There is no greater time to try to get into this competition than right now, as every week you beat me gives you another opportunity at that big cash prize at the end of the year. Let's get started right now with my Week 10 picks…

Cincinnati Bengals (+7.5) @ Indianapolis Colts – I tend to get the impression that the Bengals have had it in this season, but I also tend to get the impression that the Colts are set to fall apart at any point now. No, QB Peyton Manning isn't going to let his team go on some four game losing streak, ala the Pittsburgh Steelers of last season, but winning games consistently by more than a touchdown in this league is one of the hardest things to do. I just don't see anyone, including the great Manning, being able to sit here and pull off something like this week after week. I'm going to take the points and go with Cincinnati +7.5

Houston Texans (+1) @ Jacksonville Jaguars – They may as well call this game the "Losing Coach Gets Fired On the Spot Bowl." No, a defeat won't directly cost either Jack Del Rio or Gary Kubiak his job right away, but either coach not making the playoffs this year is probably going to be handed a pink slip in January. The loser of this one certainly isn't going to the second season. Houston needs to kick it into gear, and it finally finds itself in a position that it has been in a lot this year: It is the better team on the field. I'm taking Houston +1.

Tennessee Titans (-1.5) @ Miami Dolphins – My favorite play of the week. The Titans make a living out of getting to the quarterback on defense, and they were already proven to be incredibly frustrated by the short passing game of the Broncos. QB Chad Pennington made a career of taking three steps and getting rid of the football with precision in spite of the fact that he probably couldn't throw the ball the length of an Arena Football field. HC Tony Sparano is a smart man. This will be the week that we see the "old school" Miami Dolphins come to play, with more Wildcat forms, more creative ways to get the ball into the hands of RB Ronnie Brown and RB Ricky Williams, and the sorts. Pennington won't be asked to do much. Remember that this is a team playing for its life as well, as you have to win a home game eventually to make the postseason. I love getting Miami +1.5 as a pup at home.

Minnesota Vikings (-1.5) @ Chicago Bears – Someone please hand me my rusty fork so I can jam my eyes out… It's less painful than watching this crappy game. The NFC North is turning into a division that I have about as much desire to watch (and handicap) as the NFC West, and that's saying something. There's just no allure in this game for me. HC Brad Childress is a dead duck just waiting to get picked off. HC Lovie Smith isn't making it through the season either because Jay Freaking Cutler is his quarterback. And who knows whether I'm going to see the QB Brett Favre that threw two picks and looked god awful against the lousy Arizona Cardinals secondary or see the one that threw for over 440 yards and led the team to two TDs in the fourth quarter against the exact same team. Screw it. Minnesota -1.5

Detroit Lions (+2.5) @ Buffalo Bills – See, at least this game has some intrigue to it! The Bills might be in their last chance to win a game this year, and they keep finding ways to lose games. The Lions might also be in one of their last chances to win a game this year, and they keep finding ways to lose games. Is it just me, or does this game just stink of something like five safeties, two touchdowns on weird, sloppy plays, and a pair of missed extra points? With the Lions down 12-10 (three safeties, a TD, and a missed PAT against two safeties, a TD, and a missed PAT), I really want to see DT Ndamukong Suh come on and try to kick a game winning field goal. I win either way, and I'm certainly going to get my laughter for the day. Seriously though… Why on earth are the Bills favored against anybody? Detroit +2.5

New York Jets (-3) @ Cleveland Browns – I'm sorry, but seeing HC Rex Ryan wearing a Browns shirt and coming to the table of his press conference wearing those huge curly locks was just hilarious. The Jets know that this is a chance to prove something special, and I think there's a reason that the oddsmakers have made this NFL line so tight. They're begging you to take the Browns here after their performance last week against the New England Patriots. This New York team has this thing called a "defense," though. You know, it's a foreign concept in the greater Boston area. Just ask the Red Sox pitching down the stretch of the season! Heh… Sorry. New York -3

Carolina Panthers (+7) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – I never thought that the day would come where I would really be considering laying a touchdown with the Bucs. Let's face the facts here, though. Tampa Bay isn't a team that is going to blow you out by 20. It is going to stick around and find a way to take you down. Don't be overly shocked if the Bucs do just that against a bad Carolina team on Sunday. Goodness knows who is going to start the game (or finish it for that matter) for the Panthers at quarterback, but I'm taking Carolina +7 regardless.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos (+1) – Ever heard of this thing called "payback?" It's an interesting little creature that usually insists that when you're an underdog at home and have had two weeks to prepare for the team that single handedly knocked you out of the playoffs and ran up the score on you in the final game of the season in your backyard, that you tend to be just a little irked. You couldn't pay me to back KC in this one. I'm definitely going with the angry Broncos +1.

St. Louis Rams (+6) @ San Francisco 49ers – Don't get me wrong. I know that the 49ers are going to find some way to win this game, and the possibility is really there that they end up posting a blowout as well. There's just something that's rubbing me the wrong way about laying six points against the Rams right now. They're a stingy bunch, and they rarely seem to lose badly in situations like this one. I'm going to bank on QB Sam Bradford to not throw the game away, and if that's the case, St. Louis +6 is most certainly the right side.

Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals (-3) – Just when I thought it didn't get any uglier than Minnesota/Chicago… This is the dog game of all dog games this week, which is really saying something considering how bad Detroit and Buffalo are. The Cards at least show some promise right now, but rather than justify why I think Arizona is going to win this game, I think I'll just stick with the fact that it's going to be awesome to wake up on Monday morning and see a 4-5 record sitting atop a division. Arizona -3

Dallas Cowboys (+14) @ New York Giants – I definitely am going to need my antacids for this game. This is going to be an ugly one. HC Jason Garrett is the only reason that I'm strongly thinking about playing on Dallas in spite of the fact that it has a dreadful 1-7 record both SU and ATS. These last eight games are going to show us where Garrett sits in this Dallas franchise, and we figure that he at least needs to go 5-3 to save his job and give him a chance to really become the new head coach of the Cowboys. I know the Giants are on fire, and I know that they manhandled Dallas in Big D just a few weeks ago, but something is telling me that two TDs is far too many to be laying in a divisional tussle. Dallas +14

New England Patriots (+4.5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers – Remember to make your tiebreaker picks in this game!!! Taking Pittsburgh is taking the easy way out. Perception, perception, perception! The whole world has seen these Steelers play some big time ball since QB Ben Roethlisberger has come back to the lineup, and it has seen them play some tremendous defense against some great teams. The whole world also just saw the Pats lose on the road to the Cleveland Browns. Yeah… Those Cleveland Browns. There's no way that a team coached by Bill Belichick got beat that bad in a game like that without holding a little something, something back. Don't be shocked if there is a new look for New England this week, and if that's the case, I'll take the Mad Scientist and his Patriots +4.5.

There is no greater time to try to get into this competition than right now, as every week you beat me gives you another opportunity at that big cash prize at the end of the year. Let's get started right now with my Week 9 picks…

Chicago Bears @ Buffalo Bills (+2.5) – The crazy Canucks up in Toronto will love this one on Sunday afternoon, though it's a tough call whether the Bills or the Toronto Argonauts have the better team right now… Hey, Buffalo's gonna win one eventually, right? Besides, the Bears flat out suck, and there's just no two ways around that. I don't care whether Chicago had no bye week, one bye week, or 15 bye weeks coming into this one. The Bears aren't winning. Period. In QB Jay Cutler I trust… to throw four picks… Buffalo +2.5

San Diego Chargers @ Houston Texans (+2.5) – This is a heck of a lot of disrespect against the Texans… Reliant Stadium is still a heck of a place to go play football, as Houston always plays incredibly well there. One home win against the Tennessee Titans doesn't make up for these road losses against the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and St. Louis Rams… The only thing that I'm afraid of is that QB Philip Rivers might throw for 600 yards in this one, as the Houston secondary has more holes than your average slice of Swiss Cheese. Still, the hosts shouldn't be dogs in this one, and I'm set to take advantage of grabbing a piece of Houston +2.5.

New Orleans Saints (-6.5) @ Carolina Panthers – I know that the Panthers fought tooth and nail with the Saints a few weeks ago in the Superdome, and I know just as well that New Orleans has been an atrocious road team this year, but as long as at least one of the big running backs on this team comes back, everything changes. The Saints don't rely on that rushing game much, but RBs Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush really do keep defenders honest about defending the run, something that doesn't have to be done right now with these boards with angry faces that are running in the backfield right now. Carolina got its win. We don't know what more that it really wants…

Arizona Cardinals (+8.5) @ Minnesota Vikings – Does anyone else feel like HC Brad Childress is going to get fired after this week? The Cards aren't very good, but their offense is at least showing some signs of getting it together. QB Max Hall figured out that he is only going to be as good as he lets WR Larry Fitzgerald be for him, and if that keeps up on Sunday, there's a real chance at the upset. Minnesota needs wins and knows that it is still alive for a postseason push, but let's be real. QB Brett Favre should be benched. There's no emotional tie to him whatsoever, and he is playing like dog poo right now. I give Arizona a great chance in this one. I'm going with the Cards +8.5.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons (-8.5) – If it looks like a fish and it smells like a fish, there's probably something fishy about it. The Bucs are right there for the NFC South lead and can snare it with a win on Sunday. But for some reason, the oddsmakers are insistent that they are at least two scores worse than the Falcons are… And they're right. Atlanta might be the crème de la crème of the NFC, and off of a bye week, we love its chance. Sure, QB Josh Freeman is playing the best ball of his career, but the Falcons represent one of those proverbial "good teams" that Tampa Bay has to face every now and again. The two times that the Bucs faced "good teams" in 2010, they were crushed by both the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints. Don't mind me, as I add Atlanta to that list. Falcons-8.5.

New York Jets @ Detroit Lions (+4) – Nope, the oddsmakers still haven't learned. The Jets are a bi-polar club that just seems to struggle at times for absolutely no reason whatsoever. QB Mark Sanchez is starting to get INT happy again, as he has four picks in his L/2 games after not throwing one in the first portion of the season, and the New York defense has to be scratching its head about what it needs to do to win games. In two defeats this year, the Jets have allowed 19 total points… and have scored just nine. The Lions are still on the rise, and I tend to think that they could still be a playoff team if given the chance. Don't be shocked if there isn't another wild upset in the cards on Sunday. Going with Detroit +4 is the easy call.

Miami Dolphins @ Baltimore Ravens (-4.5) – At some point, the Dolphins are going to lose a game on the road both SU and ATS, and this is a prime spot for that to happen in. This is the hardest venue that Miami has had to go into all season long, and with the Ravens coming off of a bad game and a bye week, you can bet that LB Ray Lewis and company are going to be in no mood to mess around. The Fins are a feisty little bunch, but that doesn't mean that they are capable of beating up one of the most physical teams in the NFL. Baltimore just seems to have a knack for winning games like this by some 20-13ish score line, and that's what I'm calling for again on Sunday. Baltimore -4.5 for yours truly.

New England Patriots @ Cleveland Browns (+5.5) – Here's your first of two major trap games for the weekend. The books are just begging you to take the Pats here, and for good reason. After all, they have the best record in football, they're one of the best ATS teams in the game as well, and they really do appear like they are a better team now that WR Randy Moss is no longer a part of it. Not so fast, my friends! Cleveland is coming off of a bye week, and the offense seems to at least be remotely competent with QB Colt McCoy calling the shots. The New England defense still really hasn't done all that much to impress me, as I think this is a unit that can be had. Oh, don't worry, the Mad Scientist, HC Bill Belichick isn't losing this game… But to watch an 11 point lead get cut to either three or five in the dying moments with a backdoor cover seems like what the oddsmakers are banking on. I'm not falling into this trap! Cleveland +5.5

New York Giants @ Seattle Seahawks (+6.5) – Have we learned nothing about betting against the Seahawks when they're playing at Qwest Field? You're going to ask the Giants to come all the way across the country into the most hostile environment in the league and beat down Seattle by at least a full touchdown? I mean, geez… I like the G-Men, but isn't this a little absurd? I guess the oddsmakers still don't really believe in the Seahawks like I do. It's an easy call to take Seattle +6.5 at home. even a week after the Hawks were clipped by the Oakland Raiders on the road.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders (-2.5) – Who would've thunk that both of these teams would really be in contention for the playoffs, while the San Diego Chargers are still just mired in their own little slump. Dare I say that Oakland has been the best team in the NFL over the last two weeks? It's fairly undeniable that something has clicked into place in the Black Hole, and the next team to feel the wrath of that might just be the Chiefs. Desperation might be kicking in for the Raiders as well, as they know that a loss here probably ends any hopes of making the playoffs. I'll lay the points and take Oakland -2.5.

Indianapolis Colts @ Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5) – And welcome to the biggest trap game that I have ever seen in all of my years of handicapping the NFL! The Colts are actually catching points for a change? It's not something that you see every day, and there is usually a reason for it. The Eagles have been preparing for this one for two weeks now, and they are going to be getting QB Michael Vick back once again. Add back WR DeSean Jackson to the mix as well. Indy is coming off of its biggest win of the season and is only a short week after playing on Monday Night Football in Week 8. There aren't many more raucous atmospheres than the one that QB Peyton Manning is going to try to conquer on Sunday afternoon. On paper, Indy's the better team. In this matchup though, Philadelphia -2.5 is the right choice.

Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers (-8) – Remember to make your tiebreaker picks in this game!!! Simply put, I just can't trust the damn Cowboys. They have ruined more Survivor Pool contestants this year across the country than any other team, and the point has to just be realized that they aren't very good. Now, I'm not so sure the Packers are all that great either, and I hate taking a team that is coming off of its best game of the season when perception is as high as it has been on it all season long, especially in a primetime, standalone game. Yet, I hate Dallas that much… Thus I have no choice but to take Green Bay -8.

There is no greater time to try to get into this competition than right now, as every week you beat me gives you another opportunity at that big cash prize at the end of the year. Let's get started right now with my Week 8 picks…

Denver Broncos (+1) vs. San Francisco 49ers – Jolly ol' England is going to get to see a real lousy one this year as well. How on earth do the worst teams in the NFL continually end up going overseas for these spectacles? Anyway, the Broncos are coming off of their worst performance of the season, but no one in the Rockies is pushing the panic button. With QB Troy Smith getting the nod for San Fran instead of backup QB David Carr, not only is there a very disgruntled man sitting on the sidelines, but it is clear that HC Mike Singletary is making this move in hopes of saving his job. It won't work. Going with the Broncos +1 as short underdogs.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Dallas Cowboys (-6.5) – I'm really tired of getting burned by the Cowboys every single week, but I'm backing Dallas -6.5 once again. The Cowboys might have just gotten the shot in the arm that they needed when QB Tony Romo went down on Monday Night Football. One of two things is going to happen. Either the team is really going to rally around QB Jon Kitna and start to come together, or all hell will break loose and the season will be over. I already know which direction Jacksonville is heading in… All I need to do is look at the box score from last week's 42-20 embarrassment at the Kansas City Chiefs to tell that…

Washington Redskins (+2.5) @ Detroit Lions – Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. The Redskins have already lost at the St. Louis Rams this year, the Lions are coming off of a bye week, they're getting their starting quarterback back in the lineup for the first time since the opening weekend of the season, and they have the best ATS record in the game. Easy pick for the hosts, right? However, have you ever heard of such a thing as a play being so sharp that it's square? It's too easy to go with Detroit. The oddsmakers had no choice but to react to all of these recent covers for the men from Motown. Could the Lions win this game? Sure. Are they truthfully on a level playing field with the Redskins, as is implied by this line? Heck no. My choice is easy. Washington +2.5

Green Bay Packers @ New York Jets (-5.5) – I sort of feel like I'm being tricked into taking the Jets -5.5 on Sunday afternoon, but there are just too many things going for New York and too many going against Green Bay for me to ignore. The Packers just played their most emotional game of the season last week against the Minnesota Vikings, and they are going to need a significantly bigger effort to get past the Jets in New Meadowlands Stadium. The Jets are coming off of their bye week and have seemingly found an offense for the first time in the HC Rex Ryan era. I really don't feel like I have that much of a choice here.

Carolina Panthers @ St. Louis Rams (-3) – Does anyone have a rusty fork available for me to poke my eyes out with? Geez, does this game smell about as appealing as a baby's diaper after four hours… The Panthers might have a win now, but just because QB Matt Moore threw for 300+ yards last week doesn't make him a hero. The Rams are still playing good ball at home this year, and they'll come up with yet another victory. Things would have felt a lot different for the hosts if they were 4-2, and that's exactly what would've happened had they stopped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the goal line last week in the fourth quarter. I'm sticking with St. Louis -3.

Miami Dolphins @ Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5) – It seems like this would be a tremendously easy game to pick, especially if you believe that the Pittsburgh Steelers are really one of the best teams in the NFL. The Fins just played a great game against Pittsburgh and nearly pulled off the outright victory. They're also a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS on the road this year, going into Cincinnati, where the Bengals are one of the most disappointing teams in the league. However, the Bengals have already beaten the Baltimore Ravens this year at home, and they might be able to add Miami's scalp to that list this weekend. So I fooled you! You thought I was going with Miami… Wrongo! Cincinnati -1.5

Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs (-7.5) – Just for the record, I don't think that there has been a single game this year in which I've picked the Bills… and I'm not so sure if that's going to change any time in the near future. I said at the outset of the year that this was the worst team that the NFL has seen in years, including that winless Detroit Lions team from 2008, and I'm sticking by that. Buffalo is a joke, and that joke was so funny last week that the Baltimore Ravens were nearly laughing too hard and forgot about destroying the punch line. The Chiefs aren't going to screw around like Baltimore did. Kansas City -7.5 for me, without a doubt.

Tennessee Titans @ San Diego Chargers (-3.5) – Here's another game that I could really live without. The Bolts are in just about the same type of hot water that the Dallas Cowboys are in right now, but at least they have something positive to build on after nearly coming all the way back to beat the New England Patriots last weekend. Tennessee is the most overrated bunch in the league, and at some point, it will come back to earth. That might start this weekend even though it doesn't seem like San Diego can beat anyone right now. I'm backing the Bolts -3.5.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Arizona Cardinals (-3) – The vintage Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team in the NFL is Arizona. The Cards simply can't play a game on the road to save their lives, but put them back at home, and all bets are off. Tampa Bay just put together an emotional road win to stay alive in the playoff race, but let's be real here for a second. The New Orleans Saints just lost to these Redbirds by ten a few weeks back. That same team in black and gold won in Tampa Bay by a whole boatload of points the very next week. No way, Tampa Bay. The Bucs stop here. Arizona -3

Seattle Seahawks @ Oakland Raiders (-1.5) – Speaking of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde teams… Does anyone else think that the Seahawks are genuinely going to be able to win road games all season long? Look, QB Jason Campbell isn't going to complete just 40 some odd percent of his passes like QB Jay Cutler did two weeks ago in the Windy City. The Raiders are coming off of a fantastic game against the Denver Broncos in which they set a franchise record for points scored. In the Black Hole, I'll go with the hosts and take Oakland -1.5.

Minnesota Vikings @ New England Patriots (-6) – I don't care if you put Brett Favre, Joe Montana, YA Tittle, or Gus Frerotte after banging his head up against the wall under center this weekend… WR Randy Moss isn't going to do a thing against the Pats, as you know that the evil mastermind, HC Bill Belichick has been scheming for this game and this particular matchup since the day that the Pats sent good ol' Randy out of town. It's been awhile since I've heard a "Love Boat" reference to Minnesota, but the Vikes definitely have a ship that is sinking right now. New England -6

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New Orleans Saints (+1) – Remember to make your tiebreaker picks in this game!!! This is one of the toughest games that I've had to make a call on in recent years, and I'm still not totally sure that I wouldn't want to flip flop my pick a number of times from now through the kickoff of this one. I tend to think that RB Reggie Bush coming back into the lineup will at least put enough fear in a potentially harmed Pittsburgh defense to give the Saints the upper hand. But the bottom line that I have right now is that the Steelers are going to lose eventually, while New Orleans as an underdog at home is just ridiculous. The Bayou will be rockin' on Saturday night, and I'm going with New Orleans +1.