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Our can’t miss picks are back

Sports

Friday, 02 September 2011 15:25

Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

Since it’s September, and it’s Saturday, it must be time to begin the 2011 edition of the football Picks of the Weak.

Feeling a migraine developing? We don’t blame you, especially if you have endured this exercise in the past. The good news: the football season only lasts six months or so. We’ll do our best to make it seem longer.
First things, first. Ken Jackson, a.k.a. “Young Jackson the Elder,” officially clinched the News-Gazette Football Picker of the Year honors for the 2010 season when the Packers beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl.
You should have seen his victory parade.
We’ll dispense with the usual disclaimers before we make our Super Bowl and BCS title game picks and just say that we put a lot of faith in blind luck when making these selections.
And, we’re off:
In the NFL divisional races, I’ll go with Green Bay, Philadelphia, Atlanta and St. Louis (because someone in the NFC West has to win) with New Orleans and Dallas as the NFC wild cards. In the AFC, let’s try the N.Y. Jets, Pittsburgh, Houston and San Diego with Baltimore and New England as the wild cards. It’s hard to include Indianapolis when Kerry Collins might be the quarterback.
Super Bowl: J-E-T-S 23, Packers 20.
BCS championship game: Alabama 31, FSU 18.
Other editorial staff predictions:
Brian “Big Man” McBride’s Super Sniffer selections: Super Bowl: Packers 24, Jets 17. BCS: LSU 35, Oklahoma 28.
Petey “The Gators Are Going To Win” Covino says: Super Bowl: Patriots 27, Eagles 21. BCS: Oregon 24, Oklahoma 14.
Fallan “I’m the Best Reporter Here” Patterson says: Chargers 28, Pack 24. BCS: Michigan State 24, Alabama 21.
Andrew “Flaming Spear” Sullivan, photographer and rabid FSU booster, says: Super Bowl: Packers 28, Ravens 23. BCS: FSU 38, Alabama 17.
Editor in Chief Marvin “Football Irritates Me” Cortner says: Super Bowl: St. Louis 27, Baltimore 20. BCS: Oklahoma 30, Nebraska 14.
Keeping in the spirit of our ever-shrinking national economy, we’re downsizing the Mighty News-Gazette Top 13 this year to the Divine 9. It’s probably still eight spots more than we can handle.
No. 1: The Pack. No. 2: Roll Tide. No. 3: Flaming Spear (the photographer and the team). No. 4: J-E-T-S. No. 5: Boomin’ Sooners. No. 6: Our UCF Knights. No. 7: The Pats. No. 8: Our Bucs. No. 9: Arian Foster’s hamstring.
To the picks:
LSU vs. Oregon (-3) at Cowboys Stadium: LSU’s suspended quarterback Jordan Jefferson and two other Tigers starters won’t be there today, but Oregon’s stud RB LaMichael James will be. Dashing Ducks by 5.
USF at Notre Dame (-10): Strangely enough, this probably is a bigger game for the Irish than it is for the Bulls. Big East whiffs again. Irish by 8.
Boise State (-3) vs. Georgia at Atlanta: Broncos QB Kellen Moore will probably finish his career holding all of the NCAA passing records. Georgia’s Aaron Murray isn’t bad, either. Them Dawgs by 3 in Upset Special.
Miami (-5.5) at Maryland: Just how bad is Maryland that the Hurricanes can leave half of their starters at home and still be favored on the road? About this bad...Canes by 10.
BYU (-3) at Mississippi: Here we are, 20 seconds into the season, and already I’m baffled. Usually it takes at least an hour. Cougars by 2.
Young Jackson says: Boise State by 3.
My NFC picks are identical to Pedone’s, which is scary. Even worse, we’re also the same in the AFC except Indy instead of the Ravens as a wild card. Peyton’s gotta be working with some witch doctor to heal up. Super Bowl: Patriots 28, Packers 21. BCS title: Alabama 34, Stanford 27, because I feel Luck-y.