Monday Afternoon GameDay - Week 3

It's Week 3 of Monday Afternoon GameDay and we've got a lot to talk about and dissect from the weekend that was. Sunday was a long, long day as I had three fantasy football drafts (all pay leagues) that went back-to-back-to-back. So, from about 12 p.m. to about 12:30 a.m., I was either drafting or talking draft. At the end of the day, I was beat, and I barely left my couch. Saturday was the first day of the college football season, so we got my picks to go over. We’ll also kick off the NFL season with my over/under picks for the every team. Also, everyone out there can post their over/under picks in the comments and we’ll come up with a champion at the end of the season. And, without saying much, the Yankees are done for the year, so look for a lot of changes in 2009. I hope they fire Joe Girardi and bring in Don Mattingly, like they should have originally, but that won't happen.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SATURDAY
Each Monday I’ll go over my picks from my College GameDay column in The Bristol Press and try to figure out what went right and, more likely, what went wrong.

Game 1: Bowling Green +13 at No. 25 Pittsburgh
My Pick: Pittsburgh 33, Bowling Green 17
Actual Score: Bowling Green 27, Pittsburgh 17
I thought the day was off to a great start when Pittsburgh was up 14-0 early on Bowling Green. After that, however, it was all Bowling Green and we had an upset on the horizon. I have no idea what happened after halftime (when Pitt was leading 17-14) but the Panthers didn’t score a point in the second half and went down to the upset. Record: 0-1.

Game 2: No. 17 Virginia Tech -9.5 at East Carolina
My Pick: Virginia Tech 28, East Carolina 12
Actual Score: East Carolina 27, Virginia Tech 22
The second early game had me thinking I would be a quick 2-0 to start the year. Virginia Tech was horrible in the early stages, but they still held a 14-0 lead, pretty much on the same track as Pittsburgh. But the Hokies couldn’t overcome their bad play and ended up getting upset at East Carolina. Pathetic. Record: 0-2.

Game 3: No. 3 Southern Cal -19.5 at Virginia
My Pick: Southern Cal 31, Virginia 10
Actual Score: Southern Cal 52, Virginia 7
Southern Cal proved that they are headed for another national championship with this rout of Virginia. Can’t really say much more than that. USC was dominating, and if they beat Ohio State, then they won’t lose the rest of the season. First win of the day for me as well. Record: 1-2.

Game 4: No. 24 Alabama +4.5 vs. No. 9 Clemson
My Pick: Clemson 38, Alabama 28.
Actual Score: Alabama 34, Clemson 10
I was completely wrong on this game, but that will teach me to buy into the Clemson hype. Clemson always chokes the big games and I should have listened to that trend. Instead, I thought Alabama wasn’t ready for the big time yet. Wrong. Record: 1-3.

Game 5: No. 20 Illinois +9 at No. 6 Missouri
My Pick: Missouri 45, Illinois 31
Actual Score: Missouri 52, Illinois 42
I needed Missouri to hang on to give me a shot at a winning week – and they came through big. Up by 10 with three minutes to go, Illinois had the ball and the chance to ruin the pick by putting up points late, but a 35-yard fumble return by Missouri gave me a 17-point cushion and the victory. Illinois added a late touchdown, but with the spread at 9, we were saved. Record: 2-3.

Game 6: Washington +13.5 at No. 21 Oregon
My Pick: Oregon 31, Washington 10
Actual Score: Oregon 44, Washington 10
The night ended on a great note as Oregon scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to cruise to an easy win and even up my record for the day – a nice turnaround. At the half, the score was 14-10, so we were a little worried. But the Ducks outscored Washington 30-0 in the second half for the cover. Record: 3-3.

Game 7: No. 18 Tennessee -7.5 at UCLA
My Pick: UCLA 27, Tennessee 24
Actual Score: Tonight, 8 p.m., ESPN
We need a big game from UCLA tonight to give us a winning week. Keep it within a touchdown and we’ll make a profit. Craig Carroll went 2-4 in the Saturday games, but went with Tennessee tonight.

FANTASY FOOTBALL SUNDAY
The night ended great last night for me as I got the No. 1 draft pick in my big-time money league, meaning LaDainian Tomlinson was mine. Couldn’t ask for anything better than that. Here is the rest of the team: QB: Donovan McNabb. RB: LaDainian Tomlinson. RB: Jamal Lewis. WR: Marques Colston. WR: Anquan Boldin. TE: Vernon Davis. K: Nick Folk. DEF: Chargers. FLEX: Joey Galloway or Matt Forte. Gotta love this team, especially considering the big-money circumstances involved.

In the middle draft, I ended up getting the 11th pick overall, not cool. But here is what I made of it. Running backs Clinton Portis and Marshawn Lynch were my top two picks. Here is the rest of the team: QB: Brett Favre. RB: Clinton Portis. RB: Marshawn Lynch. WR: Torry Holt. WR: Anquan Boldin. TE: Jason Witten. K: Nate Kaeding. DEF: Chargers. FLEX: Nate Burleson or Justin Fargas.

In the opening draft of the day, I got great news when Brian Westbrook fell to my No. 5 slot. Needless to say, I was ecstatic, as I got the player I would have drafted at No. 3. That was the biggest get of the day. This is also the draft that includes individual defensive players, which I love, and since I’m the commissioner of this league, there in. Here is that team: QB: Drew Brees. RB: Brian Westbrook. RB: Maurice Jones-Drew. WR: Anquan Boldin. WR: Calvin Johnson. TE: Ben Watson. FLEX: Lee Evans. K: Neil Rackers. DEF: Chargers. D: Jared Allen. DB: Antonio Cromartie. DL: Shaun Phillips.

Love all three teams, but we’ll see what happens when the games start.

NFL FUTURES
Post your season over/under picks in the comments and we’ll see how everyone did at the end of the year (make sure you put down your name). Here is my full list of over/under picks for every NFL team.
New England Patriots: Over 12
New York Giants: Over 8.5
New York Jets: Over 8
Arizona Cardinals: Over 8
Washington Redskins: Under 7.5
Baltimore Ravens: Over 6.5
Buffalo Bills: Under 7.5
Carolina Panthers: Under 7.5
Chicago Bears: Over 7.5
Cincinnati Bengals: Under 7
Cleveland Browns: Over 8
Dallas Cowboys: Over 10.5
Denver Broncos: Under 7.5
Detroit Lions: Over 6.5
Green Bay Packers: Over 8.5
Houston Texans: Under 7.5
Indianapolis Colts: Over 11
Jacksonville Jaguars: Over 10
Kansas City Chiefs: Under 5.5
Miami Dolphins: Under 5.5
Minnesota Vikings: Over 8.5
New Orleans Saints: Over 8.5
Oakland Raiders: Under 6
Philadelphia Eagles: Over 8.5
Pittsburgh Steelers: Over 9
San Diego Chargers: Over 10.5
San Francisco 49ers: Under 6
Seattle Seahawks: Over 8.5
St. Louis Rams: Under 6.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Over 8
Tennessee Titans: Over 8
Atlanta Falcons: Under 4.5