College Football Picks-Week 14

Last week I went 40-14, as the regular season wrapped up for most teams. For the season, I'm now 530-190. This week's picks:

THURSDAY

West Virginia over South Florida

FRIDAY

Oregon over UCLA (Pac-12 Championship)
Northern Illinois over Ohio U. (MAC Championship)

SATURDAY

Cincinnati over Connecticut
Pittsburgh over Syracuse
Kansas State over Iowa State
Wyoming over Colorado State
Texas Christian over UNLV
Oklahoma State over Oklahoma
Texas over Baylor
Nevada over Idaho
Boise State over New Mexico
Brigham Young over Hawaii
Utah State over New Mexico State
San Diego State over Fresno State
Arkansas State over Troy
North Texas over Middle Tennessee
Louisiana-Monroe over Florida Atlantic
Houston over Southern Mississippi (C-USA Championship)
Virginia Tech over Clemson (ACC Championship)
Wisconsin over Michigan State (Big 10 Championship)
Louisiana State over Georgia (SEC Championship)

College Football Rankings

EAST

1. West Virginia (8-3)
2. Rutgers (8-4)
3. Penn State (9-3)
4. Temple (7-5)
5. Pittsburgh (5-6)

NORTH

1. Michigan State (10-2)
2. Wisconsin (10-2)
3. Michigan (10-2)
4. Toledo (8-4)
5. Nebraska (9-3)
6. Kansas State (9-2)
7. Notre Dame (8-4)
8. Northern Illinois (9-3)
9. Ohio U. (9-3)
10. Cincinnati (8-3)

SOUTH

1. Louisiana State (12-0)
2. Virginia Tech (11-1)
3. Alabama (11-1)
4. Houston (12-0)
5. Georgia (10-2)
6. Oklahoma (9-2)
7. Oklahoma State (10-1)
8. Arkansas (10-2)
9. Texas Christian (9-2)
10. South Carolina (10-2)
11. Southern Mississippi (10-2)
12. Baylor (8-3)
13. Florida State (8-4)
14. Arkansas State (9-2)
15. Louisiana Tech (8-4)

WEST

1. USC (10-2)
2. Stanford (11-1)
3. Boise State (10-1)
4. Oregon (10-2)
5. Brigham Young (8-3)
6. California (7-5)
7. Utah (7-5)
8. Washington (7-5)
9. San Diego State (7-4)
10. Utah State (6-5)

High School Football Picks-Week 15

   Well, it's nice that there is actually a game to pick in Week 15, first of all. Last week I went 2-0, and stand at 13-3 for the playoffs. It's state championship time, and it's too bad I won't be able to see this 11AM Friday morning game, at least not live.

DIV V STATE CHAMPIONSHIP-Coldwater vs. Kirtland. What a showdown this will be. Youngstown Ursuline has stood in the way of both of these teams over the last 3 years, defeating Coldwater in the title game the last 2 years, and knocking out Kirtland in the Regional Final 2 of the last 3. Now it's their turn. If any team can beat Kirtland, it's Coldwater. This will be the 3rd consecutive state title game appearance for the Cavaliers, and I'm sure they feel that their time has come to win one. Coldwater went just 7-3 this year, but that was against a schedule that was far superior to Kirtland's. The Cavaliers played 6 playoff teams in their 10 games, including D4 finalist Kenton and D6 finalist Maria Stein Marion Local. That in itself might make Coldwater the favorite, despite the disparity in records.

     There's something about this Kirtland team, though. They've really got it all. Offense, defense, special teams, coaching. This is really a special team. They really haven't been tested this year, unlike the Cavaliers. Maybe that's just because they're that good. This game will pose a severe challenge for the Hornets, and while they didn't have the tough game they expected last week, they can be assured that they will this week. Signs and conventional wisdom seem to point to a Coldwater victory, but I remain on the Kirtland bandwagon and think that the Hornets will rise to the occasion. Pick: Kirtland

High School Football in Review-Week 14

Last Friday I attended my 30th high school football game of the season (including 3 Thursdays), and it will be the last one I'm able to attend this year. A look back at that game:

FRIDAY NIGHT-Bucyrus Wynford vs. Kirtland. The weather was pretty decent for this state semifinal matchup at Canton Central Catholic. As surprising as that was, even more surprising was the 42-0 whitewashing administered by the Hornets to an undefeated Bucyrus Wynford team. It was an absolute rout from beginning to end. Kirtland did what it's done all year-pound the ball inside, run it outside, pass when necessary, and play smothering defense. All in all, it was a great way to end the season for me, and the Kirtland fans. It will be interesting to see what happens this Friday. Can the Hornets become the 2nd state football champions from Lake County?

NFL Picks-Week 12

Last week I wound up 10-4 after getting off to a rough start and missing 3 of my first 5, including the Thursday night game. For the season, I'm at 96-64. This week I really like Detroit to hand Green Bay their first loss of the year, on Thanksgiving Day. This week's picks:

THURSDAY

Detroit over Green Bay
Dallas over Miami
Baltimore over San Francisco

SUNDAY

St. Louis over Arizona
NY Jets over Buffalo
Cleveland over Cincinnati
Houston over Jacksonville
Carolina over Indianapolis
Tennessee over Tampa Bay
Atlanta over Minnesota
Chicago over Oakland
Seattle over Washington
New England over Philadelphia
San Diego over Denver
Pittsburgh over Kansas City

MONDAY

New Orleans over NY Giants

Yes, the Browns are my big upset pick of the week. Based on what? Nothing, really. Just the unpredictable nature of the NFL.

College Football Picks-Week 13

Last week I put up another pretty good mark, going 43-17. That puts me at 490-176 for the season. This week:

TUESDAY

Ohio U. over Miami (Ohio)

THURSDAY

Texas A&M over Texas

FRIDAY

Bowling Green over Buffalo
Northern Illinois over Eastern Michigan
Temple over Kent State
Western Michigan over Akron
Toledo over Ball State
Louisville over South Florida
Houston over Tulsa
Nebraska over Iowa
West Virginia over Pittsburgh
Louisiana State over Arkansas
Utah over Colorado
Miami over Boston College
Central Florida over Texas-El Paso
Arizona State over California

SATURDAY

Air Force over Colorado State
Alabama over Auburn
Alabama-Birmingham over Florida Atlantic
Louisiana-Lafayette over Arizona
Baylor over Texas Tech
Boise State over Wyoming
Cincinnati over Syracuse
Clemson over South Carolina
North Carolina over Duke
Marshall over East Carolina
Florida State over Florida
Florida International over Middle Tennessee
Fresno State over San Jose State
Georgia over Georgia Tech
Hawaii over Tulane
Nevada over Idaho
Illinois over Minnesota
Purdue over Minnesota
Oklahoma over Iowa State
Missouri over Kansas
Tennessee over Kentucky
Louisiana Tech over New Mexico State
North Carolina State over Maryland
Southern Mississippi over Memphis
Michigan over Ohio State
Michigan State over Northwestern
Mississippi State over Mississippi
Nevada over Utah State
Stanford over Notre Dame
Oregon over Oregon State
Wisconsin over Penn State
Southern Methodist over Rice
San Diego State over UNLV
USC over UCLA
Western Kentucky over Troy
Wake Forest over Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech over Virginia
Washington over Washington State

College Football Rankings

EAST

1. Rutgers (8-3)
2. West Virginia (7-3)
3. Temple (7-4)
4. Penn State (9-2)
5. Pittsburgh (5-5)

NORTH

1. Notre Dame (8-3)
2. Michigan State (9-2)
3. Wisconsin (9-2)
4. Michigan (9-2)
5. Toledo (7-4)
6. Kansas State (9-2)
7. Nebraska (8-3)
8. Iowa (7-4)
9. Iowa State (6-4)
10. Northern Illinois (8-3)

SOUTH

1. Louisiana State (11-0)
2. Virginia Tech (10-1)
3. Arkansas (10-1)
4. Alabama (10-1)
5. Houston (11-0)
6. Georgia (9-2)
7. Oklahoma State (10-1)
8. Oklahoma (8-2)
9. Texas Christian (9-2)
10. South Carolina (9-2)
11. Georgia Tech (8-3)
12. Virginia (8-3)
13. Southern Mississippi (9-2)
14. Clemson (9-2)
15. Baylor (7-3)

WEST

1. USC (9-2)
2. Utah (7-4)
3. Stanford (10-1)
4. Boise State (9-1)
5. Brigham Young (8-3)
6. Oregon (9-2)
7. Wyoming (7-3)
8. Nevada (6-4)
9. California (6-5)
10. UCLA (6-5)

High School Picks-Week 14

Well, I went 3-0 on my picks last week, which is unfortunate. Unfortunate because it means Mentor lost. I'll be attending my 30th and final game of this season this Friday to watch Kirtland play the biggest football game in school history-a state semifinal against similarly undefeated Bucyrus Wynford. This week's picks:

FRIDAY NIGHT

Div. III State Semifinal-Chagrin Falls vs. Youngstown Mooney. The Tigers get one step closer to making a third consecutive appearance in a state title game. They were unfazed by a halftime deficit against powerful Akron St.Vincent-St.Mary. Chagrin Falls continues to steam ahead, continuing to perform well in all 3 aspects-offense, defense, and special teams. The playoff experience of the players and coaching staff has also helped to carry the Tigers through. Mooney, no stranger to the playoffs themselves, has gotten better every week through the season. Last week the Cardinals put up 70 against Dover. They may not have the marquee names of recent seasons, but Mooney is Mooney, and that usually equals a run at a state title game. Ten years ago these teams met in the playoffs, and it did not go well for Chagrin Falls. This should be a much more competitive game. Fans venturing to Uniontown Lake High School can expect a classic, and it's not easy to choose the winner of this one. Pick: Youngstown Mooney

Div. V State Semifinal-Bucyrus Wynford vs. Kirtland. The biggest game in school history for Kirtland will be a battle of undefeated teams. What do I know about Bucyrus Wynford? Nothing, including the team nickname. I do know that they're undefeated, and should prove to be Kirtland's toughest opponent yet. Last week Crestview was at times able to stop Kirtland's base plays. One can imagine that Wynford will be well prepared. It may take some yards through the air for the Hornets this week to keep moving the chains. If the Kirtland defense plays the way it has all season, it will certainly keep the Hornets in the game no matter what happens. This Kirtland team defintely has the look of a state champion. Mistakes and turnovers can derail even the best teams, however. It will be very interesting to see what happens, and I'll be attending this one since I have the day off at work. Looking forward to it. Pick: Kirtland

High School Football in Review-Week 13

A look back at the games I attended last week-my 28th and 29th of the season:

FRIDAY NIGHT-Columbiana Crestview vs. Kirtland-It was a crisp, chilly night out in Warren, the first time I'd been there since the Kirtland-Youngstown Ursuline matchup of 2008. Special thanks to quick-thinking N-H sportswriter John Kampf, who gave me a package of hand warmers that he had. Absolutely dominating performance by the Hornet defense, which really controlled this game. The small but quick Rebels made Kirtland work for they got offensively, at least for the first 3 quarters. Now Kirtland will play the biggest game in school history-a state semifinal against a fellow undefeated team in Bucyrus Wynford. Hopefully Damon Washington, who suffered a mild concussion against Crestview, will be able to play.

SATURDAY NIGHT-Mentor vs. St.Ignatius-I didn't see the first game between these teams 10 weeks ago, but the Wildcats were clearly very well prepared for this one. The Ignatius defense, the running of Tim McVey, and a strong wind helped prevent the Cardinals from doing a lot of things they wanted to do. It was clear that it was important to St.Ignatius to avoid falling behind on the scoreboard. The Wildcats had a great game plan and executed it very well. There was a sense that perhaps Mentor could pull off an epic comeback, but St.Ignatius did what they had to do, and so they'll move on. Hey, I've said it before-St.Ignatius is still the standard, the best high school football program in Northeast Ohio.

NFL Picks-Week 11

I improved slightly last week to 9-7. The Browns coming though really would have helped me to an even better record, but we all saw how that went. For the season, I'm at 86-60. This week:

THURSDAY

NY Jets over Denver

SUNDAY

Atlanta over Tennessee
Buffalo over Miami
Baltimore over Cincinnati
Jacksonville over Cleveland
Minnesota over Oakland
Detroit over Carolina
Green Bay over Tampa Bay
Dallas over Washington
San Francisco over Arizona
Seattle over St.Louis
Chicago over San Diego
Philadelphia over NY Giants

MONDAY

New England over Kansas City

College Football Picks-Week 12

Last week I had a pretty good record, going 42-15. That puts me at 447-159 for the year. This week:

TUESDAY

Northern Illinois over Ball State

WEDNESDAY

Miami (Ohio) over Western Michigan
Ohio U. over Bowling Green

THURSDAY

Virginia Tech over North Carolina
Marshall over Memphis
Southern Mississippi over Alabama-Birmingham

FRIDAY

Toledo over Central Michigan
Oklahoma State over Iowa State

SATURDAY

Air Force over UNLV
Buffalo over Akron
Alabama over Georgia Southern
Arizona State over Arizona
Arkansas over Mississippi State
Arkansas State over Middle Tennessee
Temple over Army
Auburn over Samford
Oklahoma over Baylor
Boise State over San Diego State
Notre Dame over Boston College
Brigham Young over New Mexico State
Stanford over California
Central Florida over East Carolina
Rutgers over Cincinnati
Clemson over North Carolina State
UCLA over Colorado
Texas Christian over Colorado State
Louisville over Connecticut
Georgia Tech over Duke
Kent State over Eastern Michigan
Florida over Furman
Troy over Florida Atlantic
Florida International over Louisiana-Monroe
Florida State over Virginia
Hawaii over Fresno State
Georgia over Kentucky
Houston over Southern Methodist
Utah State over Idaho
Wisconsin over Illinois
Michigan State over Indiana
Iowa over Purdue
Texas A&M over Kansas
Texas over Kansas State
Louisiana State over Mississippi
Nevada over Louisiana Tech
Wake Forest over Maryland
South Florida over Miami
Michigan over Nebraska
Northwestern over Minnesota
Missouri over Texas Tech
Navy over San Jose State
Wyoming over New Mexico
Western Kentucky over North Texas
Ohio State over Penn State
Oregon over USC
Washington over Oregon State
Rice over Tulane
South Carolina over The Citadel
Vanderbilt over Tennessee
Tulsa over Texas-El Paso
Utah over Washington State

College Football Rankings

EAST

1. Rutgers (7-3)
2. West Virginia (7-3)
3. Temple (6-4)
4. Penn State (8-2)
5. Pittsburgh (5-5)

NORTH

1. Notre Dame (7-3)
2. Michigan State (8-2)
3. Wisconsin (8-2)
4. Nebraska (8-2)
5. Michigan (8-2)
6. Toledo (6-4)
7. Kansas State (8-2)
8. Cincinnati (7-2)
9. Ohio State (6-4)
10. Iowa (6-4)

SOUTH

1. Louisiana State (10-0)
2. Oklahoma State (10-0)
3. Virginia Tech (9-1)
4. Arkansas (9-1)
5. Oklahoma (8-1)
6. Alabama (9-1)
7. Houston (10-0)
8. Southern Mississippi (9-1)
9. Georgia (8-2)
10. Clemson (9-1)
11. Texas Christian (8-2)
12. South Carolina (8-2)
13. Georgia Tech (7-3)
14. Florida State (7-3)
15. Virginia (7-3)

WEST

1. Oregon (9-1)
2. Nevada (6-3)
3. USC (8-2)
4. California (6-4)
5. Utah (6-4)
6. Stanford (9-1)
7. Boise State (8-1)
8. Brigham Young (7-3)
9. San Diego State (6-3)
10. Wyoming (6-3)

High School Football Picks-Week 13

Last week I was 3-1 in picks with Lake Catholic's surprising loss. I stand at 11-3 for the playoffs, and the games are rapidly dwindling. This week's predictions:

FRIDAY NIGHT

DIV III Regional Final-Akron St.Vincent-St.Mary vs. Chagrin Falls. This showdown was supposed to have been between the Tigers and Cougars, but this matchup should be every bit as good. The Fighting Irish have a great QB in Kevin Besser, a good RB in Sae'von Fitzgerald, two good WRs, a strong o-line and stout defense. In other words, they've got everything. Chagrin Falls, likewise, except the Tigers have even more weapons on offense. SV-SM probably has an edge in athleticism and maybe size. Chagrin Falls has definitely got the edge in playoff experience, though. This will be a battle between two well-coached teams, without a doubt. Ultimately, the been-there already Tigers will come through with the clutch plays and fewer mistakes. Pick: Chagrin Falls

DIV V Regional Final-Columbiana Crestview vs. Kirtland. The Hornets will get their toughest test of the season-by far-in this game. Kirtland's previous biggest test was back in Week 5 against Cuyahoga Hts. The Hornets won that one, 24-12. Crestview beat that same Cuyahoga Hts team in Week 11 by a score of 44-20. So at the very least Crestview looks to be a team that's on the same level as Kirtland. The big questions facing the Hornets this week are: How will they react to real adversity? What if they have an early turnover or two? What if they fall behind on the scoreboard? I see no reason to think they'll come up short now-this train's rolling, and will stay on track this week. Pick: Kirtland

SATURDAY NIGHT

DIV I Regional Final-Mentor vs. St.Ignatius. Rematch number 2 for the Cardinals. Do last week's near-collapse against Solon and the Week 10 upset loss to Twinsburg bode a playoff exit far short of Mentor's goal? Or were those mere bumps along the road, wake-up calls if you will, on the way to a State title? The Cardinals can certainly move the ball and score against anybody, but will they be able to come up with a crucial defensive stop? It remains to be seen how much the two teams have learned-and changed-since the first meeting back in Week 3. St. Ignatius rebounded well from the loss, losing only to State Title contender St.Xavier by a 14-12 score when a fluke turnover cut short a potential game-winning drive. All in all, this should be a great game at what should be an absolutely packed Lakewood Stadium. There were will be no one surprised at whoever the winner is here. It will most likely come down to one or two key plays, maybe a crucial turnover. A lot like the two St.Ignatius-St.Edward games this year. Sorry, fellow Lake Countians, I'm going with the team that just keeps finding ways to win. Pick: St.Ignatius

High School Football in Review-Week 12

 A look back at last week's games that I attended:

FRIDAY NIGHT-Akron St.Vincent-St.Mary vs. Lake Catholic. I was as surprised as anybody at the result of this one. The fact of the matter is, though, that SV-SM was the better team and may have been better all along. It's just hard to imagine the Cougars losing so early in the playoffs, new team or not. That's how high the expectations are. It goes without saying, for longtime observers of area high school football, that Lake Catholic will be back next year and will undoubtedly be around much longer.

SATURDAY NIGHT-Mentor vs. Solon. It seemed unbelievable, but for a team that showed utter dominance of its opponent and had to fight for its playoff life in the same game, Mentor made sure its fans got their money's worth on Saturday night. The question is: what does the second half, in which the Cardinals were outscored 26-7 by the Comets, mean going forward? Will it carry over to next week? These questions lead to one even bigger question: Is Mentor a contender or pretender for the long-coveted State Championship?

NFL Picks-Week 10

Last week: 7-7. I've been hovering around .500 three weeks in a row. For the season, 77-53.
This week:

THURSDAY

San Diego over Oakland

SUNDAY

Cincinnati over Pittsburgh
Kansas City over Denver
Jacksonville over Indianapolis
Dallas over Buffalo
Houston over Tampa Bay
Tennessee over Carolina
Miami over Washington
New Orleans over Atlanta
Detroit over Chicago
Cleveland over St.Louis
Philadelphia over Arizona
Baltimore over Seattle
San Francisco over NY Giants
New England over NY Jets

MONDAY

Green Bay over Minnesota

College Football Picks-Week 11

Last week I went 35-17. For the season, I'm at 405-144. This week:

TUESDAY

Toledo over Western Michigan
Northern Illinois over Bowling Green

WEDNESDAY

Temple over Miami (Ohio)

THURSDAY

Ohio U. over Central Michigan
Houston over Tulane
Virginia Tech over Georgia Tech

FRIDAY

South Florida over Syracuse

SATURDAY

Louisville over Pittsburgh
Ohio State over Purdue
Michigan over Illinois
Northwestern over Rice
Vanderbilt over Kentucky
Clemson over Wake Forest
Virginia over Duke
North Carolina State over Boston College
Eastern Michigan over Buffalo
Texas A&M over Kansas State
Kent State over Akron
Baylor over Kansas
Wyoming over Air Force
Brigham Young over Idaho
Southern Methodist over Navy
Utah State over San Jose State
Tulsa over Marshall
Texas Christian over Boise State
Florida State over Miami
Cincinnati over West Virginia
Rutgers over Army
Texas over Missouri
Nebraska over Penn State
Oklahoma State over Texas Tech
Michigan State over Iowa
Arkansas over Tennessee
South Carolina over Florida
USC over Washington
Auburn over Georgia
California over Oregon State
Stanford over Oregon
Nevada over Hawaii
Memphis over Alabama-Birmingham
San Diego State over Colorado State
Alabama over Mississippi State
Arizona State over Washington State
Lousiana Tech over Mississippi
Wisconsin over Minnesota
Notre Dame over Maryland
Fresno State over New Mexico State
UCLA over Utah
Southern Mississippi over Central Florida
Texas-El Paso over East Carolina
Arizona over Colorado
UNLV over New Mexico
Arkansas State over Lousiana-Lafayette
North Texas over Troy
Louisiana-Monroe over Middle Tennessee
Florida International over Florida Atlantic
Louisiana State over Western Kentucky

College Football Rankings

EAST

1. Penn State (8-1)
2. Rutgers (6-3)
3. West Virginia (6-3)
4. Syracuse (5-4)
5. Temple (5-4)

NORTH

1. Cincinnati (7-1)
2. Ohio State (6-3)
3. Notre Dame (6-3)
4. Michigan State (7-2)
5. Iowa (6-3)
6. Wisconsin (7-2)
7. Nebraska (7-2)
8. Michigan (7-2)
9. Toledo (5-4)
10. Kansas State (7-2)

SOUTH

1. Louisiana State (9-0)
2. Oklahoma State (9-0)
3. Virginia Tech (8-1)
4. Arkansas (8-1)
5. Oklahoma (8-1)
6. Alabama (8-1)
7. Houston (9-0)
8. Southern Mississippi (8-1)
9. Georgia (7-2)
10. Georgia Tech (7-2)
11. Clemson (8-1)
12. Texas Christian (7-2)
13. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-2)
14. Auburn (6-3)
15. South Carolina (7-2)

WEST

1. Stanford (9-0)
2. Boise State (8-0)
3. Oregon (8-1)
4. Nevada (5-3)
5. USC (7-2)
6. Arizona State (6-3)
7. Washington (6-3)
8. UCLA (5-4)
9. California (5-4)
10. Utah (5-4)

High School Football Picks-Week 12

    I finished with an 8-2 record in first round games. My pick of VASJ was admittedly a reach, and I had a sneaking suspicion that Ledgemont might be eliminated by a team that looked impressive on paper, but took the Redskins anyway. Here's how I think it will go this week:

FRIDAY NIGHT:

Chagrin Falls vs. Ravenna-The Tigers have so many weapons on offense, and look very fast on the turf on defense. They've got great coaching and a well-established program. Ravenna is a very talented team with a great running back, and are coming off a big win over a neighborhood rival. This should be a very good game, but Chagrin Falls has been impressive all year and will be tough for anyone to beat. Pick: Chagrin Falls

Lake Catholic vs. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary-All of these should be great games, but this should really be the best game of the night, at least in Northeast Ohio. It should be a physical slugfest between two teams with great tradition. The kids for Lake Catholic are different from the ones that played in the playoffs and advanced to the State Semifinals last year, but Lake Catholic is Lake Catholic, so it's really not a surprise to see them get this far. SV-SM was picked by some to win the D3 state title, and have enought talent to do it. They beat the only team to beat Lake Catholic-Walsh Jesuit-but also lost to two teams the Cougars beat in Youngstown Mooney and Youngstown Ursuline. A potential Chagrin Falls-Lake Catholic matchup in the Regional Final is a dream matchup for area high school football fans. Pick: Lake Catholic

Kirtland vs. Sugarcreek Garaway-This game will be played at Green High School, where 2 years ago Ashland played Lake Catholic in a Regional Final. That Ashland team spread it out on offense with 5 receivers and passed nearly every play. Garaway does the same thing. The sense I get is that this will be a high-scoring shootout, much like that Ashland-LC game was. I admit to knowing very little about Garaway, and maybe they're not that prolific on offense. As for Kirtland, the mission to finish this thing, to finally get to Week 15 and finish it off, continues. Have the Hornets had it too easy? Can they win when someone provides a real challenge? Will Garaway provide that challenge? Stay tuned, or better yet, make the drive down to a very nice Green High School Stadium. Pick: Kirtland

SATURDAY NIGHT:

Mentor vs. Solon- The big rematch at big Byers Field. Mentor rebounded nicely from its Week 10 stumble, but it remains to be seen what weaknesses Twinsburg exposed in that game that others might be able to capitalize on. The Cardinals feel that that was just a blip on the radar, and ultimately migh prove to be the wake-up call they needed on the way to a state title. The Comets, on the other hand, feel that they're just as capable of winning it all, and will look to learn lessons from the 44-20 loss to Mentor in Week 7 as well as the Cardinals' loss to Twinsburg in Week 10. Solon certainly looked impressive, on both sides of the ball, last week against South. If the Comets can prevent big plays and stay within reach all game, anything is possible. Nevertheless, Mentor is a fine-tuned machine. Pick: Mentor

High School Football in Review-Week 11

  A look back at the games I attended last week:

FRIDAY NIGHT-Oberlin Firelands at Chagrin Falls-This was a battle of 10-0 teams, one of which-Firelands-was competing in the playoffs for the first time. It showed. The Falcons had a good QB and some good receivers, but were powerless to stop the offense of Chagrin Falls. The Tigers made it look easy when they had the ball, and on defense, they gave up some through the air, but also intercepted 5 passes. A game that was 17-14 in the second quarter was 66-14 by the third.

SATURDAY NIGHT-Solon at South-It was an interesting matchup: the powerhouse Comets against a talented, junior-laden Rebel team at home in Willoughby. There was a sense that anything could happen, but Solon was likely going to prove to be more than South could handle. That's pretty much how it went in a 37-12 Solon victory. South has a lot to look forward to next year with a lot of returning players, including a possible Mr.Football candidate in Kareem Hunt.

NFL Picks-Week 9

Last week I was 7-6, and for the season am now 70-46.
This week:

SUNDAY

Atlanta over Indianapolis
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Houston over Cleveland
NY Jets over Buffalo
Kansas City over Miami
Washington over San Francisco
Dallas over Seattle
Oakland over Denver
Cincinnati over Tennessee
Arizona over St.Louis
New England over NY Giants
San Diego over Green Bay
Pittsburgh over Baltimore

MONDAY

Philadelphia over Chicago

College Football Picks-Week 10

Last week I finished 36-18. For the season, I'm at 370-127. This week's picks:

TUESDAY

Toledo over Northern Illinois

WEDNESDAY

Temple over Ohio U.

THURSDAY

Miami (Ohio) over Akron
Florida State over Boston College
Central Florida over Tulsa

FRIDAY

Kent State over Central Michigan
USC over Colorado

SATURDAY

Air Force over Army
Louisiana State over Alabama
Houston over Alabama-Birmingham
Utah over Arizona
Arizona State over UCLA
Arkansas over South Carolina
Arkansas State over Florida Atlantic
Eastern Michigan over Ball State
Missouri over Baylor
Boise State over UNLV
Washington State over California
Cincinnati over Pittsburgh
Syracuse over Connecticut
Miami over Duke
Southern Mississippi over East Carolina
Florida over Vanderbilt
Florida International over Western Kentucky
Fresno State over Louisiana Tech
Georgia over New Mexico State
Hawaii over Utah State
San Jose State over Idaho
Ohio State over Indiana
Michigan over Iowa
Iowa State over Kansas
Oklahoma State over Kansas State
Kentucky over Mississippi
Louisiana-Lafayette over Louisiana-Monroe
West Virginia over Louisville
Virginia over Maryland
Michigan State over Minnesota
Tennessee over Middle Tennessee
Mississippi State over Tennessee-Martin
Navy over Troy
Nebraska over Northwestern
San Diego State over New Mexico
North Carolina over North Carolina State
Notre Dame over Wake Forest
Oklahoma over Texas A&M
Oregon over Washington
Stanford over Oregon State
Wisconsin over Purdue
Texas-El Paso over Rice
Rutgers over South Florida
Southern Methodist over Tulane
Texas over Texas Tech
Texas Christian over Wyoming

College Football Rankings

EAST

1. Penn State (8-1)
2. West Virginia (6-2)
3. Syracuse (5-3)
4. Rutgers (5-3)
5. Temple (5-3)

NORTH

1. Cincinnati (6-1)
2. Nebraska (7-1)
3. Michigan (7-1)
4. Ohio State (5-3)
5. Toledo (5-3)
6. Notre Dame (5-3)
7. Kansas State (7-1)
8. Michigan State (6-2)
9. Iowa (5-3)
10. Wisconsin (6-2)

SOUTH

1. Alabama (8-0)
2. Louisiana State (8-0)
3. Oklahoma State (8-0)
4. Virginia Tech (8-1)
5. Arkansas (7-1)
6. South Carolina (7-1)
7. Oklahoma (7-1)
8. Houston (8-0)
9. Southern Mississippi (6-2)
10. Georgia Tech (7-2)
11. Clemson (8-1)
12. Georgia (6-2)
13. Texas Christian (6-2)
14. Louisiana-Lafayette (7-2)
15. Auburn (6-3)

WEST

1. Stanford (8-0)
2. Boise State (7-0)
3. Oregon (7-1)
4. Arizona State (6-2)
5. Washington (6-2)
6. Nevada (5-3)
7. USC (6-2)
8. Brigham Young (6-3)
9. Wyoming (5-2)
10. Hawaii (5-3)