A little late on the draw, with games starting within the hour. Let’s get it on. Not a great week last week with a 15-6 record.

CITRUS BELT LEAGUE

Eisenhower at Redlands
The Terriers broke out last week for their first win. Of course, they did it against Fontana, who is rebuilding, but a win is a win. Ike slogged through last week to beat Carter in a 3-0 game that I was at and QB Anthony Lucero is questionable. The Eagles need Lucero to have a shot in this game and even then, I don’t think it will be enough.
Redlands 24, Eisenhower 10

Redlands East Valley at Fontana
Kurt Bruich played for his father, Dick Bruich, at Fohi during the glory dates. That connection to Bruich is the closest thing the Steelers will have to success today, as the Wildcats have too much firepower for Fohi. On a positive note, at least Fohi gets the Redlands schools out of the way.
Redlands East Valley 48, Fontana 0

Yucaipa at Miller
Scoff all you want, but Yucaipa gave Miller quite a tussle last year, holding an A.J. Springer-led Rebel offense to 14 points in a 14-7 Miller victory. The Rebels don’t have Springer, but their offense took a big step up last week against Rialto. That step is probably out of Yucaipa’s range at this point.
Miller 26, Yucaipa 7

Rialto at Carter
This game will basically eliminate the loser from playoff contention. I know that seems presumptious with five weeks to go after this, but both of these reeling teams with questionable firepower need a win bad. Neither offense has shown much, so I’ll go with the Carter defense here.
Carter 13, Rialto 7

NONLEAGUE

Kaiser at Colton
With 503 combined wins between Dick Bruich and Harold Strauss, the coaching matchup in this game is impressive, hence, why I’m going to it. Colton will be playing its home opener (I didn’t mistype that) and I expect an inspired performance. Kaiser will be stingy, but Colton gets just a few more plays.
Colton 17, Kaiser 12

Hesperia at Ridgecrest Burroughs
Another tough test looms for the Scorpions, who were thankful to survive by one point last week against Barstow. While Barstow pummeled the Hesperia front seven in the double-wing, Burroughs likes to take to the air. It’ll hit a couple, but I’m taking the Scorpions to stay undefeated.
Hesperia 27, Burroughs 23

Twentynine Palms at Aquinas
The Falcons have been an offensive juggernaut, averaging 468 yards per game, including going over the 500-yard barrier the last two weeks. 29 Palms has its share of weapons as well in Jared Demoss and Montreal Harris, but if it tries to fight fire with fire, it’ll get burned. Lame cliche aside, I’ll take the Falcons.
Aquinas 38, Twentynine Palms 27

Chino Hills at Silverado
At this point, you have to start feeling sorry for Silverado coach Carl Posey. The non-league schedule that the Hawks put together was absolutely brutal, hence the 0-5 start. And Chino Hills, which seems to be rolling under new coach Derek Bub and new QB Ryan Verdugo, won’t be any sort of break.
Chino Hills 28, Silverado 16

Summit at Sultana
Summit still hasn’t given up a point this season. Sultana has had a hard time scoring any points, and defending teams from scoring points, as they’ve been outscored by an average of 31.2 points per game. I don’t think Summit will win by that much and they may give up a point, but the SkyHawks continue to roll.
Summit 24, Sultana 6

Apple Valley at San Gorgonio
After destroying San Bernardino up at Newton T. Bass Stadium, the Sun Devils try for the San Berdoo sweep this week against the Spartans. Even though San G is 1-3, its hard to fault their losses against Hesperia, REV and Chino Hills. I was wrong on San G last week, but I’m stubborn.
San Gorgonio 21, Apple Valley 20

Other games of note:
Los Osos 30, Valencia West Ranch 16
Rancho Cucamonga 36, Temecula Valley 14
Charter Oak 27, Etiwanda 23
Arrowhead Christian 32, Xavier Prep 9
Big Bear 34, Rosamond 14
Rim of the World 30, Granite Hills 17
Victor Valley 21, Patriot 18
Paloma Valley 24, Bloomington 15

Overall record: 86-21-3.

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Pretty standard this week, as everyone won except for Serrano, who was edged out of the poll. Everyone else either stayed the same or moved up one. Boring I know.

1. Redlands East Valley (4-0)
The Wildcats had perhaps their most impressive performance of the year against Yucaipa. They seem to be getting better, but this week should be a slamdunk against a struggling Fontana team.

2. Upland (5-0)
The Highlanders took care of Bloomington easily, giving them a bye before they start a brutal Baseline League slate. I wish I had more to say, but Upland’s play speaks for itself.

3. Miller (4-0)
The offense erupted against Rialto, which doesn’t have that bad of a defense. If the Miller offense plays at a consistently high level, watch out, because the defense has been a rock all season.

4. Hesperia (4-0)
The Scorpions got a huge scare this week, having to hold off a Barstow 2-point conversion attempt to escape with the victory. A massively-improved Ridgecrest Burroughs team this week won’t be a picnic either.

5. Los Osos (3-1)
The Grizzlies slug past Kaiser and move up a pinch in the rankings, showing some resolve after the tough loss to Vista Murrieta.

6. Colton (3-1)
The Yellowjackets’ double-wing offense showed a little more life against Silverado. If they can continue getting 27 points per game, as they did against Silverado, their defense should be able to deliver Colton to a good place.

7. Cajon (4-1)
I know La Quinta is down, as the Blackhawks have been defeated by Colton and Norco as well. But putting up 40 against La Quinta is nothing to be scoffed at.

8. Aquinas (5-0)
Another week, another 500-yard performance. Falcons coach Josh Henderson gets borderline giddy when talking about this team and its hard to blame them, as Aquinas can come at you from all angles.

9. Rancho Cucamonga (3-0-1)
The Cougars are slowly, but surely, moving their way up. If they stand up during Baseline League play, they’ll be at the top or near the top of these rankings.

10. Chino Hills (4-0)
I was tempted to put Serrano here and keep it in the poll, but Chino Hills beat the team (Colony) that most recently beat Serrano. There was no logical reason not to put the Huskies in this place.

Just missed the cut: Serrano (3-2), Summit (4-0), Ayala (4-1).

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Not nearly as much movement this week at the top, but the bottom got altered quite a bit.

1. Oklahoma (1) – The Sooners celebrated their first week as No. 1 with a rout of Baylor. But the true test of their pedigree comes this upcoming weekend against Texas in the Red River Shootout.

2. Alabama (2) – The Tide was pretty ho-hum this week against Kentucky, but a letdown is to be expected after the huge win over Georgia last week.

3. LSU (3) – Tigers chilled this week, but a big matchup with Florida this week awaits.

4. Missouri (4) – 30 years of frustration at Nebraska was erased pretty emphatically tonight. Mizzou might have the most lethal offense in the nation right now.

5. Texas (5) – Longhorns handled a potential landmine game against Colorado with ease. Oklahoma next week is the true legitimacy test, though.

6. Penn State (6) – Not a pretty win, but the Nits took out Purdue and stayed undefeated. Next up is a wounded and desperate Wisconsin team.

7. Texas Tech (7) – The Red Raiders did pretty well against their first opponent with a pulse, drilling Kansas State by 30 on the road.

8. USC (9) – The Trojans looked like national contenders again by destroying Oregon. Makes you wonder what the heck could have possibly happened against Oregon State. Still a mystery.

9. Georgia (8) – Bulldogs move down based on USC’s blowout win than anything else. They’ll have opportunities to reprove themselves down the road.

10. Ohio State (10) – Very good road win against a Wisconsin team that really, really needed to win. The game-winning drive could have been Terrelle Pryor’s coming of age.

11. BYU (11) – 15 wins in a row and counting for the Cougars. However, playing Utah State isn’t going to make me jump them up.

12. Florida (12) – The 38-7 win over Arkansas was deceiving, as the Razorbacks were actually within 10 points to start the fourth quarter. LSU next week presents a great opportunity to win back respect.

13. Utah (15) – Normally a escape of a win against a 2-3 team isn’t much to crow about. But ask USC how effective a 2-3 Oregon State can be.

14. Vanderbilt (18) – The Commodores got perhaps their biggest win in 50 years by beating Auburn and moving to 5-0. Vandy is actually leading the SEC East right now, which is trippy in itself.

15. Kansas (16) – Kansas moved up a bit because of losses by surrounding teams, but were jumped by Vandy due to the last-ditch nature of their Iowa State victory.

16. Boise State (19) – It truly is amazing how consistent Boise State is. The Broncos plug in players and continue to win. A finely-tuned system if there was one.

17. Oklahoma State (23) – The Cowboys keep winning, keep scoring and keep moving up. They get a huge test this week with Missouri.

18. Virginia Tech (21) – The Hokies may be the most awkward, most visually-displeasing 5-1 team there is – and I’m not talking about the maroon and orange color scheme. But 5-1 is 5-1.

19. California (NR) – This is probably higher than most have Cal, but the Golden Bears have a quietly solid team. I bet they wish they had a mulligan for Maryland though.

20. South Florida (13) – This might be the hardest team to rank right now. True, they lost at home to Pittsburgh, but the Bulls did win against Kansas. Losses and bye weeks keep USF ok for now.

21. Wake Forest (24) – I don’t like moving up teams due to byes, but there was really no choice this week. Plus, Navy, who upset Wake, validated itself a bit more by beating a good Air Force team.

22. Northwestern (25) – The unbeaten Wildcats continue their slow rise. Next week’s game with Michigan State will filter out one of the Big Ten upstarts.

23. Michigan State (NR) – The Spartans have won 5 in a row since losing to Cal in the opener, and RB Javon Ringer is in the top 5 for the Heisman right now. Northwestern game starts brutal second half of the season.

24. Auburn (14) – A 10-spot drop may be severe considering the quality of Vanderbilt, but the Tigers’ offense just isn’t good. At all. The D however, is stout.

25. Ball State (NR) – The Cardinals, who are 6-0 right now, crack the Top 25, and deservedly so. Their early-week win at Navy keeps looking better and better.

On the cusp: Florida State, Pittsburgh, Oregon

Dropped out: No. 17 Wisconsin (lost to Ohio State), No. 20 Oregon (lost to USC), No. 22 Fresno State (lost to Hawaii).

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It’s October and I’m still below .500 in the NFL. Either I take too many risks or I really stink. I’m going with the latter. Anyone who uses these picks for anything besides mocking is really misguided. But I’m going to press on anyway.

Indianapolis (-3) at Houston
Something was seriously off for the Colts before their bye. Except for one quarter against the Vikings, Indy has been beaten down in the early part of this season. The Texans played well enough to win in Jacksonville last week and are finally at home for the first time. An emotional Houston crowd makes the difference.
Houston 23, Indianapolis 20

Tennessee (-2.5) at Baltimore
The Titans, with the aged Kerry Collins at quarterback, weren’t expected to be undefeated. In fact, I think I’ve picked against them twice. Well, I’m not doing that. While Baltimore has a good D, Tennessee’s is tops in the NFL right now, which should do the trick against Joe Flacco.
Tennessee 17, Baltimore 10

San Diego (-6.5) at Miami
The Chargers still aren’t clicking on all cylinders, but they seem to be going in the right direction. I thought Miami’s use of the “Wild Hog” offense with Ronnie Brown at quarterback was great, but something tells me the Chargers will be ready for it.
San Diego 31, Miami 20

Kansas City (+9.5) at Carolina
The Chiefs surprised everyone last week by beating the undefeated Broncos. It’s an aberration though, as I don’t see any way KC repeats that performance against Carolina. Panthers will romp.
Carolina 28, Kansas City 10

Washington (+6) at Philadelphia
This game pretty much hinges, at least from spread concerns, on Brian Westbrook. The Skins were impressive last week at Dallas and would get major kudos for winning in Philly. However, the Eagles can’t afford to fall any further behind in the brutal NFC East. They’ll win a close one.
Philadelphia 23, Washington 21

Chicago (-3.5) at Detroit
Amazingly the Lions swept the Bears this year. It’s not amazing because the Bears were good, but because Detroit very rarely is competent enough to sweep anything. At least Matt Millen is gone from the Lions, but they’ll have to be satisfied with baby steps for now.
Chicago 27, Detroit 19

Atlanta (+3.5) at Green Bay
Normally this would be an easy pick for the Packers, but Aaron Rodgers’ up in the air status could make this game a Matt Ryan vs. Matt Flynn QB matchup. Still, I think the Pack have enough to cover this spread even with Flynn. They’ll depend on Ryan Grant and the defense.
Green Bay 20, Atlanta 13

Seattle (+7) at N.Y. Giants
The Seahawks are still a hot mess, even after the bye week. They are basically reduced to either running the ball 50 times, which shouldn’t work against the Giants, or throwing the ball strictly to their tight ends. Plaxico Burress is out, so the Giants will grind out a low-scoring win.
N.Y. Giants 21, Seattle 13

Tampa Bay (+3.5) at Denver
With the frequency that these two teams put the ball in the air, this game could take nearly four hours. Denver is basically reduced to winning in shootouts, which they should be able to do at home. Count on Brian Griese to throw a crucial interception for Tampa as well.
Denver 34, Tampa Bay 28

New England (-3) at San Francisco
The Pats were embarrassed by Ronnie Brown and the Wild Hog two weeks ago, so you know that Bill Belichick was doing everything short of ritualistic abuse during New England’s bye week. Frisco has improved, but I’ll take the Pats here.
New England 19, San Francisco 14

Buffalo (+1.5) at Arizona
Everytime I pick the Cardinals I look stupid. Then again, you could replace the word Cardinals with 10 other names and the statement would still be factually correct. I’m picking Buffalo out of pure spite.
Buffalo 27, Arizona 21

Cincinnati (+16.5) at Dallas
The game will stink, but seeing Chad Ocho Cinco and Terrell Owens clash in a touchdown celebration contest would sure be entertaining. T.O. will be happy, for this week at least, as the Cowboys should roll over the pourous Bengals defense.
Dallas 41, Cincinnati 17

Pittsburgh (+5) at Jacksonville
The Jaguars seem to do really well against the Steelers, who have Mewelde Moore starting at running back this week. Mewelde Moore went to Tulane, which got killed by Army this week. I’ll take the Jags and the points.
Jacksonville 21, Pittsburgh 14

Minnesota (+3) at New Orleans
Quite frankly, I’m sick of picking the Vikings just to have them lose – or picking against them just to have them win. I’m messed up either way, but I’ll take the home team as a default.
New Orleans 28, Minnesota 20

Straight up: 28-31. Against the spread: 27-31-1.

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I really hate that the college football season is two weeks ahead of the high school football season. With colleges starting in late August and high schools choosing to use the dumb “Zero Week” moniker, it messes me up every week.

My college picking was pretty bleh last week, as I went 5-5 against the spread and slightly better overall. I did pull the reverse jinx on Wisconsin though. Boo ya!

Oregon (+16) at USC
The Trojans probably hate the word Oregon after last week. Luckily, its a word that’s not easily used in sentences or that sounds like anything. However, anyone who asks Rey Maualuga what his “country of oregon” is will likely be punched in the face. Two things could happen – USC could punch out the Ducks at home or slog around and play a boring game. I’m going with the punch.
USC 42, Oregon 20

Washington State (+17) at UCLA
This game has been slated for the late game on FSN, which means that Fox is hoping to draw in the intoxicated bar crowd in the East and Midwest and hope they don’t realize what this game actually is – a matchup between two unwatchable teams. Actually, UCLA played pretty well against Fresno, though I’m hesitant about giving them over two touchdowns against anyone, no matter how awful Wazzu is.
UCLA 23, Washington State 9

Arizona State (+9) at California
The Sun Devils are fresh off a necessary week off, as they needed time to get over consecutive losses to UNLV and Georgia, or hang out at “The Library” and ogle some co-eds. Quite frankly, ASU needs to steal this game, as Oregon and USC – and a possible 2-5 start – looms if it doesn’t. I really have nothing to say about Cal, though I do think they win, but not cover.
California 28, Arizona State 20

Washington (+22.5) at Arizona
If I’m a REV fan, I would hop in a car Saturday morning and drive to Tucson. Former Wildcats QB Ronnie Fouch is making his debut as a starter for the Huskies. There’s really no other reason to watch the Huskies, who have been bad under dead-man-walking coach Tyrone Willingham. I do think Washington will cover though – Arizona isn’t quite ready to lay this many points.
Arizona 38, Washington 23

Stanford (+6.5) at Notre Dame
According to my sources (Clay Fowler), Norco coach Todd Gerhart is skipping his team’s game with Riverside Poly tonight to go to this game and watch his son Toby, a sophomore running back. You can’t blame Gerhart for this, as Stanford has a rare chance to steal a game at venerable Notre Dame Stadium. I think they will, as the Irish, while 3-1, have been maddeningly inconsistent.
Stanford 24, Notre Dame 21

Auburn (-4) at Vanderbilt
I never thought I’d be picking a Vanderbilt game in this space. But hey, the Commodores have been part of a huge resurgence from the academic powers of the BCS (Northwestern, Vandy, Duke, Stanford). Auburn has been shaky offensively and are apparently scrapping the spread offense which they brought in during the offseason. Kind of a sign of panic if you ask me. I’m probably stupid for doing this, but I’m taking the ‘Dores.
Vanderbilt 17, Auburn 16

Ohio State (-1.5) at Wisconsin
With last weekend’s collapse at Michigan, the Badgers could be staring 0-3 in the Big Ten in the face, as they have Penn State after this week’s matchup with the Buckeyes. Ohio State freshman QB Terrelle Pryor will get his first road start in a brutal environment, as contact with the Madison locals at night can get you the drunk version of a contact high. I’ve said too much there. Anyway, I’ll go with a desperate home team, though i’m not ecstatic about it.
Wisconsin 20, Ohio State 17

Florida State (+2) at Miami (Fla)
Remember when this game was the end-all, be-all of college football? In the 90s, this was the game to go to, with rappers and former athletes alike wanting to be a part of these showdowns. Now, its a mere footnote on the schedule, one that I almost didn’t pick. Too bad, so sad. Anyway, both of these teams have athletes but are extremely raw or incompetent at the quarterback position. I’ll take raw at home over incompetent on the road.
Miami (Fla) 16, Florida State 13

Missouri (-10.5) at Nebraska
This should be a gimme. The Tigers have one of the more dynamic offenses in Division I and the Heisman Trophy frontrunner in Chase Daniel. Nebraska, meanwhile, is still a work in progress. But for all of Mizzou’s accolades, they still haven’t won in Lincoln in decades. Expect the Huskers to come out pumped, but for Missouri to have too much oomph in the second half.
Missouri 44, Nebraska 28

Kentucky (+15.5) at Alabama
This could be called the Bear Bryant Bowl, as the late legendary coach headed both of these programs back in the day. He had his Junction Boys time with Texas A&M, but that’s a whole other story. Anyway, Nick Saban has the Tide looking as dominant as it did under The Bear. However, Kentucky has quietly built a good defense and a 4-0 record. There will be a bit of a letdown after the big win at Georgia, so while Bama wins, the Cats cover.
Alabama 24, Kentucky 13

Overall record: 37-13. Record against spread: 24-25-1

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Going into the season, Rim of the World coach Bob Gradillas thought that sophomore Dillon Pretzinger would be important in lessening the workload on junior running back Nick Toner, who ran for 961 yards and 15 touchdowns last year.

But with Toner missing most of the first three games due to nagging soreness in his right knee, Pretzinger has been forced to carry most of the load. Not that its been much of a problem.

The 6-foot-0, 166-pounder ran for 310 yards on 32 carries with three touchdowns in the Fighting Scots’ 48-23 victory over Bishop last Friday and already has 542 yards on the ground for the season. Not bad for a guy who Gradillas was somewhat unsure about.

“We knew that Dillon had the ability, but we never expected him to start the way he has,” Gradillas said. “It’s not something you expect out of a sophomore. It’s been quite a lift and gives us some options once Nick comes back.”

Because of the way Pretzinger has played, Rim has the option of getting Toner fresh for Mojave River League play. Gradillas indicated that Toner, while almost ready to play, might sit against Indio tonight and Granite Hills next week to allow further healing – a luxury he might not have without Pretzinger’s emergence.

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The games start counting for real this weekend, with the Citrus Belt League starting its season. That means that my picks will start counting for a bit more this week, at least emotionally.

I fell off from my one-loss performance of week 2 with a 17-5-2 mark last week, but I’m giving myself bonus points for nailing the exact score of the Etiwanda-Carter game (36-10 for those wondering). Anyway, here we go for Week 4.

CITRUS BELT LEAGUE

Yucaipa at Redlands East Valley
The Wildcats’ D has gotten stingier as the season has gone on, giving up only six points to Compton Dominguez last week. The Dons are down from what they normally are, but good defense is good defense. Yucaipa has shown some explosion at times this year and while REV is still a work in progress offensivley, it will stay undefeated.
Redlands East Valley 24, Yucaipa 12

Miller at Rialto
Apparently the Orkin man has come to Rialto High School and expunged the pesky ants from the football field. The Knights have been pestered by a lack of offense, as they have been blanked during the last two games. That doesn’t bode will against a Miller team with some sting in it.
Miller 23, Rialto 3

Carter at Eisenhower
Big status game for both. While the Lions aren’t considered the elite of the league, they do have two consecutive playoff berths. To get to the playoffs, something that hasn’t been done at Ike since 2004, Carter is a team the Eagles need to beat. I think they will, though it won’t be easy.
Eisenhower 24, Carter 20

Redlands at Fontana
One team has a win coming in and surprise, its not the Terriers. However, Redlands played three tough teams in Vista Murrieta, Clovis East and LA Carson, so Fontana’s 28-0 win over San Bernardino won’t have much of an impact. Redlands gets in the W column in a big way.
Redlands 33, Fontana 7

NONLEAGUE

Colton at Silverado
This game gets going in an hour, so I’ll pick it now. I saw the Yellowjackets pull victory from the jaws of defeat (cliche’ alert) against Palm Springs last week and realize that while Colton has a ways to go, they have some heart. Silverado has got to be sick of playing good teams, a sickness that will continue as the Hawks become the best 0-5 team in the state.
Colton 14, Silverado 6

Barstow at Hesperia
I think Barstow goes out of its way to mess with me. I’m 100 percent convinced of this. I finally jump on the Aztec bandwagon and they fall to Quartz Hill. Quartz Hill is good, mind you, but still, throw me a bone. Barstow hopes Hesperia throws them a bone this year, but the Scorpions are flat pile-driving people right now.
Hesperia 30, Barstow 13

Serrano at Colony
The two-time defending Central Division champion Titans finally got their first win of the 2008 season last week. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they have to play Serrano, who backhanded them 49-14 last season. That may serve as some motivation to Colony, but they are too young to do much about it.
Serrano 28, Colony 14

Los Osos at Kaiser
While it was a nonleague game against a very good Vista Murrieta team, Los Osos has to be somewhat peeved in blowing a 21-7 lead on the road last week. Kaiser, as usual, has a beast of a nonleague schedule, making Los Osos a perfect fit. The Cats don’t quite have the firepower necessary to hang with the Grizzlies.
Los Osos 20, Kaiser 9

Chino Hills at San Gorgonio
This Chino Hills team isn’t nearly as star-studded as last year’s version, but they might actually be a good thing for the Huskies, who have shown quite a bit of grit in going 3-0. San G has dazzled at times during its first three games in going 1-2 and will have to continue to do that. I think it will, as I’m picking the upset.
San Gorgonio 24, Chino Hills 22

Alta Loma at Arroyo Valley
In many leagues, the Braves would be a playoff contender. But unless something drastic happens, I think Alta Loma is destined for fifth in the Baseline League. Arroyo Valley has done a good job with a patchwork offense and should be able to tough this one out as well.
Arroyo Valley 17, Alta Loma 13

Other games of note:
Arrowhead Christian 23, Yucca Valley 17
Upland 45, Bloomington 3
Cajon 16, La Quinta 10
Etiwanda 31, Chino 20
Granite Hills 27, Cathedral City 6
Twentynine Palms 28, Oak Park 16
Chaffey 36, Pacific 7
Indio 27, Rim of the World 23
Apple Valley 24, San Bernardino 6
Aquinas 34, San Pedro Mary Star of the Sea 14
Victor Valley 24, Sultana 21

Overall record: 71-15-3

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