Sam Darnold

2024 PIGSKIN PICKS OF PROFUNDITY…WEEK 5

First things first…

Last weekend I was 4-1, while Zach went 1-4. That means the overall season lead has shifted. We’ll see how long that lasts. 

Other random thoughts…

Thus far my NFL predictions haven’t panned out. I am particularly perplexed by the ineptitude of the Cincinnati Bengals & Jacksonville Jaguars, while being surprised at the success of the Minnesota Vikings. I am not at all shocked that league zebras are catching heat for their noticeable generosity toward the Kansas City Chiefs. The criticism is well deserved, and that, combined with what feels like a purposeful effort by the league to indulge Swifties, has quickly cast the defending Super Bowl Champions as villains. In the college ranks, Alabama & Texas have played better than I anticipated, while Florida St. has been a train wreck & Notre Dame has underwhelmed. And finally, as much as I hate to say it, anyone writing about Heisman odds who doesn’t have Travis Hunter at the top doesn’t know their ass from a hole in the ground. Heisman voters need to decide if the award exclusively goes to a quarterback on one of the top teams and be honest about that, or reward a player who performs at a high level on both sides of the ball and look past the fact that his team is average and his coach is a self-important blowhard.

My Season: 15-13

Zach’s Season: 13-15

Virginia Tech at Miami (FL) (-19)

When these two programs moved to the ACC a couple decades ago it was the beginning of the end for The Big East, and I’ll never forgive them for that. At any rate, the 2-2 Hokies are unlikely to defeat the unbeaten Hurricanes, but can they cover the points?? I think perhaps they might. Zach has been impressed with the ‘Canes, but cautions this has all the earmarks of a classic trap game. However, while he believes it might’ve been a different story in Blacksburg, VA, he has confidence in the home team to win big in their house.

My Pick: Virginia Tech

Zach’s Pick: Miami (FL)

South Alabama at LSU (-22)

The 2-2 Jaguars out of the Sun Belt have grabbed some attention by outscoring their last two opponents 135-24. Meanwhile, the Bayou Bengals are riding at three game win streak after a season opening hiccup against USC. Death Valley on a Saturday night is no picnic, but I think South Alabama might keep things interesting for awhile before ultimately losing by four TDs. Zach isn’t a big fan of LSU coach Brian Kelly, but he’s willing to roll the dice on a dominant Tigers victory.

My Pick: LSU

Zach’s Pick: LSU

Georgia (-2) at Alabama

We’ll have alot of clarity after this game is over. The Bulldogs are 3-0 but barely escaped Kentucky with a win a couple weeks ago. Their legitimacy as the top team in the land has been questioned by some, with no shortage of those folks promoting Texas as the new #1 team. The Tide has rolled to three big wins thus far, making their coaching transition look seamless. ‘Bama has the home field, but I think Georgia gets their first regular season victory in this rivalry since 2007. Zach foresees a low scoring tug-of-war, with Georgia ultimately winning by 3-7 points.

My Pick: Georgia

Zach’s Pick: Georgia

Minnesota at Green Bay (-2.5)

Did you know that Vikings QB Sam Darnold is only 27 years old?? It feels like he should be older, probably because this is his fourth NFL team in seven seasons in the league. He is taking advantage of the opportunity that opened up when first round pick JJ McCarthy suffered a preseason knee injury. Minnesota is 3-0 & Darnold has the fifth best QBR in the NFL. The Packers are also playing with a backup QB after starter Jordan Love injured his knee a few weeks ago. Former Titans first round pick Malik Willis has led Green Bay to a 2-1 record, and he has the comfort of the home field. The question essentially becomes are the Vikings…and Darnold…for real?? Or has it all been smoke & mirrors?? The equation changes if Love is cleared to play, but that is up in the air right now. Armed with the information we have at this moment I have to believe the Vikes will ride the wave of momentum. Zach concurs.

My Pick: Minnesota 

Zach’s Pick: Minnesota 

Seattle at Detroit (-4.5)

The 2-1 Lions have not been as impressive as many (including yours truly) thought they’d be. Conversely, the 3-0 Seahawks have been sneaky good. RB Kenneth Walker has missed the past two games with an oblique injury. That’s an abdominal muscle in case you are curious. However, he is on pace to return for this game, and even if he doesn’t Zach Charbonnet has been solid in relief. Everyone will be focused on the chess match between Seattle’s offense & Detroit’s defense, but perhaps we need to pay attention to the opposite. If QB Jared Goff can get the ball to his receivers for a few big plays and RB Jahmyr Gibbs can help control the clock, it’d go a long way toward a victory for the home favorites. Zach believes things will be decided by a field goal or less.

My Pick: Detroit

Zach’s Pick: Seattle 

2019 Pigskin Picks of Profundity…Week 3

As happy as I am to have football back I have to say that last weekend wasn’t so great in The Manoverse. Both my West Virginia Mountaineers & Pittsburgh Steelers got mauled in their games, and the ol’ alma mater’s Thundering Herd looked like they had a shot to upset Boise St. until their offense decided to stay in the locker room after halftime. As far as our picks go, both Zach & myself were 5-3, which I guess isn’t terrible. The NCAA schedule is a bit prosaic this week, but I think we’ve cobbled together a slate of college & pro games that will be fun to keep an eye on.

My Season:        7-6

Zach’s Season:  6-7

 

 

 

 

 

Pitt                       at                Penn State (-17)

It’s a damn shame that so many intrastate and other geographic rivalries have gone by the wayside in recent years in the wake of conference realignment, but occasionally they do throw us a bone. I’m not sure one could call this particular rivalry all that competitive, as the Nittany Lions have won 9 out of the last 11 meetings and have clearly been the superior program dating back to atleast the 1970’s. The Panthers were beaten handily by the Virginia Cavaliers a week ago, while Penn St. is 2-0 and averaging 62 points per game, although that is against really weak competition. I don’t think the outcome is in much doubt; the only question is whether or not Pitt can muster enough pride to cover the points. My answer?? I don’t think so, and Zach agrees.

My Pick:     Penn St.

Z’s Pick:     Penn St.

 

 

 

Iowa (-2)              at                Iowa State

Here we have another intrastate rivalry featuring two teams in different conferences (because the NCAA is stupid). The Hawkeyes are 2-0 and haven’t broken a sweat, while the Cyclones took three OTs to get by a 1-AA team two weeks ago. Anyone who’s been with me on these picks over the years will recall that I don’t abandon ship on a team that I’ve predicted good things for, and I had State ranked 11th in my pre-season poll. I opined that they’ll beat either Oklahoma or Texas this season, and I’m not ready to move away from that. I understand why the oddsmakers are a bit trepidatious and have the visitors listed as favorites, but I believe the home team will defend their house. Conversely, Zach likes the Hawkeyes’ tight ends even though they’ve been virtually invisible thru the first couple of games, and he’s predicting a double digit victory for the visitors.

My Pick:     Iowa St.

Z’s Pick:     Iowa

 

 

 

Arizona               at                Baltimore (-13)

The sports media is still singing the praises of Cardinals’ head coach Kliff Kingsbury & rookie QB Kyler Murray, even after a riveting tie last weekend. I remain steadfast in my opinion that Kingsbury will be a college coach & Murray will be playing baseball a few years from now. The Ravens beat down the Miami Dolphins in the season opener, but a lot of teams will do that in the next few months. Having said that, it does seem like Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson is doing his best to quiet the doubters and prove he is a legit NFL quarterback. I’d be surprised if the Cards won the game, but it feels like keeping things competitive before ultimately falling short (pun unavoidable) might become Murray’s thing, so I think they’ll cover the points. Zach likes the Ravens’ defense to give the rookie a tough day and lead the way to an easy win.

My Pick:     Arizona

Z’s Pick:     Baltimore

 

 

 

New Orleans               at                LA Rams (-2)

If I were feeling a bit peppy I’d do some research and see who the officiating crew is for this one, but I’m not so I won’t. Bottom line: this is a revenge game for the Saints, and they’ll be motivated to put on a show. Sure they struggled to get by Houston last weekend, but the Texans are a really good team. The Rams went into Carolina and barely got by the Panthers, which I find considerably more alarming. Could the Super Bowl Curse be a real thing?? Are the Rams in for a tough season?? I don’t know about all of that, but I’m pretty sure New Orleans will win this game rather easily. Zach concurs.

My Pick:     New Orleans

Z’s Pick:     New Orleans

 

 

 

Cleveland (-2)              at                NY Jets

A year ago I wouldn’t have had any interest in watching a Browns-Jets game, but both teams are allegedly on the rise, so it theoretically should be fun. However, with Jets QB Sam Darnold on the shelf due to mono and Cleveland suffering an embarrassing loss in the opener after so much offseason hype the matchup is far less attractive than it could have been. The Monday Night Football folks can’t be very happy. Trevor Siemian will be behind center for the Jets, and I think it’d be absolutely hilarious if he hands the Browns their second loss. Zach doesn’t believe either team is any good, but likes Cleveland to score a close victory.

My Pick:     NY Jets

Z’s Pick:     Cleveland

2017 Pigskin Picks of Profundity…..Week 5

 

I’m going to be honest…I wasn’t sure if we were even going to continue these picks. I was so disgusted by all of the controversy surrounding football last weekend that my fandom took a serious hit. I even gave thoughtful consideration to leaving all of my fantasy leagues, though I ultimately decided that course of action would be disrespectful to fellow team owners. I have so many thoughts & opinions about the whole mess, but I don’t know if I’ll ever express them in this space or anywhere else. Why add to the strife?? I spent 2 days being depressed & angry about what our country has become, and quite frankly I’m tired of being miserable. It’s not worth the price. No one cares what I think anyway. I still don’t know what I’ll be doing Sunday afternoon, but for now we’ll forge ahead with our picks as usual.

My Season:        13-11

Z’s Season:        12-11

 

 

 

 

 

USC (-3.5)           at      Washington State

The Trojans were my pre-season #1 team, and I even said “if any big time powerhouse has a legit chance to go undefeated this is the one”. So I’ll admit I was sweating out that overtime thriller versus Texas. Fortunately Southern Cal pulled off a victory, so I still have an opportunity to look like a genius. The Cougars are also 4-0, and it took them three OTs to get past Boise St. a few weeks ago, so like their opponents they’re no stranger to exciting finishes. This is a Friday night contest, which mean I’ll be at work when it kicks off at 10:30pm and if it’s an average-slow night I will be able to catch most of the action on TV so I’m pretty psyched about that. I just think USC is the better team here. It might be competitive & watchable, but we’ll see the cream rise in the 4th quarter. Zach, on the other hand, foresees some key mistakes by USC leading to their demise in a mildly surprising upset.

My Pick:     USC

Z’s Pick:     Washington St.

 

 

 

Baylor                 at      Kansas State (-17)

The 0-4 Bears darn near pulled off a shocker last weekend versus the Oklahoma Sooners, but…well…they didn’t. Close doesn’t count (except in Vegas). Meanwhile, the 2-1 Wildcats could only score seven points last week in a loss to Vanderbilt. I am intrigued by the points. K-St. has the home field and is clearly the better team, plus there might be a train of thought that Baylor…ummmm…shot their wad…against the Sooners. The Vibes are telling me that this’ll be right on the line, but I’m going to take a chance that Baylor only loses by 14 or 15 points. Zach concurs.

My Pick:     Baylor

Z’s Pick:     Baylor

 

 

 

Clemson (-7)      at      Virginia Tech

I seriously thought that Clemson would fall outside the Top 10 this season. That still may happen, but thus far they’ve looked every bit the championship team in winning their first four games. Tech ain’t bad either, though outside of the season opener against my WV Mountaineers they haven’t played anyone notable. This game is in Blacksburg but I don’t think it makes that much of a difference. I’m sure it’ll be a fun contest, but the touchdown point spread isn’t going to scare anybody into taking the Hokies. Conversely, Zach thinks the always formidable Hokie defense will give Clemson fits and that their young quarterback will rise to the occasion.

My Pick:     Clemson

Z’s Pick:     Virginia Tech

 

 

 

Tennessee (-1.5)        at      Houston

The Titans currently sit atop the AFC South while the Texans occupy the cellar, but we’re only three games into the season so it’s way too early to really know much. I have been impressed with Houston rookie QB Deshaun Watson and am considering starting him in my dynasty league. I can’t really get a good read on either of these teams so this game could go either way. Tennessee is probably the more complete team right now, but I’m going to put my faith in Watson putting up some big numbers and pulling off the upset. Zach thinks Tennessee is simply better and will prove it.

My Pick:     Houston

Z’s Pick:     Tennessee

 

 

 

Philadelphia      at      LA Chargers (-1.5)

The Chargers are 0-3 but have been competitive in all three games (their rookie kicker has failed them twice with the game on the line). Theoretically they shouldn’t be favored even with the home field, but that’s an indicator that no one is that impressed with the 2-1 Eagles. I’m really not sure where to go with this one, but I happen to like Philly’s young QB Carson Wentz, who I believe will grow into one of the league’s better signal callers as the team is built around him. They’re probably not going to be a playoff contender for another year or two, but I think the Eagles win this game. Zach agrees.

My Pick:     Philadelphia

Z’s Pick:     Philadelphia