The playoffs begin and the Wildcard round is usually one of the most interesting, this season should be no exception as there are four very strong wild card teams and a couple of very suspect division champions. Indeed it is well within the possibilities that all of the wildcard teams will win into the divisional rounds. Each of these games has potential to be very closely contested, it should be a great weekend to watch football. (For those keeping track at home the regular season results were 169 – 86 – 1 straight up and 137 – 112 – 7 against the spread.)

Please note that these picks are not to be confused with the real business of Football Forecasters and are not the recommended picks. Personally I do not bet football and anyone who has followed this little feature for any length of time will understand why. I participate in a pick’em league and these choices reflect those picks though my league choices are subject to last minute changes based on the latest injury and practice reports. Generally, these picks will appear on Wednesday evenings and for their limited amusement value.

AFC

Baltimore at Miami – The Dolphins have one of the great turnaround stories of the game as they have won ten games more than last season. This has been the result of good fortune to some extent; they were the real winners of the Brett Favre sweepstakes. They have played well also as reflected by the fact that they have the fewest turnovers in the NFL. A lot has been made out of their use of the Wildcat formations and trick plays but really, they play fundamentally sound football on both sides of the ball.

The Ravens defense seems to have found the fountain of youth and is playing as good as they ever had which is a very high standard. They may not be the best statistical defense but they are certainly as difficult to play against as anyone is and capable of turning around a game on almost any play. The greater surprise is the offense, which has big play potential for the first time in recent memory.

These teams met in week seven with the Ravens winning. This looks like a close game but the nod here goes to Baltimore again. The Miami offense relies on speed and the Baltimore defense has the players to neutralize their speed. In the other direction, the Baltimore running game can wear down the Miami defense and open up big play opportunities in the passing game, Ravens win 24 – 20.

Indianapolis at San Diego – The Chargers essentially returned from the dead after starting the season 4 – 8 and making the playoffs. They recovered by refocusing the defense and getting the offense healthy down the stretch. They did not play as badly as their early record might indicate.

Indianapolis also started the season with an uncharacteristic losing stretch. They have the longest winning streak going into the playoffs, they perhaps have not played as well as their record might indicate but they have proven the ability to win from behind with strong efforts late in games.

This game is a rematch of week twelve when the Colts won on a field goal as time expired. Both defenses are suspect and both offenses have advantages against the defensive weaknesses of the other side. The season play suggests that the Colts have found ways to win late and the Chargers have found ways to lose late, hard to pick against that trend, Colts win 24 – 21.

NFC

Philadelphia at Minnesota – The Vikings have struggled their way to a division title. They have a good running offense and a quality rush defense with everyone expected to be available on the defensive line. Their pass offense has been hit or miss and this is not a good team to come from behind in a game.

The Eagles are a frightening team, both good and bad. They have the capability to play at the highest levels on both offense and defense but they can be horribly inconsistent as well. They lack a power running game, which has cost them in the red zone; the offense depends largely on how McNabb plays.

Based solely on talent the pick for this one has to be Philadelphia. They have more ways to win and more weapons but they also have the ability to implode. Whatever the result there is a likelihood that this game may not be all that close, Eagles win 24 – 14.

Atlanta at Arizona – Arizona has been a team on the brink for some time trying to win their division and make their way into the playoffs. They managed to win the West this season though it is not clear that anyone else was really trying to win it. Their offense can be prolific but has been inconsistent at times. The problem for the Cardinals is on defense where they give up too many big plays, they have by far the worst scoring defense of any team in the playoffs.

Atlanta has been one of the big surprises of the season as they finished seven games better than last season and made wholesale changes to their roster, most of which seemed to have worked very well. The offensive line has played well protecting rookie, Matt Ryan who has played better than any quarterback has since Marino. Michael Turner has excelled as an every down back and is a break away threat. The defense is not great but it is effective.

Atlanta is the choice for the win based on their defensive advantage, which is not decisive but may be enough. If Arizona can jump out to an early lead and get Atlanta out of their running game they have good chances. If Atlanta gets rolling with the running game, they can pretty much dictate the tempo, Falcons win 28 – 24.

Talk about some big time star-power. Anytime you can get Cloris Leachman to be the Grand Marshall of the Tournament of Roses and then have her at the 50 to flip the commemorative coin, you know you’re in for a good game. Apparently, Estelle Getty and Bee Arthur were busy. Also, a great Stealth Bomber fly-by in pregame. Even if the military does decide to retire the plane, maybe we can keep a few in working order, as it’s a great touch for a big football game.

After the first couple drives, it looked like the commercial breaks were wining the first quarter. Both Penn State and USC were happy feeling out the other team’s defense, with Penn State mixing in Evan Royster, while USC moved Mark Sanchez in the pocket while feeding the ball to the trio of CJ Gable, Stephon Johnson, and Joe McKnight. But after both teams tried a little something called the forward pass, the game quickly opened up.

Sanchez has to be the early favorite for MVP honors, as he’s 7 of 9 with a pretty TD pass to Damien Williams, and he just snuck in a draw from the six-yard line for the Trojans second TD. The Nittany Lions put together a nice drive themselves after self-inflicted wounds hurt both their defense and their offense in the first quarter. It looks like Penn State is going to have to rely on the passing element of their HD offense if they’re going to hang with the Trojans. While they’re moving the ball okay on the ground, they aren’t going to be able to keep going three-and-out if they want to hang around in this one.

In other news, Joe Paterno is enjoying a pudding snack in the coaches box.

Just kidding.

Will the Hokies or Bearcats score in the first seven minutes of the Orange Bowl?

Which team will score first?

These are just some of the props related to the Orange Bowl at SPORTSBETTING.COM.

More here.

SPORTSBETTING.COM’s first half line for the Orange Bowl sees the Cincinnati Bearcats listed at -0.5 and the Virginia Tech Hokies at +0.5.

The Total is set at 21.

I could get used to this stuff. Even living in Los Angeles, you forget how awesome Pasadena is. The neighborhoods look like honest to goodness neighborhoods with trees and clean streets, and perfectly manicured yards. Pasadena is so eerily perfect that Desperate Housewives uses a random street in the city for its set design. (I’m not sure Pasadena can be happy with that decision.) The Rose Bowl is one of the most picturesque venues for college football, and true to form, it’s 72 degrees, sunny, and a perfect day for football. Driving north up the Harbor Freeway, I left with plenty of time this morning, as the 35 miles can sometimes take hours, not minutes. But there wasn’t a sniff of traffic, as the New Years festivities of last night must’ve rendered commuters too hungover to go anywhere this morning.

If you’re looking for any analysis of the Rose Parade, you’re out of luck. I’m not sure what I find more ridiculous, the fact that people spend months cutting up flowers and gluing them into floats, or the fact that thousands of people get up before sunrise on New Years Day to get in place to watch these floats drive by.

Most of the parking for Rose Bowl tailgating is on a golf course. Instead of being set up on acres of parking lots, most people are parked on lush fairways or Bermuda grass rough. The Penn State faithful might not have had USC fans outnumbered at the scene, but they certainly seemed more jacked up. I arrived about three hours before the game to find Paternoville West already rocking. Setting up shop just off a greenside bunker, they had a PA system, full-working bar with top-shelf drinks, and enough people collectively drinking to think that the Nittany Lions actually have a shot. There were more than a few drunk college kids using the sandtrap as a mini-beach, and white, tanless bodies were plentiful.

I think I parked next to Curtis Enis, but I was too big a chicken to go up and say something, especially since the conversation might have gone something like this:

Me: Hey, Curtis Enis, what’s going on?

Curtis Enis: I’m going to the Rose Bowl, what does it look like I’m doing?

Me: (stuttering) Going to the Rose Bowl. … Me too. (Pause) Hey, remember your cameo in Jerry Maguire? That was awesome. What happened with the Bears?

Curtis Enis walks away, shaking his head.

End Scene.

I’ll be coming to you live after each quarter, from up top at the Rose Bowl, so check back here for some hard-hitting analysis from the Grand-Daddy of them all …