Birmingham, AL plays sponsor to the Compass Bowl on January seventh with the Pittsburgh Panthers facing the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The Panthers come in after the 1-year Todd Graham experiment at head coach. Graham quit his post on December 14th to take the head coaching job at Arizona State. Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson will wear the headset for the Panthers in this clash of titans. SMU comes into competition with the specter of the “Death Penalty” passed down in the 1980’s still being debated today. Former Nfl and Hawaii coach June Jones is already in his fourth year on the sidelines of Southern Methodist University. The wagering line has this established at Pittsburgh (-3) with the over-under of 47 points.
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Pittsburgh comes into competition with a 6-6 record and also a 4-3 record in the Big East. They have had one match vs a ranked adversary winning vs #16 South Florida 44-17 on September 29th. Pittsburgh’s defense gives up 22.4 points per game, while their offense puts up 25.8 points per game. Junior Qb Tino Sunseri comes into the competition with 2,433 passing yards plus a passer rating of 124.8. Junior RB Ray Graham has tallied 958 rushing yards and 9 Tds to date this year. Sophomore Wide receiver Devin Street is Sunseri’s fave target catching 48 receptions with 2 Tds. Junior Wide receiver Mike Shanahan is an excellent 2nd target with 35 receptions and 4 Tds.
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SMU will come in the game with a 7-5 record plus a 5-3 record in Conference USA. They have gone 1-2 vs ranked competitors this year, winning over #20 TCU and losing to #8 Texas A&M and #11 Houston. The SMU Mustangs offense averages 25.7 points per game while permitting 24.5 points per game on defense. June Jones has traditional had pass-heavy squads in the past, depending on the run-and-shoot offense to put up substantial statistics in offense. This SMU Mustangs team this year has a 1,000 yard rusher, unusual in the Jones’ method. Senior Qb J.J. McDermott with 3,182 passing yards and 16 TDs steadies the passing game. Junior RB Zach Line has had an excellent year with 1,224 rushing yards and 17 Tds. Junior Wide receiver Darius Johnson with 72 catches and 998 receiving yards and senior Wide receiver Cole Beasley with 79 catches and 954 receiving yards steady the SMU Mustangs receivers.
The Steelers are matched up vs the Broncos in the nfl Playoffs. The Broncos concluded up with an 8-8 record narrowly claiming champions of the AFC West, while the Steelers ended as a wild card with an extraordinary record of 12-4 in the AFC North division. The Steelers will be visiting Denver to face off vs them at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
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Denver has loved some success this year and a ton of press hype around quarterback Tim Tebow after he took the reins the starting position with the loss of Kyle Orton. They were able to grab some interesting comeback wins as his play together with their strong defense has kept them in contention in plenty of contests this year.
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Tebow should have confidence and stay calm under pressure to move forward in the playoffs and possibly cement himself as the franchise quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Former Denver Broncos quarterback and current VP of operations John Elway has offered Tim Tebow some words of support for the impending game. It’ll be very tricky to turn it around vs the strong defense of the Steelers if the Denver Broncos find themselves dropping behind early in this playoff match up. Both teams will rely on their defense to keep themselves in the game and allow their offense an opportunity to step up and perform. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has proven himself this year and seeks to carry on that success in the 1st round of the playoffs. As Rashard Mendenhall is looking after a knee injury, additionally watch for running back Isaac Redman to step up.
Tthe Steelers are scheduled as eight point favorites to move forward in the playoffs, probably due to the fact he Broncos aren’t going to have an simple time vs the juggernaut Steelers. The over/under on total points in this match is 35.5.
It all comes down to this as the #1 ranked LSU Tigers face the #2 ranked Crimson Tide in the BCS National Championship Game at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA on January ninth. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is no stranger to this game, winning the national championship in 2009 and furthermore winning it with LSU as a head coach in 2003. LSU head coach Les Miles is furthermore no stranger at this moment as he has won the national championship in 2007. Two great squads and head coaches clashing on a collision course in what will certainly be a great game. The oddsmakers currently have this at Alabama (-1) with the over-under established at 40 points.
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The Tigers come into play unbeaten at 13-0 with an 8-0 record in the SEC. They’ve furthermore gone an astounding 8-0 versus ranked squads with victories over #3 Oregon, #25 Mississippi State, #16 West Virginia, #17 Florida, #20 Auburn, #2 Alabama, #3 Arkansas, and #14 Georgia. This game is a rematch of the classic November fifth game at Alabama with the Tigers winning in overtime over the Tide 9-6. The Tigers have a great offense ranked 12th in the nation with 38.5 points per game landed. LSU’s true weapon is their defense which is ranked 2nd in the nation with only 10.5 points per game given up. Senior Quarterback Jarrett Lee with 1,306 passing yards and also a 152.0 rating mans the Tigers passing attack. The team of sophomores Michael Ford and Spencer Ware set the speed for the LSU running attack with each tabulating over 700 yards on the ground. CB Tyrann Mathieu ended fifth in the Heisman contest whilst nabbing 6 picks and getting 173 yards off of those picks which rate first in the nation.
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The Alabama Crimson Tide come into this game trying to get revenge for their loss to LSU back in November. With a 7-1 record in the SEC, the Tide has gone 11-1 total. They’ve gone 4-1 versus the Top 25 this year with victories over #23 Penn State, #14 Arkansas, #12 Florida, and #24 Auburn. The aforementioned game versus LSU in November was their only loss. The Tide has averaged 36.0 points per game on offense with a stellar running game. As great as LSU is on defense, the Tide are even better at it ranking first in the nation only allowing a mindboggling 8.8 points per game. The Tide place the offense in sophomore Quarterback AJ McCarron’s hands, McCarron has 2,400 passing yards and a 149.8 passer rating. Junior Running back Trent Richardson ended second in the Heisman whereas getting 1,583 rushing yards and 20 td’s on the ground.
In terms of scheduling, maybe the Lions just are unlucky. First, they complete their regular season vs their division rival Green Bay Packers, who additionally boast the league’s best record. Then they follow that up by drawing the Saints in the first round of the playoffs.
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The Jan 7 – Lions vs New orleans saints game will be the 2nd meeting of the 2 teams this year. New Orleans won the first game in New Orleans 31-17. New Orleans is a 10.5 point fave to beat Detroit this week, and this is perhaps part of the reason.
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The other is that New Orleans is on a roll. They’ve won eight matches consecutively coming into this week’s competition with Detroit, beating three other playoff teams in the course of that stretch. Detroit managed to pull things together after defensive superstar Ndamukong Suh was suspended for 2 matches after kicking an enemy competitor with his cleats. They won 3 out of their last 4 matches of the year, just losing a tight game to 15-1 Green Bay. When they last played New Orleans, they were devoid of Suh, and Detroit is intending the return of his existence to the defensive line will be the change they need to stop Drew Brees and the powerful New Orleans offense.
Regrettably for Detroit, that New Orleans offense has been on fire for the 2nd half of the year. They’ve obtained more than 40 points in their last three matches, and gone over 40 in four of their last 6. They are 8-0 in their home stadium this year and a while back this year in New Orleans they dropped 62 points on Indianapolis.
Detroit has had trouble this year vs higher caliber competition, going 1-5 vs playoff teams (just beating Denver). Their offense has the potential to be high-flying, and thus it’ll be up to their defense to keep them in this game. If Suh is likely to atone for his two-game suspension, now is the time.
The Atlanta Falcons trust that slipping into the playoffs undetected in 2012 will allow them greater results, after finishing with the top record in the league a year ago, and getting terminated in the first round by the Packers. Atlanta concluded 10-6 this season, earning them a first round wild-card competition with the NFC East winning Giants (9-7).
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New York appears to have the traction heading into the playoffs for the Jan 8 – Falcons vs Giants game, however. Oddsmakers have identified this, and made New York a 3-point favorite. This is maybe a astonishing position for a team that lost four games back to back in November-December. The Giants had to depend on huge mistakes by their division foe Dallas Cowboys to allow them an chance to get to the playoffs. A victory over Dallas in week 17 assured them the division championship.
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New York competitors may claim that their losing streak this season came when starting running back Ahmad Bradshaw was hurt. And this is a valid argument, as three of four losses in that streak came while Bradshaw was on the bench. Now that he is back the Giants have appeared as if a different team, winning 2 must-win games back to back over tough competition (New York Jets and Dallas).
Atlanta has struggled all season vs winning teams, though Atlanta won three of their last four games coming into the playoffs. Vs teams that concluded over .500, Atlanta is only 2-4. Just 2 weeks ago, they were blown out by the Saints, 45-16.
Both teams are directed by quality qbs, the Giants by Eli Manning and the Falcons by Matt Ryan. The difference in this match, however, might be in quarterback pressure. The Giants defensive line can get to the quarterback, and documented 48 sacks this year, excellent for 3rd in the league. The game will be determined by how well Matt Ryan and the Falcons offensive line can withstand the pressure of the Giants’ defensive front.
The Cincinnati Bengals will be competing versus the Texans in the nfl playoffs. The Bengals will travel to Reliant Stadium in Houston for the match up. Cincinnati concluded their season with a record of 9-7 and achieved the playoffs this season as a wild card in the AFC North division. Houston concluded with a record of 10-6 and came out ahead as the leading team in the AFC South this season.
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With the Texans having considerable injuries to quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart and the Cincinnati Bengals losing every single game versus playoff caliber squads, both squads have still had their fair share of battles this season. Both quarterbacks were lost for the season with their injuries and rookie T.J. Yates has taken control. Houston has additionally viewed key injuries to linebacker Mario Williams and wide receiver Andre Johnson. The 2 squads have already faced one another throughout the regular season and the Texans made a last effort comeback try with a match winning td pass caught by wide receiver Kevin Walters with just a few seconds left on the clock.
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The Bengals will need to try and stick to what has worked for them this year which has been their outstanding run game with running backs Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott. If they can accomplish this they could have the advantage and finally defeat a playoff team and move forward past the first round for the first time in just over 20 years.
This will probably be a near one and could boil down to the wire yet again. The Texans are minor faves despite a number of injuries to several important superstar competitors. The over/under for total overall points for this specific game is 38. The line is set with the Texans as 3 point faves at their home turf to the long shot Bengals.
The Seahawks (7-8) will be visiting challenge the Cardinals (7-8) in an NFC West divisional matchup. There is a little bit of reason that a win will offer either squad a winning record although each respective squad has fallen just shy of playoff contention this year as they were looking for a wild card placement. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has yet to lose a match against the Arizona Cardinals in his stint, but Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb may return and start for his squad after recuperating from a concussion.
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Arizona is going to have to stop the formidable run game from the Seahawks with leading rusher Marshawn Lynch trying to continue to add to his impressive career high of 1,118 yards. Lynch has furthermore obtained a touchdown in a squad record 11 matches.
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Both teams would adore to finish strong with a winning record and are planning as if this were every other game. They both have potential bright gambling odds ahead with several competitors being acquired to the Pro Bowl lineup including Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and defensive competitors Adrian Wilson and Patrick Peterson. Seahawks safety Earl Thomas was furthermore picked for the Pro Bowl squad and all these leading competitors ought to be participating in this final fight with the exception of Peterson who is questionable with an injury to his left Achilles’ tendon. Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch likely feels he ought to have been chosen for the Pro Bowl honors too and after being overlooked more than likely will need to show why he actually does belong there.
This matchup will be a fascinating one to see who can end on a solid note and maintain a winning record for the 2011 year. The Cardinals are a fave over the long shot Seahawks with a spread of -3. The over/under for total points in this game is 40.5.
This game between the Steelers and the Browns will showcase two teams who have distinct goals for the last two matches of the season. The Steelers are now in the playoff contest and are simply just getting set for the playoffs. Alternatively, the Cleveland browns are just attempting to salvage their season with a handful of more wins following having had a quite poor season. Both teams nonetheless will be competing hard despite the difference in their records. If both teams play hard, it will likely be a quite close game.
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The Steelers are now 11-4 and have just come off a big win against the St. Louis Rams. The Cleveland browns have lost 5 straight matches while the Steelers beat the Rams 27-0 and displayed amazing defense. The Cleveland browns last game against the Ravens showed just how tough it is for the Cleveland browns to score and they are definitely going to have a hard time with the Steelers defense. Nonetheless, a solid portion of the game will rest on the team’s stars and how they will play under stress. Since the regular season is practically done, look to see both teams finish with a flurry.
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The Cleveland browns will hope that Hardesty will control the ground game while the Steelers are focusing on Big Ben to drive the squad for big passes that will lead to multiple touchdowns. The Cleveland browns nonetheless will must interact as a unit to manage to wipe out the Steelers as the skill is definitely on Pittsburgh’s side. Both teams will look to play hard and keep it a minimal scoring game but look to see a major performance by Big Ben and the Steelers. The Cleveland browns will just have a shot if the Steelers totally break down offensively but this is very dubious.
The Philadelphia Eagles (7-8) are going to visit the Washington Redskins (5-10) in an NFC East divisional competition in their final game. Both squads are at the bottom of the division rankings and have been removed from playoff contention this season. Philadelphia had a huge amount of media hype previous to the start of the season being tagged the dream team with their impact in the free agent market.
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Nevertheless, they haven’t quite lived up to the exceedingly high anticipations and have had their fair share of battles this season with injuries to crucial players such as qb Michael Vick. Considering Eagles head coach Andy Reid is possibly on the hot seat for remaining the team’s coach next season, they still have something to play for.
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With an injury to his toe, Washington Redskins running back Roy Helu is doubtful to play once again. Their lack of depth at the running game combined with their weak offensive line will be difficult to triumph over with crucial Eagles defensive players doing well such as defensive ends Jason Babin and Trent Cole. It will be up to Washington Redskins qb Rex Grossman to have an excellent passing game for them to have any sort of chance. The Eagles are averaging about 400 yards on offense per game and you can expect them to do just as well with the duo of a healthy Michael Vick at qb and running back LeSean McCoy. Philadelphia cornerback Asante Samuel is not likely to play with a hamstring injury.
They still would like to end on a positive note and come out at the top for the final game of the year, even with both squads not earning a playoff berth for the 2011 season. The Philadelphia Eagles are favorites in this specific game to the long shot Washington Redskins with a line of -9. The over/under for points is at 46.5.
Week 17 of football Season is constantly full of trap contests. The match between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers in Green Bay is one of this sort of game.
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The Detroit Lions have had a renaissance year. They’ve already qualified for the postseason with a win over the Chargers this past week, on top of already having a winning record. Having claimed all that, however, the Lions pale in comparison to the Packers who are 14-1 and already beat the Lions 27-15 in Detroit earlier in the year. One has to wonder why sportsbooks are making the Lions a 3 point favorite in the game although everything says this should be a Packers win. The reason is…
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The Packers come into this game with the number 1 seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The Packers have nothing to play for since win or lose, they’ll be the number 1 seed. With all this, all indications are the squad will rest key players on its offense and defense. For instance, stud quarterback Aaron Rodgers may play merely the 1st quarter. As the squad tries to get rest for its battered offensive line, this is particularly accurate. Overall, the Packers appear to be set to sleepwalk through this game.
The Lions are taking a different approach. It’s now seeking to get the greatest seed [5th] possible, even though the squad has qualified for one of the two wild cards in the division. The edge of this higher seed would mean the Lions would play a less strong choice of division victors depending on the end result of the other contests in week 17. That may be the difference between being one and done in the playoffs or having a deep run. The Lions will be highly enthusiastic for this game all in all.