Six Pack of Picks for the Weekend

Not a whole lot to get excited about this weekend for the local football fans. Penn State has a likely-blow-out-victory lined up while the Philadelphia Eagles return to the field against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I went 4-2 last week in my picks, losing two college picks. I am also still alive in the suicide pool. Hopefully I will have enough energy in me to keep up on the football this weekend because I will have late nights watching the Phillies this weekend.

Here is how I see this weekend playing out for six select teams.


#12/14 Penn State (4-1) vs. #25 (FCS) Eastern Illinois (4-1)
Penn State is playing another FCS foe that the fans just do not want to see this weekend. The Panthers are best known for having Tony Romo as a former quarterback (Congrats Panthers fans!) and even though they have similar statistics to the Nittany Lions, there is no way Penn State loses this game.

Of course, I have more on this game over on Examiner today, so check it out.

Shippensburg (4-2, 2-1 PSAC East) vs. Kutztown (3-3, 1-2 PSAC East)
That loud thud you heard was the sound of many jumping off the Ship band wagon last week. After an impressive start to the season the Red Raiders took a big hit last week in their first game in Long Island, New York since the early 1980's. C.W. Post brought Ship back down to Earth a little bit but Rocky's team looks to be a favorite against Kutztown this weekend. A win this week would set up a chance at a statement game next week against West Chester.

#4 LSU (5-0, 3-0 SEC) vs. Florida (4-0, 2-0)
Will Tim Tebow play or won't he? After suffering a concussion two weeks ago it is doubtful that the 2007 Heisman trophy winner, and all-around God to college football media, will see any action on the field in Baton Rouge Saturday night. Based on that assumption I am inclined to go with the Tigers at home to knock off the top ranked team in the country. A victory could vault LSU to the top of the college football world, unless Texas can fight off any flurry of first place votes going to LSU.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4)
Donovan McNabb will return to the field this week as the Eagles but the truth is it won't matter who takes snaps on Sunday. The Bucs are just that bad. There is a reason I picked against hem in the suicide pool the first couple weeks of the season after all.

Baltimore Ravens (3-1) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)
If you had the Bengals playing for first place in the fifth week of the season I would call you crazy, or an optimistic fan from Cincinnati. Either way, the dream of first place ends in Baltimore, home of one of the top defenses in the NFL and a quarterback on the rise in Joe Flacco.

Tennessee Titans (0-4) vs. Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
Call me crazy, but is there any possibility the best team in the AFC from a year ago will go 0-5 to start the 2009 season? Well, yes there is. Still with the game being played at home I think Jeff Fisher is going to use everything he can to win this game, and the Colts are due for a loss, right? A loss for the Titans could spell the end of Kerry Collins as a starter too.


NFL SUICIDE PICK
Philadelphia Eagles
I am not sure what kind of game Donovan McNabb will have and I am not sold that Jeremiah Trotter's return will have that much of an impact, but they are still in much better shape than Tampa Bay. The Bucs are a bad team, which is why I have picked against them twice in the suicide pool already. With the Eagles playing at home I see no reason to bet against them this weekend.