Saturday Afternoon Pro Football Banter: Breaking news ... some big games this weekend

"They are still the Dallas Cowboys. Everybody hates everybody in this league. This rivalry has gotten even more intense. They have been titled America’s Team, and they are coming to the Big Apple. So it should be fun.” -- Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce, on the Giants' opponent on Sunday.

The storyline is pretty simple here: Two losses in the last three games has the preseason Super Bowl favorite Cowboys at 5-3 and looking up at the defending Super Bowl champion Giants, who lead the NFC East at 6-1. Another loss for Dallas would be devastating for the team's division title hopes.

Yup, devastating. Especially considerin the relative strength of all the teams in the NFC East, the best division in professional football.

This isn't the only game America will be watching with great interest. Take, for instance, that big Monday night showdown in Landover, Md., where the Redskins hold the fate of America in their hands when they host the Steelers.

Before 2004, the Redskins had played a strange part in predicting the outcome of 15 straight U.S. presidential elections. When the Redskins lost their last home game prior to the election, the incumbent party also lost the White House. That streak came to an end in 2004, when the Packers beat the Redskins and two days later incumbent George W. Bush beat John Kerry in the election. Still, 15 of 16 elections have been correctly predicted by Redskins games. Think Obama will be rooting for the Steelers on Monday night?

Speaking of the Redskins and Steelers, these two teams are among the biggest movers in this week's Just-Totally-Made-Up NFL BCS^TM rankings.

Let's check 'em out!

1. Tennessee Titans (Previously: 1) -- Some are already trying to break down possible Giants-Titans matchups for Super Bowl XLIII.

2. New York Giants (Previously: 2) -- Could really bury a bitter division rival with a win at the Meadowlands on Sunday.

3. Washington Redskins (Previously: 6) -- May just have to take one for America on Monday night.

4. Carolina Panthers (Previously: 8) -- Come out of this week's bye with games against the Raiders and Lions.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (Previously: 3) -- May have Obama in their corner on Monday night.

6. New England Patriots (Previously: 9) -- Still have that look of the team to beat in the AFC East.

7. Buffalo Bills (Previously: 4) -- Which is the real Bills team? The one that opened the season 4-0? Or, the one that has gone 1-2 in its last three games?

8. Arizona Cardinals (Previously: 5) -- Kurt Warner going back to where all the magic began back in 1999.

9. Dallas Cowboys (Previously: NR) -- Terrell Owens appears on the brink of an explosion. Stay tuned ...

10. Chicago Bears (Previously: 10) -- Really happy to have picked up Kyle Orton a few weeks ago for the fantasy team.

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Previously: 7) -- Still not sure what to think of this team, especially after last week's disappointing showing in Dallas.

12. Green Bay Packers (Previously: 12) -- Will knock off undefeated Titans on Sunday (please see predictions below).

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

30. Kansas City Chiefs -- Over there last 16 games, the Chiefs have lost 15.

31. Detroit Lions -- Over the last 15 games, the Lions have lost 14.

32. Cincinnati Bengals -- Remember that time when the Bengals won the AFC North and made the playoffs? That wasn't really all that long ago.

Week 9 picks

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

Week 8 record: 8-6
Overall record: 72-44