Uncle Smithers' Weekly Picks--Week #1

Ah, the smell of pigskin flying through the air and tailgating on an autumn day. Let us start out by saying the BELOVED STEELERS opened their title defense with a defensive performance from Joey Porter worthy of all-pro status if he doesn't do jack the rest of the season.

Without further ado, here's my college picks:

Georgia on the road as a 3.5 favorite against South Carolina. I like Georgia. Always have, always will. The Gamecocks will undoubtedly improve once again with Steve Spurrier at the helm, but I don't see the Bulldogs losing this game.

Oregon on the road against Fresno St. Oregon is a 4.5 point favorite, which I like after they convincingly beat Walt Harris's Stanford team.

THE BIG GAME OF THE WEEK is Ohio State at Texas (c'mon, did you think it was Iowa at Syracuse? The Orange(men) won't have a winning season again until Perry Patterson is gone.) The Buckeyes are a 2.5 point underdog, and while the Texas has home field advantage, I the the veteran offense of THE Ohio State University will rate better than Texas, which will be more prone to mistakes. Don't know if the new QB will survive the hype, as my mother would have looked good under center against North Texas.

On to the pros:

Broncos on the road against the Rams. Denver is a 3.5 pt favorite, which I like.

Titans at home, -2.5 against the Jets. I'll take the Titans.

Patriots looked good on offense in the preseason--I expect them to cover at home (-9.5) against the Bills.

Upset #1: Ravens on the road against the Buccs, who are a 2.5 pt favorite. I really think McNair is going to help this team out tremendously.

Upset #2: Bengals +2.5 on the road against the Chiefs. Sure, Arrowhead is a tough place to play, but Cincy looks better on D this year and even scarier, better on the O, too.

Seahawks will redeem themselves in Detroit as 6.5 pt favorites.

Panthers are always tough at home, and I expect them to cover the 5.5 pt spread against the Falcons.

Eagles on the road against Houston, who still has a problem. Eagles minus 5.5 should cover, though this might be a tough one as Houston does play much better at home--historically speaking.

The Browns. The Saints. Hmmm. I'll take the Browns at home, +3.5.

The Jags are at home, too, as a 2.5 pt fav against the Cowgirls. I'll take the Jags.

Upset #3: The Packers at home, 3.5 pt underdogs against da Bears.

Upset #4: You can build a new state of the art stadium, and fill it with electricity, but at the end of the day... They're still the Cardinals. Until they prove otherwise, why bother? San Fran, +7.5

Manning vs. Manning, a sequal to Kraemer vs. Kraemer. I'll take brother Peyton on the road as a 3.5 pt. favorite against the g-men.

Upset #5: The Vikings on the road in DC against the RedSkins, who are 4.5 pt. favorites. I'm guessing every Minnesota fan sighed in relief after watching Daunte's performance last night, knowing it wsa the right decision. Brad Johnson is looking pretty sharp. I like the Vikings to cover.

And last but not least, the Chargers on the road vs. Oakland. The Chargers are 2.5 pt. favorites, and I like them to cover.