Pros Preview/College Review - December 1, 2013

Tigers Aplenty, Tigers Galore

How about those Auburn Tigers? Now it remains to be seen how the BCS will rank the Tide after their loss.  Will they hold on to the number one spot, or will it be FSU versus Ohio State in the ultimate championship game?  Ohio State barely edged Michigan after the Wolverines' ill-advised two-point conversion attempt.  Ugh.  Tie them then beat them in OT.  FSU absolutely demolished the Gators.  I had hoped the Aggies' defense and Jonathan Manziel's thumb would be healed, but that was not meant to be.  We'll wait and see which post-season bowl they are in and then figure out how that one will go.  It was another disappointment to see the USC team get beaten by the Bruins of UCLA.  Ugh, part deux.  Clemson just couldn't do anything with South Carolina for the fifth time in a row.  Ugh, part troix.  It's time to look at the professionals for this weekend.

Professional Match-ups:

Three Thanksgiving day games means twelve today and one tomorrow.  Woo-hoo!

1. Pillow Fight Game will be Jacksonville against Cleveland. I hope to stay awake for any action from this game, but I don't expect much.  Cleveland will find a way to either lose or win.  Push.
2. Tennessee sojourns to the skidding Indianapolis Colts.  Does Andrew Luck have a good day and beat these guys? Let's hope so.
3. The NFC North battle features Chicago in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.  Bears make the Vikings blow that horn, but the Bears will come up with a win following the lead of backup QB Josh McCown. 
4. Miami swims north to play the NY Yets (Are they playing some real ball yet?) The Yets are 4-1 at home.  Will the Yets defense crumble? Will the Fins be 5-1 at New York? Fins beat Yets.
5. Bird Fight: Arizona against Philadelphia.  Hmm. . . the smaller bird has some fight in him, but the Iggles will eke out a victory against Carson Palmer and his team.
6. Tampa Bay plays division rival Carolina at Ericsson Stadium.  The Panthers thump them but good.
7. New England takes tea in Houston with the Texans. And the point of the game is to show us how fabulous Pretty Boy and his coach are here in the Lone Star State?  How well they can carve up the Texans' defense despite the heroics of JJ Watt? If the score for the Pats is lower than forty points, I'll take it that they extended some mercy.  Not likely, my friends.
8. The Atlanta Falcons take flight to hapless Buffalo.  It's not every day that you see a bird beat up a bovine relative, but watch for the Falcons to fly home with a victory.
9. Pointless Game, part Deux: St. Louis comes calling in the city by the bay.  Save yourself the plane fare and call in a forfeit.  Colin Kaepernick will kiss that arm of his several times; Frank Gore will rack up at least 100 yards; the twin terror defensemen NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis along with the Smith "brothers" will have a field day.  I hope Sam Bradford doesn't come along to see the misery that is inevitable.
10. Fun Game of the Day: General Peyton plays the KC Chiefs in their backyard. Here's hoping the Broncos can sweep their division rival, but the Chiefs are notoriously loud, raucous, and obnoxious at home.  They also like winning in front of the home crowd despite recent events.  It will be a hard-fought battle, but I think Coach Reid will create something nasty for Manning.  Chiefs barely beat the Broncos.
11. The Bolts host the Bengals in the later game time slot.  They haven't been so hot away from home, while the Chargers are .500 at Qualcomm Stadium.  The Bengals know how to beat the Chargers, but it remains to be seen if they actually step up to the plate, so to speak, and make the Chargers and fans go home feeling wretched about their season.  Look for Philip Rivers to work some of his magic since he is Peck's Bad Boy.
12. NY Giants travel to FedEx Field to play ball with the Washington Redskins. I will either be reading a book or watching something else on the telly.  With the Giants defense being less than stellar, Robert Griffin, III, will probably have a decent night. I'll catch up on the highlight reels Monday morning, thank you very much.  Yawn.  Skins win so that both teams have a 4-8 record, and they have a .500 record at home in front of their adoring fans.
13. New Orleans gets to play in an unfriendly dome up north in Seattle on Monday night.  The Seahawks have a thirteen-game winning streak at home.  They are without a couple of their defensive backs.  Brees and the Saints hope to rain on the Seahawks' parade; however, we'll see if they can do just that tomorrow evening. Seahawks win this one.

Lady Grid out.