The No. 9 Connecticut Huskies will look to push their current win streak to eight when they tip off against a Pirates team that will be looking to improve 2-1 in Big East play after a big win over West Virginia the last time out.
The SMU Mustangs, out of Conference-USA tangle with the Big East’s Pittsburgh Panthers this upcoming Saturday in the BBVA Compass Bowl from Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Vancouver Canucks will be aiming for their second win in less than a week over their southern rival San Jose Sharks when the two teams tangle on Monday night in Vancouver.
South Carolina can achieve the most wins in their history with a win over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl, but the Gamecocks have dropped 3 straight bowl games.
No. 2 Ohio State opened Big 10 play with big victory of Northwestern, and will now set their sights on adding to the Hoosiers misery after they were upset by Michigan State on Wednesday.
While the Louisville Cardinals began their Big East campaign with a shocking loss to the No. 12 Georgetown Hoyas, the Wildcats lit it up in Lexington as they destroyed Lamar for its 43rd straight home victory.
Well, it all comes down to this for a resurgent Broncos team. This game is not exactly short in the story line department either. The most notable one has to be the fact that new Kansas City quarterback, Kyle Orton has the chance to keep the team that cut him earlier this year, out of the playoffs.
Well, the Raiders are not in complete control of their destiny here, but a home win against the surging Chargers will go a long way in securing them a playoff spot for the first time since 2002.
Cappers Picks Weekly Handicapping Preview – Week 17
Merry Christmas everyone – I hope that your holiday was as profitable as mine! Last week was a 3-1-0 week with only the brutal Chargers letting me down.
Being home for the Holidays had a slight edge in Week 16 in the NFL with nine home teams covering against the spread verse seven teams covering on the road. The favorites and underdogs were evenly split at eight games apiece and nine games stayed ‘under’ the total, six went ‘over’, and there was one ‘push’.
UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem
Are you excited about this one? Me too! Two of the biggest, baddest Heavyweights on the planet do battle in what should be a beauty!
The Detroit Lions clinched a playoff berth last week and for all intents and purposes this is somewhat of a meaningless game.
The Chicago Bears have lost their last 5 games to fall out of the playoff race and under .500. Truth be told I never really saw them as a legit contender and if they finish at .500 that seems about right, even though their path to getting there was different than expected.
It has been a season to forget for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have lost eight of their last nine games. Pittsburgh still has a shot at home field advantage in the playoffs, but they must win this game.
The Steelers have won 9 of the last 10 meetings between these two rivals.
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4) vs. Cleveland Browns (4-11)
Time/Date: 4:15 PM EST, January 1, 2012
Venue: Cleveland Browns Stadium
Broadcast: CBS
Steelers vs. Browns Gambling Odds from 5Dimes
Spread: Steelers -7
Moneyline: Off
Over/Under: 36
The Browns would love nothing more than to end the season by hurting their hated rivals playoff positioning. Don’t expect Cleveland to roll over in this one.
Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play in last week’s game against the Rams, but he is expected to return for this regular season finale. Big Ben has thrown 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions so far this season. He will certainly be a bit gimpy due to his sprained ankle, but he has shown the ability to fight through injury plenty of times before. Rashard Mendenhall had one of his best games of the year last week against St. Louis. Mendenhall averaged 6.4 yards per carry last week. Mike Wallace is one of the best deep threats in the NFL. Pittsburgh has four players with at least 41 receptions this year. The Steelers average 20.8 points per game.
Pittsburgh’s defense continues to be the main reason this team is such a dominant force. The front seven is the best in the league. James Harrison, Lamarr Woodley, James Farrior, and Lawrence Timmons are beasts in the 3-4 defense of Dick LeBeau. Woodley is listed as doubtful for this one, but Jason Worilds is a very good replacement. The secondary is tremendous, and it all starts with free safety Troy Polamalu. This defense has no real weakness. Pittsburgh allows just 14.5 points per contest. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Cleveland’s offense has been lacking explosiveness all season long. Colt McCoy has improved in his second year as the starter, but he is listed as questionable for this one due to a concussion suffered last time these teams met. Peyton Hillis hasn’t had a good season overall, but his last two games have been much better. Hillis ran for 99 yards two weeks ago and 112 last week against the tough Ravens defense. The Browns need a big game from Hillis to have any chance in this game. Greg Little has been the most consistent receiver for this team, but they are lacking a big play maker on the outside. Cleveland is averaging a miserable 13.9 points per game.
The Browns defense has actually been very good this year. Cleveland has had a lot of close games because this unit has held the opposition down even when the Browns offense is doing almost nothing. The primary reason for the big improvement on defense is the talented secondary. Joe Haden has an amazing 19 pass deflections this year. Haden is the young leader of this talented secondary. Cleveland has struggled against power running teams. Overall, the Browns are giving up just 19.6 points per game this year.
The Browns will fight hard in this one, but they are overmatched. Pittsburgh has plenty of incentive to be playing hard all the way in this one. Expect Pittsburgh to cover here.
NFL Free Pick: Steelers -7
The Colts (2-13) have won 2 straight games, but many fans in Indy may bee rooting for the Jaguars in this game. The Colts are tied with the Rams for the worst record in the league and if the Rams lose to the 49ers and the Colt beat the Jags than St. Louis would end up with the first pick in the draft.
The Saints (12-3) have already wrapped up the NFC South and the 3rd seed in the playoffs, but if they win this game and San Francisco loses to St. Louis New Orleans will have the 2nd seed and a bye in the first round in the post season.
