Predictions - 29 Dec

Upset picks are in italics.

College Bowls

Liberty - West Virginia vs. Texas A&M - Mountaineers by 1
Russell Athletic - (17) Clemson vs. Oklahoma - Sooners by 2
Texas - Arkansas vs. Texas - Razorbacks by 18

NBA

Milwaukee at Charlotte - Bucks by 2
Chicago at Indiana - Bulls by 3
Sacramento at Brooklyn - Kings by 1
Orlando at Miami - Heat by 2
Washington at Houston - Rockets by 3
Utah at LA Clippers - Clippers by 10

College Basketball

Rice at (11) Texas - Longhorns by 38
UMass Lowell at Boston College - Eagles by 8
Johnson (TN) at Charleston Southern - Buccaneers by 31
Toledo at (2) Duke - Blue Devils by 27
Maine at Quinnipiac - Bobcats by 15
Rider at Wagner - Broncs by 1
Quincy at Illinois State - Redbirds by 39
IUPUI at NC Central - Eagles by 23
Wentworth at Boston U - Terriers by 30
Capital (OH) at Miami (OH) - Redhawks by 26
Lipscomb at Chattanooga - Mocs by 17
North Florida at Tennessee Tech - Golden Eagles by 8
Cleveland State at VCU - Rams by 19
FIU at Florida A&M - Golden Panthers by 13
Southern Miss at LSU - Tigers by 26
Fairleigh Dickinson at Towson - Tigers by 9
Valparaiso at James Madison - Dukes by 1
Howard Payne at Sam Houston - Bearkats by 42
Southern Arkansas at Louisiana Tech - Bulldogs by 39
North Texas at Texas Tech - Red Raiders by 17
Tennessee State at TCU - Horned Frogs by 28
Midwest at SMU - Mustangs by 43
Hampton at Northern Illinois - Huskies by 4
Mount St. Mary's at Old Dominion - Monarchs by 21
Alice Lloyd at Western Kentucky - Hilltoppers by 34
Morehead State at Central Arkansas - Eagles by 12
Omaha at Chicago State - Mavericks by 5
Saint Joseph's at Denver - Pioneers by 6
San Francisco at Saint Mary's - Gaels by 2
Pepperdine at Loyola Marymount - Lions by 1
Portland at BYU - Cougars by 15
Middle Tennessee at Auburn - Tigers by 7
Santa Clara at Pacific - Tigers by 6
SF Austin at CS Northridge - Lumberjacks by 8
(7) Gonzaga at San Diego - Bulldogs by 15
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Stanford - Cardinal by 28
UC Irvine at Oregon - Ducks by 10
Southern at Hawaii - Warriors by 10

Prediction Results

NFL: 12-4 (.750) 166-89 overall (.651)
NBA: 5-1 (.833) 315-143 overall (.688)
Upsets: 1-0 (1.000) 28-43 overall (.394)
College Basketball: 42-12 (.778) 1762-485 overall (.784)
Upsets: 2-1 (.667) 115-153 overall (.429)
Pick of the Day: 42-1

Pick of the Day

Stanford

Stanford isn't a great team, but they are hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff, another SWAC opponent, which has become my pattern so far this year.

Predictions - 28 Dec

Upset picks are in italics.

NFL

Cleveland at Baltimore - Ravens by 13
Dallas at Washington - Cowboys by 11
Indianapolis at Tennessee - Colts by 11
Jacksonville at Houston - Texans by 15
San Diego at Kansas City - Chiefs by 8
NY Jets at Miami - Dolphins by 11
Chicago at Minnesota - Vikings by 12
Buffalo at New England - Patriots by 12
Philadelphia at NY Giants - Giants by 3
New Orleans at Tampa Bay - Saints by 1
Carolina at Atlanta - Falcons by 7
Arizona at San Francisco - 49ers by 1
Detroit at Green Bay - Packers by 11
Oakland at Denver - Broncos by 19
St. Louis at Seattle - Seahawks by 13
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh - Steelers by 5

NBA

Detroit at Cleveland - Cavaliers by 12
Houston at San Antonio - Spurs by 3
Oklahoma City at Dallas - Mavericks by 4
New York at Portland - Trail Blazers by 15
Toronto at Denver - Raptors by 6
Phoenix at LA Lakers - Suns by 4

College Basketball

Tulane vs. (17) St. John's - Red Storm by 8
Central Connecticut State at Connecticut - Huskies by 27
Concordia (MI) at Eastern Michigan - Eagles by 34
Iona at Drexel - Gaels by 8
Bucknell at Siena - Saints by 8
UNC Greensboro at East Carolina - Pirates by 9
Colgate at Columbia - Lions by 10
NJIT at Lafayette - Leopards by 11
Longwood at Ball State - Cardinals by 15
Long Beach State at Syracuse - Orange by 14
Morgan State at Marquette - Golden Eagles by 19
Campbell at Samford - Bulldogs by 8
Cincinnati Christian at Liberty - Flames by 24
Maryland-Eastern Shore at Duquesne - Dukes by 9
Sacred Heart at Brown - Pioneers by 2
Harvard at Arizona State - Sun Devils by 11
Marist at Elon - Phoenix by 21
Coppin State at Evansville - Purple Aces by 31
UMKC at Indiana State - Sycamores by 2
Hofstra vs. LIU Brooklyn - Pride by 11
South Dakota State at (23) Northern Iowa - Panthers by 16
Texas Southern at Kansas State - Wildcats by 10
Rutgers at Monmouth - Hawks by 4
Bowling Green at South Florida - Bulls by 3
Northland at North Dakota State - Bison by 27
Milwaukee at South Dakota - Coyotes by 9
Coast Guard at Army - Black Knights by 34
Thomas (GA) at High Point - Panthers by 33
Central Penn at Radford - Highlanders by 32
Robert Morris-Springfield at SIU Edwardsville - Cougars by 28
Harris Stowe at SE Missouri State - Redhawks by 27
UNC Wesleyan at North Carolina A&T - Aggies by 22
Northwestern State at Arkansas - Razorbacks by 30
San Diego Christian at Northern Arizona - Lumberjacks by 29
St. Peter's at Cornell - Big Red by 6
Haskell at Oral Roberts - Golden Eagles by 27
Wake Forest at Richmond - Spiders by 7
Florida Gulf Coast at Xavier - Musketeers by 18
St. Katherine at Fresno State - Bulldogs by 27
Judson at IPFW - Mastodons by 29
Loyola (MD) vs. Fairfield - Stags by 4
UIC at Bradley - Braves by 11
Mississippi Valley State at Houston - Cougars by 25
Delaware State at Temple - Owls by 18
Lehigh at UMBC - Mountain Hawks by 6
Belmont at Butler - Bulldogs by 22
Abilene Christian at Grand Canyon - Antelopes by 11
Howard at Fordham - Rams by 1
Northwest Christian at Nevada - Wolf Pack by 26
UC Davis at Washington State - Aggies by 1
UCLA at Alabama - Crimson Tide by 2
Buffalo at (6) Wisconsin - Badgers by 21
Stony Brook at (13) Washington - Huskies by 13
CS Bakersfield at California - Golden Bears by 20

Prediction Results

College Bowls: 2-3 (.400) 9-9 overall (.500)
NBA: 7-3 (.700) 310-142 overall (.686)
College Basketball: 21-5 (.808) 1720-473 overall (.784)
Upsets: 0-2 (.000) 113-152 overall (.426)
Pick of the Day: 41-1

Pick of the Day

Evansville

The Purple Aces are hosting Coppin State from the SWAC this afternoon, and it's always smart to pick a good team at home against anybody from the SWAC, especially one with only 1 win.

NBA Rankings - 27 Dec

The Golden State Warriors were able to keep the top spot for one more week, but they barely held on after losing twice on the road in Los Angeles this week, to both the Lakers and the Clippers. The Warriors will have a couple of games to get back on track, facing the two worst teams in the league in Oakland in the next few days, but then they bring Toronto, the top team in the East, into their arena. Here are this week's full rankings:

				Rec		Proj
TW	LW	Team	Rating	W	L	W	L	PO Seed
1	1	Golden State	-7.98958	23	5	64	18	W1
2	3	Portland	-6.48186	24	7	60	22	W2
3	2	Toronto	-5.81305	22	7	59	23	E1
4	4	LA Clippers	-5.73885	20	10	55	27	W3
5	9	Chicago	-5.0239	21	8	58	24	E2
6	5	Dallas	-4.35545	21	10	52	30	W5
7	7	Atlanta	-3.5645	21	8	55	27	E3
8	10	Cleveland	-3.51329	18	11	52	30	E4
9	6	Memphis	-3.30181	21	8	53	29	W4
10	8	San Antonio	-3.28693	18	13	49	33	W7
11	12	Oklahoma City	-3.1902	15	16	45	37	W8
12	14	Houston	-2.39061	21	7	51	31	W6
13	11	Washington	-1.50894	20	8	50	32	E5
14	18	Phoenix	-1.40551	17	14	43	39
15	13	New Orleans	-0.45016	15	14	43	39
16	19	Milwaukee	0.0012	15	15	43	39	E6
17	17	Sacramento	1.6997	12	17	35	47
18	15	Boston	1.75647	9	18	34	48	E8
19	20	Indiana	2.05601	9	21	33	49
20	16	Denver	2.14617	13	17	35	47
21	22	Brooklyn	2.73858	14	14	36	46	E7
22	21	Utah	2.95844	9	20	30	52
23	27	Charlotte	3.73249	10	20	31	51
24	25	Miami	4.00994	14	16	34	48
25	24	LA Lakers	4.59403	10	20	28	54
26	23	Orlando	4.69764	11	21	29	53
27	28	Detroit	6.02028	6	23	23	59
28	26	New York	6.20275	5	26	22	60
29	29	Minnesota	10.2127	4	24	13	69
30	30	Philadelphia	10.3783	4	24	15	67

The Chicago Bulls had a great week, going 3-0 and beating two of the top contenders in the East, Toronto and Washington. They have now won 8 of 9 overall, and they should be favored in every game for the next couple weeks, except for a trip to Washington on January 9. Jimmy Butler is the current leader in the Most Improved Player race, picking up 8 points a game over last year while only adding about 1 minute per game.

The Thunder have caught fire since Westbrook and Durant returned at the beginning of December, and though Kevin Durant has missed a few recent games due to a sprained ankle, OKC keeps on trucking, winning 10 of their last 13 games, which has moved them into a projected 8th place finish in the West, which would be just enough for them to make a great playoff run.

Playoff Picks

First Round

(1) Raptors over (8) Celtics
(2) Bulls over (7) Nets
(3) Hawks over (6) Bucks
(5) Wizards over (4) Cavaliers
(1) Warriors over (8) Thunder
(2) Trail Blazers over (7) Spurs
(3) Clippers over (6) Rockets
(5) Mavericks over (4) Grizzlies

Second Round

(1) Raptors over (5) Wizards
(3) Hawks over (2) Bulls
(1) Warriors over (5) Mavericks
(3) Clippers over (2) Trail Blazers

Conference Finals

(3) Hawks over (1) Raptors
(3) Clippers over (1) Warriors

NBA Finals

(3) Hawks over (3) Clippers

NFL Playoff Odds

AFC

#1 Seed

New England - 100.0%

First-Round Bye

New England - 100.0%
Denver - 96.7%
Cincinnati - 3.3%

AFC North

Pittsburgh - 61.8%
Cincinnati - 38.2%

Wild Card Berth

Baltimore - 55.6%
San Diego - 30.5%
Houston - 11.8%
Kansas City - 2.1%

NFC

#1 Seed

Seattle - 80.4%
Green Bay - 14.8%
Detroit - 2.5%
Arizona - 2.3%

First-Round Bye

Seattle - 80.5%
Green Bay - 75.6%
Detroit - 24.4%
Dallas - 10.2%
Arizona - 9.3%

NFC North

Green Bay - 75.6%
Detroit - 24.4%

NFC West

Seattle - 90.7%
Arizona - 9.3%

NFC South

Atlanta - 66.2%
Carolina - 33.8%

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

College Football

Military - Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech - Bearcats by 7
Sun - (15) Arizona State vs. Duke - Sun Devils by 4
Independence - Miami (FL) vs. South Carolina - Hurricanes by 1
Pinstripe - Boston College vs. Penn State - Eagles by 7
Holiday - Nebraska vs. USC - Trojans by 6

NBA

Toronto at LA Clippers - Clippers by 2
Orlando at Charlotte - Hornets by 3
Boston at Washington - Wizards by 6
Memphis at Miami - Grizzlies by 5
New Orleans at Chicago - Bulls by 7
Indiana at Brooklyn - Nets by 2
Atlanta at Milwaukee - Hawks by 1
Philadelphia at Utah - Jazz by 10
New York at Sacramento - Kings by 7
Minnesota at Golden State - Warriors by 20

College Basketball

Georgetown vs. Indiana - Hoyas by 2
Maine at Seton Hall - Pirates by 27
Georgia State at Green Bay - Phoenix by 3
UNC Wilmington at Minnesota - Golden Gophers by 14
(1) Kentucky at (4) Louisville - Wildcats by 6
Jacksonville State at Jacksonville - Gamecocks by 2
Northern Kentucky at Northwestern - Wildcats by 4
UAB at (20) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 34
IUPUI at Pepperdine - Waves by 15
Santa Clara at Saint Mary's - Gaels by 13
Oakland at (15) Maryland - Terrapins by 23
(8) Gonzaga at BYU - Bulldogs by 5
San Francisco at Pacific - Dons by 5
Mercer at Georgia - Bulldogs by 21
Wright State at (21) Ohio State - Buckeyes by 30
Presbyterian at Virginia Tech - Hokies by 20
Brescia at Western Kentucky - Hilltoppers by 32
Tennessee State at Tennessee - Volunteers by 21
(24) Colorado State at New Mexico State - Aggies by 3
Bristol at Weber State - Wildcats by 25
Portland at San Diego - Toreros by 9
Kennesaw State at Illinois - Illini by 28
Sacramento State at Utah Valley - Wolverines by 4
Wayland at Utah State - Aggies by 30
Southern Utah at UNLV - Rebels by 19
San Diego Christian at San Diego State - Aztecs by 43

Prediction Results

College Bowls: 1-2 (.333) 7-6 overall (.538)
NBA: 6-5 (.545) 303-139 overall (.686)
Upsets: 0-1 (.000) 27-43 overall (.386)

Pick of the Day

Seton Hall

The Pirates are hosting Maine this afternoon, and the Black Bears are still sitting on just one win for the season, and it's not going to get another against a good team that is undefeated at home.

Predictions - 26 Dec

Upset picks are in italics.

College Football

Heart of Dallas - Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech - Bulldogs by 24
Quick Lane - Rutgers vs. North Carolina - Tar Heels by 6
St. Petersburg - NC State vs. UCF - Knights by 6

NBA

Brooklyn at Boston - Celtics by 4
Cleveland at Orlando - Cavaliers by 6
Milwaukee at Atlanta - Hawks by 10
Indiana at Detroit - Pacers by 3
Houston at Memphis - Grizzlies by 4
San Antonio at New Orleans - Spurs by 1
Charlotte at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 8
LA Lakers at Dallas - Mavericks by 12
Minnesota at Denver - Nuggets by 11
Philadelphia at Portland - Trail Blazers by 19
Phoenix at Sacramento - Suns by 1

Prediction Results

College Bowls: 1-1 (.500) 6-4 overall (.600)
NBA: 2-3 (.400) 297-134 overall (.689)
College Basketball: 1-3 (.250) 1699-468 overall (.784)
Pick of the Day: 40-1

Predictions - 24 & 25 Dec

Upset picks are in italics.

College Football

Bahamas - Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky - Hilltoppers by 9
Hawaii - Fresno State vs. Rice - Bulldogs by 2

NBA

Washington at New York - Wizards by 5
Oklahoma City at San Antonio - Spurs by 5
Cleveland at Miami - Cavaliers by 6
LA Lakers at Chicago - Bulls by 11
Golden State at LA Clippers - Warriors by 1

College Basketball

DePaul vs. Loyola Marymount - Blue Demons by 2
Ohio vs. Nebraska - Cornhuskers by 7
Colorado at Hawaii - Buffaloes by 4
George Washington vs. (11) Wichita State - Shockers by 1

Prediction Results

College Bowls: 2-0 (1.000) 5-3 overall (.625)
NBA: 5-6 (.455) 295-131 overall (.693)
Upsets: 2-2 (.500) 27-42 overall (.391)
College Basketball: 27-15 (.643) 1698-465 overall (.785)
Upsets: 0-2 (.000) 113-150 overall (.430)
Pick of the Day: 40-0

Pick of the Day

Colorado

This is my least confident pick of the season by far. There are only 4 games tomorrow, and I've already picked Nebraska and Wichita State this season, so I'm taking the Buffaloes, despite the fact that they are the only road team tomorrow.

NFL Rankings - 23 Dec

New England remains at #1 for another week after barely surviving a road game against the New York Jets, but they were helped by Denver's loss, which dropped the Broncos 2 spots this week. The Patriots are not runaway favorites to win the Super Bowl, but neither is anyone else, so this year's playoffs should be interesting. Here are my current full rankings:

				Rec		ProjRec		SOS
TW	LW	Team	Rating	W	L	W	L	Curr	Over	Seed
1	1	New England	-13.418	12	3	13	3	12	13	A1
2	3	Seattle	-12.643	11	4	12	4	10	12	N1
3	4	Green Bay	-10.2106	11	4	12	4	16	17	N2
4	2	Denver	-8.12819	11	4	12	4	2	9	A2
5	16	Dallas	-6.26521	11	4	12	4	28	29	N3
6	5	Kansas City	-4.94048	8	7	9	7	9	11
7	7	Buffalo	-4.88834	8	7	8	8	13	6
8	8	Baltimore	-3.8561	9	6	10	6	29	30	A6
9	11	Pittsburgh	-3.81404	10	5	11	5	32	31	A3
10	14	Houston	-3.79832	8	7	9	7	31	32
11	9	Saint Louis	-2.7207	6	9	6	10	15	10
12	15	Detroit	-2.5569	11	4	11	5	24	15	N6
13	13	Philadelphia	-2.55371	9	6	9	7	19	16
14	20	NY Giants	-2.44771	6	9	7	9	17	19
15	12	Miami	-2.31536	8	7	9	7	4	7
16	17	Cincinnati	-2.16167	10.5	4.5	10.5	5.5	27	23	A5
17	6	Indianapolis	-2.00071	10	5	11	5	18	24	A4
18	18	Minnesota	-1.04993	6	9	7	9	11	18
19	22	Atlanta	-0.7163	6	9	7	9	25	28	N4
20	10	Arizona	-0.65367	11	4	11	5	3	3	N5
21	19	San Diego	-0.03287	9	6	9	7	8	4
22	21	San Francisco	1.57247	7	8	8	8	6	8
23	24	Carolina	2.77892	6.5	8.5	6.5	9.5	22	20
24	23	New Orleans	3.59367	6	9	7	9	23	25
25	26	NY Jets	5.60023	3	12	3	13	5	2
26	25	Cleveland	5.83358	7	8	7	9	30	27
27	28	Chicago	7.65031	5	10	5	11	7	5
28	27	Tampa Bay	7.75692	2	13	2	14	21	26
29	31	Washington	7.7666	4	11	4	12	14	14
30	29	Oakland	7.82435	3	12	3	13	1	1
31	30	Jacksonville	8.29392	3	12	3	13	26	22
32	32	Tennessee	12.0369	2	13	2	14	20	21

Dallas has not looked good in a while, but when December hit, rather than tanking like normal, the Cowboys started winning big. They won by double digits in Chicago and Philadelphia, then walked all over the Colts on Sunday, embarrassing Indy 42-7. Dallas cannot earn the #1 seed due to tiebreakers, but they can get a first round bye with a little help this weekend, although they might just want to keep playing each week with how hot they are.

Pittsburgh clinched a playoff berth on Sunday after their 3rd straight win over a team still in playoff contention, and they are still in the running for the division title, which will come down to their Sunday night game against current leader Cincinnati. It is still possible that the NFC North will get 3 teams into the playoffs, if Baltimore wins and San Diego loses this weekend.

Playoff Picks

Wild Card

(3) Cowboys over (6) Lions
(5) Cardinals over (4) Falcons
(6) Ravens over (3) Steelers
(5) Bengals over (4) Colts

Divisional Round

(1) Seahawks over (5) Cardinals
(2) Packers over (3) Cowboys
(1) Patriots over (6) Ravens
(2) Broncos over (5) Bengals

Conference Championships

(2) Packers over (1) Seahawks
(1) Patriots over (2) Broncos

Super Bowl

(2) Packers over (1) Patriots

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

College Football

Boca Raton - Marshall vs. Northern Illinois - Thundering Herd by 11
Poinsettia - Navy vs. San Diego State - Midshipmen by 1

NBA

Minnesota at Cleveland - Cavaliers by 16
New Orleans at Indiana - Pelicans by 1
Boston at Orlando - Celtics by 1
Chicago at Washington - Bulls by 1
LA Clippers at Atlanta - Hawks by 3
Denver at Brooklyn - Nets by 1
Philadelphia at Miami - Heat by 9
Charlotte at Milwaukee - Bucks by 4
Portland at Oklahoma City - Trail Blazers by 2
Dallas at Phoenix - Mavericks by 2
Golden State at LA Lakers - Warriors by 13

College Basketball

IUPUI at Richmond - Spiders by 22
SE Louisiana at South Florida - Bulls by 5
Massachusetts at BYU - Cougars by 15
Florida Gulf Coast at Iona - Gaels by 12
UNC Wilmington at Campbell - Seahawks by 4
Eastern Illinois at Cleveland State - Vikings by 13
Ohio vs. DePaul - Blue Demons by 3
Detroit at Arizona State - Sun Devils by 10
South Carolina State vs. Southern Utah - Thunderbirds by 1
Fairleigh Dickinson at St. Peter's - Peacocks by 11
La Salle at Hofstra - Pride by 13
George Washington vs. Colorado - Colonials by 4
Cal Poly at Santa Clara - Broncos by 3
Coppin State at Eastern Michigan - Eagles by 22
Abilene Christian vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff - Golden Lions by 3
CS Northridge at (4) Louisville - Cardinals by 37
NJIT at (7) Villanova - Wildcats by 27
Stanford at (9) Texas - Longhorns by 17
Arkansas State at Niagara - Purple Eagles by 1
St. Francis (NY) at Monmouth - Hawks by 13
Cornell at Siena - Saints by 5
Wagner at Cincinnati - Bearcats by 19
American at Stony Brook - Seawolves by 3
Holy Cross at Pittsburgh - Panthers by 12
Louisiana Tech at NC State - Wolfpack by 10
George Mason at Wright State - Raiders by 9
Sacred Heart at Rutgers - Scarlet Knights by 3
Western Illinois at Memphis - Tigers by 19
Georgia Tech at Dayton - Flyers by 6
Jacksonville at Mississippi State - Bulldogs by 17
Prairie View at North Texas - Mean Green by 7
Texas Southern at Auburn - Auburn Tigers by 6
Howard at South Alabama - Jaguars by 3
(11) Wichita State at Hawaii - Shockers by 13
South Dakota State at (14) Utah - Utes by 25
New Mexico at Grand Canyon - Lobos by 6
Houston vs. Texas Tech - Red Raiders by 10
Wyoming at Montana State - Cowboys by 8
Idaho State at Utah Valley - Wolverines by 8
(3) Arizona at UNLV - Wildcats by 7
Boise State vs. Loyola (IL) - Broncos by 7
Loyola Marymount vs. Nebraska - Cornhuskers by 10

Prediction Results

NFL: 0-1 (.000) 154-85 overall (.644)
College Bowls: 1-0 (1.000) 3-3 overall (.500)
NBA: 2-5 (.286) 290-125 overall (.699)
Upsets: 0-3 (.000) 25-40 overall (.385)
College Basketball: 67-19 (.779) 1671-450 overall (.788)
Upsets: 3-6 (.333) 113-148 overall (.433)
Pick of the Day: 39-0

Pick of the Day

Memphis

The Tigers are not a sure thing tonight, but Western Illinois is not a good team and Memphis is at home, so I am taking a chance on them to increase my streak to 40.