This weekly wagering contest will reward the best football prognosticator with a $100 gift certificate from a meat/steak company. New guys can still join in any time and you don't have to make a pick every week. You can post your plays any time, but they must be posted before a game you are playing kicks off. You must make your picks in this thread and you must provide at least one reason for each pick.

The winner will be the guy with the best record after the NFL regular season and college bowl games are concluded. You must have at least 50 picks by season's end to win the prize. Please use and post the prevailing lines at the time of your picks from one of the two largest offshore casinos: thegreek.com or pinnaclesports.com.

Overall, the board bounced back from its worst week of the year in week 11 to record its best week of the year in week 12, going 64-39-5 (62%). The strong week moved the overall board record back above the 50% mark to 492-474-27.

................................Last Week......................Season........................... %
Nas.............................8-3..............................9-3..............................75
Not in the Biz...............0-0..............................8-3..............................73
Hawkeye Vince.............0-0..............................30-23..........................57
the gooch...................1-0-1............................20-17-1........................54
donspiracy..................6-0...............................57-49-2........................54
Chus..........................13-6-1..........................67-59-5........................53
Bud Dude....................5-9-1...........................45-40-5........................53
Coast..........................4-3..............................64-57-5........................53
Doug..........................0-0...............................8-7-2...........................53
Rocks and Blows..........3-1..............................23-23-2......................50
Matt Murton’s Beard.....0-0..............................18-18-1......................50
Mr. Belvidere...............0-0..............................5-5..............................50
Mitch Cumstein............6-2.............................24-26...........................48
Good dolphin...............7-8-1..........................30-34-1........................47
reents........................11-3-1.........................61-76-4........................45
sabu...........................0-4.............................18-23-1........................44
Woodridge Ryan...........0-0.............................3-4..............................43
BD.............................0-0..............................3-7...............................30

Arkansas +2.5
Georgia Tech -2.5
Kansas City -5.5

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Coast, Cumstein was 5-1 last week and is now 23-25 on the year. Please dont take my first respectable showing away from me

_________________
"Stay out of courtrooms-but if you must go in be Well Armed and Don't compromise. You are innocent, remember that. They are guilty" -- Dr. Gonzo

Mitch, You were 5-1 on Sunday, but also were 1-1 on Thursday for 6-2. I know how Turkey can make you forget things. I did neglect to update your season's record. It is fixed now. Movin on up!

Nas was 12-4 against the number in the yahoo game, but he didn't play them all here. Brilliant thinking, yes. Cash at the window? No. This does show that Nas has quickly picked up one of the traits of a gambler .... everyone has a better record in their minds than on paper.

THANKS! Forgot about my original pre-turkey post.

_________________
"Stay out of courtrooms-but if you must go in be Well Armed and Don't compromise. You are innocent, remember that. They are guilty" -- Dr. Gonzo

Navy -19.5
Army is 2-8 ATS. The last 4 games in this rivalry have all been won by Navy by an average of 19 points. The Midshipmen will have no problem running the ball.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Bengals -3
Cincy's offense is just beginning to click. Chad Johnson has been a tear and Rudi Johnson is running effectively. The last time these two played the Bengals were able to move the ball effectively over this Baltimore defense. Now that the offense has finally found consistency look for the Bengals to eek out a win here against a tough conference opponent.

Ravens vs. Bengals Over 44
As mentioned above, Cincy's offense has started to click. Cincy has scored 102 in its last 3 games ever since their loss against Baltimore where they scored 20 on a good Raven defense.

Baltimore +3

The Ravens are a better team and the better rush defense is getting points here. Jamal Lewis is back on track. The Ravens are really rolling right now, I don't see a let down here.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Ravens+3 vs Bengals- The Ravens have an offense this year and their defense is playing back to the number 1 defense in the league and I think the Ravens keep it close where this will be a field goal and what could be something to watch is the Ravens will hit Palmer and we will see how he responds.

Seattle @ Denver over 40
Denver's D has been giving up points as of late. Alexander and Hasselbeck appear to be back from their injuries. I think Denver will open up the playbook with Cutler at the helm, and points should come easy for both teams.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

The number is really dropping in the Big XII championship. opened at OU -6, now it is down to 3.5

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Hawkeye Vince back before the Bowl Games

Fresno State @ San Jose State -4 AND Under 50
Fresno State was left for dead a few weeks ago at 1-7. 3 wins later, Vegas thinks this is a good team. Let's look at these wins. New Mexico State 3-8, Idaho 4-8, La Tech 3-9. This year they are 0-8 vs teams with a winning mark, 1-10 overall. San Jose State has quietly put together a nice season and was close to knocking off Boise State a few weeks back. They got decimated at Hawaii but aren't the first team to die on the island. This team is in that second tier of WAC teams and will end a nice season 8-4.


Air Force @ TCU -17 AND OVER 50
TCU sports one of the top defenses in the country overall and against the run, allowing 65 yards per game on the ground. Air Force has stuggled this season. They can score, but they give it up in bunches. If they get shut down early, they can't catch up because their passing game is poor.
This one might get ugly.

Army @ Navy -19.5
Navy has showed over the last three weeks what it does to bad teams - pummel them by an average of 43-13. Likewise, Army has been pummeled the last three games by an average of 15-42. Navy is the much better team and while this is a fierce rivalry, Navy has won the last three by an average of 24 points.

USC -12.5 @ UCLA
USC is cruising right now since the wakeup from Oregon State. The offense is hitting on all cylinders - John David Booty is making people forget about Leinart and Palmer. UCLA is playing good football but doesn't have the fire power to keep up with the Trojans.

San Jose St -4
The Spartans are clearly the better team, playing at home against their biggest rival who has beaten them 9 straight times. SJSU has a balanced offense that will have no trouble moving the ball on a bad defense.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

I'm stunned at all the love for my alma mater....

Ohio +3 against Central Michigan in Detroit

The MAC championship game always seems to be a day for upsets. It's been a ciderella season for this depressed franchise and I like them to pull off the straight up win tonight

Rutgers +10 at West Virginia

I have thought that WVU would win this game for quite some time. Ten points is a lot of wood when you have a one dimensional WVU team going up against a Rutgers D that can stop the run. Rutgers will be playing 10 in the box all afternoon daring WVU to pass. On O Rutgers will run it down the throat of a very giving WVU D.

Hawaii -7.5 against Oregon State

The Rainbow Warriors (i'm old school) are always an attractive play on the island. That is even more true as the season comes to end. The Pacific West just had its worst weather for a month on record and I think Oregon State will be celebrating its visit to paradise. Hawaii can and will score lots of points. I don't think Oregon State will match them.

Wake Forest +2.5 against Georgia Tech in Jacksonville

Fuck the ACC for attempting to expand into areas it does not belong. BC, UM, FSU...no, you get WF and GT as the teams to carry the banner this year. I have been all over WF this year and see no reason why I should stop.

Florida -2.5 against Arkansas in Atlanta

As with the LSU game, I think Arkansas one dimensional offense gets exposed against the better D. Florida is one of those better Ds. I think Florida is an overrated team, but Arkansas is not up to the challenge here. I put this one as the play of the week

Oklahoma -3.5 against Nebraska in Kansas City

The Big XII north has been the ugly stepsister for quite some time. We are usually treated to Colorado getting blown out in the title game. This time we get Nebraska.

Bears -9 against Minny

Dome team. The first game of horrible weather this year. An offense against which you can take risks. A defense that cannot stop the pass. Bears.

Chiefs -5 at Cleveland

As I said last week the Chiefs are a team on the come. They have an unstoppable running game and an underrated D. They also had 10 days to prepare for the Browns and are in MUST WIN mode. Cleveland's D has been suprisingly good against the pass. So what. Larry Johnson will run it 30 times this week.

Green Bay +1.5 against Jets

Two teams that have been Jekle and Hyde. Normally you would never go against the Pack at home in December. However Bubba Franks acknowleged that their home field advantage has lost some of its luster. I still think the Pack has more than enough O to put up 20 on the Jets. The Jets cannot say the same.

Well, I am not gonna put any scratch on Fresno St., that's for sure.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

I LOVE the Ravens +150 on the money line

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

the greek 5pm

Balt +3 over Cincy

Lookin like rain and wind tonite in Cincy. I think Balt is the top team in the NFL right now. The O has gotten on track and that D isnt bad either. Cincy D shutout a bad Clev O last week after giving up 500 yds to Drew Brees but were able to get some turnovers to keep NO under 20. Short week but shouldnt have an effect since these two are division rivals. Rare to see teams face each other with both coming off shutouts. I think Balt wins SU so getting 3 a bonus.

The Greek 5PM

Balt +3 over Cincy

I'll take that as well. I think we're looking at worst case scenario Benglas win by three. I'll take my chance on it be ing closer or a Ravens win. Could be a grind it out game tonight and while I think Rudi is much better than Jamal these days, the Bengals simply don't have the defense they did last year to win this one (no Pollack, O. Thurman, etc.).

Ohio +3.5 vs Central Michigan- Yea I watched Ohio last weekend and they look pretty good. Central Michigan just lost to Northern Illinois recently. If Ohio were to lose they would lose by 3 or less.

Baltimore +3
Baltimore - Cincinnati Under 41-1/2
7 pt. Teaser: Baltimore +10 & Under 48-1/2

Doing something I haven't done all year. Three plays on one game. I have bet against Cincy two weeks in a row and lost. I'm still not convinced. The one expectation I have on this rainy night in Cincy is that the Ravens D is the dominant unit on the field. I figure I could miss one of these three plays, but fully expect to go 2 out of 3 at worst.

..and now I see the board likes the Ravens in a grinder. Hope we're all right.

You guys should have jumped on the Bengals wagon with me. But man oh man do I wish I could have that over 44 bet back. yuck.

Bears -8-1/2, -110 (Pinnacle)

I'm buying this now as I expect this to be 10 or more at kickoff. Bounce-back time for the beloved. Vikes had some success the first time pressuring Rex and they'll probably try it again. I expect the Bears to learn from the first time, adjust their protections, maybe have a little more max protect if necessary, and give time for Rex to make plays against the second worst pass defense in the NFL. Whoever has Berrian on their Fantasy team should have a nice game. (Oh. That would be me.). Rex needs a big game here because the Vikes are the #1 D against the run. Jones and Benson might find the going tough. And I expect the Bears defense to have a pretty solid day against a Vikes team that has very little downfield passing game. The fact the Vikings are a pussy dome team playing in weather isn't a bad angle to the play either. Bears 24-10

Florida -3 over Arkansas

Louisville -28 over UCONN

OKlahoma -3.5 over Nebraska

Ga Tech -2.5 over Wake

Steelers -7 over Tampa

Titans +7.5 over Colts

Panthers -3 over Eagles

the greek at 9:05am

Wake +1.5 over GT

Wake O should be able to get some things done against this GT D. Dog 10-1 in WF games this year. Wake's 2 losses this year to Clemson and VT and I dont think GT is nearly as good as those 2. Wake wins the ACC championship today.

Navy -19.5 over Army

Navy at the top of CFB in running the football, Army near the bottom in stopping the run. Navy has dominated this series going 8-1 ATS the last 9. Army has been brutal over their last 6 games and cant see them doing much against Navy today.

UCLA +11 vs USC- UCLA has heard all the talk that USC is going to the national championship game all week and UCLA has an improving defense and UCLA has played well recently to keep it close.

Oregon State and Hawaii over 70- Both teams won't bring defenses to stop anybody and we know Hawaii can score and with Oregon State being a top notch team this, both teams should be over the 30's.

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP
Wake Forest +1 vs Georgia Tech- Tech is the better team, but hasn't shown it all year except for 2 games. Wake is playing better football and only 2 losses at home, game is in Jacksonville, go WAKE.

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP
Arkansas +2.5 vs Florida- One thing that may help or hurt Florida is that they will know the winner of the USC-UCLA game about halftime. Arkansas has played the better football of these teams the last month, with Florida should have losing their last 4 games. SO go HOGS.

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Nebraska +3.5 vs Oklahoma- This should be the best championship game today. Both teams are playing at the top of their game, I know Oklahoma has had the injuries and suspensions of their top 2 offensive players and that their playing toninght, give one to Stoops, but Nebraska has played well all season and Zac Taylor and the Huskers cap it off tonight with a Big 12 Championship.

Air Force +17
Too many points to give to the 3rd best rushing team in the country.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Georgia Tech -2
Tech has the stout front 7 run defense to somewhat contain Wake. GT actually runs the ball more effectively than Wake (4.3/4.0) and has a better passing game. Wake struggled against the best two defenses it faced (Clemson and Va. Tech). The Tech D is in that class.

Oklahoma -3.5
Better team with a better coach. Stoops always the Sooners ready for these big games. Nebraska is just the next Big XII North punchingbag.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

agreed chus. i'll take that as well

Oklahoma -3.5