Standings:
Ryan: 73-78-5
Kevin: 73-78-5
Rich: 72-79-5
Sonny: 72-79-5

Kevin: Texans +3 over Browns. This Texans team put up a pretty good fight against the Colts last week.  They seem to be a competent QB short of being a competitive team.  I still think they manage to handle the Browns in this game.
Ryan: Browns -3 over Texans.
Rich: Browns -3 over Texans.
Sonny: Texans +3 over Browns.

K: Bills -3 over Kansas City. Kansas City is a real up and down team, I’m going to go with the Bills here.  They haven’t played well lately, and it’s about time for them to right the ship if they want to have their playoff hopes kept alive.
Ry: Chiefs +3 over Bills.
Ri: Bills -3 over Chiefs.
S: Chiefs +3 over Bills.

K: Jets +5.5 over Titans. Favre keeps this one close, and who knows, maybe the Jets pull out a win.
Ry: Jets +5.5 over Titans
Ri: Titans -5.5 over Jets.
S: Jets +5.5 over Titans.

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Standings
Ryan: 70-66-5
Sonny: 67-69-5
Kevin: 66-70-5
Rich: 66-70-5

Ryan: Chiefs +5 over Saints. Sure, the Chiefs have one measly win in 2008. But they’ve played some pretty good football the last three weeks. Tyler Thigpen has strung together some nice performances in KC’s spread offense, and I look for that to continue against the awful Saints defense. Oh, and they get LJ back too.
Kevin: Saints -5 over Chiefs.
Sonny: Chiefs +5 over Saints.
Rich: Chiefs +5 over Aints.

Ry: Dolphins -10 over Raiders. Double digit underdogs have been money all season in the NFL. Not Oakland though, they’re awful.
K: Dolphins -10 over Raiders.
S: Dolphins -10 over Raiders.
Ri: Dolphins -10 over Failures.

Ry: Ravens +7 over Giants. This one pits two of the best defenses in the NFL. In a game like that, I’m inclined to take the points when they’re given to me. The Giants could be due for a letdown after games against Pittsburgh, Dallas and Philadelphia. I’m not endorsing a Ravens win here, but it could definitely happen if Joe Flacco keeps playing well.
K: Giants -7 over Ravens.
S: Ravens +7 over Giants.
Ri: Giants -7 over Ravens

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Standings
Ryan: 65-58-5
Rich: 62-61-5
Kevin: 62-61-5
Sonny: 59-64-5

Ryan: Jags -7 over Lions: I know the Jags have been one of the league’s biggest letdowns, but Detroit is just horrific. And with the Jags giving up only a touchdown, I’m inclined to take them. It’s a game Jacksonville has to win to keep their season alive, so I don’t see them slipping up.
Rich: Jags -7 over Lions.
Kevin: Lions +7 over Jaguars.
Sonny: Jags -7 over Lions.

Ry: Bears +3 over Titans. So Tennessee knocks off their division rival, stays undefeated and are only favored by a field goal? This seems to have trap game written on it. Kyle Orton is doubtful, but I’m confident the Sex Cannon, Rex Grossman, can get the job done. Bears win on a Robbie Gould walkoff.
Ri: Bears +3 over Jeff Fisher’s mullet.
K: Titans -3 over Bears.
S: Bears +3 over Kerry Collins turning it over.

Ry: Pats -4 over Bills. Even without Tom Brady, I still think the Pats are the class of the AFC East. Buffalo has recently found out how hard it is to win when people expect you to win. The Patriots know all about this. The Bills lost at home to a more experienced Jets team last week, and I think they lose to a more experienced Pats team here.
Ri: Bills +4 over Patriots.
K: Bills +4 over Patriots.
S: Pats -4 over Da Bills.

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Standings
Ryan: 60-49-5
Rich: 56-53-5
Kevin: 55-54-5
Sonny: 54-55-5

Ry: Texans +5 over Vikings. Minnesota hasn’t done much to justify being a 5 point favorite against an improving Texans team. I don’t expect them to give up 48 points again, but I think the Texans will have enough success through the air to keep this game close into the 4th quarter. Gimme the points.
Rich: Mario Williams +5 over Vikings.
Kevin: Texans +5 over Vikings.
Sonny: Texans +5 over Vikings.

Ry: Jags -8 over Bengals. The Jags have been a big letdown so far this year, but that doesn’t begin to explain the Bengals’ failure. Quite simply, this is a must-win for Jacksonville. They have Detroit next week and should be 5-4 heading into a big rematch with the Titans. But they have to win this one first, which I think they’ll do.
Ri: Jags -8 over Bengals.
K: Jaguars -8 over Bengals.
S: Jags -8 over Bengals.

Ry: Bucs -9 over Chiefs. The Bucs really shot themselves in the foot against the Cowboys with penalties and a lack of red zone productivity. But the defense is still nasty and they’re licking their chops to take their shots at the Chiefs’ anemic offense. Bucs rebound nicely and win by double digits.
Ri: Buccaneers -9 over Chefs.
K: Buccaneers -9 over Chiefs.
S: Buccaneers -9 over Chiefs.

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Standings
Ryan: 55-44-2
Rich: 52-47-2
Sonny: 51-48-2
Kevin: 50-49-2

Rich: Ravens -8 over Raiders. It’s kind of surprising that all the talk surrounding guys putting hits out on other players isn’t coming from the dysfunctional Raider locker room but rather from the Baltimore Ravens.  But then again with guys like murderer Ray Lewis and lunatic Bart Scott, it’s not that shocking.  JaMarcus Russell is about to see what a real NFL defense looks like in all it’s purple and gold glory.
Ryan: Ravens -8 over Raiders.
Sonny: Ravens -8 over Raiders.
Kevin: Ravens -8 over Raiders.

Ri: Saints +3 over Chargers. Let’s not talk about traveling 8 time zones because that’s not the real story of this game.  Both of these teams need a win like England needs a real football match and not American rubbish.  The Chargers didn’t bother Trent Edwards last week on his way to beating them, so why would it change this week against former teammate Drew Brees?  With Reggie Bush out and the Saints having even less of a reason to run the ball, expect Brees to pick apart the Chargers to the tune of 400+ yards.  Oh and LT still isn’t healthy, and until he is, this Chargers team won’t be on track for anything but a disappointing season.
S: Chargers -3 over Saints.
Ry: Saints +3 over Chargers.
K: Saints +3 over Chargers.

Ri: Jets -14 over Chiefs. Two Kansas City quarterbacks suffered season ending injuries last week, leaving Tyler Thigpen as the last man standing.  Congrats, Tyler, you still suck and you once again won’t have the services of Larry Johnson.  Brett Favre can’t wait.
S: Jets -14 over you play to win the game.
Ry: Jets -14 over Chiefs.
K: Jets -14 over Chiefs. Read the rest of this entry »

* I’m struggling in this column, so I wouldn’t call these best bets

Last Week: 2-2
Season: 13-19

Kansas -1.5 over Texas Tech: Okay, so Tech is undefeated. But we’ve seen this before. This is a bit of a sandwich game for the Red Raiders, who are coming off a rivalry win at A&M and getting ready to host Texas next week. But they better not sleep on Kansas, who always come to play at home. Texas Tech’s pass defense is in the 100s, which sets up nicely for Todd Reesing. Look for Tech to get exposed…again.

Colorado State -9 over San Diego State: The “bet against the Aztecs” train rolls on week after week. SDSU is coming off arguably the worst performance in the program’s history, losing 70-7 to an average (at best) New Mexico team. Chuck Long has been given a vote of confidence by the athletic department, but has the team quit on him?

Ohio State +2 over Penn State: Can you remember the last time the Buckeyes weren’t favored at the Horseshoe? Me neither. The Buckeyes showed they’re still a force to be reckoned with last week, destroying Michigan State in East Lansing. I’d love to see Penn State win, but I think the Buckeyes take this one in a defensive battle. 

Illinois -3 over Wisconsin: What happened to Wisconsin? A team pegged as a co-favorite to win the Big Ten is sitting at 0-4 in conference play so far this year. Their quarterback play has sucked and even the once-reliable defense is lousy. Juice Williams and Co. torched this defense last year, I expect something similar to happen this time around.