As Sly Croom once said, “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

The No.2 Georgia Bulldogs invade Bryant-Denny Stadium to collide with the No.4 Alabama Crimson Tide in what looks more like a national championship game than a regular season contest. But, luckily for the fans of both teams and for college football fans, we get an earlier rendition of this epic.

Jalen Milroe vs Carson Beck is riveting. First year Bama Coach Kalen DeBoar versus Kirby Smart is an intriguing contrast in coaching styles. The matchup of the Alabama offense and defense versus the Georgia defense and offense, respectively, is through the roof interesting. Does the Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd factor with a presidential contender in attendance take the Tide over the top? Or do these agitated Dawgs find a way to emerge out of Tuscaloosa victoriously? The individual talent on both sides is totally stellar. Can the more relaxed yet focused approach of DeBoar prevail over the hyper-intense, competitive, irritated Smart approach?

Here’s a look at the Tide-Dawgs preview/prediction along with the other promising games this weekend.

****All games Saturday unless otherwise noted. All times Central****

Record

Last week, Week 4. SU-11-3; Overall-40-16, 71%

ATS: 8-6; overall-34-21, 62%

****All games Saturday unless otherwise noted. All times Central****

No.2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) @ No. 4 Alabama (3-0, 0-0)

Bryant-Denny Stadium, 101,821

6:30 PM

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Holly

UGA by 2

Safety Malachi Moore and outside LB Qua Russaw are probable for the Tide defense, which is a major plus. Georgie has some injuries. The key loss, as Excedrin astutely pointed out to me yesterday, is Georgia offensive guard Tate Ratledge; the team’s best O Lineman. Excedrin pointed out to me that Ratledge is the top rated o guard on the NFL draft board. So I agree with E on that. Can Milroe outplay Beck, and can the skill players of Alabama, RBs Jam Miller and Justice Haynes, the great 17 year old wide receiver Ryan Williams, etc.. outplay the vaunted Georgia defense and can Malachi Moore and the defense shutdown Beck and company. enough The answer to those questions to me are a barely affirmative. If Nick Saban, who was 5-1 against Smart head to head, picks Georgia on GameDay Saturday morning there may be a riot in T-town. But 30 minutes later, the Great One will be forgiven and it’ll be 5 o’clock somewhere. Trump has the Quarter Pounders with cheese covered.

Alabama 24, Georgia 21

Other SEC Scores

Auburn 21, No.21 Oklahoma 20

Jordan-Hare

2:30 PM

ABC

Sooners by 2

The losing coach of this game will be in scolding hot water. I know the Auburn players don’t want to lose this game and be thrown under the bus by Hugh. If Hugh loses this game, he may get run over by the bus.

No.1 Texas 45, Mississippi State 3

Darrell K. Royal Stadium, Austin

3:15 PM

SEC Network

Hook’em by 38 1/2

Like Sark and Arch to have a good afternoon. I guess Arch is keeping the position in shape for Quinn Ewers? Arch is pretty strong. The Horns have a good day against a rebuilding State team under first year coach Jeff Lebby.

No.6 Ole Miss 31, Kentucky 21

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford

11 AM

ABC

Rebs by 18

I like the Wildcats to give Jaxson Dart and the Rebels a little trouble. Kentucky has improved. Lane and the Black Bears haven’t played anybody, so It’s hard to get an accurate read on this team. They look good on paper and the results look solid so far and their schedule is pretty favorable with the toughest games being @ LSU, Saturday, Oct. 12th, and Georgia at home on Saturday, 11/9. So a playoff appearance/run could be in the cards for Lane and company. But that’s still to be determined for sure..

No. 24 Texas A&M 31, Arkansas 28

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX.

2:30 PM

ESPN

A&M by 4

Always a hard-nosed tussle. Like the Aggies barely.

No.14 LSU 45, South Alabama 28

Tiguh Stadium, Baton Rouge

6:45 PM

SEC Network

Bengal Tigers by 22

Not sure what to think of Brian Kelly’s team. As usual, they’re loaded with great athletes, but they don’t have their chemistry down yet. Star inside/outside linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. is out for the season with a knee injury. That hurts the defense and the team. I like South to keep it closer than anticipated.

Off in the SEC: Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Florida

National Predictions

No.3 Ohio State 34, Michigan State 27

Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Mich.

6 PM

Peacock

Buckeyes by 23 1/2

Not sure what to make of Ohio State either because they haven’t played anybody yet. Jonathan Smith is going to do some good things at Michigan State. He had a lot of success at Oregon State and he’s an excellent coach. They give Ohio State everything they want on Saturday Night.

No.8 Oregon 45, UCLA 17

Rose Bowl, Pasadena

10 PM

FOX

Ducks by 25 1/2

Starting to get very bullish on Dan Lanning and his Oregon squad. Their demolition of Oregon State on the road two weeks ago has me believing. Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel is for real.

No. 10 Utah 27, Arizona 17

Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City

9:15 PM

ESPN

Utes by 11

I like ‘Zona to beat the spread. Strange things are going on at quarterback for Utah, with Cam Rising, the seventh year senior, now available to play, but freshman Isaac Wilson slated to start Saturday. Almost sounds like a Tom Brady-Drew Bledsoe maneuver by Coach Whittingham. That worked out pretty well for Bill Belichick and company in New England. Kyle Whittingham is usually trustable, so we’ll see how this develops. Utah is a real possibility to win the Big 12 and earn a spot in the 12-team playoff. A lot of football left, but the victory @ OK. State last Saturday was huge.

No.17 Clemson 35, Stanford 28

Memorial Stadium, Clemson

6 PM ‘

ESPN

Tigers by, dadgummit, 21 1/2

Unlike others, I’m not on board with Clemson yet. The Cardinal had a nice victory on the road @ Syracuse last Friday Night. They’ll hang tough.

No.6 Notre Dame 30, No. 15 Louisville 27

Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend

2:30 PM

Peacock

Irish by 6 1/2

The Fighting Irish survive this contest.

No. 22 BYU 28, Baylor 27

McLane Stadium, Waco

11 AM

Fox Sports 1

Baylor by 3 1/2

When are people going to start believing in the Cougars? What else do they have to do? They’re the Rodney Dangerfield of College Football. Give me the Cougs all day in the upset. They destroyed Kansas State at home last Saturday Night. They deserve respect despite the fact that they aren’t getting any.

Friday

No.7 Miami 42, Virginia Tech 21

Hard Rock Stadium, South Beach

6:30 PM

ESPN

Canes by 19 1/2

Believe in Mario Cristobal, quarterback Cam Ward and this football team. Oregon and them have me believing.

No. 12 Michigan 21, Minnesota 10

Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor

11 AM

FOX

Mich by 9 1/2

Love what Coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines did last Saturday at the Big House in defeating then No. 11 USC, 27-24. Quarterback Alex Orji threw for just 32 yards and 0 TDs, but the Wolverines ran for 290 yards, led by Kalei Mullings’ 159 yard , 2 TD performance, and Donovan Edwards’ 74 and a 7. Mullings was awesome in his interview afterwards with Jenny Taft of FOX Sports as well. What a super kid, who loves playing football and playing for his team. Michigan cornerback Will Johnson threw in a 42 yard pick 6 for good measure. Moore won 4 games last season for the Wolverines when Harbaugh was suspended. I’m starting to believe in this running game and defensive team. Orji will have to throw it better, but he’s capable.

No.23 Kansas State 31, No. 20 Oklahoma State 17

Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Little Apple, KS. No Broadway

11 AM

ESPN

K State by 5

If someone predicts OK State to win this game, I’ve got some lakefront property in Moscow I want to sell them.

Here’s an entertaining 2010 music vid by Eli “Paperboy”Reed. Quite a set of pipes. Have a better one.

The Auburn Tigers face a critical test this Saturday at 2:30 PM CT as the Arkansas Razorbacks invade Jordan-Hare. Big day for Hank Brown, Hugh and the team. The Crimson Tide is off this week after dismantling Wisconsin 42-10 last Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. Camp Randall and the Badgers presented little resistance for the Crimson Tide, which looked awesome. Jalen Milroe and the team looked to have hit their stride. Georgia comes to Tuscaloosa next Saturday for a massive tilt with a 6:30 PM Central kick on ABC. Hopefully, there won’t be a major circus with the Trump appearance. This is the game of the season so far. There needs to be total attention on the team and the coaches in this game. Can’t wait for that.

First though, let’s take a look at this Saturday, week 4 in this riveting college football season thus far. How about them Saints as well. The Cowboys stood no chance in the Saints’ 44-19 victory at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara and the team are definite Super Bowl LIX champion material. That’ll be played at Caesar’s Superdome in N’Awlins on Sunday, February 9th, 2025 with FOX broadcasting. Kickoff will be approximately at 5:30 PM CT. Should be a fun season. Sorry Tua is having so many problems. Hoping he can play, but know he needs to look out for himself. So if he decides to hang it up, I support the decision. Four concussions in 4 years is a lot.

Here’s a look at this Saturday’s action. All times are Central

Last Week;

SU-8-6, Overall: 29-13, 69%

ATS: 7-7, 26-15, 63%.

Arkansas (2-1, 0-0) @ Auburn (2-1, 0-0)

2:30 PM

ESPN

Tigers by 2 1/2

Hugh and the Tigers need this. Hank Brown will be tested at quarterback for the Tigers. I like the Tigers to survive this one. That’s all you need to do in the SEC;survive and advance.

Auburn 24, Arkansas 23

No.6 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0) @ No. 15 Oklahoma (3-0,0-0)

Memorial Stadium, Norman

6:30 PM

ABC

UT by 7

I like Josh Huepel and his Vols to extract some revenge against his old team, which he played and coached for, and that fired him as offensive coordinator.

Tennessee 35, Oklahoma 24

@No.1 Texas 48, LA Monroe 17

7 PM

ESPN

Longhorns by 44

Arch Manning is everything he was cracked up to be and more. Quinn Ewers better hurry up and get healthy.

@No. Ole Miss 48, Georgia Southern 10

6:45 PM

SEC Network

Ole Miss by 36 1/2

The Black Bears shouldn’t have too many issues here. When are they going to play somebody? SEC play is coming up, but it’s Kentucky at home next Saturday. Kentucky played Georgia tough, so maybe they’re finding something. Nothing’s guaranteed in this conference.

@No. 16 LSU 42, UCLA 17

Tiguh Stadium, Baaton Rouge, LA.

2:30 PM

ABC

Bayou Bengals by 23 1/2

The Bayou Bengals escaped Columbia, S.C, with an improbable victory last Saturday afternoon. But that’s all you need to do in the SEC, survive, escape etc… They should handle business over a UCLA team that’s really struggling.

No.7 Missouri 34, Vanderbilt 24

Memorial Stadium, Columbia, MO.

3:15 PM

SEC Network

Mizzou by 20

Vanderbilt lost a very disappointing game last Saturday at Georgia State and this is a tough opponent on the road, though Missouri as No.7, I’m not sure about that. Maybe. The talent is there. Doesn’t look like they have their chemistry yet. I like a better game than the line does in this one.

Florida 23, Mississippi State 20

Davis-Wade Stadium, Starkville

11 AM

ESPN

Florida by 6

Billy Napier just hasn’t lived up to his billing. He’s in trouble, but State has really struggled, so I like the Gators to survive here.

No. 23 Texas A&M 35, Bowling Green 10

Kyle Field, College Station

6:30 PM

ESPN+/SEC+

A&M by 22 1/2

The Aggies posted a huge victory in the Swamp last Saturday. Backup quarterback Marcel Reed was awesome against Florida. He’s a better option than Conner Weigman.

South Carolina 45, Akron 7

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia

6:30 PM

ESPNU

Gamecocks by 28

Kentucky 34, Ohio 17

Kroger Field, Lexington

11:45 AM

SEC Network

Wildcats by 20

National predictions

No. 11 USC 27, No. 18 Michigan 24

Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor

2:30 PM

CBS

SC by 5 1/2

The Men from Troy survive and advance themselves.

No. 14 Oklahoma State 28, No. 12 Utah 24

Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK.

3 PM

FOX

OK State by 2 1/2

Like the Pokes to take care of business at home, particularly with Utah starting quarterback Cam Rising not playing due to injury.

No. 21 Clemson 42, NC State 10

Memorial Stadium, Clemson

11 AM

ABC

Tigers by 18 1/2

The Tigers are starting to find something. They do well in Death Valley.

**Upset City**

Kansas State (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) @ BYU (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)

LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, Utah

9:30 PM

ESPN

K State by 6 1/2

Love BYU as a home underdog here. They are tough at LaVell Edwards. Might have to make this whole game if possible. Probably not, but at least the first half and some of the third quarter. Who knows.

BYU 28, K State 27

.

The No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide travels to Madison, Whisky to face the Wisconsin Badgers at 11 AM CT Saturday on FOX attempting to re-gather their prominence from the Saban years. The Auburn Tigers are looking for a signal caller who can get the job done and not throw interceptions, as Payton Thorne did 4 times last Saturday in an upset loss to Cal. Auburn hosts New Mexico Saturday at 6:30 PM CT on ESPN2.

The Crimson Tide is looking for consistency from their offense. Defense has been pretty solid. Hugh Freeze has “a short leash” on Thorne as Hank Brown could be called to duty if Thorne struggles once again.

There are some other key games in the conference and a national matchup that looks interesting.

Onto this week’s predictions.

Record Last Week/Overall

SU, 9-2, Overall: 21-7, 75%.

ATS: 7-3, Overall 19-8, 70%.

No.4 Alabama @ Wisconsin

Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Whisky

11 AM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Tide by 16

Kalen needs this as does Jalen, the o line, etc. With Kadyn Proctor back at left tackle, most likely, and Elijah Prtitchett sliding over to right tackle, Jam Miller, Justice Haynes and Milroe should have some room to run. I like Kalen and his Crimson Tide team to capture the road victory and look impressive doing it.

Alabama 42, Wisconsin 10

New Mexico @ Auburn

Jordan-Hare

6:30 PM CT

ESPN2

Roy Philpott, Sam Acho, Taylor Davis

Tigers by 28

The Lobos have losses to Montana State, 35-31, and No. 21 Zona, 61-39. The Tigers should have a good night. The Thorne-Hank Brown QB battle will be ongoing during and after this game, Brown is an 85 three-star redshirt frosh from Nashville. Thorne was an 85 three-star when he signed his letter of intent with Michigan State and possessed an 87 transfer rating, all by 247 Sports. He needs to pick it up if he wants to continue starting. Hugh said Thorne practiced well in August and has been good at practice, but HAS to pick it up in games or he’ll be replaced. He’s always thrown interceptions. Can you coach a player through accuracy problems? That can be hard to do, but not impossible.

Auburn 45, New Mexico 7

No.1 Georgia @ Kentucky

Kroger Field, Lexington

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Sean, Greg, Molly

UGA by 24

Give me Carson Beck and the Dawgs here. They look terrific presently.

Georgia 38, Kentucky 7

UTEP @ No.2 Texas

Darrell K. Royal -Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin

6 PM CT

ESPN

Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, Quint Kessenich

Horns by 35 1/2

Hook’em looking pretty awesome as well. Arch Manning is going to have to wait his turn for Quinn Ewers. Ewers, Jaxson Dart and Carson Beck are my Heisman favorites right now. Texas is a complete team. Texas and Georgia won’t pull a Notre Dame. Northern Illinois? Are you kiddin’ me?

Texas 52, UTEP 7

No.16 LSU @ South Carolina

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia

11 AM CT

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Holly

LSU by 7

I’m a believer in the Gamecocks after going up to Kroger Field and dismantling the Wildcats last Saturday. Give me the upset.

South Carolina 24, No. 16 LSU 21

Other SEC teams’ scores

Florida 21, Texas A&M 17

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville

2:30 PM CT

ABC

A&M by 3

Will take the Gators in an upset as well.

No. 5 Ole Miss 42, Wake Forest 10

@ Wake

6:30 PM CT

The CW Network, Channel 21 in B’ham

Rebels by 22 1/2

Lane and Dart keep it truckin’ against a little better competition. The competition has been weak so far.

No.6 Missouri 28, No. 24 Boston College 21

@Mizzou

11:45 AM CT

SEC Network

Mizzou by 16

Bill O’Brien and BC give Eli and the Tigers a tough game.

Tulane 34, No. 15 Oklahoma 31

Memorial Stadiun, Norman

2:30 PM

ESPN

Sooners by 13

Like Jon Sumrall, the former Troy coach, to take the Green Wave into Norman and upset the Sooners.

Arkansas 42, UAB 14

@Fayetteville

3:15 PM CT

SEC Network

Ark by 24 1/2

The Hogs are too much for the Blazers. Blazers had a rough outing last Saturday Night @ LA Monroe in a 32-6 loss.

No.7 Tennessee 55, Kent State 3

@Neyland Stadium

6:45 PM CT

SEC Network

Vols by 49

UT looks good after blasting NC State on the road last Saturday Night, 51-10.

Vanderbilt 24, Georgia State 21

Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta

6 PM CT

ESPN+

Dores by 10 1/2

Vanderbilt is playing well, but has to be careful in a hostile environment at the Old Tuner Field that is now Center Parc Stadium, which seats almost 50,000 people. Georgia State has 43,000 undergraduates. It’s a large school and will give Vanderbilt everything it wants. They’re serious about their football in Georgia just like they are here in Alabama.

Mississippi State 31, Toledo 10

@Davis-Wade Stadium, Starkvegas

6:30 PM CT

ESPNU

Bullies by 11 1/2

The Bullies absorbed a tough loss @ Zona State last Saturday Night, 30-23. Jeff Lebby trying to get things straightened out with this program. Might take him another year or two if the fans can show a little patience, which is tough these days.

National Upset Central

Oregon State 35, No. 9 Oregon 34

Reser Stadium, Corvallis, OR.

2:30 PM

FOX

Ducks by 16 1/2

The PAC-12 added Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State for the 2026 season today. They need two more teams to join the Power 4 and become the Power 5 once again. That would be in 2026. This’ll be a good step for OSU and the PAC-12. They take down Oregon.

I’m going to be a little more brief this week as I’ve been beset by COVID the last two weeks. I contracted it last Monday, a week ago, and got “Rebound COVID” this past Monday. Hadn’t been a real blast. But I’ll give you what I’ve got this week.

Interesting first week as Miami, Notre Dame and USC came away with huge victories over Florida, Texas A&M and LSU respectively. Love what I saw out of those three teams. And I really loved what I saw out of my Vanderbilt Commodores. They made last week a lot more bearable with an impressive performance in an overtime victory over Virginia Tech at FirstBank Stadium in Nashvegas. Clark Lea said something very interesting in the spring when everyone was kicking and screaming about the NIL and the transfer portal. Coach Lea said he embraced it. He brought in some solid transfers, including quarterback Diego Pavia from New Mexico State, along with the Lobos head coach, Jerry Kill, to be the special assistant to the head coach, and the Lobos offensive coordinator, Tim Beck. The results from the first game were spectacular. SI’s Pat Forde put out his top 12 teams for the playoff based solely on the first weekend’s results and not including teams that played FCS opponents and Vanderbilt was in there along with TCU! Pretty fun. I like the out of the box thinking. He didn’t even have Alabama or Oregon in his top 12. He did have Georgia number one, so there was thought put into this 12 team representation. Nice to have a little fun with the sport, when people get so serious about it at times. Forde has Georgia one, Penn State two, Miami three and TCU four. Notre Dame is five, USC is 6, Georgia Tech is 7, Vanderbilt is 8, Ohio State is 9, Texas is 10, LSU is 11 and UNLV, as the group of five champion, is No.12. I don’t agree with every pick, but it’s nice that he mixes it up some. I like Georgia one, Texas two, Notre Dame three, and USC at 4. I’ll save the rest for next week’s column. I just don’t know what to make of Alabama. Kalen DeBoar doesn’t bring nearly the same intensity to the sideline that Nick Saban brought. There are great individual players, but the chemistry needs to come together if this team wants to be successful and make the playoff. That’s the goal, making the playoff. Because once you do that, you’ve got a shot. Auburn had a big victory, but Alabama A&M? Are you kiddin’ me, Hugh? Maybe we’ll find out more about Alabama and Auburn when South Florida visits Tuscaloosa and Cal comes to Auburn on Saturday. Onto this week’s predictions.

Last Week

SU- 12-5, 71%

ATS- 12-5, 71%

All games are Saturday and all times are central.

South Florida @ No.4 Alabama

Bryant-Denny

6 PM

ESPN

Tess, Jess, Katie

Crimson Tide by 31

The Crimson Tide is a work in progress.

Alabama 31, South Florida 14

Cal @Auburn

Jordan-Hare

2:30 PM

ESPN2

Dave Flemming, Brock Osweiler, Stormy Buonantony

Tigers by 13 1/2

Auburn could be 5-0 when it travels to Georgia on Saturday, October 5th. Good luck in Sanford Stadium.

Auburn 31, Cal 10

No.3 Texas @No.10 Michigan

Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor

11 AM

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Texas by 7 1/2

I’ll take Hook’em in the Big House.

Texas 24, Michigan 14

No.1 Georgia 63, Tennessee Tech 3

1 PM, ESPN+

Georgia by 54 1/2

Kentucky 24, South Carolina 21

Kroger Field, Lexington

2:30 PM

ABC

Wildcats by 10

Taking the home team, barely.

No.14 Tennessee 31, No.24 NC State 28

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte

6:30 PM

ABC

UT by 10

Like the Vols to just squeak by in what is essentially a road game, though there will be a lot of orange there.

No. 16 Oklahoma State 34, Arkansas 24

Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK.

11 AM

ABC

OK State by 8

Like the Pokes at home

Ole Miss 56, Middle Tennessee 3

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford

3:15 PM

SEC Network

Black Bears by 41 1/2

Nice scheduling, Lane. First Furman then this? Welcome back to the SEC, Derek Mason. I’m sure a lot of the coaches are sorry you left.

No. 18 Oklahoma 35, Houston 31

Memorial Stadium, Norman

6:45 PM

SEC Network

Sonner by 29

Not sure that Brent Venables is the answer at OU, particularly in the SEC. I’ll keep my options open on him though. Need more intel.

Arizona State 31, Mississippi State 24

Mountain American Stadium, Tempe, AZ.

9:30 PM

ESPN

Sun Devils by 5 1/2

Like the home team here. Might be a late night at my house, although I haven’t been able to make it past 9 lately.

Vanderbilt 44, Alcorn State 3

FirstBank Stadium, Vegas

6:30 PM

ESPNU

VU by 31

Like Coach Lea and the Dores to keep the momentum going.

NFL Predictions

AFC Championship Game

Chiefs 34, Texans 31

NFC Championship Game

Lions 31, Eagles 30

Super Bowl 59, LIX

Sunday, February 9th, 2025

Caesars Superdome, N’Awlins

5:30 PM

FOX

Kevin, Tom Terrific, EA, Tom Rinaldi

Do you dare pick against The Most Valuable Bundler and the Chiefs? The guy’s an unstoppable force, maybe the most phenomenal athlete to ever play quarterback in the National Football League. Actually, there’s no maybe about it. It’s a debate now if he’ll be the greatest player to ever play in the National Football League. He’s won three Lombardis and Brady won 7, so he can’t stake that claim yet. But Mahomes is just 28, about to be 29 on Tuesday, September 17th, so he’s got a lot of his career ahead of him if he stays healthy.

The regular season opens tonight in KC with the Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC Championship Game rematch, which the Chiefs won in Baltimore last January. Give me Lamar and the Ravens to upset the three point favorite Chiefs, which will air on NBC at 7:20. I do like the Chiefs to be in New Orleans though. They lost to Detroit in the opening game last year on Thursday Night Football and still look what happened.

But a three-peat in sports is rare. The last team to do it was the late Kobe Bryant-led LA Lakers from 2000-2002, and before that, the Yankees from 1998-2000. It just doesn’t happen much.

I’ll take the great Jared Goff, former Alabama star running back Jahmyr Gibbs and their stellar coach Dan Campbell to take the Lombardi Trophy back home to the Motor City for the first time ever. Man, Detroit could use this. They’ve had a lot of misery in sports, but this team is for real.

Lions 30, Chiefs 27

MVP: Jared Goff

US Open Finals Predictions

Men’s, Sunday, 1 PM, ESPN

Jannik Sinner over Taylor Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)

Men’s Champion: the 23 year old from Innichen, Italy, Jannik. My wife will be happy with this pick.

Women’s Final, Saturday, 3 PM ESPN

I’ll take the 23 year old from New Yawk by way of the University of Virginia.

Emma Navarro over Karolina Muchova (Czech) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5