another week of the NFL, another weeks of picks. Lets get to them. Seahawks vs. Jets (+3)One of these teams have a very good chance of making a Super Bowl run, and it is not the Jets. After getting off to slow start to the year, the Seahawks are getting back to looking like the Seahawks, led by their vaunted secondary and a deadly front 7. There are some questions with the Seahawks offense where it looked as if there might have been an injury to Russell Wilson but it seems as if he is good to go. Lots of the sharp guys in Vegas have their money on the Jets plus the points, thinking that Fitzpatrick will have a bounce back game and to feast on the shortcomings of the 'Hawks offense, hoping Wilson's ankle injuries will slow down the team enough to keep it close. I'm not falling for that trap after seeing what this team can do. My Pick Seahawks -3 Colts vs. Jags (+3)The perennial England game that makes me wake up at 6:00 Am on a Sunday is here again and it could not be a worse matchup for the NFL to take international. I've been huge on the Jags and Colts all season, and both of them have failed my repeatedly. I believe I'm 1-6 for their picks. In a matchup between a Wikipedia club and a book club, I'm 100 percent backing the wikipedia club. My Pick Jags +3 Lions vs. Bears (+3)The bears and browns go back and forth in my mind for the worst two teams in the NFL. So to see this line at -3 for the Lions, who granted aren't the greatest team in the world, made this an easy pick for my mortal lock of the week. My Pick Lions (-3) Cleveland vs. Washington (-7.5)The other half of my tandem for the worst two teams in football. This line gives me pause especially after last week where dolphins couldn't cover, but just over 1 touchdown for a teams with a lot of talent vs. the browns makes it easier for me to continue to never pick the Browns. My Pick Washington -7.5 Titans vs. Texans (-5)This game makes me very nervous, because I have no idea what this Texan's team and defense especially looks like without JJ Watt. He changes your whole blocking scheme, you have to double him all the time which gives the rest of that front 7 ample opportunities to get home. Without him, how effective will this defense be? The Texans are pretty obviously a better team overall than the titans but this could very easily be a trap game where the team without Watt hasn't had enough time to form its new identity yet. I like the Texans to win, but with the points my pick... My Pick Titans +5 Bills vs. Pats (-7.5)Late breaking news, it looks as if the Patriots will be starting Jimmy G at Qb, which made me feel much better about this line. The Patriots have looked like the best team in football, and jimmy garoppolo has fit in seamlessly at QB, and with one week left before this team gets TB12 back, I think they would love to hand him the team at 4-0. My Pick Patriots -7.5 Panthers vs. Falcons (+3)I have no idea what to think of the Falcons, this team is not the same as the one that went 15-1 last season and beat everyone handily. Losing the Super Bowl has left this team shook and unpredictable. With that being said, I still believe this team is that much better than the Falcons where -3 doesn't shake my confidence. My Pick Panthers -3 Raiders vs. Ravens (-3.5)I've been looking and researching to try and find the appeal of this ravens, and I really don't get what I'm missing. At the same time this teams is 3-0, but those wins have been against the jags, browns, and bills, 3 low tear teams. The Raiders will be their first true test of the season. Going across the country and playing in the early slot which is 10 am west coast time is never easy for the west coast team, another example of the many bias' that the NFL shows for the east coast. This raiders team has something special to it, and I see them handing the ravens their first loss, so I love the points. My Pick Raiders +3.5 Denver vs. Tampa Bay (+3.5)I'm trying to find the value in the bucs here, a dog at home that has some offensive firepower, but I cant seem to see it. This Broncos team has been very very good all season, and haven't seemed to lost much of a step with Siemien coming in at QB. My Pick Broncos -3.5 Saints vs. Chargers (-4)I dont love anything about this game whatsoever, I have no idea how to handicap it what so ever. Without Allen and Woodhead I have questions about the chargers offense effectiveness. Just because I don't have enough dawgs on the table... My Pick Saints +4 Dallas vs. 49ers (+3)Had to put the catch here to remind me of a better time for the Niners. As for my pick this weekend, its pretty simple: The 49ers STINK. Easy pick. My Pick Dallas -3 Rams vs. Arizona (-8)The cardinals will be looking for blood in this game, and try to establish themselves in a position to be considered the best team in the NFC west. The rams will have no answer for their high powered attack or their vaunted secondary. My Pick Cardinals -8 Kansas City vs Pittsburg (-4)The Steelers are gonna be PISSED after getting the crap kicked out of them by the eagles last week, and with Leveon Bell coming back I expect this offense to be nothing short of ELECTRIC. The chiefs are in for a rude awakening this Sunday. Mortal lock My Pick Steelers -4 That's it for this Sunday's pick, may the spread be forever in your favor
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"Action" Jackson here, and college football continues to impress us. So many big plays, blowouts, and upsets makes every week unpredictable. It also makes my job of trying to predict that much harder. The Top 25 ranked teams remained mostly intact, with the Top 5 teams winning handily. Heisman contenders continued to impress, and with lots of conference match-ups on the horizon, it's going to get a lot more interesting in the next few weeks. Welcome to Week 5. College Football Top 25: Week 4 RecapBased on my previews from last week, I wanted to update the scoreboard before heading into the Week 5 Breakdowns: The Wisconsin Badgers upset the Michigan St. Spartans, ruining their chances of making the College Football Playoffs. The Badgers won at the line of scrimmage, forced turnovers, and generally made Michigan St. look un-Spartan-esque. Final Score: 30-6. The Florida Gators were unable to capitalize on a lead late against the Tennessee Volunteers, and Tennessee Head Coach Butch Jones finally exorcised his gator-shaped demons with his first victory against UF. Final score: 38-28. The Penn St. Nittany Lions stood no chance against the Michigan Wolverines. Jim Harbaugh made yet another angry statement with this one, and that statement was: "Shut up. Don't ask me anymore questions. We won again. Reporters suck." Final score: 49-10. Week 5 Match-ups and BreakdownsWith so many great match-ups this week, I wanted to discuss the biggest games that, in my opinion, will have the most impact on conference standings and College Football Playoff chances. #7 Stanford at #10 WashingtonHeisman candidate Christian McCaffrey and the Stanford Cardinal travel to Seattle to face the suddenly ultra competitive Washington Huskies. McCaffrey will have to play his best game of the season; the Huskies defense, already one of the best in the nation, will be extra motivated to shut down the Cardinal offense. Weird stat of the century: in all his road match-ups stretching back to 2014, no matter the opponent, Christian McCaffrey has not scored a single rushing touchdown, and only one receiving score. He'll need to improve upon this if he expects to head back to Palo Alto with a win and eventually a Heisman. #8 Wisconsin at #4 MichiganThe Wisconsin Badgers travel to the Big House to take on Jim Harbaugh and his resurgent Michigan Wolverines after Wisconsin upset the Michigan St. Spartans in East Lansing last weekend. This Michigan team is not that Spartan team; they know how to play without making simple mistakes, and they most certainly know how to make a tackle or two. Can the Badgers continue their destructive road trip across the country? Will they upset the playoff-bound Wolverines? Will Harbaugh ever not wear dad khakis? Find out next time on Native Baydestrian! #11 Tennessee at #25 GeorgiaSEC Rivalry alert! SEC Rivalry alert! This is going to be a great one for two reasons. 1) the Tennessee Volunteers are the trendy pick to win the SEC East, and the rival UGA Bulldogs will have plenty to say about that, and 2) Georgia's star running back Nick Chubb tore his knee up last season while playing against the Volunteers, so I expect him to seek revenge against this Tennessee team that isn't the best at slowing down the run game. Both of these teams are unable to win the "big games" with a lot of pressure on them, so let's see who wants it more this weekend: Nick Saban's former understudy (UGA coach Kirby Smart), or the next former head coach in the SEC not named Gus Malzahn (Tennessee coach Butch Jones). #3 Louisville at #5 ClemsonTwo Top 5 programs. Two Heisman contending quarterbacks. Only one can win the ACC, and only one can hoist the trophy. Oh, and they're playing in Death Valley, South Carolina, the ultimate home field advantage. This could very well be the best game of the season, and it's only Week 5! The key to this game: which defense will be able to slow down the other team's dual threat quarterback? Notice is said slow down, not shut down. These young men can score points at will. Deshaun Watson is the national favorite to win the Heisman, but Lamar Jackson has been getting all the media attention the past few weeks due to his incredible play. The last man standing will undoubtedly be the leader in this year's Heisman race.
Dolphins(+7.5) vs. BengalsI'm on the record as a big Bengals fan, love their high powered throwing attack with AJ green, and their offensive line is good enough for them to have a respectable running attack. There defense is middle of the pack, but they have the ability to keep the game low scoring against most NFL teams.
The dolphins are missing something, I cant put my finger on it but theres something they need that they don't have. Im still in on Tannehill, and Suh is still a problem. Maybe its there receiving core, or having to play the pats twice a year, but they are a piece or 2 away from competing. That being said, Plus 7.5 is too high to bet against. My Picks Dolphins +7.5 Under 46.5 It's been a LONNNGGGG OFFSEASON for Warriors fans, I have heard every single 3-1 lead the Lebron Stans can think of. Besides a brief couple of days around July 4th (in case you didn't know, we got KD) the offseason has been tough. I still cant watch the Finals highlights, especially game 7. I know if I re-watch the game, every single second until the buzzer goes off I'll think "oh the Warriors got this, they're gonna come back and get the W." The offseason is not fully over but the team is back in Oakland, and looking better than ever. Steph came back with this BANANALAND move Steph GAWD. Then you can move across the court to see Kd and Klay Trading 3's and all feels well in the world again. I am hyped to see this team play Saturday, even if its only a preseason game. Super Arrogant SZN on deck.
Unlike the team across the bay, all is not good in niner nation. The 49ers fell to 1-2 after a 18-37 loss to the Seahawks, which is inaccurate in itself because the 49ers scored 15 of their 18 points in garbage time in the 4th Quarter. I'll break down all the facets of the team. OffenseIf I could sum up the 49ers offense in one word, I would go with Stagnant. Every time I looked up at the TV we were going 3 and out. Granted, the Seahawks Defense is really good, but it exposed something I and many 49ers fans have seen for awhile. Blaine Gabbert is not now nor never will be the answer at QB1. He is underwhelming in every sense of the word. Our receivers are so underwhelming that we had athletes lined-up outside the stadium trying to take their Jobs (S/o Naj). Grade: D- DefenseThe 49ers D did what they could with what they had. When you get thrown back on the Field every 10 minutes, your bound to give up some points. While 418 yards is certainly not great, its hard for me to place to much blame on the Defense after seeing how terrible the offense was. Still, lots of room for improvement. Grade: C- Special teamsAny time a team has to punt the ball 7 times in a game, its not great. Add that on to Phil Dawson missing one of his field goals, and our special teams was average at best. probably the best out of the three, but thats really not saying much. My grade: C+ CoachingI'll keep this one real simple: Start Colin Kaepernick. The fan base is ready to give this guy a shot again and so should Chip Kelly. The attempt to dink and dunk and run a west coast/ read option offense does not work with Gabbert at the Helm. My grade: D next week we got the cowboys at home, hopefully the 49ers turn it around and show us something. It seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Until then....
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Liam Conley
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November 2017
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