NFL Week 11 Preview and Predictions

Due to an injury to Ben Roethlisberger, Byron Leftwich will get the start against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. (Gregory Shamus)

5. San Diego Chargers (4-5) @ Denver Broncos (6-3) - 4:25 PM EST, CBS

The Chargers sit two games back of the Broncos for the AFC West division lead. A win on the road in Denver would be a significant step in the right direction. If they are going to have a chance of winning, quarterback Philip Rivers must make smart decisions and limit his turnovers. His 12 interceptions so far this season have cost the Chargers at the end of some games. The offensive line must give Rivers an opportunity to work effectively and efficiently  Their task won't be easy as the Broncos lead the league in sacks with 31 through their first nine games. Speaking of the Broncos, they are playing some of their best football of the season so far. They have won four straight games and scored at least 31 points in each of them. Quarterback Peyton Manning threw nine touchdown passes over the span.

Prediction: Broncos 31 Chargers 20

4. Indianapolis Colts (6-3) @ New England Patriots (6-3) - 4:25 PM EST, CBS

After a one-year break from relevance, the Colts and Patriots meet at Gillette Stadium with much on the line again. The Patriots are in a familiar position. Veteran quarterback Tom Brady has his team in the AFC East driver's seat once again. On the other hand, the Colts are one of the surprise stories of the season so far. Coming off an abysmal season, rookie quarterback Andrew Luck has led his team to four straight victories and into the thick of the AFC playoff picture. Both quarterbacks are playing at a high level lately, so they will likely try to balance their offense with a strong running game to help control the clock. The team that does that more effectively may turn out to be the winner.

Prediction: Patriots 27 Colts 24

3. Green Bay Packers (6-3) @ Detroit Lions (4-5) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The Lions have won three out of their last five games, but they remain in last place in the NFC North. If they are going to make the playoffs, they know that every game from here on out is extremely important, especially divisional games. The Packers come into this game off of a bye and as winners of four straight. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has thrown 15 touchdown passes over the winning streak. The Lions counter with Matthew Stafford as their man behind center. Stafford is finally starting to find the endzone, after struggling for much of the first half of the season. He has thrown three touchdown passes in each of his last two indoor games. He will look to keep it going at home against a middling Packers pass defense.

Prediction: Packers 24 Lions 20

2. Chicago Bears (7-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (6-2-1) - 8:30 PM EST (Monday), ESPN/WatchESPN

The Bears and 49ers are the two top teams in the NFC right now, but both could be without their starting quarterbacks due to concussions when they meet on Monday night. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has already been ruled out, so Jason Campbell will get the start. If 49ers quarterback Alex Smith isn't able to go either, Colin Kaepernick will be behind center. The injuries could be more of an emphasis on the respective run games. Matt Forte had stepped up as the Bears feature back to play well lately, but will need to rebound from a rough game against the Houston Texans last week. Frank Gore continues to be the engine that keeps the 49ers offense going strong. He has 753 rushing yards and five touchdowns so far this season. The teams have two of the best defenses in the league, so expect a low scoring battle that will be decided late.

Prediction: 49ers 13 Bears 9

1. Baltimore Ravens (7-2) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) - 8:20 PM EST (Sunday), NBC

The Steelers have won four straight games to pull within a game of the Ravens' AFC North lead. If they are going to pull into a tie for the lead with win on Sunday night, they are going to have to do something they haven't done since stud quarterback Ben Roethlisberger joined the league in 2004. They have to beat the Ravens without him. Big Ben is banged up with a sprained should and an even more serious dislocated rib. The Steelers have gone 0-4 against the Ravens in games without him. Veteran Byron Leftwich will be making his first start since 2009 and will be seeking his first win since 2006.

The Steelers expect to have running back Rashard Mendenhall back to help with their running game. They will look to run the football with Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer as much as possible in hopes of controlling the clock and keeping the Ravens offense off the field. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is coming off of a win over the Oakland Raiders in which he threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Flacco will face a much more difficult task in this game against the Steelers top ranked pass defense. As a result, the Ravens may look to get their always dangerous running back Ray Rice more involved in the game from the very start.

Prediction: Steelers 20 Ravens 17

College Football Week 12 Preview and Predictions

In just his second collegiate start, Stanford's Kevin Hogan needs to play very well if the Cardinal are going to upset Oregon. (Ezra Shaw)

5. Kent State (9-1) @ Bowling Green (7-3) - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN3

The Mid-American Conference has some very good teams this year. Ohio University has been the focal point of most of the national media attention. However, the winner of this game will almost certainly play a very good Northern Illinois team in the MAC Championship. Kent State's only loss this season came way back on September 8 at Kentucky. Since then, the Golden Flashes have rolled off eight straight wins, including impressive road victories at Rutgers and Miami (OH). After starting the season 1-3, Bowling Green has rattled off six straight wins. With a 5-1 conference record, the Falcons are in position to upset Kent State and move into first place in the MAC East.

Prediction: Kent State 31 Bowling Green 24

4. Utah State (8-2) @ #20 Louisiana Tech (9-1) - 4:00 PM EST, ESPN3

The Western Athletic Conference is another loaded small conference that is still up for grabs. Utah State's only two losses have come by a combined five points. The Aggies defense will need to play very well as they face their toughest offensive opponent yet. Louisiana Tech's only loss was by two in a shootout with Texas A&M. The Bulldogs offense has been next to impossible to slow down. They have scored at least 44 points in every game this season except for one.

Prediction: Louisiana Tech 31 Utah State 27

3. #22 Rutgers (8-1) @ Cincinnati (7-2) - 12:00 PM EST, Big East Network/ESPN3

Rutgers has rolled through all of its competition this year, expect for the surprising home loss to Kent State that ended their quest for perfection. Due to last week's Syracuse upset of Louisville, the Scarlet Knights remain in position to win the Big East and potentially a BCS bowl berth. They have a tough road test this week before them. Back-to-back losses to Toledo and Louisville ended Cincinnati's hopes of a perfect season. If the Bearcats can pull the upset here, they will be back in the picture to win the Big East.

Prediction: Rutgers 24 Cincinnati 20

2. Wake Forest (5-5) @ #3 Notre Dame (10-0) - 3:30 PM EST, NBC

Wake Forest may only be 5-5, but Notre Dame has learned to not overlook any opponents. The Demon Deacons have had a season full of ups and downs. They come into this game off of their worst loss of the season (by 31 to North Carolina State). Notre Dame has found a way to win every game of the season, even though some have been prettier than others. The Fighting Irish must focus on the task at hand and not look ahead to their game at USC next week.

Prediction: Notre Dame 20 Wake Forest 3

1. #13 Stanford (8-2) @ #2 Oregon (10-0) - 8:00 PM EST, ABC

After a heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame in overtime, Stanford has won four straight games. The Cardinal seem to keep improving, even with a change at quarterback. Junior Josh Nunes has been benched in favor of freshman Kevin Hogan. Last week, Hogan threw three touchdown passes in Stanford's solid win over Oregon State. Undefeated Oregon is of course known by their explosive offense. In their last two games, quarterback Marcus Mariota has thrown for 681 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Ducks' De'Anthony Thomas is a danger man any time he steps onto the football field.

Prediction: Oregon 45 Stanford 31

NFL Week 10 Preview and Predictions

The next chapter in the Drew Brees and Matt Ryan rivalry will take place Sunday afternoon in the Superdome. (US Presswire)

5. New York Jets (3-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (5-4) - 4:05 PM EST, CBS

An embarrassing 30-9 loss at home to the Miami Dolphins concluded the Jets disappointing first half at 3-5. They had an entire bye week to think about it and will now try and bounce back with a strong second half to make a push for the playoffs. Their first game though is a tough road test across the country. The Seahawks have a 5-4 record, but are 4-0 at home. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson continues to improve while running back Marshawn Lynch grinds out the bulk of the work. The Seahawks defense is physical and aggressive in how they play. The Jets will need consistency out of quarterback Mark Sanchez and a solid game on the ground by Shonn Greene in order to have a chance at the upset.

Prediction: Seahawks 27 Jets 17

4. Dallas Cowboys (3-5) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-5) - 4:25 PM EST, FOX

These two NFC East rivals do not like each other at all, but they can relate to each other in at least one way this week. They both have a 3-5 record and have been playing some of their worst football this season as of late. Dallas has lost four out of their last five, while Philadelphia has lost four straight. The Cowboys offense has been a major area of struggle. In eight games, quarterback Tony Romo only has only 10 touchdown passes compared to 13 interceptions. The rushing attack of DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones has been almost nonexistent, due largely to injuries. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has ten touchdown passes as well, but nine interceptions and six fumbles (three lost) are too many. Running back LeSean McCoy has been the definition of inconsistent with many very good games and equally many poor games.

Prediction: Eagles 24 Cowboys 20

3. New York Giants (6-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-5) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The Giants saw their four game win streak come to an end in a hard fought loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their offense is full of playmakers in quarterback Eli Manning, running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Andre Brown and wide receivers Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. The Giants defense has been what has struggled primarily this season. They have given up at least 23 points in each of their last three games. The Bengals have played poorly during their losing skid. Quarterback Andy Dalton has thrown at least one interception in every game so far this season. In their last three games, the Bengals defense has given up an average of 29.7 points per game. It is hard to win when those two things are the case.

Prediction: Giants 27 Bengals 20

2. Detroit Lions (4-4) @ Minnesota Vikings (5-4) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The Lions have used back-to-back wins to return to .500. Now, they look to get over that mark with a win over a divisional rival. Both teams are in the thick of the playoff hunt, but trail the division-leading Chicago Bears. The Lions offense got a boost last week from running back Mikel Leshoure's three touchdowns. If he and Joique Bell can help balance the Lions offense that would help take some of the pressure off quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Vikings come into this game as losers of three out of their last four. In those losses, their defense has given up an average of 34.7 points per game. Running back Adrian Peterson is doing everything he can to help his team win, but he needs everyone else to step up and do the same as well.

Prediction: Lions 27 Vikings 20

1. Atlanta Falcons (8-0) @ New Orleans Saints (3-5) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The Falcons have been consistent more than anything else. It isn't that all of their wins are blowouts or an unstoppable defense. They just play consistently good football. The main reason this starts with their quarterback Matt Ryan. He is nicknamed Matty Ice for a reason. His demeanor and play are steadily solid no matter the circumstance. It has rubbed off on his teammates as well. The Saints take on the character of their quarterback as well. Drew Brees is a fighter and can never be counted out in any situation. Despite an 0-4 start, Brees has rallied the troops to win three out of their last four. The Saints defense has struggled badly all season, but cornerback Patrick Robinson had a huge 99-yard pick-6  to help seal their win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week.

Prediction: Falcons 30 Saints 27