Trav's Thoughts

We have to get up and get out the door this morning. Last week, we caught the lazy bug and never got our errands done. So, apologies to Kyra at The 108. We'll have to catch today's Bloviation Nation on the archive.



Notre Dame, 0-4 for the first time in school history, heads to Purdue (4-0). It doesn't look good again for the Irish, as Purdue is averaging 48.5 points per game. Notre Dame has scored 2 offensive touchdowns this season. I see no reason to suspect a new result for Notre Dame this week. It's a silly thing to say, but I don't stop being a fan just because they suck...go Irish.

The Ducks, 4-0 and ranked #11, host #6 Cal, also 4-0 on the season. Oregon must contain Cal's high powered offense. The Golden Bears are built on speed. This should be a great game, and it's kind of tough for me to choose sides. Pam says she may have to choose Cal because although their uniforms are ugly, they're not nearly as ugly as Oregon's. Now you remember that she knows football...she's just being silly. Go DUCKS!

After two promising wins to open the season, UW has dropped it's last two games mostly because of turnovers and other bad mistakes. And guess who comes to Seattle this weekend? It's #1 USC. The town is abuzzin y'all. But USC has won the last five meetings between the two programs. UW needs all the breaks for the Huskies to have any chance to upset the #1 Trojans. Go Huskies!

#14 Kentucky (4-0) hosts Florida Atlantic (3-1). This is a potential gotcha game for the Wildcats. It would be easy to look past FAU to the three straight ranked opponents waiting for UK. But I learned a long time ago that you have to play the 11 guys that line up across from you on every play. Senior leadership is needed, and Kentucky is heavy in that department. Go 'CATS!

It looks like Road Warrior week as Top 10 teams are mostly away on Saturday. Here are some other notables:

#2 LSU at Tulane
#3 Oklahoma at Colorado
#4 Florida at Auburn
#5 West Virginia is upset by #18 South Florida
#7 Texas at Kansas State
#8 Ohio State at Minnesota
#9 Wisconsin at Michigan State
#10 Rutgers at Maryland



And what is in store for my NFL interests this week? I'm glad you asked. Let's check it out.

After picking up a tarnished win at home against the Browns last Sunday, my Raiders head on down to Miami. Oakland continues to improve, and they are competing in every game. The Dolphins are struggling on both sides of the ball right now. Ordinarily I don't know that I would pick the Raiders on the road, but Miami seems to be in worse shape at the moment and I'm thinking my guys can steal one here.


SF got spanked last weekend. I look at that as another step in the maturity of a young team. Now this week is rivalry week at our house. It's like this...baby likes to win. Pam's Seahawks are in SF Sunday and she's looking for some revenge. Seattle had won 6 in a row until last season when the 49ers swept both games. But she also realizes that the Seahawks are in a bit of trouble after a couple of shaky wins and a bad loss on the road. SF is on the rise, but not quite there yet. Should be an interesting day at our place.

The Colts host Denver. The Broncos have the top ranked defense in the NFL against the pass. Indy has the 4th best passing offense. My money is always on Peyton Manning until some team proves they can stop him. I think the key in this game though will be the running game, as it is in most NFL match ups. Denver gives up 166 yards per game against the run, while Indy averages 112 yards running the ball. If the Colts can run against Denver, then that makes life easier for Manning and the passing game. And Indy's defense is ranked 5th overall against Denver's 6th ranked offense. This should be a good game.

Week 1 results = 12-4
Week 2 results = 11-5
Week 3 results = 10-6

I'm 33-15 so far, which isn't bad.

My picks for week 4:

Packers over Vikings
Raiders over Dolphins
Bills over Jets
Texans over Falcons
Lions over Bears
Ravens over Browns
Cowboys over Rams
Panthers over Bucs
49ers over Seahawks
Chargers over Chiefs
Steelers over Cardinals
Colts over Broncos
Giants over Eagles
Patriots over Bengals

Bye: Titans, Saints, Redskins, Jaguars