Bad news: the Titans will lose to the Colts and the Volunteers will lose to Wisconsin

Before I make these predictions, I must admit that I am both tired and cranky. Therefore, my state of mind may be influencing the picks I am about to make. I'm not making excuses; I'm just being honest about my current state of being.

The Tennessee Volunteers play Wisconsin on New Year's Day in the Outback Bowl. Tennessee fans will remember that this is the bowl the Vols laid a giant egg in last season in losing to Penn State.

Unfortunately, I don't think this year will be any better. Since the SEC title game, nothing has gone right for the Vols. Though they are staying to coach in this game, offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe has accepted the Duke head coaching job, while receivers coach Trooper Taylor is heading to Oklahoma State.

Sprinkle in a half dozen players who aren't eligible for this game because of academic reasons and things don't look too bright.

As for Wisconsin, all I know is that they score a lot of points and allow a lot of points. That description reminds me of Tennessee so expect a lot of points to be scored.

Frankly, I just don't see how the Vols will be focused on this game. There is too much instability on the coaching staff, plus losing the suspended players will really hurt.

The pick: Wisconsin 37 Tennessee 27

As for the Tennessee Titans, I still can't get over the fact that they were only able to score 10 points last week against the miserable New York Jets. Saying the offense looked bad is an understatement.

Of course, if the Titans beat the Indianapolis Colts this week, they go to the playoffs. The Colts have already clinched their seeding in the playoffs so the big question is how much starters like Peyton Manning and Joseph Addai will play.

True, the Titans catch a break because the Colts will rest a lot of their starters, but I still can't get around our offensive woes. Even against the Colts' backups we will need to score 24 points, and I don't see that happening.

The pick: Indianapolis 27 Tennessee 17

Other NFL picks: New England over New York, Green Bay over Detroit, Cleveland over San Francisco, San Diego over Oakland, Pittsburgh over Baltimore

Last week: 5-1 (.833), Overall: 127-44 (.742)