Today's Picks Game and Trends

Friday and Saturday were full of 'hits' and misses in college football. Texas struggled with A&M but won 40-29 and is still on track for its Rose Bowl showdown with USC. LSU survived against Arkansas on Friday (19-17) and will meet Georgia in this Saturday's SEC title game, while Colorado seemingly lost its chance to play in the Big-12 title game, by getting embarrassed at home by Nebraska 30-3. However, Iowa St gave Colorado new 'life' on Saturday, losing at Kansas in OT, 24-21. UTEP lost at SMU (40-27), blowing its chance of playing in next Saturday's first-ever C-USA championship game (Tulsa is now in). South Florida lost in the cold of Connecticut 15-10, rendering its meeting with West Va this Saturday, meaningless. Arkansas St won 31-24 at North Texas, meaning the Indians take the SBC and will represent the conference in the New Orleans Bowl. Virginia Tech struggled for a while with North Carolina but won 30-3 and will play an undeserving 7-4 Florida State team in Saturday's first-ever ACC title game. And finally, Notre Dame's six-play 80-yard TD drive in the game's final two minutes, gave the Irish a 38-31 win at Stanford, virtually assuring them of a BCS bid and a $16 million payday!

Through the NFL's first seven weeks, there had been just four OT games and entering Week 12's action on Thanksgiving, the season had seen just six. However, the Broncos and Cowboys played an OT-thriller on Thursday and Sunday's action produced three more OT games! It was "heartbreak city" for Redskin and Texan bettors on Sunday, as the Chargers (laying 3 1/2-points) scored with just over three minutes left to send the game into OT and then won by SIX, when LT broke a 41-yard TD run in the extra-period. In Houston, the Texans (plus-3) led the Rams 24-3 at the half but allowed a 43-yard TD pass with 26 seconds left and then a 47-yard FG with just four seconds remaining, to allow the Rams to send the game into OT. The Rams then won it, on a 56-yard TD pass! In Seattle, the Seahawks couldn't stop the Giants down the stretch, as they tied the game with just under two minutes left, on an 18-yard TD pass followed by a successful two-point conversion. Seattle then survived, as New York's Jay Feely, 21-of-23 in FG attempts this year entering the game, missed from 40 yards at the end of regulation and then from 54 and 45 yards in OT. The Seahawks won it on Brown's 36-yard FG.

Tonight in MNF, the Steelers take on the Colts. The Colts are the EIGHTH team to open a season 10-0, since Miami's famous "prefect season" in 1972. For the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger returns at QB and has not lost an NFL starter to any team not named New England. The Colts are an eight-point favorite and the total is 47.

Buy your picks at Who2beton or at Don Best