COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL PREDICTION

        CHICK FIL-A BOWL   GEORGIA DOME  ATL, GA

TEXAS A&M   -13.5    vs    DUKE

This is another program that is just on a complete upswing and is probably on to bigger and better things in the future.  Kevin Sumlin has done a great job thus far, and although he won't have Manziel next year, he should continue to contend in the SEC.  I have decided to timidly stay away from the action here, due to the Aggies poor defense, and the fact that Duke got a taste of what they'll see tonight when they played Jameis Winston and the Noles earlier in the month.  I really don't think that will create for them an ability to stop Johnny Football, in his last game for A&M, or in a game this big, with the way the Blue Devils have played defense this season.  The Aggies defense did look a lot better than the regular season in last year's bowl game, so maybe Sumlin will take advantage of the month to prepare and have the D play up again.  I really don't think Duke is in the same class as a program talent wise, so I say Ole Football and Co. come to shine in this game.

PREDICTED SCORE : AGGIES  48  BLUE DEVILS 28

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL PLAY

              SUN BOWL   SUN BOWL  EL PASO, TX

****  UCLA -7   vs   VIRGINIA TECH

I want to start off by saying, to those who are still following, please don't lose confidence.  I know there is some reason for you to start doubting, but just hear me out.  I am about to pitch you on why one should stay on board and invest in me.  This is a very tough business.  In fact, I am basically selling certainty in an uncertain world.  This is extremely difficult to do on a consistent basis.  Damn near impossible.  It's very much like sales.  You are only as good as your last sale to the one's that are paying you.  Right now I am as good as my last 5, which I lost.  As someone who is paying me, you've got to be worried and asking yourself "what's wrong".  Just go look at the whole year, though, including the losses.  I really don't get blown out, which means I am on the right track, but some things just don't budge, because there is always going to be things you can't control.  There are sales you can't get and games you can't win.  Even Tom Hopkins met some people he couldn't sell.  With that being said, I have been a producer for the majority of this season, and this is just a rough patch.  In these kind of businesses there are bad days, bad weeks and even bad months.  I plan to redeem myself with this one play, which I am calling my Refund Play of the Year.  I like this game so much, that I think it is worth 4 out of 5 of my last plays.  If I were selling this play it would be a 100% money back guarantee.  So ya can't lose.
So here's what I like about it.  Jim Mora Jr. has really got this program on the upswing in his second year.  After a promising season last year, and then to end it with a bowl loss to a quality team, I think they have made some strides this season.  I think they are ready to shine in their bowl game this year.  It's also good that Jim Mora had offers to possible better situations, but he decided to stay and continue to build, because he thinks they can do great things.  Virginia Tech, on the other hand, has just not been good like they were in the past for some years now.  It looks like they are definitely on a downswing and coach Frank Beamer may be close to the end of his regime with the Hokies.  They finished 8-4 this year in a pretty average conference, and lost to non-ranked opponents.  The Bruins have finished 9-3 in a very tough Pac 12 conference this year.  All of their three losses were to quality ranked opponents, all of whom which are in their conference.  They have also had more impressive victories, and I really like what coach Mora is doing.  So they'll be ready to roll this Hokie team.

PREDICTED SCORE : BRUINS 34  HOKIES 13

NFL WEEK 17 PLAYS

*** PHILADELPHIA  -7   at   DALLAS

I don't care what the idiot coach said about Tony Romo being day to day and that he has a chance of playing.  Tony Romo's chances of playing are about as good as the Cowboys' are of winning this game.  He is not going to play, and even if he did, I'd still like the Eagles to win by a comfortable margin.  Having Kyle Orton in will mean that they are going to run the ball, which is what they should have been doing more of in the first place all season.  I think Orton's lack of mobility is going to hurt the Cowboys and I see the Eagles getting to him.  I also see the Eagles being able to exploit the back end of Dallas' defense, just as pretty much every team that can throw has done.  This Dallas D is so bad, it's epic.  This is really the worst defense of all time, in my opinion, and the coaching is pretty close to just as bad.  A team as poorly coached as Dallas will crumble in a game like this, and it doesn't really matter where it's played.  The Eagles have stated that they are looking for revenge from a 17-3 loss at home earlier in the season.  A game in which Nick Foles was concussed and taken out, and then Matt Barkley took over for the game.  I see the Eagles being able to get an early lead, and then from there it will just be nearly impossible for Dallas to stay in it.

PREDICTED SCORE : EAGLES 41  COWBOYS 17


*** MINNESOTA  -3   vs   DETROIT

As I watched the Lions two weeks ago lose in a pathetic effort to the Ravens at home on Monday night, I said to myself, "This team is DONE."  I think it is apparent now that they technically are.  They couldn't even put a good game together when the division title was on the line, or should I say when the division title was handed to them.  This team has been a huge disappointment, and their coach is definitely getting fired, so ask yourself this..."What the hell do they have to play for?"  Absolutely nothing!  It looked like they kind of gave up two weeks ago.  Minnesota is playing for pride, which they have been doing for several weeks now, and this is a division rival, whom they would love to destroy.

PREDICTED SCORE : VIKINGS 37   LIONS 6

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL GAME PLAY

      MILITARY BOWL, NAVY-MARINE CORP MEMORIAL STADIUM    ANNAPOLIS, MD

*** MARYLAND (+110) MoneyLine   vs    MARSHALL

I'm going ahead and discarding the +2.5 points that Marshall is favored by and taking the Moneline for this one, because I think that Maryland is winning this one.  It's going to basically be a home game for the Terps, but they have had some injuries this year, losing two receivers and two corner backs for the year. One of the corner backs will be back for this game and I really love the way Maryland coach, Randy Edsall, has his teams prepared and ready to win.  Dating back to his days as a head coach at UCONN, I am a big fan of this unsung hero.  Just watch in this game, for example, how tough, aggressive and focused his team plays, and rest assure any back ups starting will give a hell of an effort.  I think Maryland played much better competition than Marshall, who plays in the Conference USA, and can play some good defense, considering Edsall is a defensive minded coach.  I also like going against a team that got blown out in their conference championship game, as Marshall did by Rice.  I like the Terps to be able to play some D along with a smart, aggressive overall game.

PREDICTED SCORE : TERPS 28  THUNDERING HERD 20

COLLEGE BASKETBALL SATURDAY MOCK PLAYS

KANSAS ST  +8   vs    GONZAGA


TEXAS  +2.5   vs   MICHIGAN ST

NFL WEEK 16 PICK

NEW ORLEANS  +3   at    CAROLINA

I love it how everyone, and I mean everyone, is over reacting to one loss by the Saints, and are not even giving them a chance this week.  Hello??  Does everyone just forget about two weeks ago when the Saints dominated the Panthers?  And they think that the Saints are this terrible team on the road.  I will admit they are not as good, because that is obvious, but don't forget they almost beat the Pats on the road, and really should have, and that the Panthers probably shouldn't have beat N.E. at home.  It's not like the Saints can't put together a good game on the road.  Besides, the Panthers have not looked all that impressive and the Saints know how to beat them.  I think the Saints are just the better team here, and with all that's on the line, I think coach Payton will have a good game plan.  Of course, I'm not going to place action on a team that isn't the most trustworthy on the road, but I think the Saints got this!

PREDICTED SCORE : SAINTS 24   PANTHERS 17

COLLEGE BASKETBALL MOCK PLAY

DUKE   +4    vs    UCLA

Both the Blue Devils and the Bruins have looked very good so far this season.  It is still very early and tonight should tell us a little bit about these two teams.  UCLA comes into this one with only one loss on the road to a really impressive looking Missouri team.  Duke has lost a little bit of the national attention due to their two losses, which came to Kansas and top ranked Arizona, but that could be a good thing.  I think this will be a back and forth duel, and such a great game to watch.  I believe that freshman Rodney Hood and diaper dandy, Jabari Parker, will be difficult for the Bruins to stop, and could be the determining factor of the game.

PREDICTED SCORE : BLUE DEVILS  80  BRUINS  76

This actually was Duke -4, but for all you action Jacksons, you already knew that.  Since I didn't place anything on this, I didn't realize, because I looked on an app called SportsLines, which had it as Duke +4.  To those idiots, get your shit straight.  Regardless, there was no action on my part, but with the line being -4 and me expecting it to be a hard fought battle, I would just go ahead and Money Line it or bet it down to -1 or -1/2, with the line being under 5.  I also would have used this same strategy on LSU -3 over TT last night, but at the time, I saw no ML listed, and this is just practice for me.  Play on..

COLLEGE BASKETBALL MOCK PLAYS

TEXAS  +11   at   NORTH CAROLINA

The Tar Heels have looked good this year, knocking off Louisville, Michigan St, and just recently, Kentucky.  I do believe that this Longhorns team is a pretty even match up for them, and this should be a close game.

LSU  -3   at   TEXAS TECH

The Red Raiders really haven't beaten anyone this year, and I think the Tigers will go in there and get this win on the road in a pretty tough game.

NBA MOCK PLAY

BOSTON   pick em    vs    DETROIT

So here we have two 12-14 teams going at it this Wednesday night, and the Celtics will be seeking some revenge for the last meeting, which they lost to the Pistons 87-77.  Well, that was in the very beginning of the season, and it was on the road.  Boston has been pretty good at home and they are coming into this game riding a two game winning streak, and looking to make it three.  The Pistons just beat the top team, Indiana, on the road, so they may just be a little hung over.

NFL WEEK 16 PLAY

** MIAMI  -3   at   BUFFALO

I like the way the Dolphins have been playing lately and they just so happen to be playing for a wildcard spot in the play-offs, and their chances are looking good.  They have won 5 out of their last 7 after having a slump, and they just beat the Patriots in a must win for New England.  They are on a real role here, to say the least.  The Bills just barely got by Jacksonville last week, and if you watched the game, the Jags really beat themselves.  This week's match up is a play off game, so all Miami needs to do is just beat Buffalo on the road this week and then finish off the Jets at home the following week, and hope Baltimore loses one of their next two.  I see this as a strong possibility, and I like Miami's chances of getting into the post season.

PREDICTED SCORE : DOLPHINS 24  BILLS  14

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL PLAY

                             NEW MEXICO BOWL    UNIVERSITY STADIUM  ALBUQUERQUE, NM


                            ** WASHINGTON ST   -4    vs   COLORADO ST

           I think Washington St head coach, Mike Leach has done a good job turning this program around.  They are playing in their first bowl game since 2003.  That's good enough right there.  They aren't where he'd like them to be yet, but they are now at least competing in a tough Pac 12 conference.  I think they play much better teams than Colorado St and will be too much for them in this game.

                     PREDICTED SCORE : COUGARS  42  RAMS 34

ANOTHER NFL WEEK 15 PLAY

** CAROLINA  -9.5   vs   NY JETS

The Jets got their offense going last week and got themselves a win, but that was against Oakland.  The Panthers are looking to bounce back this week at home after their little wake up call last week in N.O.  Carolina is still a play-off team and their defense should really shine today.

PREDICTED SCORE : PANTHERS 24  JETS 0

COLLEGE HOOPS MOCK PLAY

TENNESSEE  +6   at    WICHITA ST

This Wichita St team is very solid, but I'm not sure they are as good as their ranking, which is 12th in the country.  This Vols team is pretty good, themselves, and I expect them to give Wichita a run for their money.

NFL THURSDAY NIGHT PLAY

** SAN DIEGO  +10.5   at    DENVER

Phillip Rivers has just looked outstanding this year, yet his team has been very inconsistent, and that's why they are sitting at 6-7.  They are very much still in the play-off picture, though.  Their defense has really been the problem, in my opinion, although they haven't looked all that bad at times.  Well, they have some confidence, due to some good football being played, lately, and they always want to put it to this divisional foe.  I think the fact that they have a game on the Broncos this year, and Wes Welker is sitting out, that they have a very good chance in this game.  I will go ahead and take all those points, though.

NFL WEEK 15 PLAY

* JACKSONVILLE  +2  vs   BUFFALO

This could be one that you will have to sweat through, but I like the way the Jags have been playing lately and I think it will continue.  They have been playing like a 7-9 ball club, and if they win out, their record will be just that.  They have won 3 in a row now, and are playing for some motivation to roll over into next year.  They have had extra time to prepare for this game and the Bills are on their second straight road game.  I also think that Buffalo has looked like a mess lately so I'm rolling with the Jags and the 2 points.

PREDICTED  SCORE : JAGUARS 20  BILLS 16

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

                                           MIZZOU  +1.5  vs   AUBURN

I really do like picking this game and I have been very successful throughout the years with being able to determine the winner ATS.  I think this is a great spot for Missouri.  If I were them, I would love the fact that no one is talking about us.  I have been listening to sports media all week and it's like people are automatically crowning Auburn as SEC champs, just because they beat Bama.  I know that it's the No.1 team, but it's also Auburn's arch rival, and a lot of crazy things can and will happen in those type of games.  I think people are over reacting to this one game.  I will say that Auburn's rushing attack is for real, but their defense is not that great at all.  You can say they are a team of destiny, because they have found ways to win and have come from behind to do so six times this year. I see it as escaping some of those losses. Just don't forget that they got whacked around by LSU, who beat them by two TD's in September.  I don't remember teams of destiny in college football having that happen to them.  These two teams are very similar in that they have great rushing attacks that include several guys, including the QB, that can run on you.  I think that Missouri has been a little more impressive and can play better defense.  This team has only lost one, like Auburn, but it was in 2OT's and they didn't even have their starting QB, Maty Mauk, for that game, and it was to a top SEC team.  C'mon man!

PREDICTED SCORE : MIZZOU TIGERS  38  AUBURN TIGERS  34    No action here

COLLEGE HOOPS MOCK PLAY

WEST VIRGINIA  +7   at   MIZZOU

I think the Tigers may be a little over rated right now sitting at 7-0.  This Mountaineers team can play, as usual, and I like their chances for a possible upset tonight.  It should be a tough match.  I am also calling this one of my mock plays.  I am using this basically as practice, for I probably won't start laying real action until like January.

WEEK 14 NFL PLAY

** KANSAS CITY   -3(-120)   at     WASHINGTON

Well, it seems as if you need to get back on track, the team to play is the Washington Redskins.  The Chiefs have now lost three in a row, and need to get back on a winning streak to secure a decent play off spot, or one at all, for that matter.  We have seen their offense struggle to score on a consistent basis, proving that they aren't really a true contender.  They are still a pretty good team, and their offense didn't look too shabby scoring 28 on Denver last week.  If a team needs to get their offense going, Washington's D is the perfect kind to do it against.  I see K.C. getting back on track and taking advantage of a bad team.  I got this at -3 for -120 juice on my site.  Those cockrags.  Go ahead and lay the 3.5 or whatever it will be, because you'll probably get the normal -110.

PREDICTED SCORE : CHIEFS  31   SKINS  13