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