The games to remember are played in November...

  • ...or not.  With the season building to its climax, #1 Florida hosts Florida International and #2 Alabama welcomes Chattanooga.  We will all remember where we were when those two games took place.
  • And your showcase game of the week?  Kansas (1-5 in Big 12) travels to Austin to play #3 Texas.  The Jayhawks are one win from bowl eligibility despite losing five straight games.  They should be primed for the upset in this one after strength and conditioning head coach Mark Mangino spent the week calling out "bitter" parents and players, who accused him of physical and verbal abuse.
  • #10 Ohio State at Michigan...the greatest rivalry in college football...Next on ABC!  And then the game starts and the Buckeyes run all over the Wolverines.  Good times!
  • LSU at Ole Miss is a decent game if you like to root against Les Miles, which I do. 
  • Interesting note about the much-publicized movie The Blind Side: All the SEC coaches who play themselves in the movie are at different jobs now than they were then. Michael Oher was recruited by Nick Saban (LSU), Tommy Tuberville (Auburn), Lou Holtz (South Carolina), Houston Nutt (Arkansas), Phil Fulmer (Tennessee) and Ed Orgeron (Ole Miss).  Nice job security!
  • Whatever happened to "Rivalry Week" in college football?  Most of the big rivalry games are played next week, but Michigan/Ohio St. and Cal/Stanford are this week, while the "Civil War" between the Oregon schools is in two weeks.
  • Ricky Williams has had a remarkable career.  From franchise-saver to Heisman bust in New Orleans, he finally emerged as a star in Miami.  Then, he became a league pariah with his penchant for pot and even played a year in the CFL.  Sure enough, he quietly returned to Miami, where he is now one of the best backs in the league.  Through it all, he only gave one memorable interview (60 Minutes) because he has severe social anxiety disorder (hence the crush on Mary Jane).
  • I could see Dallas losing to Washington in D.C., but not in Texas, where they play Sunday.
  • The Packers looked like a playoff team against the Cowboys last week, but consistency is an issue with this group.  Therefore, expect the 49ers to cruise into Lambeau, force a bunch of turnovers and walk out winners.
  • I've been fired up all week for the Giants at Falcons.  The winner will not only move a game up on the loser in the Wild Card standings, they'll have the tiebreaker as well.  Health should be the difference.  New York is coming off a bye week, which gave them time to restore their first-team defense (sans Kenny Phillips).  Atlanta lost last week and might be without Michael Turner.  This needs to be a Giants win otherwise El Guapo's will have one less TV by the end of Sunday.  As my buddy Martini would say, I'm too biased to pick this game objectively.
  • The Jaguars have quietly moved to 5-4, which proves anything is possible when you have the Texans, Titans, Rams, Chiefs and Jets on your schedule.  If they continue to hit teams at the right time, they could get to nine wins.  Chalk win #6 up against a Dick Jauron-less Buffalo squad Sunday.
  • The Colts will get their first loss Sunday at Baltimore.  Indy has been living on borrowed time for weeks now.  The Ravens are due to hit their stride.  This is my gut feeling of the week.
  • The Chargers at Broncos will likely decide the AFC West.  On the surface, it's an obvious choice.  San Diego is trending up (big wins over New York and Philly), while Denver is starting Chris Simms (never good).  For some crazy reason, I'll take Denver in Denver.  No particular reason other than the obvious choice seems too obvious.
  • My, oh my, how the Jets fortunes have changed since the last time they met New England.  Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez are too mercurial to survive in the NFL at their current pace.  Both coach and QB need to find a quieter, steadier approach in the years to come if they're going to do something special in New York.  If they're looking for a model, try the opposing sideline this week.  Despite last Sunday's mishaps, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady will return to business as usual this week by thumping the Jets.
  • If his 5-pick meltdown against the Niners did not do it, Jay Cutler's season will completely fall apart Sunday night in front of a national TV audience against the Eagles.  

We really have no idea who these kids are until they make it to the pros.