The Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) travel to face the Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3) for a Monday Night showdown between teams heading in opposite directions. The Jaguars have hit their stride winning the last two games and going 7-1 since a 1-2 start to the season. The Bengals are reeling after losing their last three games and the last two since losing quarterback Joe Burrow to season-ending wrist surgery.
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The Arizona Cardinals (2-10) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4) in a game that has significant playoff and draft slot implications. With an improved offense and favorable schedule, the Steelers look to challenge for the division title and playoffs.
The defenses are ahead of the offenses here, and neither team is likely to put up huge numbers. Florida State has to try to do so, but the Seminoles are really in no position to do that without Jordan Travis.
It’s hard to pick against either of these teams for different reasons. On one hand, Georgia has dominated for the past two years and plays its best football against the best teams on its schedule. On the other, Alabama keeps finding ways to hang around when it should have been dead and buried by now.
Alabama and Nick Saban had the upper hand over Georgia and Kirby Smart for about a decade before UGA finally broke through the last two seasons to claim the crown.
Oregon has been a cover machine and has looked far superior to Washington over the past six weeks. But are the Ducks really a full 10 points better than the Huskies at this point?
I like the way last week worked out so I’m going to switch this column to that format, at least until I go 4-12 again. This is the last week with byes, as the NFL seems to be determined to use the weirdest possible convention for their bye format.
The wrong team appears favored here. Yes, Tulane has the better record and has dominated the American for two years. But SMU’s powerful showings the past few weeks have suggested this team really wants to go out of the American with a league title.