[Ed. Note – Did you ever wonder what “Auld Lang Syne” means? Peggy Noonan tells you, here. Update 1/2/11 after late games – Ron is 11-7-2 this week.]
The Chargers appear to be done for the year. The Broncos are having some fun with Tebow and should cover at home.
Yes – NY Giants 3 1/2 WASHINGTON
Not sure what’s going on with the Giants, but they need to win this one and really should be able to do so.
No – Jacksonville 2 1/2 HOUSTON
The Jags blew their chance at controlling the division. Texans to win outright.
Yes – NEW ENGLAND 3 1/2 Miami
Nothing for the Patriots to play for, but that’s true of the Dolphins as well. Pats to cover.
Tie – GREEN BAY 10 Chicago
That’s a healthy spread, but the Packers need the win and the Bears do not have anything to gain, so look for GB to pull it off.
The Chiefs don’t have anything to play for, but they are a young team and I don’t seem them packing it in completely. They should cover at home.
Tie – PHILADELPHIA NA Dallas
The Eagles just hope to get through this game without any further injuries. I’d take Dallas by a point or two in this one.
Yes – NY JETS 1 Buffalo
The Jets really need to get some momentum back, though this game likely won’t have much effect on the post season matchups. I think they manage a win.
Yes – Pittsburgh 6 CLEVELAND
The Steelers will play enough to win by a touchdown.
Yes – ATLANTA 14 1/2 Carolina
The Falcons need a win and the Panthers want the #1 pick, so it should be a big time win for Atlanta.
Yes – NEW ORLEANS 8 Tampa Bay
I think the Buccs will play hard and keep this one closer than 8.
Yes – BALTIMORE 9 1/2 Cincinnati
Too many points for the Ravens to cover, though if anyone can figure the Bengals out they are ahead of the field.
This just seems to be the Rams’ year. They’ve got more guys healthy at the vital positions.
Yes – SAN FRANCISCO 6 Arizona
Ugly. This is just a bunch of guys auditioning for jobs. I’ll take the 49ers at home.
Yes – DETROIT 3 Minnesota
Where was the Viking D that showed up Tuesday night in Philly their first 14 games? They looked good, but I’ll still take the Lions in this one.
Yes – INDIANAPOLIS 10 Tennessee
The Colts actually have to play thier starters in a week 17 game. Manning and company should roll in this one.
Now for the good stuff. Here are some insanely important college bowl games:
1/1/11:
No – TicketCity Bowl – TEXAS TECH 9 Northwestern
The Wildcats are missing QB Dan Persa and their top two RBs are likely out, so they are going to have a hard time scoring enough points to keep this one close. The Red Raiders will likely cover.
No – Outback Bowl – FLORIDA 7 Penn State
Strange to see these two schools with 7-5 records. It’s Urban Meyer’s last game at Florida, while JoePa just keeps rolling along in Happy Valley. His bowl record is great and I see Penn State covering in this one.
Yes – Capital One Bowl – ALABAMA 10 Michigan State
The Spartans have a solid power game and hope to control the clock, but I think the Crimson Tide has too much team speed in this one and they win going away.
No – Rose Bowl – TCU 3 WISCONSIN
This one should be fun to watch. The Badgers running game has been unstoppable and the Horned Frogs have the nation’s top ranked D. As good as TCU’s D has been, I don’t think their undersized D line can stop Wisconsin’s mammoth O line from creating running room for their good backs. Wisconsin to win.
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Year to date:
RS = 109 – 123 – 3
Later, Sports Fans,
Ron
