I don’t think there are any locks this weekend but some games are better than other ones.  When trying to recoup some of the Black Friday spending spree money here’s what games to look at:

THE CREAM OF THE CROP:

Jacksonville Jaguars over the New York Giants:  The Jaguars have a false reputation of being a poor road team.  They have won their last two road games east of the Mississippi.  They are going good right now while the Giants are going the other way.  I like the Jaguars to pull an upset and win 23-20 in the Meadowlands.

Pittsburgh Steelers over the Buffalo Bills:  The Bills have won two games in a row!  The bad news is that those wins came against the Bengals & Lions.  The Steelers have too much firepower for the Bills to deal with this Sunday.  I like the Steelers to win this game 34-17 so lay the TD.

San Diego Chargers over the Indianapolis Colts:  Sure, the Colts are 4-0 at home his year but they are banged up right now.  The Chargers have beated the Colts in 4 of the last 5 meetings and they are almost at full strength for the first time of the year.  I like the Chargers to win this game 30-23 so you won’t even need the field goal that they are getting.

SOLID BETS:

Cleveland Browns over the Carolina Panthers:  The Panthers are a pathetic  excuse for a football team.  The Browns are a team on the rise and Jake Delhomme is going to want to stick it to his old team.  I like the Browns to win this game 27-20 and to cover the 10 points they are spotting the Panthers.

Minnesota Vikings over the Washington Redskins:  I have a feeling that the Vikings are going to play a good game for the new coach.  I also see them running the ball more which makes a lot of sense.  The Redskins are just going to be overmatched by a focused and more talented Vikings’ team.  I like the Vikings to prevail 23-17 so you won’t need the point the Redskins are giving them.

GAMES TO CONSIDER:

Chicago Bears over the Philadelphia Eagles:  The Bears have the best defense in the NFL and they are going to punch the Eagles in the mouth repeatedly in this game.  I look for Jay Cutler to make just enough big plays to lead the Bears to a 20-17 home victory.  I don’t think you’ll need the 3.5 points the Eagles are spotting the Bears.

St. Louis Rams over the Denver Broncos:  I like the Rams’ defense to stop the Broncos one more time than the Rams’ offense will be stopped.  The Rams have been getting closer to their first road win and they will finally get it this Sunday.  I like the Rams to win this game 26-23 so you won’t need the 3.5 points they are getting.

Seattle Seahawks over the Kansas City Chiefs:  This is a case where the wrong team is probably favored.  The Chiefs have been awful on the road this year while the Seahawks have been solid at Qwest Field.  I like the Seahawks to win this game 23-20 so you should make a bet on the money line instead of taking the 2.5 points.

I WOULDN’T IF I WERE YOU:

Arizona Cardinals over the San Francisco 49ers:  I wouldn’t bet on this game because then you’ll be tempted to watch it.  What a brutal game for Monday Night Football.  I like the Cardinals to win this game 16-13 so you won’t need the point they are getting from the Niners.

TOO CLOSE TO CALL: 

Baltimore Ravens over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  The Bucs are 0-3 against teams over  .500 this year.  The Ravens have too much firepower for the Bucs to keep up with.  I like the Ravens to win this game 26-17 and to cover the 7.5 points.

Atlanta Falcons over the Green Bay Packers:  Matt Ryan has only lost 1 game at home in his first three years in the NFL.  I believe that he will wave his magic wand this Sunday and lead his team to a 27-24 win over the Packers.  That means they will cover the 1.5 points they are spotting them.

Tennessee Titans over the Houston Texans:  The Titans are in disarray right now, but, the Texans’ defense has been pathetic this year.  I can’t see the Texans blowing anyone out right now.  With that in mind I like the Texans to win this game 27-21 so I like the Titans +6.5 points.

NO LINE:

Oakland Raiders over the Miami Dolphins:  With the QBs in flux this game still isn’t on the board.  I like the Raiders to win this game 20-17 but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Gordon Gee has claimed that a 1-loss team from a BCS Conference should get into the NCAA Title Game (providing Auburn & Oregon don’t go undefeated) instead of a perfect no loss TCU or Boise State team.  He said that those teams schedule “Our Sisters of the Poor” while teams in big conferences have a Murderer’s Row to deal with every weekend.  So playing against Marshall, Ohio U., Eastern Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana and Purdue is not a weak schedule.  That is six of the Buckeyes wins this year.  The highest (and only) BCS rated team that the Buckeyes have beated this year is the #24 Iowa Hawkeyes.  Boise State has already defeated #16 Virginia Tech and they are playing #19 Nevada tonight which would give them two signature wins.  TCU’s biggest win is over #20 ranked BYU.  Gee is a fool to kick a hornet’s nest like this one especially seeing how his team wouldn’t get a whiff of a National Title game anyway as Wisconsin beat the Buckeyes and Michigan State beat Wisconsin.  Therefore, in my eyes the Buckeyes are the third best team in the Big Ten this year.  NCAA Division 1 football needs to come up with a playoff system so we can see ON THE FIELD who the undisputed best football team in college football is.

The linesmakers are making it tough to predict what’s going to happen in the NFL from week to week.  Without a dominating team this year any team can win on Any Given Sunday.  Here’s a look at how I see these games going down this weekend:

BET THE HOUSE ON THIS ONE:

Baltimore Ravens over the Carolina Panthers:  The Panthers are starting Brian St. Pierre at QB and Mike Goodson at RB against the Ravens this Sunday?  I don’t see them scoring unless they break a big return on special teams.  The Panthers have a decent defense but they are going to be on the field all day and they will wilt.  I like the Ravens to win this game 37-0 and easily cover the 11 points they are spotting the Panthers.

BET A PAYCHECK ON THESE GAMES:

Oakland Raiders over the Pittsburgh Steelers:  The Steelers are the most overrated in the NFL (other than the Buccaneers) and it’s going to show once again this weekend.  The Raiders have won three games in a row and they punked the Steelers at Heinz Field last season.  I like the Raiders to win this game 24-20 so you might want to bet the money line instead of taking the 7 points.

New York Giants over the Philadelphia Eagles:  Michael Vick was outstanding last week against the worst defense in the NFL.  The Giants are one of the best defenses in the NFL and they are going to bring Vick & Co. back to Earth.  I like the Giants to win this game 30-23 so you won’t even need the three points they are getting.

SOLID BETS:

New England Patriots over the Indianapolis Colts:  The Colts play horrible defense on the road and that’s not a good thing when heading to Foxboro to play.  I like the Patriots to win this game 38-27 and cover the 4 points they are giving the Colts.

Tennessee Titans over the Washington Redskins:  Vince Young has the same skill set of Michael Vick and you saw when he did to the Skins’ D last week.  I see the Titans blasting the Redskins 30-17 and covering the 7 points they are spotting them.

Minnesota Vikings over the Green Bay Packers:  The Vikings are lost right now.  But, I think Brett Favre has one big game in him left and who better to use it against than the Packers.  I like the Vikings to win this game 27-24 so you won’t even need the 3 points they are getting.

Kansas City Chiefs over the Arizona Cardinals:  The Chiefs have to be pissed about last weekend when the Broncos destroyed them.  They are likely going to take it out on the Cardinals at Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday.  I like the Chiefs to win this game 27-13 and cover the 8.5 points.

Cleveland Browns over the Jacksonville Jaguars:  The Browns and Jaguars have both been playing great as of late.  I think the Browns will stop the Jags one more time than the Jags will stop the Browns.  I like the Browns to win this game 30-27 so tell the bookie to keep the 1.5 points.

SO/SO BETS:

New Orleans Saints over the Seattle Seahawks:  I have little doubt that the rested Saints are going to dominate this game coming off their bye week.  I like the Saints to win this game 28-13 and cover the 11.5 points that they are spotting the Seahawks.

Detroit Lions over the Dallas Cowboys:  Sure, the Cowboys won in Jason Garrett’s debut as a head coach last week.  That doesn’t change the fact that their defense sucks so I expect the Lions to keep this game close.  I like the Cowboys to win this game 27-23 but I like the Lions to cover with the 6.5 points.

STAY AWAY FROM THESE GAMES:

Buffalo Bills over the Cincinnati Bengals:  The Bengals should be favored over any team right now.  The Bills are going to keep this game close.  I like the Bengals to win the game 24-20 but the Bills to cover with the 5.5 points.

Houston Texans over the New York Jets:  This game screams backdoor cover as the Texans are good on offense but awful on defense.  I like the Jets to win this game 30-24 but the Texans to cover with the 7 points.

Denver Broncos over the San Diego Chargers:  The Broncos will be just good enough to keep this game close.  Like the game above this one I see a possible backdoor cover.  I like the Chargers to win this game 30-21 but I like the Broncos to cover with the 10 points.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the San Francisco 49ers:  This really depends on the pointspread.  I see these teams playing a great football game with the Niners prevailing 23-20 but the Bucs covering if the line stays at 3.5.

PUSH CITY:

Atlanta Falcons over the St. Louis Rams:  The Rams play over their heads at home where they are 4-1 on the year.  The Falcons are the better team though and I think they will win a close game 23-20.  The Rams are 3-point underdogs so I’m projecting a push.

22-year old, T-Wovles’ power forward Kevin Love had a epic night last Friday when he dropped 31 points and 31 rebounds on the Knicks.  It was the first time an NBA player did that since 1982 when Hall of Famer Moses Malone did it!  Love has played in 13 games (all starts) this year and he is averaging 31.2 minutes, 18.9 points, 14.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game!  He has now played in 154 games (72 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 27.1 minutes, 12.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.  He’s the Timberwolves’ best kept secret but it won’t last long if Love keeps playing like he is right now.

Moses Malone was inducted into Basketball’s Hall of Fame in 2001.  Malone played in 1,329 games in his NBA career and he averaged 33.9 minutes, 20.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  Malone is #9 all-time in games played (1,329), #5 in rebounds (16,212) and #6 in points (27,409) in NBA history.  He used to be fun to watch because he knew exactly where he could shoot the ball to have it come right back to him for a rebound.  He also used to where goggles that he also put on top of his bald head when shooting line drive free throws that almost always went in the basket.  Malone was a absolute joy to watch.

More than half of the games look like close ones today but the good betting games look really good.  Also, tomorrow night is a good game to make a comeback on or drill the bookie worse.  Here’s a look at how I see these games going down:

RUN TO THE BOOKIE:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Carolina Panthers - The Bucs punched the Panthers in the mouth 20-7 at Carolina earlier in the season.  Head Coach Raheem Morris has been preaching that his team is one of the best in the NFC and today they are going to show that.  I like the Bucs to win this game 27-3 and easily cover the 7 points they are spotting the pathetic Panthers.

SOLID PLAYS: 

Arizona Cardinals over the Seattle Seahawks:  Sure, the Seahawks drilled the Cardinals a few weeks ago, but they are an awful road team.  I see the tables turning this weekend with the Cardinals stepping up and playing a good game at home.  I like the Cardinals to win this game 21-10 and cover the 3 points they are spotting the Seahawks.

New York Giants over the Dallas Cowboys:  The Giants are on a roll and they will likely continue it this week.  The Cowboys have appeared to call it a season already so I don’t see new head coach Jason Garrett being able to rally the troops.  I like the Giants to win this game 34-13 and cover the 13.5 points they are spotting the Cowboys.

Kansas City Chiefs over the Denver Broncos:  The last time the Broncos played at home they got drilled by the Raiders 59-14 and they ran the ball all over them.  The Chiefs will have the same gameplan but I look for the Broncos to keep it closer.  I like the Chiefs 31-23 and to easily cover the 1 point they are spotting the Broncos.

Philadelphia Eagles over the Washington Redskins:  The Redskins won the first McNabb Bowl but I don’t think they’ll win this time around.  Michael Vick is starting at QB instead of Kevin Kolb this time around and that will be the big difference.  I like the Eagles to win this game 27-17 and cover the 3 points they are giving the Skins.

Indianapolis Colts over the Cincinnati Bengals:  The Colts are going to jump the Bengals in this game early and they aren’t going to look back.  They play good defense at home and Peyton Manning will make more than enough plays to win this game rather easily.  I like the Colts to cover the 7 points they are spotting the Bengals by winning 33-20.

NEXT BEST:

Detroit Lions over the Buffalo Bills:  The Bills are favored by 1.5 points even though they are 0-8.  They have played their worst football in Buffalo this year.  With Shaun Hill at QB this week I look for the Lions to put a lot of points on the scoreboard.  I like the Lions to win this game outright 33-30.

CLOSE CALLS:

Jacksonville Jaguars over the Houston Texans:  Neither of these teams play any defense at all.  I like the Texans’ offense a little better than the Jaguars, but I have a feeling that the Jags will at least stop them one or two times and that will be enough for them to win at home.  I like the Jaguars 34-31 in this game so I think they will cover the 1 point they are spotting the Texans.

Cleveland Browns over the New York Jets:  The Jets are the better team, but the same was said about both the Saints & Patriots the last couple of weeks and the Browns beat them.  I look for this game to be very close with the Jets prevailing 21-20 but the Browns covering the spot (3 points).

Tennessee Titans over the Miami Dolphins:  The Dolphins have been awful at home this year and the Titans have been solid on the road.  I think this game is going to come right down to the wire with Chad Pennington starting at QB for the Fins.  I like the Titans to win this game 20-17 and to cover the 1 point they are spotting the Fins.

Minnesota Vikings over the Chicago Bears:  The Vikings woke up late last week in beating the Cardinals.  They need this game to stay in the playoff hunt.  The Bears are one of the luckiest 5-3 teams in the NFL.  I like the Vikings to win this game 20-17 and cover the 1.5 points they are giving the Bears.

St. Louis Rams over San Francisco 49ers:  The Rams are a much better home team so a trip to San Francisco could be a tough game.  The 49ers run the ball and throw short passes so they don’t have the capability of kicking a team’s butt unless the defense plays an awesome game.  I like the 49ers to win this game 20-16 but I like the Rams to cover the 5.5 points they are getting.

New England Patriots over the Pittsburgh Steelers:  The Patriots got punched in the mouth last week by the Browns.  I just don’t see the Patriots playing two games in a row like that.  That being said I think the Steelers are a tough matchup for anyone at Heinz Field.  I like the Steelers to win the game 27-24, but the Patriots to cover the pointspread (4.5 points).