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Cardinals -9 1/2 vs. Huskies

The list of undefeated teams remaining in college football includes who? Ball State? It's true. Ball State (8-0, 4-0) has not been getting much love nationally because they play in the Mid-American Conference which is often lost on the national stage and is also often blocked out by the large shadow of the big brother residing in the same region of the country, the Big Ten. But one of the bigger reasons Ball State has not received more national acclaim and attention is that they really have not beaten anyone of note. This will change beginning with tonight's game against Northern Illinois.

The Ball State Cardinals are ranked 16th in the country and count their two best wins of the season as a 35-23 victory over the Naval Academy and a victory over the hapless Indiana Hoosiers from the "big brother" conference. The win over Navy was the only one that Ball State has achieved that was over a team who is over .500 at this point in the season. But times will be getting tougher for the Cardinals who face a 5-3 Huskies team who have a 4-1 conference mark. North Illinois will then finish out their season with the Western Division leading Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant and their home finale against Western Michigan who boasts a 5-1 MAC record.

The last time out Idle Ball State beat Eastern Michigan 38-16 on October 25. Nate Davis was the star of the show, going 17 of 31 for 241 yards including two touchdowns and a touchdown reception. He will face a tougher test with Northern Illinois' ninth ranked defense by allowing only 13.6 points per game.

The Huskies also enjoyed a bye week last Saturday. Their vacation followed a 16-13 home victory over Bowling Green. Northern Illinois gained 233 yards, which marked the third straight game eclipsing the 200 yard mark.

For Ball State to start 9-0 for the first time since 1965, they will have to reverse recent history against NIU. The Huskies have won three straight in the series and four straight on the Cardinals home field. But the Northern Illinois Huskies will have to excise some demons of their own as they attempt to snap a five game losing streak to Top 25 teams. Their last victory was over Alabama in 2003.

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New Jersey -130 vs. Tampa Bay

It's a dark day for Devils fans who remember the many dark days before Martin Brodeur minded the net in New Jersey. Prior to his arrival, the Devils were a nonfactor in the NHL, since then they have been one of the best franchises in the sport. Since 1995, the Devils have won three Stanley Cups, which is second only to Detroit's four during the same time. Now New Jersey (6-3-2) will have to do without their star net minder who has won the Vezina Trophy four times and is now sidelined for the next three to four months because of elbow surgery.

This will mark the first extended amount of time Brodeur will miss in his career. He has been Mr. Durability missing only a few games per season. In addition to his stellar resume, Brodeur was off to a fast start this season. The goalie had a 2.16 goals against average with a .916 save percentage. Taking over the unenviable task of filling Brodeur's skates will be veteran Kevin Weekes. Weekes has been a journeyman and a backup for the New Jersey Devils since last season. Being a backup to Brodeur usually means little playing time and Weekes only played in five games in 2007-2008. Devils' fans did have a glimmer of hope in Monday night's game against Buffalo. New Jersey lost 2-0, but Weekes kept it close throughout by making 28 saves, including an incredible 19 in the first period. Weekes will get another chance tonight as the Devils welcome in the Lightning.

After a sluggish start, Tampa Bay (4-3-3) has come to life lately. The Lightning have won three straight to climb over .500 and to the middle of the pack in the Southeast Division. In the last time out, Tampa Bay scored a come from behind overtime win which was largely on the back of goalie Mike Smith who gallantly made 28 saves in regulation and overtime.

The Brodeur-led Devils took three out of four against the Lightning a year ago, including both games held in the Prudential Center.

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Toronto -4 vs. Detroit

The new era of Detroit Pistons basketball starts north of the border tonight. Lost in the shuffle of the arrival of Allen Iverson and the departure of fan favorite Chauncey Billups is the fact that the Pistons (3-0) will meet the Raptors (3-0) tonight in Toronto in a battle of undefeated teams.

Alan Iverson met the Detroit media for the first time yesterday and has pledged his enthusiasm for helping the team win their first World Championship since 2004. With Billups, the NBA Finals MVP from that season, the Pistons made six straight Eastern Conference Finals, but they were a disappointing 2-4 in those series.  Having six bites at the apple and only making the Finals once and only winning it all only once may have sealed Billups fate in the Motor City. He moves on to Denver, along with Antonio McDyess and the duo take their large salaries with them. Meanwhile Iverson brings his large contract, but unlike the two leaving Auburn Hills, his deal is up after this year.

If the Detroit Pistons are doing rebuilding on the fly, it is obvious Richard Hamilton will be in the middle of it. Hamilton agreed to a $34 million three year contract extension yesterday as well. The All-Star is averaging nearly 20 points per game through the first three games of the season.

With a win over Detroit, Toronto will win four straight for the first time in franchise history. The last time out, the Raptors beat the Bucks 91-87 with standout Jose Calderon scoring a career high 25 points. All-Star Chris Bosh is averaging a double double this season with 22.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

It is unclear if Iverson will suit up in the red, white and blue for the Pistons tonight. If he does, however, the Toronto Raptors may be in trouble. In 26 games against Toronto, Iverson has averaged 30 points per game.

Detroit carried the season series 3-1 last season, with Toronto's only win coming at home.

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Detroit -120 vs. Anaheim

The defending Stanley Cup Champions have already had a tough road in the early part of the season. Detroit (7-1-1) has lost numerous players for extended periods of time in the young season, but it has not stopped them from getting off to their usual fast start. Now they will have to do without Johan Franzen for three to four weeks due to an aggravated knee injury remaining from last year's Stanley Cup Finals. The Red Wings have the third most points in the league and have only one loss in regulation on the season and that was the first game of the season against the Maple Leafs. Since then they have only lost one game in overtime and have won every other game in regulation or shootout.

Meanwhile the team that Detroit unseated as cup champions, the Anaheim Ducks, have had a tough time this season until their recent road trip. During their invasion of Canada and Columbus the Ducks flew high winning all four games. This helped even the Ducks record at 5-5-0.

The Wings and the Ducks, winners of the last two Stanley Cups meet in Anaheim as the Ducks come home and the Red Wings continue their five game western trip that took them to Chicago and Los Angeles, now Anaheim and will conclude with a trip to the Western Conference leader Sharks in San Jose and a game in Vancouver before finally heading home.

The Ducks may wish they could stay on the road a little while longer, their success there is as puzzling as their inability to win at home (1-3). Meanwhile the NHL's best road team comes calling as the Detroit Red Wings look to stay perfect on the road (5-0-0)

The typically defensive minded Wings are one of the top scoring teams in the NFL, with 35 goals. But seven of their last nine games have been decided by one goal with many of those going to overtime and shootout.

Goalie Jean-Sebastian Gigure continues to improve as his team improves. In the Ducks last game, a 3-2 to victory Monday in Columbus, Giguere made 30 saves and lowered his goals against to a more respectable 2.86. Detroit net minder Chris Osgood had a sluggish start, but has steadily improved as well. The veteran is now 4-1-1 in his six games played this season with a 3.13 GAA, although he has risen to the occasion against Anaheim, boasting a 12-3-0 record with a pair of ties and a 2.50 GAA in 17 games versus the Ducks.

Last season the Western Conference rivals split their four game series with each team winning once on each other's home ice.

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Cincinnati vs. Houston

The Bengals have a chance this weekend.  When you are 0-7, that means a lot. The winless Bengals travel to Houston to visit the Texans at Reliant Stadium this Sunday. The Texans are wrapping up a solid month at home after Hurricane Gustav skewed their schedule into three road games to start out the year. All told the month respite has been positive for Houston as they have gone 2-1, having won the last two in a row over Miami and Detroit. They could be 3-0 at home this season if they could have held on to that lead in their home opener October 5 against Indianapolis.

The Cincinnati Bengals have a chance in this game simply because they have trends on their side. No one since the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) have gone winless and no one has gone 0-16, so odds are Cincinnati will get a victory at some point this season. And why not against Houston whom the Bengals are 3-0 against all time.

Of course trends do not play games and the reality of the situation is the Bengals are a banged up team.

Carson Palmer appears done for 2008. The All-Pro quarterback has missed two games, is out for Houston for sure and it looks as if IR is looming on the horizon. After a throttling at the hands of Pittsburgh 35-7, times may be getting tougher and not better for Cincinnati. If backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will be taking over for the rest of the year, the Bengals offense line better give him more protection or he won’t be starting for very long either. The Steelers sack Fitzpatrick seven times last week. That increased the total to 15 in the four game Fitzpatrick has started. He was able to stay upright enough time to get the ball to Chad Johnson, who caught a season high eight passes and a touchdown last week, but his yards after catch were almost nonexistent, as he recored only 52 yards with those eight catches.

Until just a few weeks ago, the Houston Texans were also trying to find their first win. Three weeks later they are 2-4 and seeing a winnable game at home to go one step closer to .500. Many people saw the Texans as a sleeper in this year’s AFC until Gustav put a kink in their hopes. Houston is in last place and must not only win but hope division mates Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Tennessee start to falter. This may be a too tough of a request as two of those teams made last years’ postseason and the other is currently the NFL’s lone undefeated team. Nonetheless, Houston (2-4) got a little more confidence with their second straight win last week against Detroit and will do what they can do to get back in the AFC race.

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New England -7 1/2 vs. St. Louis

Break up the St. Louis Rams. Are they ready to shock the world again? They can beat the Patriots on the road this Sunday and continue their shocking Cinderella story in which they started 0-4, fired their coach, shocked the Washington Redskins with a thrilling last second victory and really shocked the Dallas Cowboys with an unexpected throttling at the Edward Jones Dome last week.

Jim Haslett appears to have his Rams (2-4) thinking they can beat anyone and they will be able to put that to the test when they visit Foxboro to battle New England in a rematch of the stellar Super Bowl XXXVII matchup.

Weeks ago, the New England Patriots may have had this a week in which they could lick their wounds, go through the motions and come up with the victory, but now they have to deal with the new giant killing Rams.

The Patriots (4-2) look to establish some consistency after an inconsistent start to the season. After beginning the season at 2-0, the Pats have alternated between a loss and a win. Last week they decimated the sinking Denver Broncos 41-7 in Foxboro with an encouraging performance from Matt Cassell who threw 18 for 24 with 185 yards and three touchdowns. With Laurence Maroney now on injured reserve, the Patroits relied on backup Sammy Morris and he did not disappoint. He carried the ball 16 times for 138 yards and a touchdown. This production was all in the first half as Morris sat out the second half with an injury but is expected to play against the Rams. Other encouraging news was New England’s defense seemed to be back when they forced five Denver turnovers. The discouraging news was Rodney Harrison being place on injured reserve due to a torn thigh muscle. As Harrison was carted off the field after his injury Monday night, the 15-year fought back tears and waved to the fans and it seemed the injury will more than likely force him into retirement.

Steven Jackson appeared to return to his prior self as he ran for a season-high 160 yards with three touchdowns against the Cowboys. He also left the game early because of an injury but appears to be ready to go for Sunday.

The teams have met 10 times, with each club winning five times, including New England’s first Super Bowl 20-17 in 2002. The Patriots won the last regular season meeting as well, in 2004 in St. Louis.

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Washington -7 1/2 vs. Detroit

After dropping the opening night game to the defending champion Giants, the Redskins responded with surprising victories against New Orleans, Arizona and road games against division rivals Dallas and Philadelphia. After these four straight wins, Washington came home with the intent of rolling up a winless Rams team who had just changed coaches. Of course that is why they play the games. A late field goal gave St. Louis the 19-17 upset victory. This caused some Redskins’ players to feel they let their guard down and played down to their opponents on that day. Assuming Washington has rectified this with last week’s 14-11 victory over Cleveland last week, pity the winless Detroit Lions, this week’s opponents for the Redskins.

Jason Campbell was steady in the Browns game last week, even though the Redskins (5-2) were held scoreless in the first half. He threw 14 completions on 23 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. Campbell did not throw an interception again which extends the NFL record of 332 passes which have not been picked off. This has greatly surpassed the old record held by the 2001 Oakland Raiders of 281. Clinton Portis ran for a season best 175 yards last week and looks to duplicate his success against a pitful Lions defense.

Sadly for Detroit (0-6), even when they play fairly well, they still find ways to lose. Two weeks ago, the defense did a stellar job against Minnesota October 12 until late when the Lions saw a 10-2 second half lead turn into a 12-10 loss with late field goal to win in the Metrodome. Last week, the Lions shot themselves in the foot like they have much of this season, but spotting their opponents to large leads and having an impromptu comeback fall just short. It happened in Atlanta, against Green Bay and last week in Houston.  The Texans got out to a 21-0 first quarter lead. Detroit fought back and scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough and the team lost 28-21 to sink to 0-6.

With Jon Kitna on injured reserve with a bad back, the team’s quarterbacking reins have been handed over to Dan Orlovsky. With the departure of Roy Williams in last week’s trade to Dallas, Calvin Johnson struggled in Houston to break double and triple coverage, but was able to make something happen when he did get the ball. The second year receiver had a season low two catches, but had a season high 154 yards largely because of 96 yards on one catch.

Detroit has been miserable against Washington. Since 1968, the Lions are 2-18 against the Washington Redskins, including postseason play. The two wins for the Lions came in back-to-back years in 1999 and 2000, both played in the Pontiac Silverdome. But those victories were sandwiched around a 27-13 Redskins victory in Washington during the 1999 playoffs. That game marked the most recent postseason game involving Detroit.

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Dallas -2 vs. Tampa Bay

If a Dallas Cowboys‘ fan woke up in August dreaming of their 13 win team from 2007 falling to a pedestrian 4-3 in 2008 after losing to a lousy St. Louis team, whom they decimated 35-7 one year ago, and saw an injured Tony Romo riding the pine and Adam Pacman Jones mysteriously missing, they would have brushed away the cold sweat from their brow consoling themselves it was only a nightmare. Sorry to tell you this Tex, but it is really late October and your gridiron heroes have indeed done exactly what you feared.

The Cowboys have experienced more scandals and setbacks than they have victories this season.  Sandwiched between their losses to Arizona and St. Louis, the Cowboys’ lost their starting Pro-Bowl quarterback, their best cornerback and continue to sputter in the hotly contested NFC East standings. Since starting the season perfect in three games and looking as good as last year’s team which stormed through the regular season, Dallas has lost three out of four and two straight. In fact the Cowboys are just a touchdown against the winless Bengals away from losing four straight and having a losing record.

Even though Romo flirted with coming back for the Rams game, which Dallas (4-3) lost 34-14, it appears the team will have to come to terms with the fact that he will not be back until at least the middle of November.

Things do not get easier for the Brad Johnson-led Cowboys as they play host to the NFC South’s number one team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and attempt to avoid a three game losing streak for the first time since 2004. Johnson appeared rusty in his first start since 2006, throwing for three interceptions. Johnson personally knows it will be a tough test going up against a solid Bucs defense since he was the quarterback who propelled the Bucs to their Super Bowl title in 2002. The Bucs (5-2) are second in the league with 12 interceptions and eighth in total defense.

Tampa Bay continues to impress after winning 27-3 win over division rival Carolina in Week 6 and then beating the visiting Seahawks 20-10 in a solid Sunday night outing last week. The Bucs held Seattle to 176 yards and 7 first downs.

The Bucs had a 402-176 advantage over the Seahawks in total yards, and limited Seattle to seven first downs. One thing Dallas may have going for them is while Tampa Bay has dominated at Raymond James Stadium going undefeated in four game, they have struggled to a 1-2 road record thus far and needed a late rally to get by the Bears in overtime at Soldier Field on September 21.

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Panthers -4 vs. Cardinals

Many teams have started 5-2 and it is not that big of a deal. Sure it's a good start to an NFL season, but it is nothing to celebrate about because 5-2 means there are nine games left in the season and the season can certainly turn south. There have been tons of 5-2 teams over the years that have not made the playoffs. Ask last year's Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.

But for the Arizona Cardinals (4-2), we might as well indulge them a bit. A victory on the road in Carolina Sunday will put the Cardinals at the magical 5-2 mark for the first time in 32 years. Also if they are able to dispatch the Panthers, one of the NFC South’s top teams, on the road after their blowout of division rival New Orleans last week, they deserve to be lauded.

Barring something unseen, a playoff appearance seems pretty bright for Arizona. Seattle and San Francisco seem hopeless and who knows if St. Louis will continue to win or regress into what they were under Scott Linahan. These factors and the fact that the Cardinals have a two game lead in the NFC West seem to indicate that Arizona is on their way to their first postseason berth since 1998 and only their third since 1982.

On top of all of that, the Caridinals have seemed unstoppable in the two weeks leading up to last week's bye. They topped the previously undefeated Bills on October 5 and then welcomed in the Dallas Cowboys and dispatched them in overtime 30-24.

The one thing that may stop Arizona's momentum is their issues on the road. They started the season with a victory in San Francisco, after a brief stop in Glendale with a win over Miami, the Cardinals took to the road for a trip that took them to the east coast to take on Washington and New York Jets in two consecutive weeks. Arizona lost both of those games by a combined score of 80-52. The Cards now find themselves on another cross country trek to Carolina to play the Panthers who have yet to lose a home game.

Winning at Carolina (5-2) won't be easy, though, as the Panthers have won all four of their home games -- outscoring their opponents 108-33. Carolina has not won five straight home games since Sept. 18-Dec. 4, 2005.

For the Panthers, it was the tale of two games the last two weeks. On October 12, Carolina traveled to Tampa Bay and were drubbed by the Bucs 27-3. The team picked up the pieces and came out firing on all cylinders at home last week and dispatched the Saints 30-7.

As they did in their postseason years of 2004 and 2005, the Panthers have ridden their tough defense to many of their victories. Carolina is third in the NFL in defense. They will face a tough Cardinals team that leads the league in scoring with nearly 30 points per game.

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Bills -1 vs. Dolphins

Buffalo has come out of the gates with their best start in 13 years, yet they still fight for respect and notoriety within their own division. The sans-Brady Patriots, the Favre-led Jets and even the improving Dolphins have commanded more respect than the Bills.  For Buffalo to improve to 6-1, they can shove that down one of their better known division rivals' throats, their first AFC East matchup of the season. This week they travel to Miami to take on the last place Dolphins.

Many of the cynics of the Bills, who are one game ahead of New England, state that they have not really played any solid teams yet.  With the exception of Jacksonville, they have not beaten a team with a winning record in 2008. Last week they topped San Diego at home 38-17, but the Chargers have had their share of problems this season. Buffalo is the only team in the NFL to not play a game within their division as we enter Week 7. They will certainly be tested the next few weeks as the last half of the year will be heavily peppered with AFC East opponents for Buffalo, including the next three. Buffalo was 4-2 against the division a year ago, but they know that division records rarely mean anything year to year, however the Bills are hoping to extend their dominance over Miami. They have won seven of the last eight contests.

Trent Edwards appeared healthy after the concussion he sustained in Arizona on October 5. The second-year signal caller broke Jim Kelly's franchise record for completion percentage against San Diego by successfully hitting on 83.33 percent of his passes for 261 yards and a touchdown.

Miami has hit the skids after a hopeful stretch in their schedule. After losing the opening game to the Jets at Dolphins Stadium, the heavily underdog Dolphins headed to New England and promptly crushed the Patriots 38-13 in Week 2. After a bye, Miami dispatching San Diego 17-10, but has since lost its momentum by dropping back-to-back games to Houston and Baltimore.

Despite Miami's recent losses, veteran Chad Pennington continues to play with a quiet confidence. In last Sunday's 27-13 setback to the Ravens, Pennington completed 24 of his 35 passes for just under 300 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Pennington currently ranks fourth in the league with a solid 68.6 completion percentage.

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