Anyone catch injured QB Matt Hasselbeck refers to the Seahawks “high character” wide receivers while introducing them on Monday night? Nice little shot at former teammate Koren Robinson, now with the Packers but a guy who just can’t stay off the suspended list.

Have to wish Joe Paterno a speedy recovery from injuries suffered on the sidelines of the Wisconsin game, as a broken leg and torn knee ligaments are tough injuries to recover from at any age. Ironically, in 1895 Paterno injured Pop Warner’s ankle when making a tackle for Brown near the sideline of Warner’s Georgia Bulldogs. Unfortunately Paterno will miss his first Nittany Lion game since 1977 when Penn State plays Temple Saturday.

All the coverage of the injury helped hide what was another desultory performance for the Nittany Lions. The 13-3 loss to the Badgers was just the latest ugly offensive game for Paterno’s team. In fact, within the last month of action, Penn State gained just 186 total yards versus Michigan, 184 total yards versus Illinois, and 201 total yards versus Wisconsin. They’ve got receivers back who were playmakers last year, but new quarterback Anthony Morelli isn’t getting the ball to them, except against poor defenses. He’s just as erratic now as he was in September. 6-4 PSU is 2-6 to the number in their last 8 outings.

What team was projected by Athlon to have zero wins this season yet has a chance to be bowl eligible? The Rice Owls are 4-5 and though they’re a heavy dog at Tulsa this weekend, home wins over East Carolina and SMU are not out of the question. Rice will be on a lot of “go with” lists in the summer of 2007. September of this year was a bit of a headache as the team was confronted with a killer schedule for new head coach Todd Graham, and new offensive coordinator Major Applewhite. Since losing to Texas and Florida State by a combined score of 107-14, the Owls are 4-1 straight up and ATS. That stretch includes upset wins over Army (+11), UAB (+3), and UTEP (+9). Ironically, Rice lost to Tulane in the only game they were favored to win this year.

LSU outgained Tennessee 478-248 last week but that game was close on the scoreboard due to some LSU errors. They haven’t been making errors at home, blistering opponent after opponent at Tiger Stadium. Bama’s impatient fans don’t want to hear about how the team is still depleted from their probation (back up to full numbers next year) and some are calling for Coach Shula’s scalp after the home loss to Mississippi State. That doesn’t bode well for the Tide’s mindset here. And even with the proper mindset, they probably just aren’t good enough. Alabama gains 5.1 yards per play and allows 5.0. LSU gains 6.7 yards per play and allows 3.8. The Bengal Tigers outshine Bama in both the running and passing games by wide margins. Despite the fact that the Pachyderms have covered 3 times as a road dog this season, Bama could really get blistered here. Go with LSU.

Let’s look at an NFL game for you. Very rarely do teams hold opponents to less than 200 yards yet lose the game. Incredibly, Sunday’s two best defensive efforts were both by losing teams, the two who meet in the Metrodome today. These two teams each held their opponents below 200 yards (Vikings held Niners to 133 yards, Packers held the Bills to 184.) That performance wasn’t exactly an accident either, as both clubs are better defensively than was expected. As the Packers and Vikings come together Sunday, look for this game to stay under the total.

Don’t forget to call our daily hotline for a free selection from colleague Dave Fobare. Dave always has a pick waiting for you for no charge at 1-770-618-8700. Dave doesn’t just post a selection and hang up. You get in-depth analysis on every pick. The kind of analysis you can use for the teams involved in their upcoming games as well. Each report is like a mini-tutorial that can lead to several winners down the road. Now that basketball is underway, you get game-day selections seven days a week.

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