This week's college football picks: Hurray for the underdog!

Oregon State got this week's slate of college gridiron action off to a rousing start with a 27-21 shocker over what will be previously No. 1 USC.

This is the same Oregon State team that lost by 31 to Penn State one week after a mild upset at the hands of Stanford.

America likes an underdog, especially one that can pull off a monumental, poll-shattering, seismatic upset. Hopefully, the fun will continue throughout the weekend (but, not so much in games involving teams we root for here).

Let's pick some college football winners ...

No. 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater over Puget Sound (in this week's "Bad Idea of the Week," the Loggers scheduled the defending Division III champions as their "Homecoming" game)
No. 9 Wisconsin over Michigan
No. 12 Penn State over No. 22 Illinois
No. 25 Fresno State over UCLA
Purdue over Notre Dame

Upset pick of the week: Oregon State over No. 1 USC (nailed it!). Just kidding ... LOL! LOLOLOL! Just got a hunch on this one ... No. 8 Alabama over No. 3 Georgia. It would be sweet to see another BCS favorite fall.

And our totally random college football pick of the week: Colorado School of Mines over Colorado State University-Pueblo. It's the Orediggers versus the ThunderWolves. Can you guess which school has what nickname?

Last week's record: 3-3 (missing on upset pick, and totally random pick, really hurts)

Overall record: 20-8

Monday Night Nose Tackle: Patriots get dose of comeuppence

"Karma is a funny thing." -- Earl Hickey, My Name is Earl.

A funny thing happened Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins administered a shocking, yet very satisfying, pants-down spanking of the New England Patriots. A team that won one game in 2007 whipped the team that had won an NFL-record 21 consecutive regular-season games.

For the record, the Patriots outscored the Dolphins 77-35 in their two meetings last season, including a 28-point second quarter in a 49-28 Week 7 win in Miami. Many accused the Patriots of running up the score.

The way the Dolphins -- 0-2 going into Sunday -- worked the Patriots in a 38-13 win Sunday was the clearest evidence yet that the Patriots' problems go deeper than at quarterback.

Let's go inside the numbers ...

» In ending the Patriots' 21-game regular-season win streak, the Dolphins ended their own 11-game road losing streak.
» The Patriots' 22-point loss was the second-largest under coach Bill Belichick at home (Patriots lost by 24 to the Chargers on Oct. 2, 2005).
» The Patriots allowed 461 yards, the fourth-highest total under Belichick (highest since allowing 478 yards in a 35-28 win over the Bengals on Dec. 12, 2004).
» Sunday marked the first time since 1993 that the Patriots allowed four rushing touchdowns in a game. The Patriots allowed five against the Jets on Sept. 26, 1993.
» The Patriots were outgained by 245 yards -- 461 to 216 -- and the defense allowed 8.1 yards per play.
» The Dolphins ran six direct snap plays to Ronnie Brown at QB, and those plays resulted in four touchdowns and 119 yards.

It was written in this spot just two weeks ago that Tom Brady's season-ending injury may also mean the end of the Patriots as we've known them for the past few years.

"They outplayed us. They outcoached us. They obviously deserved to win. They were the better team," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after the game.

While the Dolphins move out of the "Teams in danger of relegation if the NFL were like European soccer" drop zone, the Patriots fall out of the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings.

With that in mind, let's take this week's gander at how the NFL power rankings would look like if it were like the BCS (well, kinda ... it has much less computer-generated controversy).

Important note!: The Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings include three very basic components: overall win-loss record, how good teams did against other good teams, and my own profound opinion. Each component will count one-third (more or less or so) of a team's overall Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM score in the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM standings.

Here are the latest Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings of the season (just the top 12, or the number of teams that would make the playoffs if the playoff teams were based totally on the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM formula, which isn't really a formula at all because we're not that good at math and don't trust a computer with a sketchy Firewall) ...

1. New York Giants (Last week: 1) -- Worked overtime to beat the hapless Bengals. But this isn't like the college football polls, there are no style points in the NFL. Just get the win.

2. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 2) -- Collected their first-ever win at Lambeau Field (1-5 all-time, including playoffs).

3. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 4) -- One series of plays in the second quarter was indicative of the frustrations experienced by the Steelers against the stingy Eagles defense. In an eight-play stretch, the Steelers gave up five sacks, committed a false start penalty and threw an interception.

4. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 7) -- Up next: The 0-3 Rams.

5. Denver Broncos (Last week: 8) -- This week's "Thank You!" card goes to Martin Gramatica, who missed a potential go-ahead field goal with just under two minutes left in the game. In all, Gramatica missed two field goal attempts for the Saints.

6. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 12) -- Kerry Collins' play may give Vince Young a permanent spot on the bench.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 3) -- Were humbled by the Eagles, and subsequently dropped in the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM accordingly.

8. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: NR) -- Dropped rival Browns to second 0-3 start in two seasons.

9. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 6) -- Have a lot of work to do before they can compete with the NFC's best.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: NR) -- When did the Buccaneers install the run-and-shoot offense? Brian Griese attempted 67 passes against the Bears.

11. Washington Redskins (Last week: NR) -- In beating the Cardinals for the seventh consecutive time, the Redskins halted the Cardinals' NFL-best streak of scoring 20-plus points at 10 games.

12. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: NR) -- The "Greatest Show on Turf" has hit the West Coast. Faced with a fourth-and-goal situation at the Lions' 1-yard line, 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz called for an end around that Allen Rossum took in for a score that gave the 49ers a pivotal late-game score.

Teams in danger of relegation if the NFL were like European soccer ...

30. Detroit Lions -- This may and/or may not be news, but Matt Millen's job appears in jeopardy.

31. St. Louis Rams -- Have been outscored by opponents 116-29 this season.

32. Kansas City Chiefs -- Continuing with the pro football misery in Missouri, the Chiefs have lost 12 consecutive games, extending their franchise worst streak.

Week 4 picks:

Panthers over Falcons
Bengals over Browns
Jaguars over Texans
Titans over Vikings
Broncos over Chiefs
Saints over 49ers
Packers over Buccaneers
Cardinals over Jets
Chargers over Raiders
Bills over Rams
Cowboys over Redskins
Eagles over Bears
Steelers over Ravens

Week 3 record: 12-4
Overall record: 32-15

1908

"Whoever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -- Chicago Cubs first baseman/manager Frank Chance, 1908.

The Chicago Cubs clinched the NL Central title Saturday, and currently sport the National League's best record.

Many figure the Cubs to be the favorite out of the NL to reach the World Series, if not win it.

Unless you're new to this whole baseball thing and haven't quite grasped its extravagant history, the Cubs winning the World Series would be an epic occasion (sorta-kinda like when the Boston Red Sox won it four years ago and exorcised a certain "curse").

One hundred years ago, in front of the smallest crowd in World Series history (6,210 fans were at Detroit's Bennett Park that day), the Cubs beat the Detroit Tigers 2-0 in Game 5 of the 1908 World Series. It was the team's second consecutive World Series win, and many figured that the Cubs -- who had lost the Series in 1906 -- would win many more.

Years passed ...

Many more years passed ...

Somewhere along the line, the Cubs acquired the "Curse of the Billy Goat".

We're not here to rub salt in the wounds of Cubs fans who have endured this anguish. We're here to put this into proper historical perspective. What was life like the last time the Cubs won the World Series?

HDTV? In 1908, fans couldn't even catch their favorite team on the radio.

Got a boo-boo? You're out of luck. There were no Band-Aids in 1908.

In 1908, baseball players didn't wear numbers of the backs of their jerseys, or anywhere else for that matter.

In 1908, the National Football League wasn't even a figment of somebody's imagination.

In 1908, the cost of a gallon of gas was two cents. A first-class stamp also cost just two cents.

In 1908, Henry Ford developed the first Model T automobile, which then sold for $850 (on a side note, the Model T went 25 miles per gallon of gasoline, which is more fuel efficient than the current Ford Explorer, which manages just 16 miles per gallon).

In 1908, you could buy a handy, and, get this, electrically powered invention called a "toaster" for $1.45. Sure, that's a great price, but unfortunately only 10 percent of America had power in 1908.

In 1908, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" made its debut after being written by a man who had never before even been to a game.

In 1908, Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Tweety Bird, was born.

So was actor Jimmy Stewart, President Lyndon B. Johnson and legendary NFL coach Paul Brown.

In 1908, Henry Chadwick, often referred to as "the father of baseball" and inventor of the box score, passed away.

And last, but certainly not least ...

In 1908, Ottoman Empire still existed. We just don't have empires anymore, having seen the last of their kind thanks to the results of two World Wars. Speaking of World Wars, it was just after the second one when the Cubs made their last World Series appearance. It was 1945, and the Cubs lost in seven games to the Tigers.

This week's college football picks: Do we really have to watch LSU-Auburn?

Thanks for nothing, Ohio State.

And, now this week's big matchup includes a team that managed to win its last game 3-2.

3-2!

In football!

That's Auburn's "War Eagle" defense at work. This week, Auburn hosts LSU, which hasn't beaten the Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium since 1998. That's an eternity in college football. Back in 1998, "Notre Dame football" and "national powerhouse" could be said without being following by laughter.

Let's pick some college football winners ...

No. 4 Florida over Tennessee
No. 6 LSU over No. 10 Auburn
No. 15 East Carolina over N.C. State
No. 18 Wake Forest over No. 24 Florida State

Upset pick of the week: Air Force over No. 20 Utah

And our totally random college football pick of the week: Lakeland College over Carthage College. Sure, the Muskies are 0-2 and Carthage may have administered a 70-46 whipping on Hope College last week, but it's hard to pick against the defending Illini-Badger Football Conference champions playing at home at venerable John Taylor Field in Howards Grove, Wis.

Last week's record: 5-2

Overall record: 17-5

Tuesday Afternoon WILL Linebacker: Some intelligent commentary on pro football

"This was the best crew that we have had in the last 20 crews I have graded." -- Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who showed his sarcastic side when commenting on the referees whose botched calls gave Denver a controversial victory over San Diego.

... And we thought Week 1 was totally nuts.

Sure, there were some great fourth-quarter comebacks, but what will stick out from Week 2 -- and be its everlasting legacy (like that?) -- will be Ed Hochuli's botched call that gave the Broncos another shot at scoring the game-winning touchdown against the Chargers, who open this season with two heartbreaking, last-minute defeats.

That tainted win helps the Broncos vault up into the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings. With that in mind, let's take this week's gander at how the NFL power rankings would look like if it were like the BCS (well, kinda ... it has much less computer-generated controversy, only a couple user errors here or there).

Important note!: The Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings include three very basic components: overall win-loss record, how good teams did against other good teams, and my own profound opinion. Each component will count one-third (more or less or so) of a team's overall Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM score in the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM standings.

Here are the latest Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings of the season (just the top 12, or the number of teams that would make the playoffs if the playoff teams were based totally on the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM formula, which isn't really a formula at all because we're not that good at math and don't trust a computer with a sketchy Firewall) ...

1. New York Giants (Trend: -) -- Now riding a 12-game winning streak in non-home games (including three playoff wins, and that win in Super Bowl XLII).

2. Dallas Cowboys (Trend: +) -- Aaron Rodgers' next test: Facing the talented Cowboys in front of another national TV prime-time audience.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (Trend: +) -- Proved on Sunday that they are still the class of the AFC North.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (Trend: +) -- Big game for the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings on Sunday ... Pittsburgh at Philadelphia. Or, just a big game period. You decide.

5. New England Patriots (Trend: +) -- How demoralizing is Sunday's loss against the Patriots for the Jets? They spent a small nation's gross national product on high-priced free agents this offseason, trade for future Hall of Famer Brett Favre, then see their principal rival's super-duper star quarterback go down to a season-ending injury, only to go on to lose to his replacement, who just happened to be making his first start since high school.

6. Green Bay Packers (Trend: +) -- It appears Packers management knew exactly what it was doing when it told Favre "thanks, but no thanks, we're cool with Aaron Rodgers" when the all-time passing leader opted to unretire just ahead of training camp.

7. Buffalo Bills (Trend: +) -- Beat two 2007 playoff teams to open this season. Unfortunately, they can't make it three straight, since the Raiders come to town in Week 3.

8. Denver Broncos (Trend: +) -- Referee Ed Hochuli to Chargers coach Norv Turner on Sunday, "Umm coach, uh, oopsy daisy?"

9. Indianapolis Colts (Trend: +) -- It took approximately six quarters, but it appears that potent Colts passing game is back on track. Here's some visual evidence.

10. Carolina Panthers (Trend: +) -- Carolina is now 2-for-2 on fourth-quarter comebacks.

11. Arizona Cardinals (Trend: +) -- Not long ago, this perennial doormat was a regular in the category below.

12. Tennessee Titans (Trend: +) -- Started a season 2-0 for the first time since 1999, which, just happens to be the last -- and only -- time the Titans advanced to the Super Bowl.

Teams in danger of relegation if the NFL were like European soccer ...

30. Miami Dolphins -- Made the Arizona Cardinals look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders on Sunday.

31. St. Louis Rams -- At least they still have Torry Holt.

32. Kansas City Chiefs -- Got blown out by the Raiders. Let's repeat this for effect: Got blown out by the Raiders. Again: Got blown out by the Raiders.

Week 3 predictions

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

Week 2 record: 11-4
Overall record: 20-11

UCLA is probably feeling some shame right now

"Adversity builds character." -- Message written on a board in UCLA's locker room after the school's worst loss in a game of football since 1929.

No. 18 BYU gave UCLA a 59-0 pants-down spanking on Saturday.

It was the Bruins' worst loss since a 76-0 defeat at the hands of hated rival USC in 1929, back when the forward pass was a new, revolutionary strategy in the game and players played both ways.

It's a shameful result for a Bruins team that upset then 18th-ranked Tennessee at the Rose Bowl just two weeks ago.

To make the Bruins feel better -- and a little less shame than they already must be feeling -- here are the top 10 other pants-down spankings administered in the college football world this weekend ...

1. Tennessee-Martin 87, Concordia College (Ala.) 21
2. Troy 65, Alcorn State 0
3. Fayetteville State 63, Lincoln (Pa.) 0
4. IUP 63, Millersville 3
5. Augustana 59, Minnesota-Crookston 0
6. Jacksonville 52, Campbell 0
7t. Utah 58, Utah State 10
7t. St. Norbert 55, Grinnell 7
9. Monmouth 47, Lawrence 2
10. Oklahoma State 57, Missouri State 13

So, there you have it UCLA, Minnesota-Crookston took just as bad a beating.

This week's college football picks: The other big game

"When you go on the road, it's an opportunity for you to define yourself, what you are when no one else is around." -- Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, on Saturday's showdown with Fresno State.

All week, the sporting public has been very interested in that "Collision in the Coliseum" Ohio State-Southern California matchup on Saturday, but the more compelling game may be taking place more than 200 miles north in Fresno, where the 10th-ranked Badgers visit 21st-ranked Fresno State.

Getting a Big Ten to come to the Bulldog Stadium is a big deal for Fresno State, which could use a win Saturday as a springboard to a BCS bowl game. You have to give Fresno State all kinds of credit for its we'll-play-anybody-anywhere philosophy, and it appears the Badgers are adopting that same sort of mantra walking into this potential pitfall. Still, it's hard to pick against the Badgers.

Check out this week's picks ...

No. 1 USC over No. 5 Ohio State
No. 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater over Wisconsin-Eau Claire
No. 10 Wisconsin over No. 21 Fresno State
No. 18 Brigham Young over UCLA
Michigan over Notre Dame

Upset pick of the week: Purdue over No. 16 Oregon

And our totally random college football pick of the week: North Dakota over Wisconsin-La Crosse in the annual Potato Bowl, which includes a French Fry Feed on Friday night.

Last week's record: 5-2

Overall record: 12-3

Late Monday Night Backup Quarterback: Week 1 was just plain nuts

"This is the year you will see a shift from the AFC to the NFC as the dominant conference." -- Me, to the girl I'm sorta-kinda seeing after a couple or so or more beers at the Saloon on Saturday night.

Sorry ... gotta pat myself on the back for saying that -- with a mildly sober witness on hand -- now that Week 1 is in the books and, well, it was unpredictably nuts.

The AFC's big three -- Patriots, Colts and Chargers -- either lost to decidedly inferior opponents, or lost their two-time Super Bowl MVP and 2007 season MVP quarterback.

Enter the NFC East, which now houses three of the best teams in the NFL ... at least for the time being (like, if the Giants somehow manage to lose to the Rams in Week 2).

While the Cowboys and Eagles were supremely impressive on Sunday, the defending Super Bowl champion Giants managed a rather boring win over the Redskins (but, that's kinda how the Giants won it all last year, and it should be noted that there are no style points in the NFL). This triumvirate should make the NFC East competition very, very interesting.

For the time being, let's have a little bit of fun here and take a look at how the NFL power rankings would look like if it were like the BCS (well, kinda ... it has much less controversy).

Important note!: The Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings include three very basic components: overall win-loss record, how good teams did against other good teams, and my own profound opinion. Each component will count one-third (more or less or so) of a team's overall Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM score in the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM standings.

Here are the latest Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings of the season (just the top 12, or the number of teams that would make the playoffs if the playoff teams were based totally on the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM formula, which isn't really a formula at all) ...

1. New York Giants (Trend: -) -- Eli Manning orchestrated an impressive opening drive, Brandon Jacobs made LaRon Landry feel some serious shame, but their win over the Redskins was sorta-kinda
meh!"

2. Dallas Cowboys (Trend: +) -- It pains me say that this team is probably pretty good.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (Trend: +) -- The series of unfortunate events to befell the aforementioned big three of the AFC suddenly makes Pittsburgh look like the team to beat in the conference.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (Trend: +) -- Pennsylvania pro football teams outscored their opponents 76-20 on Sunday.

5. New England Patriots (Trend: -) -- Does Tom Brady's injury also mean the end of the Patriots as we've known them for the past few years? Tune in next season.

6. Chicago Bears (Trend: +) -- Kyle Orton could be the 2008 version of Trent Dilfer, circa 2000 ... just don't do anything silly and let that amazing defense do its thing.

7. New Orleans Saints (Trend: +) -- Getting a game up on an opponent expected to compete for the title in the same division as you play in is a big deal.

8. Green Bay Packers (Trend: +) -- Rooting for Aaron Rodgers to have a good game Monday night was an easy thing to do.

9. Buffalo Bills (Trend: +) -- Team management sent an email to the other 31 teams following Sunday's rout of the Seahawks asking, "So, who wants to play us?" Nobody replied.

10. San Diego Chargers (Trend: -) -- This is a big drop from last week (No. 3), but they lost to a Panthers team that was a double-digit 'dog going in. Also, throw in this fun fact ... the Chargers had lost only one of their previous 16 home regular-season games. Not a good start to 2008.

11. Indianapolis Colts (Trend: -) -- This is another big drop (No. 4 last week), but the Colts were expected to beat da Bears. There's still hope, as Peyton Manning was just a bit off on a few key passes and he will theoretically get it straightened out.

12. New York Jets (Trend: +) -- Jets fans got their first good glimpse of Brett Favre's on-the-field magic on Sunday.

Teams in danger of relegation if the NFL were like European soccer ...

30. Oakland Raiders -- Remember the 1970s when the Raiders were really, really good? Oh wait, the '70s are ancient history in the wide world of sports. "Raiders" and "among NFL's elite" is so "plaid suit" and "great thing to wear to a wedding."

31. Kansas City Chiefs -- Blew a chance to beat the Matt Cassel-led Patriots.

32. St. Louis Rams -- Is it too early to put the Rams on 0-16 watch?

Week 2 predictions:

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

Week 1 record: 9-7 (sure, Week 1 was a big nuts, but this is really bad and we promise to do better the rest of the way)

This week's college football picks: U-Dub-Dub back in action!

Nearly nine months after one of the most stunning and impressive victories in recent college football history, Wisconsin-Whitewater returns to the gridiron to open its 2008 campaign.

U-Dub-Dub hosts St. Xavier University (which is located in Chicago and is an NAIA school) at the friendly confines of Perkins Stadium.

This showdown is just one of many that promise to be lopsided affairs this weekend. Check out this week's picks, and you'll notice that it's tough to go out on a limb ...

No. 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater over St. Xavier
No. 5 Florida over Miami (Fla.)
No. 8 West Virginia over East Carolina (though, was really tempted to make this the "Upset pick of the week")
No. 11 Wisconsin over Marshall
No. 15 Brigham Young over Washington

Upset pick of the week: Stanford over No. 15 Arizona State

And our totally random college football pick of the week: North Dakota over St. Cloud State (FYI ... North Dakota smoked Texas A&M-Kingsville in its Division 1 debut last week)

Last week's record: 7-1

Tuesday Afternoon Middle Linebacker: Looking forward to Week 1, and the 2008 season

"Worst Prediction of the Year: Jim Reineking of Fox Sports, for a spectacular feat of multiple bad predictions." -- Gregg Easterbrook, in a column published on NFL.com on Feb. 14, 2006.

If Gregg Easterbrook can write a long-winded, diarrhea-of-the-keyboard column about pro football, so can we ...

Football season officially kicks off Thursday night when the defending Super Bowl champion Giants host the Redskins for what should be a spirited game of football. This is good for America.

Let's kick off Kickoff week by taking a look at how the NFL power rankings would look like if it were like the BCS (well, kinda ... it has much less controversy).

(Of course, this is more like the preseason polls, since no games -- preseason/exhibition contests don't count, silly -- have been played.)

Here are the very first Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings of the season (just the top 12, or the number of teams that would make the playoffs if the playoff teams were based totally on the Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM formula, which isn't really a formula at all) ...

1. New York Giants: Surprising victors of Super Bowl XLII are still tops until they suffer that first loss, which could come as soon as Thursday against the Redskins.

2. New England Patriots: That 18-1 finish last season still isn't good enough to claim the top spot in this poll.

3. San Diego Chargers: Madman linebacker Shawne Merriman vows to play with two torn knee ligaments, which should be an interesting storyline to follow this season to say the least.

4. Indianapolis Colts: It might be a bit premature to think that the "window of opportunity" is closing on these horseshoe-clad gridders.

5. Dallas Cowboys: Hard to give too much respect a team that hasn't won a playoff game in 12 years.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars: Out to end Indy's reign of terror in the AFC South.

7. Seattle Seahawks: Mike Holmgren hoping to go out in a blaze of glory.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers: Will face still challenge from Cleveland.

9. Philadelphia Eagles: Darkhorse Super Bowl contender in NFC.

10. Cleveland Browns: Hype machine could go into overdrive if Brownies manage a victory over the Cowboys on national television.

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Can an aging Jeff Garcia keep it up? Magic Eight Ball says, "Definitely."

12. New York Jets: Brett Favre is in town, and Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller are going to have huge years. We know this because all three are on our fantasy football team.

Teams in danger of relegation if the NFL were like European soccer ...

30. Miami Dolphins: Bill Parcells has a lot of work to do. A lot of work.

31. Atlanta Falcons: Rookie Matt Ryan takes over where Michael Vick unceremoniously left off.

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Very definition of "rebuilding."

For fun, let's make some quick predictions ...

Five non-playoff teams in 2007 who could make the playoffs this season:

1. Cleveland Browns: 2007 playoffs would have been more fun had Cleveland made it to the party.

2. New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees leads what should be a potent offense in the Big Easy.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Everybody's vogue pick to unseat the Packers in the NFC North.

4. New York Jets: Favre-to-Cotchery, touchdown Jets ... sounds like music to our fantasy football team's ears.

5. Buffalo Bills: Buffalo/Toronto Bills feature a rebuilt defense, which includes first-round pick Leodis McKelvin (McLovin'?).

Five playoff teams from 2007 who could be in for a fall:

1. Green Bay Packers: A-Rod takes over for Favre, but is backed up by rookies Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm. Hope No. 12 can stay healthy.

2. Tennessee Titans: Vince Young is better at making plays with his legs than his arm, which would be OK if he were a running back.

3. Washington Redskins: That NFC East is downright tough, and some team is going to have to get left out of the postseason fun.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers: Face one of toughest schedules in NFL this season.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Given the relative strength of the NFC East, only one NFC South team likely will make the playoffs. With an offensively-scary Saints team and Jake Delhomme's return in Carolina, the Buccaneers could be left out.

Week 1 predictions:

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