Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Don't Complain About Beating The Bengals Edition

So a quick note, this is being written during the Minnesota-Nebraska game. By the time this goes up, we shall know if the Gophers are having a good night, and the Old Dude is watching the Brewers game.

Now that the Brewers have meekly submitted to the Evil Empire, I am also planning my strategy for No Kings Day tomorrow. Think I'll do this for breakfast:

That cereal has all the vitamins you need. But does it have all the Geritol you need?

Not likely.

Well, you'd better get over to a Rexall or something. Isn't that the drug store you used to use, or did you use an apothecary?

Aren't you supposed to be writing a predictions post?

Well, if you would stop going on about your various elderly ailments, I might be able to. By your leave. So, as I was saying, I am not doing a Very Special Comment on the Badgers because I've already laid out my concerns. That being said, the only reason Fickell probably still has a job is because the donors haven't ponied up the cash to can both him and the AD. At least men's basketball is ranked inside the top 25 preseason. 

Greg Gard saves the day again!

 I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work. 

A School In Columbus (-25.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers The Buckeyes are probably the best team in the nation, and even a hater like myself has no trouble admitting that. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Julian Sayin might be the best Buckeye quarterback of them all by the time he leaves, and Jeremiah Smith has a very strong argument to be the Heisman winner. The Badgers frankly are going to need a full reset in the offseason. But there is a glimmer of hope. Ohio State has been a little bit of a slow starter and has relied on their talent to bail themselves out in the late second and early third quarters. Given that they don't have a tough game until Michigan thanks to Penn State's implosion, the temptation is there for the Buckeyes to be looking ahead a bit to Thanksgiving weekend in Ann Arbor. Now this won't be an easy game for the Badgers by any stretch of the imagination. Stranger things have happened. Badgers 21, Buckeyes 18. 

21-18, huh? I don't think David Gilreath is walking through that door. The fear is that Cardale Jones is. Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0.

Philadelphia Tush Push Merchants (-2) vs. Minnesota Vikings The Vikings are going to roll with Carson Wentz, and there is obviously some history between him and the Eagles. The Eagles are coming off a stunning loss to the Giants, and probably need to get the ball to AJ Brown a bit more. If I am the Vikings, it is time for Justin Jefferson to take over this game. He is getting quarterback money to perform in big games and this is the first big game that the Vikings have had this year. Look at what his LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase did last night for the Bengals in a game that the Bengals needed to have. With all due respect to all of the Vikings skill position players, KOC should have the Griddy Man lead what I think is going to be a successful hunt of an Eagles team that is in turmoil Vikings 38, Eagles 7

Well, the Eagles are a mess, but dude, really? I don't have a good read on the Vikings yet - they've been gone so long I'm not sure if they need to worry about ICE when they take the field. Eagles need this one badly and while the Vikings are capable (at least rumor has it), I don't see it going that way. Eagles 24, Vikings 21.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-7) vs. Arizona Cardinals There was a lot of complaining about how the Packers struggled last week, and some of my fellow Packers fans need to remember that winning an NFL game is hard. A lot of credit to the Bengals for playing hard last week, and they ended up beating the Steelers last night. The Cardinals ended up playing fairly well last year against the Packers, and the Packers have played a bunch of tight games out in Arizona in my lifetime. Now is about the time for Micah Parsons to take over the games. He was brought here for a lot of money and draft capital, and Jeff Hafley should let Parsons loose to hunt. Jordan Love ended up playing well last week outside of an interception that wasn't his fault, and it was great to see Matthew Golden really take a step forward. The Packers should win this one in a game that will be tight early but open up a bit in the 3rd quarter. Packers 35, Cardinals 18. 

I need to see the Packers prove they can win on the road. I think they will this week. Packers 27, Cardinals 19.

Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.