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For the majority of this decade, the NFC has been the little brother of the all powerful AFC. The Patriots dynasty brining home three Super Bowls. The Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens all bringing home a Super Bowl victory have added to the supremacy of the AFC. However, last year’s Super Bowl, with the underdog wild card team New York Giants upsetting and upstaging the then undefeated, 18-0 New England Patriots shifted a power change few could imagine.

That power change starts with those Giants of course. Coming off of that Super Bowl victory and their improbable postseason run, winning three NFC playoff games on the road as a wild card team, the Giants haven’t lost any momentum this season. Many thought that the team was a fluke, and that this season they would be hard pressed to even make the playoffs. Michael Strahan retired, Osi Umenyiora was lost for the season, Jeremy Shockey was traded and Eli Manning still couldn’t be trusted. Well the analysts who predicted it that way sure have a lot of explaining to do!

Eli Manning has shown he has made the leap from a quarterback with a great last name and a lot of potential to a clutch, big game performer who every fan dreams of just having a chance to lead his team back in the end of a close game. He has had the support of one of the NFL’s best running attacks, spearheaded by Brandon Jacobs. And the defense has been fierce, with Justin Tuck and Fred Robbins dominating an overpowering defensive front line. Sitting at 8-1, the Giants plan on steamrolling their way right back to the Super Bowl again this season.

Sitting in their paths are a couple of teams from the ultra-competitive NFC East, the best division in all of the NFL. The Washington Redskins are a bit of a surprise with Jason Campbell playing superb quarterback under the tutelage of new head coach Jim Zorn. And Clinton Portis has been one of the standout running backs across the league thus far. Throw in a stout defense, which just added cornerback DeAngelo Hall who was cut from the Oakland Raiders, and the Redskins can be a very tough match for many contending teams.

The Dallas Cowboys also reside in the NFC East, and they have to turn their ship around. Tony Romo was lost for a handful of games with a finger injury and the team suffered during (and truthfully, before) his absence. The offense needs to not just rely on Terrell Owens but also stud running back Marion Barber, and new addition Roy Williams.

The Eagles still have their playoff hopes alive but are tied for last in the division with the Cowboys at 5-4. Neither team has a margin of error, not in the NFC East. With the division so strong it’s hurting these clubs, as they knock each other off and lower down in the wild card race compared to the teams floating relatively easily along in the NFC South.

The Carolina Panthers have to be the most unmentioned 7-2 football team that the NFL has ever seen. They have fallen out of the storylines of the media due to the Giants, the Titans and the other usual names, like the Patriots and the Colts. But with a strong running game, a healthy Jake Delhomme and a great defense, nobody wants to play John Fox and company come playoffs time.

And it’s about time, it looks like the Arizona Cardinals are finally going to be building on all of that promise they have had for several seasons. Only, it’s not with first round draft pick Matt Leinart, it’s with wily veteran Kurt Warner and his big arm, along with his cast of stellar wide receivers.

The other surprise team in the NFC this season is the Atlanta Falcons. Drafting a quarterback, Matt Ryan in the first round, and getting yet another head coach, few expected much out of the team. But Matt Ryan has been playing with poise and confidence, and free agent pickup Michael Turner has been great in the backfield. Sitting at 6-3, the Falcons have a great shot at a wild card birth.

The NFC North has the Bears, the Vikings and the Packers all vying for contention. It is likely that only one of those teams will make the playoffs in the extremely crowded wild card race which is flooded with teams from both the NFC East and NFC South. There are a lot of strong teams that want their shot at a Super Bowl victory, and nobody feels like they are out of it, and nobody feels like they are getting the credit they deserve, still overshadowed by big brother AFC, even if little brother is now all grown up.

Make sure you check out Vernon Croy’s Top NFL Football Picks including his NFL Shocker of the Year! www.VernonCroy.com

Free College Football Picks - 1 Unit, Take Louisville Over, Both of these defenses have struggled against the pass this season but they have been good against the run which will force both teams to air the ball out in this game. The Bearcats defense has allowed an average of 248 pypg on the road this season while the Cardinals defense has allowed an average of 225 pypg overall this season. The Bearcats defense has struggled in their only 2 games on grass this season with their opponents averaging 470.5 ypg and 46 ppg and the Cardinals defense has struggled over their last 3 games with opponents averaging 29.7 ppg against them. Offensively these teams have the ability to strike quickly and both of these teams are averaging over 26 ppg this season. The O/U is 6-1-1 for the Bearcats in their last 8 road games against a team with a winning record and the O/U is 7-1-1 for the Bearcats in their last 9 games played on grass. Take the Over as my CFB Free Play for Friday night and make sure you get on my combined 65 Unit CFB Totals that cash Saturday.

AFC Conference Breakdown After 10 Weeks of 2008 NFL Season by Vernon Croy

The AFC has had a handful of very interesting story lines this season, including both surprisingly dominant teams and formerly dominant teams that have fallen back to the pack. It all has made for an extremely competitive conference. The playoff race both for the majority of the divisions and for the remaining wild card spots should come down to the last weeks of the season. Here are some of the teams to keep an eye on in the AFC for the rest of the 2008 season.

The first team that has to be mentioned is the Tennessee Titans of course. Sitting at 9-0, the Tennessee Titans have been playing phenomenal football. Their defense is physical and anchored by their front line, and the offense has multiple running threats. Against the Bears last week though they proved they could throw to win the game when the running game is shut down. The team already has their division and a first round bye in the playoffs all but locked up barring some kind of unforeseen collapse, and they should be favored against anybody remaining on their schedule.

Everybody thought that the New England Patriots were doomed when Tom Brady went down for a knee injury in the beginning of the season. And while these aren’t the same old Patriots, they have still rallied around and currently have a share of first place in the AFC East. The team has really shown that they are more than just Tom Brady, or spy cameras, for that matter, as they continue to be one of the top level teams in the conference.

These are two more surprise teams, particularly the Dolphins who are coming off a 1-15 campaign in 2007. But Brett Favre going to the Jets enabled them to snatch up Chad Pennington, a major upgrade at quarterback. Throw in some Wild Cat formation with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, and you have yourself a ball club! It looked like the Bills would be the best team in the division, a solid defense and an improving young quarterback leading the charge, but after losing three games in a row their status is uncertain.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have played in a lot of very tough games and they have won the majority of them. Sitting at 6-3 they are tied with the Baltimore Ravens in their division, as well as with the Jets and Patriots if you’re thinking ahead to the playoffs, when only two of those teams can win their division. Additionally, in the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins are both sitting at 5-4 and are very much in contention for both the division and the wild card spots.

There is a difference between the Ravens and the Steelers though despite their shared record. The Steelers have been getting extremely banged up as the season has progressed, with injuries across the board to Ben Roethlisberger, several of their running backs and other key players. Meanwhile, the Ravens are just getting rolling as Joe Flacco has been gaining confidence playing quarterback with the great Ravens defense supporting him.

AFC powerhouse Indianapolis Colts are not the team we are used to seeing. They are at 5-4, and can only hope for a wild card spot in an extremely crowded playoff picture. This is due to Peyton Manning’s off season surgery, Marvin Harrison recovering from injuries, a battered offensive line and a weak running game.

Another AFC force that has looked mortal or worse this season has been the San Diego Chargers. The team has come up just a bit short in the playoffs in the last several seasons. But they won’t get the chance this year unless at 4-5 they can overtake the 5-4 Denver Broncos in the extremely weak AFC West. The Chargers have also been victims to injuries, as Shawne Merriman was lost for the year with a knee problem.

The AFC has been shaken up a good deal. Injuries have fallen some of the traditional powers, while new teams have sprouted up to take control. It will be an extremely interesting and intense final half of the 2008 season in the AFC playoff hunt, that’s for sure.

Make sure you Check Vernon Croy’s Football Picks at www.VernonCroy.com

The Big 12 Report - The Red Raiders are King for a Week

If there was any doubt that Texas Tech was a one hit wonder against Texas the week before, those doubts were silenced is a behind the woodshed beating of Oklahoma State on national TV Saturday Night as QB Harrell threw 6 Td passes and the Red Raiders rolled a very good Okie State team (as I predicted in this blog last week). With a week off to prepare for the Big 12 South Showdown at Norman Oklahoma, what was once a “gimmie” for OU in that game, now will be one of the biggest games in College football this season, and Texas Tech has every chance of winning that game. The Big 12 South title and possible National Title is on the line in that game.

In other news (not so good for me), Nebraska who I went against for My Big 12 Game of the Year dominated Kansas in a 10 point win as I took the 1.5 points and what I felt was a better KU team, especially with their passing game and spread attack, and Nebraska beat them up. Only my 3rd loss in 12 years of specializing in the Big 12 with my game of the year, but I tell it like it is. Nebraska has K State this week on the road, and then Colorado at home the day after Thanksgiving, and sitting at 6-4 on the year, they look to be 8-4 with a decent bowl game on tap for Bo Pellini in his first year as a head coach, and a Big 12 North 2nd place finish. WOW!

Texas took care of Baylor last week as expected, and Colorado barely beat Iowa State as I predicted, and still are struggling on offense. Texas AM suffered a 66-28 loss also as I predicted last week as they have no offense to trade punches with a team like Oklahoma and continue to play little or no defense against the pass. How far have things fallen for Texas AM you ask? They are an 8 point underdog to Baylor this weekend in Waco. Mizzou is still commanding spreads of greater than 25 points even though they continue not to rebound and win in convincing fashion, as they won a 42-24 game last week against Kansas State in Columbia, an uninspired performance. They take on Iowa State this week in Ames laying 26 points.

Speaking of Kansas State, what a debacle. They fire Ron Prince after a little over 2 years there, and let a lame duck coach out the season. The recent firings of numerous head coaches like Tommy Bowden at Clemson is disturbing to me, as AD’s cave to pressure from big money boosters about winning right here and right now. It should be noted that this particular year in the Big 12, if you are a sub par team, you are going to get slaughtered, the Big 12 has numerous teams that are the best in nation. Ron Prince deserved better.

Highlighted Games this Week (11-4 record, 2-1 last week)

Texas AM +8 @ Baylor

While Texas AM continues to struggle, the only thing Baylor has going for them is QB Griffin, who is a major stud. While Baylor is improving under a solid new head coach, not ready to lay 8 points with a team with a losing record who when playing equal teams in terms of talent, have struggled to put away or win games. Texas AM should be able to run it and slow down the pace here and keep this one tight till the end. Texas AM won by 24 last year in this game and both teams off of serious beat downs last week. Baylor 24 Texas AM 21

Nebraska -7 @ Kansas State

Although my beloved Huskers beat me up last week in terms of a point spread winner, they also convinced me they are better than advertised. In recent years Nebraska has dominated Kansas State, as QB Freeman had committed to Nebraska before Ron Prince convinced him to drop his letter of intent to the Huskers and play for Kansas State. The Husker nation has never forgotten that and once again last year NU pounded Kansas St. 73-31 in Lincoln with a team not as good as this one. Huskers playing for a major bowl and buying into Pellini’s coaching big time. Kansas State has no defense and QB Ganz for Nebraska the best kept secret in the Big 12 at quarterback, and #3 in the nation is passing efficiency. Nebraska 35 Kansas State 24.

Texas -13.5 @ Kansas

If Kansas could have beat Nebraska this line would be around 7 or 8, but a failed attempt and serious beat down of QB Reesing last week, as he was pounded in Lincoln, will be the demise of Kansas again this week. Not sure I like laying such a number on the road with any team against a decent team like KU, but if you look at the good teams, the elite teams Kansas has played, both Oklahoma and Texas Tech blew them out. Texas is on a mission to compete at a high level with a better than average chance to play for Big 12 south title if Texas Tech fails to win at OU next week, they will be focused and I look for QB McCoy to have a big day against a weak KU defense and secondary that Nebraska shredded last week. Texas 38 KU 21.

Good luck this weekend and look for all my plays at www.vernoncroy.com

Mr. Hockey Vernon Croy is on a HUGE 5-1 NHL Sports Picks Run and his domination on the ice continues Tuesday night with his 20 Unit NHL SMASH so make sure you HIT IT HARD. Vernon Croy’s CFB MAC GAME OF THE YEAR goes Wednesday night so if you are looking for free college football picks or just free sports picks go to www.VernonCroy.com now.

The Big 12 Report - The Taming of the Tigers

By Tony George

If there was any doubts who the best team in the Big 12 is to this point, those doubts were silenced in a Texas style ass kicking of Mizzou Saturday Night. That was one of my free play winners last week in my report for you, the other was Nebraska who covered big. Take it from me, I have seen Mizzou play twice in person this season, and they are a talented and explosive team. Texas beat them up like a bottom feeder in the Big 12 in Austin Saturday night where Texas simply dominated in every aspect of the game from start to finish. While Mizzou never threw in the towel which was commendable, they simply were out manned and out coached from the opening bell. The Mizzo secondary allowed Colt McCoy a 90% completion rate, and that is a sure fire way to lose to Texas. Now with 2 losses and plenty of ball yet to play, a late November date at Arrowhead with an above average KU team looms large as the decider for the Big 12 North title.

Oklahoma struggled with Kansas at home for 3 quarters as KU traded punches with their offense and QB Todd Reesing looked very good for KU as always, but at days end, Kansas’s defense was not good enough to slow down Bradford and company. Kansas was able to run the ball, but so did Oklahoma, and that was something I mentioned last week. If you want to win in the Big 12, you have to run the ball and establish some balance on offense. OU took a page of of that thought process and did a nice job of racking up over 600 yards of offense on a decent Kansas stop unit. An impressive running effort by Murray and other for OU really was needed a week before, but none the less the South division is wide open right now and it is going to be a dogfight till the end.

Texas Tech struggled with Texas AM for 2 quarters in College Station before opening up the floodgates and winning big, although they did not cover a huge number. Okie State beat up Baylor in impressive fashion, holding a decent Baylor offense to 204 yards. Now the Cowboys travel to Austin this Saturday to see if they can do what Mizzou failed to, give Texas a game! THIS IS MY BIG 12 GAME OF THE WEEK. Nebraska beat up Iowa State in Ames big time, covering the 6.5 points last week, another free play winner for you in the report. Nebraska gets to take on Baylor in Lincoln this weekend as a double digit favorite in conference action, something somewhat rare these days for the Huskers. Texas Tech gets a real big time opponent against Kansas this week in what should be a great football game in Lawrence. Back to back roadies for the Red Raiders, we will find out which one of these teams is for real this weekend! After seeing OU throw for almost 500 yards last week against KU, Mike Leach will have some special plays ready for the Jayhawks for sure.

Kansas State lost a big game at Colorado by 1 point as both teams continue to find a consistent offense and the right combination for their teams to become successful on defense. Ron Prince better start winning games soon at K State, the natives are restless! Interesting that the North division is not all that good outside of Kansas and Mizzou, but the Huskers damn near beat TexasTech on the road,only to lose in OT, and handed ISU a big loss in Ames, something Kansas failed to do. Nebraska has Kansas, Baylor, and Colorado at home, all winnable games and they play K State and Oklahoma on the road, and they will never beat OU, but could win out other than that and create some drama in the North if they continue to get better each week, which they have to date!

My Highlighted Games this Week: (5-2 ATS the past 3 weeks)

UPSET SPECIAL Texas AM +3.5 @ Iowa State

Iowa State may have caught Kansas sleep walking 3 weeks ago in a near upset, because what I saw of them this past week against Nebraska was deplorable. Texas AM played with Texas Tech for 2+ quarters, before succumbing to the fact that Tech got their act together and were a far better team. If Texas AM can use the running game and RB Lane as a battering Ram here, and make some throws in this game, especially in the middle seam like they did against Tech, they can win this game by 7-8 points. Iowa State does not have the size and speed to match up, so I am in the hopes Mike Sherman can at least put 1 game plan together and execute it this week, because ISU at home or not, is not a good football team. Texas AM 24 Iowa State 20

Oklahoma -19 @ Kansas State

I smell a blowout here. Oklahoma should be able to pass all over K State’s secondary here. When OU runs the ball to balance the attack somewhat, they are tough to defend for anyone. Kansas Sate has issues on offense in this match up, and although QB Freeman is a stud, when asked to carry the entire game on his shoulders, like this one, he will fail. OU simply has too many weapons and a mission to get o the title game tied up with the hopes that Texas can fall in defeat between now and the end of the season. Oklahoma’s defense is not the same without Reynolds, who is out for the year, but an opportunistic secondary may play a large role in this one for the Sooners. Kansas State had a total of 15 first downs last week, but gave up 24 of them to Colorado. While the Buffs failed to capitalize on most of those, although they still won, rest assured Oklahoma will take full advantage of that by scoring points. Oklahoma 48 Kansas State 20

I will have the Texas and Okie State game as my featured play this week so be sure and catch that winner on my weekend card as well as Texas Tech and Kansas as a bonus play. Look for Mizzou to bounce back this week at home against Colorado, but laying 22 points is scary the way they have been beaten up the past 2 weeks, but they have the offense to do it. The Big 12 has 4 top teams in the Top 10 this week, and I see one making a trip out of there after this weekend. Stay tuned folks, this is getting good.

Be sure to check out weekly football plays from Tony George right here at www.VernonCroy.com!

Dallas Cowboys - On field victory, or Off field defeat? by Vernon Croy

The Dallas Cowboys are again considered the class of the NFC and possibly the entire NFL. This year’s team has already seen some bumps and bruises (like a loss to the Redskins) but it is still a very talented team. In my opinion, the Cowboys have more potential than any other team in the league. However, Jerry Jones has created a virtual three-ring circus with his players. Off the field incidents might actually make the difference in this season. On paper, the Cowboys should roll all the way to a Super Bowl victory. In reality, they might be derailed by non-football issues.

When it comes to the good things about the Cowboys, there is a lot to like. Without Tom Brady around, they have possibly the best quarterback in the league in Tony Romo. Romo has a poise about him that you don’t often find in quarterbacks. It is especially rare when it comes to undrafted college free agents from Eastern Illinois. While Romo currently has thrown an interception in every game dating back to last year, he will usually make up for it. He’s usually good for at least two or three touchdown passes and 300 yards. He can be a little sporadic, but overall he’s pretty solid. It doesn’t exactly hurt to have an average of 5 minutes to throw the ball every time he drops back. The Cowboys offensive line is so good, Romo doesn’t even know what it’s like to face pressure. Even if he does occasionally get pressured, he scrambles around and has good poise in the pocket.

The running game has actually improved this year as well. Marion Barber has emerged as one of the top 5 backs in the league this year. In addition to that, the Boys used their first round pick on another running back, Felix Jones, from Jerry Jones’ alma mater. Felix is the big play threat that the Cowboys have been lacking and is a welcome addition to the offense. Already this year he has scored on a kickoff return as well as a few long runs. Look for his role to increase as the year goes on.

The wide receiver group is led by the ultimate showman T.O. In my opinion, he’s the best wide receiver in the game today. Randy Moss might give him some competition if he didn’t have Matt “I haven’t started a game since high school” Cassell throwing him the ball. T.O. likes to talk a lot of trash, but the difference between him and other wide receivers is that he actually backs it up on the field. The rest of the wide receiver core is nothing to write home about but they have solid options in Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin. Jason Witten is one of the best tight ends in the game and he has some wide receiver-like ability. He is Romo’s most reliable option when they get in the red zone.

The defense is solid but unspectacular. They are a little banged up at the moment, but they do feature some talent with newcomers Mike Jenkins and Adam “Pacman” Jones. Demarcus Ware is still a force to be reckoned with in the 3-4 defense and I like him a lot. Overall, their defense isn’t going to dominate anyone, but it’s solid enough to get the win most of the time. With a high-octane offense like the Cowboys boast, they really don’t have to be perfect.

With all of that said, the Cowboys have a lot of drama off the field. Last week, T.O. actually cried on the sidelines during the game. We later found out that he was emotional due to the loss of a family member. But still, T.O. always has something going on. The week before he was thrown to 18 times and didn’t think he got involved enough. The Cowboys also employ two former criminals in Tank Johnson and Pacman Jones. Tank has kept his business under control, but Pacman is another story. He earlier requested not to be called Pacman anymore, but to me, he’ll always be Pacman.

His off-the-field issues have followed him everywhere he goes. Jerry Jones realized when he signed him that he had been involved in 12 different incidents with the law. This prompted him to hire a full-time bodyguard to watch Pacman wherever he goes. Apparently even this isn’t enough to calm down Pacman because he recently had the police called on him for getting in a fight with his own bodyguard. If this isn’t ridiculous, I don’t know what is. As if having a man paralyzed wasn’t enough, Pacman is still going to cause trouble.

Although Tony Romo is the golden boy on this team, he still contributes his share of distractions. That will happen when you are dating one of the most beautiful girls in the world, Jessica Simpson. Her presence at the games has coincided with a definite decline in Romo’s game. Last year they jaunted off to Mexico before a playoff game and Romo didn’t exactly play his best when they got back. Whether or not Romo can keep his mind on the game long enough to win a Super Bowl remains to be seen.

The Cowboys overall, are a very volatile team. They tend to play to the level of the competition a lot. One week they put up a ton of points on the Eagles on Monday Night Football. Another week, they barely squeak by the winless Bengals.

For all of the things that the Cowboys have going for them, they seem to have just as many obstacles to get over. Can they keep Pacman and T.O. under control long enough to not disrupt the team? Will Romo keep his mind on the game for the entire season? These questions remain to be seen. Ultimately, everything will be decided on the field and in my opinion, they are still the team to beat in the NFL. They do have some great competition even in their own division, but ultimately, I think they’ll pull it out.

Vernon Croy is the Owner/CEO of www.VernonCroy.com and he is one of the most reputable and respected professional sports handicappers in the world. Vernon Croy provides Free and Premium college, nfl football picks with expert sports analysis. Get on his free daily sports pick mailing list at http://vernoncroy.com .

The Sprint Cup boys move to Charlotte this Saturday night for the 31st race
of the season. Lowes Motor Speedway is a 1.5 mile Quad Oval Track located
in Concord, NC. Here are my Top 5 drivers to win in Charlotte this weekend.
We still have to wait for Qualifying and Happy Hour before finalizing our
Head to Head matchups. Charlotte is normally a very good money track for us!!

For starters, I think Jimmie Johnson has the best shot of winning this race.
Johnson has 5 wins, 8 Top 5 finishes and 11 Top 10 finishes in his 15
starts here in Charlotte. Johnson has an average finish of 11.6 here in Charlotte
which is the best among all active drivers. Past 2 years, Jimmie Johnson’s
average finish at track type - FAST SUPERSPEEDWAY is 13.0. In 12 races, he
has 4 wins and 7 top 10 finishes. Jimmie Johnson’s average finish over the
past 3 races is 5.0. In 3 races, he has 1 win and 3 top 10 finishes. Jimmie
Johnson’s average finish over the past 10 races is 7.9. In 10 races, he has 3
wins and 8 top 10 finishes.

Next in line I would go with Jeff Gordon. Gordon has 5 wins, 15 Top 5
finishes and 17 Top 10 finishes in 31 starts here in Charlotte. Gordon has an
average finish of 19.6 here in Charlotte. Past 2 years, Jeff Gordon’s average
finish at track type - FAST SUPERSPEEDWAY is 13.8. In 12 races, he has 1 win
and 8 top 10 finishes.

Then, back in my 3rd spot, I have to go with Carl Edwards. Edwards has no
wins, 3 Top 5 finishes and 6 Top 10 finishes in his 7 starts in Charlotte.
Edwards has an average finish of 11.7 here in Charlotte which is the 2nd best
among all active drivers. Past 2 years, Carl Edwards’s average finish at
track type - FAST SUPERSPEEDWAY is 10.9. In 12 races, he has 2 wins and 8 top 10
finishes. Carl Edwards’s average finish over the past 10 races is 6.8. In
10 races, he has 3 wins and 8 top 10 finishes, which is the hottest among all
drivers.

Looking at my pick for the 4th spot we turn to Mark Martin. Martin has 4
wins, 17 Top 5 finishes and 21 Top 10 finishes in his 47 starts in Charlotte.
Martin has an average finish of 18.8 in Charlotte. Past 2 years, Mark
Martin’s average finish at track type - FAST SUPERSPEEDWAY is 15.5. In 12 races,
he has 0 wins and 6 top 10 finishes. Mark Martin’s average finish over the
past 10 races is 8.2. In 5 races, he has 0 wins and 4 top 10 finishes.

Rounding out my Top 5 and sitting in the 5th position is Bobby Labonte.
Labonte has 2 wins, 12 Top 5 finishes and 17 Top 10 finishes in his 31 starts
in Charlotte. Labonte has an average finish of 16.8 in Charlotte which is 4th
best.

The odds for these drivers to win in Charlotte currently at Bodog are:

#48 Jimmie Johnson 3 to 1
#24 Jeff Gordon 10 to 1
#99 Carl Edwards 9 to 2
#8 Mark Martin 30 to 1
#43 Bobby Labonte 100 to 1

Make sure you check back for Rocky’s winning Nascar Head to Head matchups
for Charlotte on Saturday night!! www.VernonCroy.com 6 of 7 winning years in Nascar!! Some of
our data is from _www.foxsheets.com_ (http://www.foxsheets.com/) and
_www.foxsports.com_ (http://www.foxsports.com/) .

Rocketman Sports Top 25 CFB Rankings 10-7-08

Here is a breakdown of the Rocketman Sports Top 25 College Football Power Ratings and we’ll make some comparisons with the actual polls at the bottom. 

1. Southern Cal   102.34
2. Oklahoma        97.98
3. Texas               95.4
4. Florida             93.5
5. Missouri          92.44
6. BYU               90.82
7. Alabama          90.64
8. Penn State       88.83
9. LSU                88.51
10. California        88.27
11. Georgia           87.51
12. Texas Tech      86.69
13. Oklahoma St   86.57
14. Utah                85.83
15. Oregon                        85.55
16. Ohio State       84.87
17. Tulsa                84.83
18. Boise State      84.73
19. Oregon State   84.49
20. Arizona           84.42
21. Kentucky        83.84
22. Georgia Tech   83.74
23. Wisconsin        83.1
24. TCU                82.86
25. North Carolina 82.8

The first thing I notice here is how weak the ACC is this year.  Only two teams qualified in the Top 25 from the ACC which are Georgia Tech and North Carolina and both are way down in the list at 22^nd and 25^th respectively.  The next thing you’ll notice is I still have Southern Cal ranked #1 despite the loss to Oregon State.  We’re going to have some more upsets in College Football this season and Southern Cal could find themselves right back into the chase for the Championship.  The AP and USA Today have LSU ranked ahead of Florida but I have the Gators out in front.  These two will meet this weekend and after the game I think you’ll see why I have Florida ahead of LSU at this time.  Another thing I notice is that Vanderbilt is 13^th and 14^th in the polls but I don’t have this team ranked.  They played a great game against Auburn this past weekend but they’ll get their first loss of the year at Mississippi State this weekend.  This team has definitely over-achieved and it’s letdown time.  I will have a TOP 4* CFB play this weekend!  CFB is now 16-8 67% last 24 releases and TOP 4 and 5 unit CFB plays are now 16-7 70% last 2 years.  My NFL is now 69% on the season!  Don’t you miss anymore winners!