FanNation - The Republic of Sport

     I realize our favorite team can't play in the feature matchup every weekend, but is this New England-Miami matchup really necessary?

    We've gone from the excitement of playing a fellow unbeaten team (Dallas) to a winless team (Miami). Nothing good can come of this, even though the Dolphins probably don't give a damn about this game, either. They essentially threw in the towel on '07 by trading Chris Chambers, who has torched the Patriot secondary in the past, to San Diego for a second-round draft choice. And just as the Patriots are looking ahead to Indy in two weeks, the Fish are probably contemplating the Court of St. James, Big Ben, and meeting the other Spice Girls as they head to London next week to play the Giants.

     Tom Brady probably isn't looking forward to Indian summer sun on South Beach, either. Three of the low moments of his Hall of Fame career have taken place in Miami: his first loss as a starter in '01, the worst throw of his life, which led to a shocking '04 upset loss, and last year's shutout.

     Cue up the fat man on ESPN telling us for the hundredth time, "That's why they play the games." When was the last time you saw a 16 1/2-point favorite on the road, and felt so little temptation to take the points?

     On to the picks (12-8 last week; 78-42 for the season):

     PATRIOTS 41, DOLPHINS 14: The Pats will get just sloppy enough to keep it under 50, allowing Bill Belichick to yell at them.

     TEXANS 17, TITANS 16: A Vince Young-less Tennessee team is quite ordinary, and it's been a pretty good fall for expansion teams.

     RAVENS 24, BILLS 10: The road schedule keeps on being kind to Baltimore.

     SAINTS 26, FALCONS 13: Break up the Saints! They rediscovered how to win.

     BUCCANEERS 20, LIONS 17: The Dow Jonesers in Detroit close down three points.

     GIANTS 23, 49ers 16: The Jints will always be one implosion away from collapse while Tom Coughlin's around, but it won't happen this week.

     REDSKINS 24, CARDINALS 12: Arizona's so banged up at quarterback it had to sign Elisabeth Hasselbeck's spousal unit. "The View" fans are left with nobody to pick on this week.

     RAIDERS 23, CHIEFS 20: I'm not buying a Kansas City revival yet.

     BENGALS 27, JETS 10: The password is "schadenfraude," Mr. Mangini.

     COWBOYS 33, VIKINGS 20: Okay, Wade Phillips, you can gameplan around stopping Adrian Peterson. Brady's not walking through the Texas Stadium door this week.

     SEAHAWKS 30, RAMS 14: Somebody's gotta win the NFC West. Don't think it'll be the 0-6 Rams, though.

     EAGLES 16, BEARS 13: To think this was some people's NFC title matchup in the preseason.

     STEELERS 27, BRONCOS 14: If ever a team needed a bye last week, it was Denver after that monumental slapping from San Diego.

     COLTS 18, JAGUARS 16: Jacksonville on Monday night is an upset waiting to happen, but Indy's got to be undefeated when the Pats come to town.

   And in college...

   SOUTH FLORIDA 20, RUTGERS 16: The Bulls have the odor of destiny about them.

   FLORIDA 24, KENTUCKY 21: It's unfair. The Wildcats outlast Number 1 LSU in a triple-OT Game of the Year, and get the defending national champions a week later.

   MISSOURI 31, TEXAS TECH 27: Mizzou bounces back after being disabused of its national title chances at Oklahoma.

   LSU 13, AUBURN 10: The Tigers' quarterbacking and coaching can't be that bad two straight weeks.

   OHIO STATE 41, MICHIGAN STATE 26: The Buckeyes found an offense. If only Sparty could find some defense.

   OKLAHOMA 60, IOWA STATE 6: How could the Sooners possibly have lost to Colorado?

   Reminder: I'll be live-blogging Patriots-Dolphins on SI.com Sunday.