotton Bowl in Dallas

This is the Red River Rivalry, and it could turn into the Red River shootout as well.  Both teams have very potent offenses, especially Texas after they decided to ditch Garrett Gilbert in their game against BYU.  As after they replaced Gilbert, the Longhorns have averaged 43 points in their ensuing two games. Texas has done very well exchanging either Case McCoy or David Ash in for one another, and their defense has done a fine job as well, only allowing a little under 15 points per game throughout all four of their contests thus far.
Oklahoma on the other hand has their eyes on the national title or bust. Oklahoma has a whole bunch of veterans, led by Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles on offense, and Tony Jefferson and Blake Gideon. The Sooners have some high hopes, and those hopes will continue, as they beat Texas and exact revenge from 2008, the last time both teams came into this rivalry undefeated. Oklahoma will do it because of their experience.

Pick: Oklahoma 38, Texas 23

#17 Florida at #1 LSU, 3:30, CBS

Florida is coming off a woeful loss at home to Alabama, and that game was in prime time as well. The Gators also lost their starting quarterback John Brantley in that game. Now, Florida must try to get a new quarterback to learn everything in their system in a week, plus travel to "death valley" and face one of the nation's best defenses in LSU. The Bayou Bengals also have a defensive Heisman candidate like they did last year in Tyrann Mathieu, who just goes straight after the football every time to try and force a turnover. So, my guess is that Florida is probably going to have a very tough time against this Tiger defense.

Pick: LSU 41, Florida 17

#5 Boise State at Fresno State, 9 Friday, ESPN

Fresno State and Boise State have been longtime rivals within the WAC, but now with Boise moving on to supposedly greener pastures in the Mountain West, this has become a non-conference game. Fresno State always seems to play its best against premier competition like Boise, but can the "bus" of Boise State be stopped? Kellen Moore seems to be doing better this season even without his two big targets Titus Young and Austin Pettis. So, it'll be a good game for the first half, but the Broncos should pull away in the second half.

Pick: Boise 31, Fresno St. 16

Iowa at Penn State, 3:30, ABC

If Penn State can stick with Matt McGloin at quarterback throughout an entire game, they may actually have an okay offense. Penn State and their defense is the main reason why they're 4-1 at the moment, with the only loss to a great Alabama team. Iowa is coming into Penn State playing its first conference game this season, and its only loss coming at an improved Iowa State team. Penn State should be able to hold Iowa on defense, and I think they'll score a few more points if McGloin starts.

Pick: Penn State 20, Iowa 17

#15 Auburn at #10 Arkansas, 7, ESPN

Auburn went from unranked last week to number 15 this week due to their win on the road at South Carolina. Auburn played stellar defense last week, forcing four turnovers and riding sophomore running back Michael Dyer to a victory. Auburn slowed down sophomore sensation Marcus Lattimore and only allowed him to rush for 66 yards last week. Plus, they didn't allow Gamecock quarterback to even complete half his passes. However, Auburn hasn't been playing like that throughout the season.
Arkansas on the other hand, is an offensive juggernaut, scoring at least 38 points in each of their victories, with their only loss coming at undefeated Alabama. Tyler Wilson is becoming the next Ryan Mallett at Arkansas, and they don't seem to be stopping.

Pick: Arkansas 44, Auburn 20

NFL

Tennessee at Pittsburgh, 1, CBS

Tennessee has also been a good surprise this season, going 3-1 on the young season, relying on their defense and an experienced quarterback to lead the way. Even though Chris Johnson hasn't been his usual self this year, Matthew Hasselbeck, released by the Seahawks for some inexplicable reason, has been wonderful. Hasselbeck already has over 1100 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand has been like Philly and a bad surprise, going 2-2, and being one of the worst teams in the league in turnover differential, at -10 thus far. Pittsburgh also has yet to intercept a pass, which is surprising, considering they still have ball-hawking safety Troy Polamalu. Pittsburgh also is going to be without their star linebacker James Harrison in this game, as he is out with a broken orbital bone. Plus, they won't have their best two running backs in Rashard Mendenhall or Mewelde Moore due to injuries. So, for those injuries, I'm picking the Titans in a low scoring affair.

Pick: Tennessee 17, Pittsburgh 13

Philadelphia at Buffalo, 1, Fox

Both teams are off to very surprising starts, with the Eagles losing three of their first four games and the Bills winning three of their first four, including two 18 plus point comebacks against the Raiders and Patriots. This should be a very high scoring game, as Buffalo can't seem to gain a pass rush whatsoever, only having four sacks on the season thus far, which should allow LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick to be able to run all day. Vick could also pass to any of his weapons should the Bills decide to blitz.
Buffalo meanwhile has a good running ack in Fred Jackson they can use to exploit Philly's awful rush defense, which ranks 30th in the NFL. The Eagles also lost one of their two great defensive ends in Trent Cole for a few weeks, so Ryan Fitzpatrick could have some more time to pass to his decent wide receivers in Stevie Johnson and Scott Chandler.  The Eagles should be able to win this game, just so long as they don't blow leads like they have in each of the past three games.

Pick: Eagles 38, Bills 31

Tampa Bay at San Francisco, 4, Fox

Tampa has been playing just as well as it did last season when it went 10-6 and narrowly missing out on the playoffs. Tampa has come back for victories in half of their games thus far for victories. Tampa has a very cool, calm, and collected quarterback in Josh Freeman to lead those comebacks. Tampa also has a pretty good young running back in LeGarrette Blount. San Francisco meanwhile has been breaking through this season, after a few years of saying "this will be the year." They've been doing it with a stellar defense led by leading tackler Patrick Willis and a running game led by pro bowler Frank Gore and rookie Kendall Hunter. San Francisco also is having Alex Smith focus on his strengths and not exploit his weaknesses.

Pick: San Francisco 27, Tampa 21

New York Jets at New England, 4:15, CBS

The Jets exploited New England in last year's divisional playoff, winning 28-21, and picking off Tom Brady for the first time since week six of last season. However, New England beat New York 45-3 last December. So, this is definitely a rivalry game, both teams don't like each other at all, and this is going to be a very tough game. Even though New York has lost two straight, it's a rivalry game, so throw everything out the window. Just expect hard hitting and a lot of running by New York, and a lot of passing by New England.

Pick: New York 26, New England 24

Green Bay at Atlanta, 8:20, NBC

This is also a rematch of a divisional playoff game last season, where Green Bay absolutely demolished Atlanta 48-21. Green Bay has been on the same kind of roll at the beginning of this season as it has last season, so I'm expecting nothing different now. Green Bay just is clicking on all cylinders.Atlanta hasn't been the same team this season, only going 2-2, and only barely winning last week against a horrible Seattle team.

Pick: Green Bay 32, Atlanta 20

10 Best Football Games-Week 5

Football still reigns as king of sports in this country, so even while the postseason of baseball is happening, football will get the higher ratings. But, aside from that, there are some really exciting games in college and the pro game this weekend. College football is really starting its conference games this weekend. College also has four games between ranked opponents. And there are some potential playoff games in the NFL. Now, on to the picks!

College

#14 Texas A&M vs. #18 Arkansas at Arlington, Texas. Noon, ESPN

Both teams are coming off losses last week. Arkansas suffered a blowout to Alabama and A&M blew their lead against Oklahoma State. This game actually could be a preview of the Cotton Bowl in the new year, as both teams are really good, just not BCS worthy. Both teams are looking to rebound, but I think that Arkansas will come out on top with their superior offense.

Pick: Arkansas 29, Texas A&M 20

#15 Baylor at Kansas State, 3:30, ESPN3.com

This game is not being shown in the state of PA, but check your local listings if you are outside the state. Anway, this game is featuring Heisman hopeful Robert Griffin III, who amazingly has more touchdown passes this season 13, than incompletions 12. Kansas State is a fairly surprising 3-0, but with only one of their wins coming against a BCS conference team in Miami. However, Baylor is looking like a legitimate team, with wins against perennial contender TCU, and two other cupcake teams. So, this will give them at least a little bit of a test to see if they could beat teams like Oklahoma State or Texas A&M.

Pick: Baylor 38, Kansas State 20

#13 Clemson at #11 Virginia Tech, 6, ESPN2

Clemson has feasted on some good old fashioned home cooking in Death Valley, with them beating defending champion Auburn and Florida State while getting excellent play from their quarterback Tajh Boyd only throwing one interception and throwing for 13 touchdowns. Virginia Tech meanwhile has feasted on cupcake teams, going 4-0 thus far playing "Beamerball"  which is superior defense and special teams while their offense does their job. Clemson will have a huge test here, but I think they'll pass it.

Pick: Clemson 34, Virginia Tech 28

#8 Nebraska at #7 Wisconsin, 8, ABC

Nebraska is having its first Big Ten conference game in a very tough environment, in Camp Randall stadium, at night, which makes the atmosphere even that much more intense. But, Nebraska has the offense to matchup against the Badgers, led by the option and Taylor Martinez, who has 400 plus yards trailed closely by backfield teammate Rex Burkhead. So, Wisconsin will have a tough time trying to deal with the option. But, Nebraska hasn't really been the blackshirt defense that most have come to expect. As Nebraska gave up  29 points to a Fresno State and 38 to a Washington team whose offenses aren't all that good. Wisconsin meanwhile has a Heisman candidate of its own in quarterback Russell Wilson, who is the first really good quarterback that has come into Wisconsin for a while. Wisconsin has been doing just fine, and feasting on cupcake teams. But, I think with Wisconsin being at home, they'll eke out a close win.

Pick: Wisconsin 28, Nebraska 24

#3 Alabama at #12 Florida

Alabama has been the dominant defensive force as advertised, while AJ McCarron has been the steadying hand just like Greg McIlroy was last year. Plus, Trent Richardson has been just as advertised, being a strong runner that he's supposed to be. Florida meanwhile is thriving under new head coach Will Muschamp, and this will be their first really big test. Florida has some really fast wide receiver/running backs in Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps, who if they are in the open field can definitely break one for a touchdown. So, this will be a hard fought SEC battle, with the loser being in dire straits for the National Championship.

Pick: Alabama 23, Florida 21

NFL

Detroit at Dallas, 1, Fox

Dallas is coming off a short week and a lucky victory against division rival Washignton where there were some very poor route running along with some communication and snap problems, which if they commit those kinds of mistakes against this Detroit team will be very costly. As Detroit has been on a roll ever since the start of the season, beating opponents with grit and their defense. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Matthew Stafford has been hooking up with his favorite target, Calvin Johnson on a regular basis.

Pick: Detroit 27, Dallas 17

Pittsburgh at Houston, 1, CBS

Pittsburgh is coming off a grind it out victory against a resilient Indianapolis team which had them kick a field goal in the final minutes to win it. Houston is coming off a shootout loss to New Orleans. Houston and Pittsburgh have very differing styles, with Houston having a great offense and especially running game with Arian Foster and Ben Tate leading the way. Then Pittsburgh and its blitzing scheme led by their four great linebackers. Both teams are still trying to prove themselves, and this could be a turning point in both of their seasons, as one will improve to 3-1, with the other falling to 2-2. With Houston being at home, I think they'll have the advantage.

Pick: Houston 34, Pittsburgh 30

San Francisco at Philadelphia, 1, Fox

San Francisco is coming out east for the second straight week, playing a grind it out game against Cincinatti last week, winning 13-8. Philadelphia meanwhile, is coming off its second straight loss, which is having some fans already nearing the panic button. San Francisco has some good defensive linemen along with perhaps the best linebacker in the league, Patrick Willis. So, Philadelphia needs to try and protect Michael Vick before he continues to pile up more injuries. I think with the time difference, the Eagles will summon up the energy to protect Vick and will win to improve their record to 2-2.

Pick: Philly 28, San Fran 13

New England at Oakland, 4:15, CBS

Oakland is coming off a very nice victory over AFC runner up New York, to improve their record to 2-1, which could be 3-0 if they hadn't blown a lead to surprising Buffalo. Speaking of Buffalo, they came back again versus their nemesis and division rival New England. So, while Oakland may start to be turning it around, they'll be facing an angry New England team, which is quite good after losses under Bill Belichick.

Pick: New England 42, Oakland 24

New York Jets at Baltimore, 8:20, NBC

This was a hard hitting, low scoring opening night game last season, and expect nothing different this time around. Both teams feature great defenses, and great running games. So, expect this game to feature few touchdowns, many field goals, and A LOT of punting. It's going to be a good game to watch if you're a fan of old fashioned old school football.

Pick: Baltimore 13, New York 10

MLB Division Series Previews/Prediction

Talk about one crazy season, especially the month of September, with not one but two teams absolutely collapsing down the stretch. Because, as of September 1, both the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves had sizable wild card leads over the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals respectively. Plus, all divisional leads were sizable at the time as well. So, baseball's races were not looking like much heading into the final month, but in the end, Tampa and St. Louis each nabbed the wild card slots in each league. Now, there are four good match ups in the divisional round. Plus, there really are only two, maybe even one surprise team in the playoffs which weren't predicted to make the playoffs in the beginning of the season. Those two teams are Tampa and Arizona. But, if they're in the playoffs they definitely have some good teams. But, enough with the season, allow me to preview the second season and separate the men from the boys so to speak. Schedules are included and all games are on TBS unless otherwise noted.

ALDS

Tampa Bay vs. Texas. Schedule: Friday at 5, Saturday at 7 on TNT, Monday at 5, Tuesday, Thursday

These two teams faced off last year in the division series with Texas coming out on top in five games. Both teams remain largely unchanged from last season, with one notable exception, and that is Cliff Lee is no longer with the Rangers. So, with that said, I think both teams are very evenly matched. Both teams are coming into the postseason red hot, but which team will come out on top? I believe that Texas has a better overall starting pitching and bullpen, so I'll go with Texas.

Pick: Texas in 5

ALDS
Detroit vs. New York Yankees. Schedule: Friday at 8:30, Saturday at 8:30, Monday at 8:30, Tuesday, Thursday

Both of these teams are really good. Both teams have tremendous offenses, and both have great bullpens, so, the question is which team has the better starting pitching? Well, it's Detroit. Detroit has by far the better pitching, as after CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova, the Yankees don't really have anyone reliable. Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and A.J. Burnett have all not fared very well over the second half of the season. However, with Detroit, while you may not know anyone beyond Justin Verlander, there are some good pitchers like Doug Fister, who went 7-1 down the stretch with a 1.71 ERA. Then, there is Max Scherzer, who struggled a little bit down the stretch but is still a good pitcher. So, with that said, I believe Detroit will knock off the Yankees much like they did in 2006 on their way to the World Series. Plus, I hate the Yankees guts.

Pick: Detroit in 4.

NLDS

Arizona vs. Milwaukee. Schedule: Saturday, 2, Sunday 430, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

This is the most underrated and under the radar series of all four, as both teams are not really "name" teams. both teams come from relatively small markets in Milwaukee and Phoenix. However, Milwaukee is on a mission to win the World Series, as this is their season before Prince Fielder leaves. Milwaukee has some experience in the postseason with them making the 2008 postseason and losing to the eventual champion Phillies in the divisional series. Arizona doesn't really have any postseason experience, however, their manager and coaching staff have plenty of it. So, with their coaching staff, they've got a fighting chance.

Pick: Milwaukee in 4.

NLDS

Philadelphia vs. St. Louis. Schedule:  Saturday at 5, Sunday at 8, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

The Phillies struggled down the stretch, until they won their final four games. So, it seems as if they've flipped the switch into playoff mode. St. Louis has been in playoff mode the entire month to grab the wild card spot in the NL. St. Louis has some heavy hitters in Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, and of course the best player in the league, Albert Pujols. However, the Phillies have a very balanced lineup with speed and power ranging from Jimmy Rollins to Hunter Pence to Ryan Howard. St. Louis and the Phillies played a four game series earlier in the month with St. Louis taking 3 out of 4, will that change with the postseason? A little bit. Both teams have fairly questionable bullpens, but St. Louis is by far the more questionable one, hence why I'm going with the Phils, but it's going to be one tough series.

Pick: Phillies in 5.