Football Picks

I apologize for what is about to be a rushed post for the weekly picks but as I start the new school year and prepare for my first football game of the fall (Milton - 27, Brookline - 12), my free and available moments seem to slip away faster than Shawne Merriman's chances to be appear on VH1's "Shot of Love." However, I will not apologize for my (stunning) 3-0 start to the season. Ride the wave. One more thought before I make you a trashload of dough. I was sad to give up my BC season tickets this year but time constraints will make it impossible for me to get to Alumni Stadium often enough to get value out of the seats. However, I am even more sad that Mark Herzlich, the reigning ACC Defensive Player, will miss the entire 2009 season with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Herzlich's illness is not breaking news but to see such a talented young man forced to the sidelines with cancer at such a young age is troubling. He is expecting to return to the field in 2010 for the Eagles. It would be an amazing story if Herzlich is able to return and dominate the field like he did before getting sick. As one of the premiere linebackers in college football, Herzlich would be a prospect to be taken high in the NFL Draft. The Herzlich era in the Greater Boston area might be extended if that is the case because of the 2011 first-round pick the Patriots own thanks to their trade of Richard Seymour to the Raiders last weekend. That would be a magical ending to Herzlich's story... Home teams in CAPS and all picks are against the spread. NCAA OREGON (-12) over Purdue MICHIGAN (+3) over Notre Dame OKLAHOMA STATE (-15.5) over Houston LSU (-14.5) over Vanderbilt OHIO STATE (+7) over Southern Cal Last Week: 2 - 0 Season: 2 - 0 NFL Tennessee (+6.5) over PITTSBURGH ATLANTA (-4) over Miami Kansas City (+13) over BALTIMORE CAROLINA (+2.5) over Philadelphia Denver (+4) over CINCINNATI Minnesota (-4) over CLEVELAND HOUSTON (-4.5) over NY Jets Jacksonville (+7) over INDIANAPOLIS NEW ORLEANS (-13) over Detroit Dallas (-6) over TAMPA BAY ARIZONA (-6.5) over San Francisco Washington (+6.5) over NY GIANTS SEATTLE (-8.5) over St. Louis Chicago (+3.5) over GREEN BAY PATS (-11) over Buffalo San Diego (-9.5) over OAKLAND