NCAA and NFL Picks: Hopefully they are better than my Baseball selections

This just in: Stephen Jackson is a completely deranged psychopath. When you make Ron Artest look normal by comparison, that is all you need to know…

I may be the worst baseball handicapper of all time. In the series I said the Yanks would cruise, they are tied at a game apiece. In each of the other three series, the team I said would win is down 2 games to none. The lesson is, as it should always be, that the only people dumber than me are the ones that put any credence into anything I say. Tonight, the game with the most interest clearly is in Detroit, where most of America will be rooting for the Tigers to beat New York as hard as most Philadelphians are rooting for T.O.’s head to become detached from his body on Sunday. Should be a fun weekend of sports!!!! Now for my picks (including my Eagle/Cowboy prediction)…

NCAA (Last week 2:5; overall 12-15-1, 44%)

Yes, I am cold in football as well. Time to turn it around….

LSU (+2) at Florida & UNDER 40. Florida is doing it with smoke and mirrors so far. And the Bayou Bengals don’t smoke. LSU will win outright in a low scoring affair.

Texas (-4) vs. Oklahoma in Dallas. The Red River Shootout has rarely been close in the last several years. Figure out the team that is going to win and throw the spread out the window. That team is Texas, so take the Longhorns to beat Oklahoma again.

Texas Tech (-3.5) vs. Missouri. The Tigers have looked great so far with their Chase to Chase combination. But going on the road against a decent (not great) Tech team is too much to ask of this freshman QB.

Georgia (-2.5) vs. Tennessee. Most people probably go with the road dog here against the trio of Georgia quarterbacks. Who is it, John Madden, that says if you have multiple quarterbacks, you don’t have any quarterbacks? But I am still not sold on Tennessee, and it is always tough to win between the hedges. Plus, shouldn’t there be some bad karma from Volunteer alum Albert Haynesworth going all Stephen Jackson last week? UGA wins in another low scoring hard fought SEC game. And then I can say “You can’t spell sugar without UGA…”

Cal (-5) vs. Oregon. Cal is back from their drubbing at the hands of the aforementioned Vols earlier in the year. Oregon looked good on the road last week at ASU, but they step up in call this week against a strong to quite strong Golden Bear squad. If you ask my buddy Lashinsky, he would tell you that Cal is in good shape unless they are up by 17 with three minutes to go, then all bets are off…

NFL (last week 3-4; overall 12-9, 57%)

New York Giants (-4.5) vs. Washington. I know Brunell and the Skins have looked great the last two weeks, and I know that other than the 4th quarter against the Eagles, the Giants have not looked good lately. But the Giants will win and cover this game. Trust me…

Tampa Bay (+6.5) at New Orleans. This is my first game without a player theory, which basically says a team can get up and play above themselves without a key player for one game. Plus, New Orleans cannot get as emotionally high as they did their last game. Dogfight, and Gradkowski, another MAC QB, may surprise you.

Miami (+10) at New England. The Patriots will continue to play to the level of their competition.

Carolina (-8.5) vs. Cleveland. Cleveland will be flat after a big comeback win last week. The panthers are rounding into shape. A double digit outcome will be the result.

Denver (-4) vs. Baltimore. Baltimore’s luck will run out this week, as they should be 2-2 instead of 4-0. Denver is always tough, especially at home on a Monday Night.

Eagles (-2) vs. Dallas. Yes, the fans will be loud and the atmosphere should be electric for T.O.’s return to Philly. The question is will Donovan McNabb have enough weapons to put up enough points to win this game. Stallworth, L.J. Smith, Reggie Brown, and Westbrook all appear on the injury report. They should all play and be OK except Stallworth. The real key to this game with the Eagles banged up secondary is whether Jim Johnson’s blitz schemes can get enough pressure on Bledsoe to make him make poor decisions and throws. Other than Brett Favre, there is no better example of a QB that can pick you apart if you give him time and let him get comfortable, but who will start making mistakes at an alarming rate if you get in his face. Dallas’ defense, on the other hand, has been disappointing to date. They are running a plain scheme and have not made the plays that were expected of them coming into the season. Look for some points to go no the Board in this game on both sides, but look for the Eagles D to make a key turnover and for the Birds to win their first division game since 2004 (ouch!). T.O. should have about 77 yards and a touchdown, but it will not be enough. E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!!!!