There are many things in life that we anticipate; the start of each and every football season, that first kiss, a wedding day, the next family vacation, your favorite TV show; the list could go on and on.  But as so often happens, the actual events do not always live up to all the anticipation.  Your favorite football team could end up with a losing record, that first kiss could be so awkward that you wonder if you will ever try it again, and that big wedding day or the family vacation could be more stressful than enjoyable.  Of all the things that we spend time anticipating, there is only thing one thing in life that I have experienced that did not disappoint in the least.  The birth of my children exceeded all my expectations each time.  After nine long months of waiting, wandering and anticipating, there is suddenly this living, breathing piece of you to care for, hold and love unconditionally.  So the next time you sit down to watch that big football game or your favorite TV show, realize that it will probably not be everything that you are anticipating.  Instead, take time to hold and love that little piece of you that is trying everything imaginable to get your attention.

 

Lingo: 
The rules of overtime vary between NCAA (college) and NFL (professional) football.  The NFL uses the sudden death system for determining the winner when the score is tied at the end of regulation.  The team scoring first during overtime is the winner and the game automatically ends upon any score.  In college football, each team gets a possession of the football at the opponent’s 25-yard line and attempts to score.  If the score is still tied after each team has a possession, then it goes to a second overtime period.  If the score remains tied after the second overtime, a third overtime period begins.  Starting in the third overtime period, if a team scores a touchdown they must attempt a 2-point conversion instead of kicking the PAT (point after attempt).  This process continues until a winner is determined.   

 

Here are six teams hoping to be in the BCS mix at the end of the year, but a loss this weekend could dash all those hopes.

 

(5) Florida Gators vs. (8) Georgia Bulldogs

These two top-10 teams meet in Jacksonville in what is billed as the “World’s largest cocktail party”.  Both teams belong to the Southeastern Conference and each comes into this game with one loss.  Florida QB Tim Teebow, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, has begun to trust the speedy offensive players surrounding him and has quit trying to carry the team himself.  This has resulted in three straight wins since their only loss to Ole Miss.  Georgia has an offensive star of its own in RB Knowshon Moreno.  He has already rushed for 925 yards and 12 TDs this season.  This game will be decided on the defensive side of the ball.  Whichever defense can come up with more big plays and turnovers will lead their team to victory. This game is as good as it gets in the SEC with lots of speed and hard-nosed defensive play.  Georgia will not be a pushover, but I expect Florida’s speed to carry the Gators to victory.

 

(23) Oregon Ducks at California Golden Bears

This will be a fun game to watch between two explosive PAC-10 teams.  Each team comes into this game with two losses.  The Ducks have a very potent running game with RBs Johnson and Blount.  This duo has combined for 1,187 rushing yards and 21 TDs.  The Bears RB Jahvid Best leads the offense for California with 643 yards and 6 TDs this season.  PAC-10 teams are not known for their defenses but the Cal Bears defense has been stingy against the run this year and should be able to keep the Ducks RBs in check.

 

(1) Texas Longhorns at (6) Texas Tech Red Raiders

These teams both belong to the Big 12 Conference.  Texas is coming into this game as the #1 ranked team in the country at 8-0 and Texas Tech is #6 and also 8-0.  The Longhorns, lead by QB Colt McCoy, defeated a very strong Oklahoma State team last weekend.  While the offense has looked unstoppable, the Texas defense is giving up big chunks of passing yards to their opponents.  That will not change this week as the Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell has a very strong arm and has perfected Coach Mike Leach’s offensive system.  This Red Raider offense is averaging 418 yards per game through the air.  This will be a true Texas shootout with the Longhorns slightly edging out the Red Raiders.

 

Here are the two NFL games that we will look at this week.

 

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills

QB Brett Favre will lead the Jets into Buffalo where he has never won a game.  Favre has thrown seven interceptions in the last three games and is tied for the NFL lead with 11.  Even with Favre’s careless play the Jets are still 4-3.  Buffalo hopes to rebound from their loss last week to the Miami Dolphins.  At 5-2, the Bills need QB Trent Edwards to correct his recent mistake-filled play.  With key injuries on defense, Buffalo will have a hard time stopping New York.  With Favre having lousy performances in each of his last two games, expect him to come through with a stellar performance and finally win one in Buffalo.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins

The Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisburger has taken more hits this season than a piñata at a 10-year old boy’s birthday party.  He has been sacked 23 times this season, the third most in the NFL.   The Steelers are hoping to get RB Willie Parker back this week as he has been absent the last four games due to a knee injury.  Redskins QB Jason Campbell is playing basically mistake-free football as he has not thrown an interception yet this season.  Washington RB Clinton Portis is the rushing leader in the NFL for the fist half of the season with 944 yards.  The defense of Pittsburgh will probably slow Portis down a little as they are allowing only 71 yards per game.  Expect Washington to prevail due mainly to the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd.

 

PLAY & WIN. THE WEEKLY GRIDIRON GIVEAWAY FROM ESPN 96.3 can be yours. Email us at contact@fortsmithmoms.com with your picks from the games listed below- don't forget to include the score from the tiebreaker. Good luck!

Oregon Ducks at California Golden Bears
Florida Gators at Georgia Bulldogs
Texas Longhorns at Texas Tech Red Raiders
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins 

Tie Breaker:
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Arkansas Razorbacks

Unfortunately, Dad has the week off due to kidney stones. Check back next week for a new article, tips & lots more lingo. Following are the games for this week- so be sure to play and win!

PLAY & WIN. THE WEEKLY GRIDIRON GIVEAWAY FROM ESPN 96.3 can be yours. Email us at contact@fortsmithmoms.com with your picks from the games listed below- don't forget to include the score from the tiebreaker. Good luck!

Vanderbilt Commodores or Georgia Bulldogs
Ohio State Buckeyes or Michigan State Spartans
Missouri Tigers or Texas Longhorns
San Diego Chargers or Buffalo Bills
Indianapolis Colts or Green Bay Packers 

Tiebreaker game:
Arkansas Razorbacks at Kentucky Wildcats

When I was growing up, my dad did not appreciate sports.  He actually considered them to be a waste of time.  As I entered junior high and got more and more involved in athletics, my father and I did not see eye-to-eye on the importance of sports in my life.  Thankfully, my mom stepped in and I got the opportunity to continue to play sports throughout my high school years.  What my dad did not realize was that these sports were actually teaching me things like leadership, teamwork, competition, dedication, determination and even disappointment.  

My dad’s lack of appreciation for sports meant that he missed the opportunity to share in all of this with me.  As my 3-year old son grabbed my hand in Sam’s Club last night and exclaimed, “Let’s watch football Dad!”, pulling me toward the big screen TVs displaying a taped college football game, I realized just how much I look forward to sharing with him all the life lessons that sports has to offer.

Learn the lingo:
Have you ever wondered what BCS mean?  If you don’t follow college football you might think it is an acronym for “Big Closet of Shoes”.  Well, it isn’t.  BCS stands for Bowl Championship Series.  This is a system designed to match the two top-rated teams in college football, at the end of the regular season, in a national championship game.  Starting on October 19th the first weekly BCS Standings will be released.  This statistical rating system consists of three components: USA Today’s Coaches Poll, Harris Interactive Football Poll and an average of six computer rankings.  Each of these components will count for one-third of a team’s overall BCS score in the BCS Standings.  

The two teams with the highest BCS scores at the end of the regular season will be ranked the #1 and #2 teams in the country and should play each other in the BCS National Championship Game.  The winner of this game is then crowned the BCS National Champion.  So basically, until the people in charge of college football see the light and install a playoff system, two polls and six computers will continue to determine the teams which play in the national championship game each year.

Here are six teams hoping to be in the BCS mix at the end of the year, but a loss this weekend could dash all those hopes.

(5) Texas Longhorns vs. (1) Oklahoma Sooners
This edition of the Red River Shootout will be the college football game of the week.  Both teams belong to the Big 12 Conference and currently undefeated at 5-0.  Oklahoma will be considered the home team on Saturday, although this game is played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas each year.  With the statistics that Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford has put up so far this year he has clearly made himself a Heisman candidate.  (The Heisman Trophy is given to the best college football player each season.)  The Sooners success so far this year can also be attributed to the strong play of the defense.  Texas will not be a pushover, but I fully expect Bradford and the Sooners to make hamburger of the Longhorns.
 
(4) Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers at (11) Florida Gators
This will be a great matchup between two very good Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams.  LSU is undefeated at 4-0 while Florida has one loss suffered at the hands of Ole Miss.  Florida has not looked spectacular in their last two games, losing to Ole Miss and then beating Arkansas 38-7.  At Arkansas, the Gators scored two late touchdowns to make the score look like they played a better game than they actually did.  Florida QB Tim Teebow, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, has not played up to expectations this year.  LSU, last year’s BCS National Champion, is playing well but their defense will have to put pressure on Teebow if they are going to have a chance to win this game.  Florida has a big home field advantage playing at the Swamp (the name of Florida’s field), so I expect the Gators to take a bite out of the Tigers.

(17) Oklahoma State Cowboys at (3) Missouri Tigers
These two teams are members of the Big 12 Conference and both come into this game undefeated at 5-0.  This game will be a contrast in offensive styles.  While the Cowboys love to run the ball, Missouri will throw it all over the field.  Oklahoma State averages 315 yard per game running the football with sophomore RB Kendall Hunter.  Missouri, on the other hand, averages 375 passing yards per game by QB Chase Daniels, the Heisman trophy frontrunner.  This should be a fun, high-scoring game with the Tigers riding the Cowboys into the sunset.

Here are the two NFL games that we will look at this week.

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons
The Bears are once again very strong on the defensive side of the football, but for a change this year they also have a decent offense with Kyle Orton at QB and Matt Forte at RB.  With 3 wins and 2 losses (3-2), Chicago should easily win their division, the NFC North.  If Atlanta, at 3-2, is the surprise team in the NFL this year, then QB Matt Ryan has to be the surprise player of the year.  Even though he is a rookie, Ryan seems poised and comfortable.  Don’t expect him to look so comfortable this week as the Bears defense will attack and hand Atlanta its third loss of the season.

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals
Which Dallas team will show up on Sunday; the one that scored 17 straight points in the first two quarters against Cincinnati last week or the team that then let the Bengals score 16 straight points to make it a 1-point game in the early fourth quarter?  Now the Cowboys went on to win the game by nine points, but they did not look like a consistently strong team.  As for the Cardinals, they appear to be a Jekkyl-and-Hyde team also.  After being beat by the New York Jet two weeks ago by a score of 35-56, Arizona turned around and trounced the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills by a score of 41-17.  With the firepower that Dallas possesses on the offensive side of the ball, QB Tony Romo and RB Marion Barber, the Cowboys should be able to shoot down the Cardinals.

EXTRA COOL: PLAY & WIN. THE WEEKLY GRIDIRON GIVEAWAY FROM ESPN 96.3 can be yours. Email us at contact@fortsmithmoms.com with your picks from the games listed below- don't forget to include the score from the tiebreaker. Good luck!

Texas Longhorns at Oklahoma Sooners
LSU Tigers at Florida Gators
Oklahoma State Cowboys at Missouri Tigers
Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons
Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals

Tiebreaker: Score of Arkansas Razorbacks at Auburn Tigers