To premise this column, I will placate my colleagues, Mike Traina and J.D. Fox, with a Snow-Pima prediction. The Badgers will decimate the Pima Aztecs, 58-14, as Soni Sotele gets his customary 145 yards and two touchdowns, while Niu Takai will approach 100 yards rushing and add a score as well. The Badgers defense will surrender only 115 yards of total offense, but the Aztecs will score a fluke touchdown. As for Houston Erbstoesser, he’ll exceed 300 passing yards for the first time in his career while tossing three more touchdowns. There you go, I hope that was enjoyable. As for me, I will be in my LDS mission once again as I served in Tucson, Ariz. which as the county seat of Pima County is the home of Pima Community College. Now, here’s the Division I/I-AA predictions:

Eastern Washington vs. Brigham Young: Although I’m never a proponent of a Division I team playing a I-AA opponent (it’s embarrassing when an Appalachian State defeats a Michigan) as nothing can ever be gained. The Cougars, while they should roll, need to respect the Eagles based in Cheney, Wash. as they boast an identical 4-2 record to Bronco Mendenhall’s squad. Max Hall (1,974 yards, 13 TD’s, eight INT’s, a 60 percent completion percentage) continues to be excellent while Austin Collie has averaged 16 yards per reception and has scored four touchdowns for the Cougars. As for the Eagles, QB Matt Nichols has completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,837 yards while tossing for 16 touchdowns against only three interceptions. Nichols is complimented by Aaron Boyce (46 receptions, 719 yards, five touchdowns)and tailback Dale Morris who has added four rushing touchdowns. With all of that said, Bronco Mendenhall’s Cougars know the gravity of this situation and should handle Eastern Washington without too much difficulty. Call the final Brigham Young 34 Eastern Washington 20

Utah vs. Texas Christian: Outside of the conference, these teams are representing the Mountain West well as they have defeated opponents from BCS conferences left and right. Nevertheless, they both come into this showdown at the Metroplex with 4-3 records. The Horned Frogs have received more consistency from the quarterback position behind Andy Dalton who is completing 62 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,361 yards. Meanwhile, the Ute machine continues to click with Brian Johnson’s excellence, while tailback Darrell Mack (647 yards, 5.1 rushing average, five touchdowns) has been a solid asset to Johnson in making the Utah offense better. I’ll go with the Utes here because Johnson is in the zone and the Horned Frogs won’t bring him out of it. Call the final Utah 38 Texas Christian 32

Nevada vs. Utah State: The Wolf Pack, despite a record of 2-4 are among the nation’s most exciting teams as by averaging nearly 530 yards per game offensively, they rank eighth in national annals. Now, the Aggies have held their own against offensive juggernauts as they only fell 52-37 to Hawaii, but after Nevada put up 67 points on defending WAC champion Boise State last weekend, the Pistol offense, the brainchild of Nevada coach Chris Ault, should not be taken lightly. The new triggerman, Colin Kaepernick has been excellent in completing 53 percent of his passes for seven touchdowns against one interception, especially since he came in only several weeks ago for previous starter Nick Graziano. Additionally, receiver Marko Mitchell is a legitimate deep threat as he averages 22 yards per reception, so the Aggies offense (90th or worse in all statistical categories) has its work cut out for it in keeping up with the explosive ‘Pack. I think the Wolf Pack will romp all over the Aggies as the performance against the Warriors at Honolulu was a flash in the pan. Call the final. Nevada 52 Utah State 24

Northern Arizona vs. Weber State: The Wildcats are in over their heads in this one. The Lumberjacks, the pride and joy of Flagstaff, Ariz., are an offensive juggernaut which will give the Wildcats’ defense a consistent challenge throughout the game this Saturday. Lubmerjacks QB Lance Kriesien has thrown for 1,239 yards, and seven touchdowns against three interceptions this season while Lionel Scott has averaged seven yards per carry while scoring eight rushing touchdowns. The Wildcats just haven’t shown sufficient explosiveness this season, despite the fact they’ve won two consecutive games to keep up with NAU. Cameron Higgins has been an effective quarterback for Weber State (five touchdowns against just one interception) but if this becomes a track meet, the Wildcats’ chances at victory will be greatly reduced. Call the final, NAU 34 Weber State 18

UC-Davis vs. Southern Utah: The Thunderbirds almost pulled off a thrilling victory against the Youngstown State Penguins last week and impressed me in the process. Nevertheless, a loss is a loss and as it is, SUU is currently 0-6. They welcome in a Great West foe in the UC-Davis Aggies who have taken their lumps this season (they’re just 2-5) but who still possess some firepower. The Aggies are led by QB Tim Plough who has completed 64 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,355 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and receiver Brandon Rice (15 yards per reception and five touchdowns). Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds have gone to reserve QB Cody Stone who has thrown for two touchdowns and two interceptions while completing a paltry 47 percent of his passes. The Thunderbirds’ major bellcow remains Johnny Sanchez who has three rushing touchdowns on the season. As for the prediction, I’ll go with Aggies as Plough has been efficient and Rice has proven his worth as a legitimate deep threat. Call the final Cal-Davis 28 Southern Utah 14.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Utah members of the National High School Rodeo championships team presented their trophy today to Ag Commissioner, Leonard Blackham. Spokesman, Larry Lewis, said the Utah team has won the championships several times. The Utah High School team was crowned national champs in July during competition in Springfield, Illinois. The traveling trophy will remain on display at the UDAF building at 350 North Redwood Road in Salt Lake City.

This past weekend, I complimented Commissioner Goodell in his ideal of parity as I was 7-6, but if you look at the Vikings-Bears and Patriots Cowboys final scores, it’s eerie how close I came to predicting the exact scores. I’m a much better handicapper than that savant Nostradamus could ever have hoped to be, because I know the game, better than him anyway. Well, let’s delve into this week’s selections.

Baltimore vs. Buffalo: The Ravens, after smacking the Rams decisively last Sunday appear to have recaptured much of their swagger as they ruined Gus Frerotte’s hot-streak by picking off the erstwhile veteran five times in last weekend’s victory. Kyle Boller will get his second consecutive start in the stead of Steve McNair, but finally things seem to be coming together for the former #1 draft pick from Cal-Berkeley as this season, he has passed for 471 yards and two scores. McNair will be available as an emergency quarterback, but head coach Brian Billick, who is desirous to go into the bye week at 5-2 before they play Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football Nov.5. Regardless of who the Ravens play at quarterback, Willis McGahee (525 rushing yards, 4.1 average, TD on the season) should have plenty of room to run against a Bills defense that gives up nearly 134 rushing yards per game. Meanwhile, even though Bills QB Trent Edwards has been marvelous in the stead of J.P. Losman (55-79, 507 yards, TD, INT), Baltimore’s defense is as fierce as ever, as they allow only 272 yards per game, good for fourth in the league. Thus, in this one, I’m going with the Ravens. Call the final, Ravens 23 Bills 7

Atlanta vs. New Orleans: Have the Saints turned the corner? After last week’s stunning victory at Qwest Field against the powerful Seahawks, New Orleans was excellent as they used a controlled passing attack and Reggie Bush got off the schneid with an 141-yard performance. Now, they return to what should be a raucous Superdome to host the snake-bitten Falcons. Atlanta, notwithstanding Joey Harrington’s gumption (1,279 passing yards, four touchdowns)ranks no higher than 17th in NFL annals in any statistical category, offensively or defensively. Thus, the Falcons are going nowhere, and getting there fast, and have elected to give reserve signal-caller Byron Leftwich the start this weekend. New head coach Bobby Petrino must wage weekly battles against his veteran players in order to assert his authority, and this is a counterproductive process. Once again, the Saints have found themselves apparently and Drew Brees, after tossing for 246 yards and two touchdowns in the victory at Seattle is taking much better care of the ball. I like Brees to throw for 350 yards and four touchdowns in this one as New Orleans romps, 42-23.

Tampa Bay vs. Detroit: These long-time divisonal rivals in the old NFC Central meet again, and for the first time in many years, both of these teams are experiencing succes and in my opinion, the NFL’s better for it. Stepping in to compliment the consistent Jeff Garcia (96-144, 1,188 yards, five touchdowns) is tailback Michael Bennett who arrived in a trade from Kansas City earlier this week. Nevertheless, the great chess match in this game will be the Buccaneers’ outstanding pass defense (through the air, Tampa Bay only allows 195 yards per game which is eighth in the NFL) against the Lions’ explosive passing offense (265 yards per game, good for fourth in the league). Because of the Lions’ depth at receiver and offensive coordinator Mike Martz’ sophisticated schemes, I fully expect Detroit QB Jon Kitna (114-167, 1,333 yards, eight touchdowns) to find favorable matchups against the Bucs. Thus, if this game turns into a shootout, the Buccaneers with Garcia and WR Joey Galloway should hold their own, but Detroit is good enough to win in this type of environment. I think the game will be close, but the Honolulu-blue clad Lions will emerge victorious when kicker Jason Hanson hits on a 45-yard kick in a 33-30 win.

Arizona vs. Washington: How unfair this is to the Cardinals. Even when Matt Leinart was injured, Kurt Warner filled in admirably as the new full-time starter completing his first two passes for 21 yards against the Panthers last week. Nevertheless, Warner was hurt and the usually explosive Cardinals offense sputtered behind the leadership of journeyman signal-caller Tim Rattay. Now, as the Cards travel to the greater Washington D.C. area, their quarterbacks will be Rattay and Tim Hasselbeck (Matt’s younger brother). The Redskins are not a fun team to be playing right now, particularly because of their frustration in losing a game at Green Bay last weekend that they dominated statistically. At quarterback, Washington has no such trouble as the Cardinals as Jason Campbell (88-150, 1,086 yards, five touchdowns) continues to bring stability to the position in our nation’s capital. The dynamic duo of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts in the ‘Skins backfield has combined for nearly 500 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while fleet-footed receiver Antwaan Randle El averages 18 yards per reception. When you consider this offensive prowess, it’s also important to remember that the Redskins are third in both scoring defense and total defense, surrendering 13 points and 259 yards per game respectively. With all of this said, the Cardinals will have success rushing the ball with Edgerrin James, I believe and Ken Whisenhunt will find a way to keep this game close. Nevertheless, right now the Cards are too banged up to emerge with a victory and Washington remains as one of the great underrated teams in the NFL. Call the final, Redskins 23 Cardinals 17.

Tennessee vs. Houston: The question remains up in the air in Nashville, Tenn. this week: Will Vince Young play in a return to his hometown? Wednesday on the Mike Tirico Show on ESPN Radio, Titans coach Jeff Fisher suggested that perhaps Young would be able to rise off the mat, but if not, Tennessee will go with live-armed veteran Kerry Collins. Whoever plays quarterback for the Titans this Sunday will have the luxury of an effective rushing game as the two-headed monster in the backfield of Chris Brown and LenDale White has combined for 576 yards and four touchdowns this season. Additionally, the Titans defense is ranked sixth or better in every statistical category except for passing defense, where they rank 18th. This is where the Texans have a chance, as QB Matt Schaub (130-188, 1,558 yards, five touchdowns) remains the steal of the free-agency period this past offseason. His excellence has enabled to give the Texans the sixth-ranked passing attack in the NFL, averaging 261 yards per contest. Because I’m not sure if Young will play, I’ll go with the Texans as they have the home-field advantage, and as a much-improved team, this is the kind of game they can steal. Call the final, Texans 27 Titans 24.

New England vs. Miami: Even though I despise the Patriots and like the Dolphins, this is not a hard prediction to make. Later this season, New England will face tough teams such as the Redskins, Steelers, Colts and Ravens but the Dolphins will do little to prepare the Pats for such battles. It’s time for John Beck to get the nod in Miami, because now that receiver Chris Chambers has been dealt to the Chargers, they truly are going nowhere. Call the final Patriots 41 Dolphins 20

San Francisco vs. New York Giants: Defensively, the San Francisco 49ers are an average team, offensively, they’re far worse. Meanwhile, the New York Giants, in the midst of running off four consecutive wins, have improved to ninth overall in total defense, while amassing 359 yards per contest which is sixth in the NFL. Eli Manning (1,379 passing yards, 11 TD’s) improves consistently in his development and receiver Plaxico Burress (30 receptions, 507 yards, eight touchdowns) continues to excel despite not practicing during the week. The 49ers will be blown out because they cannot move the ball, and therefore cannot score. Meanwhile, the Giants are rapidly becoming one of the NFL’s better teams. Call the final Giants 34 49ers 16

Kansas City vs. Oakland: The Chiefs have won three of four and with a victory against the Raiders will move into first place in the AFC West at 4-3. Kansas City has found itself offensively as Damon Huard (1,293 yards, six touchdowns) is holding off the incumbent Brodie Croyle while Tony Gonzalez is now statistically the greatest tight end in NFL history. Last week against the Chargers, the Raiders once again received a lackluster performance from their offense, as they had only one touchdown in a 28-14 victory, and the Chiefs defense is good enough (10th in total defense in league annals) to lock up an opponent. Thus, I’ll go with the Chiefs in a 24-10 victory. Hopefully, the good people of Kansas City will enjoy their brief stay atop the divisional standings.

New York Jets vs. Cincinnati: These teams, one of which was a playoff team a year ago (the Jets) while the other should have been one (the Bengals) have combined for two wins thus far in ‘07. Thus, there’s lots of blame to go around, but rather than heap on negatives, I’ll predict a winner. I’ll go with the Bengals, as Carson Palmer (1,491 yards, 12 TD’s) has still been a pillar amidst the destruction that has been Cincinnati’s start to the season. He should pass for well over 300 yards again, victimizing a Jets secondary that gives up 243 yards a game. Thus, if it gets to shootout status (which it will) the Jets don’t have a chance. Call the final Bengals 45 Jets 22.

Minnesota vs. Dallas: The Vikings are gradually becoming a contender once again. Adrian Peterson’s performance last Sunday (224 yards rushing, three touchdowns against the Bears) showed just how much greatness he is capable of and the ‘Vikes are walking into a perfect situation to pull off an upset. The Cowboys are deflated after a 48-27 loss to the Patriots last Sunday as they thought they were among the NFL’s elite teams. This might be perceived by Cowboys fans in the Metroplex as an easy game, but the knowledgeable enthusiasts know that this is a ludicrous concept. The good news for Dallas is the Vikings bring the worst pass defense (288 yards per game surrendered) in the NFL into the Big D so Tony Romo should have plenty of opportunites to excel. However, I think Minnesota QB Tarvaris Jackson will find success against a Dallas secondary which Tom Brady exposed consistently last week. Of course, in the 4th Quarter, the Vikings have the best running game in the NFL (170 yards per contest) to finish off the game if they have a lead. Of course they will. Call the final Vikings 27 Cowboys 17. Minnesota might be the NFL’s next great team, just watch.

St. Louis vs. Seattle: The Rams have some potentially good news. Starting QB Marc Bulger may finally be healthy enough to overcome the struggles he faced earlier this season and play like he has in previous seasons. However, the Seahawks are seething after a shocking home loss given them by the Saints last Sunday. Matt Hasselbeck (1,510 yards, nine touchdowns) continues to keep the Seattle passing attack atop the NFL standings (eighth overall at 240 yards per game) notwithstanding the numerous injuries his receivers have faced. The Rams are just too weak and until they can prove their ability to score, let alone stop the opposition, I’m not going to pick them. Of course a healthy Bulger may revitalize this St. Louis team but until it’s proven, I will not believe. Call te final Seahawks 38 Rams 16

Chicago vs. Philadelphia: How bad can it get for the Chicago Bears? Judging by how Philadelphia seems to be amassing momentum, my guess is far worse. As Donovan McNabb(1,221 yards, six touchdowns) gets healthier with every passing week, the Eagles’ offense catches up to the impressive defense (which ranks in the Top 10 in every defensive category). The law of averages will catch up to the Eagles, and it will only further condemn the Bears as they rank no higher than 20th in any statistical department, offensively or defensively. What other team does this describe? Oh yes, the Atlanta Falcons, and we know how pathetic they are. Thus, sorry Bears, but you don’t have a chance in this one. Because Lovie Smith’s teams always play hard, the game will be close but the Eagles will win it late. Call the final Eagles 28 Bears 21.

Pittsburgh vs. Denver: Speaking of the law of averages, the Broncos will benefit from this as well. A close observance of two of the Denver losses (Jacksonville and San Diego) reveals that key calls going against the Broncos (TE Daniel Graham’s “drop” against the Jaguars on 4th down) and random big plays given up (two long touchdown runs to San Diego’s Michael Turner in the blowout at the hands of the Chargers) sealed their doom. Only against the powerful Indianapolis Colts were the Broncos truly outplayed throughout the entire game. The key to the Broncos excelling against a strong Steelers squad is surmised thusly: they must score touchdowns in the red zone and they must contain the run. Now, the Steelers bring into Denver the NFL’s second-ranked rushing attack (167 yards per game) and surrender only nine points per game defensively, but Mike Tomlin has never matched wits with Mike Shanahan before. The Broncos will break out in this game because they’ve been lambasted in the media time and time again and are a proud team with solid veteran leadership, albeit juxtaposed with good young talent. The bye week has given defensive coordinator Jim Bates ample time to resolve his concerns and I fully expect defensive studs such as Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder to begin proving their worth. Jay Cutler will also be aided by a healthy Javon Walker (he should play against the Steelers) who is a matchup nightmare for Pittsburgh judging by how he tore through the modern-day Steel Curtain for over 200 all-purpose yards when these teams met last season. This goes against the grain, as I’m ignoring the stats I usually use to confirm my outcomes but call it Broncos 31 Steelers 23 The AFC West will be tougher to win than the Chargers have previously supposed.

Indianapolis vs. Jacksonville: As voluminous as this column has been, we’ve nearly reached the end. The Colts, unbeknownst to them in all likelihood because of their consistent excellence, are in an extremely competitive division, at least appertaining to the Jaguars, Texans and Titans. Jacksonville has played Indianapolis as tough as anyone else has in the AFC and that’s something that should be commended. Perhaps the greatest thing the Colts have going for them that they’ve not had in previous seasons as in addition to an awesome offense (big surprise there) that averages 33 points and 403 yards per contest is a defense that is fifth in total defense and a respectable 13th against the run. The Jaguars are receiving much more consistency from the quarterback position as David Garrard (1,069 yards, six touchdowns) has given all Jags fans (which include one of Snow College’s defensive football coaches, Coach Anderson) the most consistency at signal-caller since the days of Mark Brunell. The strength of the Jacksonville offense is, however, the running game which is fourth at 155 yards per game. If Jacksonville behind the dynamic duo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew can run consistently against the Colts (and I think they will), I’ll give them the win. Thus, I’ll do so, while the Colts are magnificent, traditionally the Jaguars know how to play them so I’ll give Jacksonville the win as they are tied with Indianaplolis atop the AFC South. In a close game, call it Jaguars 31 Colts 28. However, with this said, the Patriots despite the last unbeaten team are not the best team. The Colts will take care of them Nov.4. I’m out.