Will anyone NOT be watching Texas Tech-OU?

LUCAS A few observations about this weekend's three playoff games involving schools in our coverage area:

— Ennis, Kilgore's opponent on Friday, is coached by Sam Harrell. For those of you who are unaware of who that is, his son is Graham Harrell, the quarterback at Texas Tech.

— Daingerfield has steamrolled over every single opponent they've faced this season except Gilmer. But I'm going to predict one thing right now: the Tigers haven't faced a running back yet that will give them a more difficult time than West Rusk's Daniel Thompson.

— Leverett's Chapel begins the playoffs by taking on unbeaten Star in Rio Vista on Friday.

Is it just me, or does "Rio Vista" sound like a John Wayne movie?

At any rate, here's hoping all three of our area playoff teams will advance.

A couple of things on our picks page (page 7): the totals at the bottom are correct this week. Sorry about last week — I guess I had a brain spasm and forgot to update them. I've made a few mistakes on the picks page this year, and I apologize for that. It's no real excuse, but when basketball starts and we've got the meat of football's season going on as well, things get a little hectic around here.

By the way, this is my seventh season here, and I think this may be the first time I have a chance to finish with the best picks record for the year. I normally do well, but usually the early-season picks are tough on me, and I have to catch up.

Now, on to this week's games. First, our ratings system.

• Five asterisks Cracker- Jack of a game that you'll be talking about 10 years from now, one that, years down the road, everyone will claim to have attended.

• Four (****): A down-to-thewire contest that should easily be a favorite for game-of-the-year.

• Three (***): Good solid football for most of the game, with one team not pulling away until near game's end.

• Two (**): This means I think there's a clear favorite, and that favorite stands a pretty good chance of winning big.

• One (*): The favorite is up by a big margin at halftime, when the game is pretty much over.

• Zero (DUD): I save these (and I try not to use them) for humongous mismatches. More than likely, had I been writing for this paper in 1969, I'd have given Joe Willie Namath's New York Jets about that much chance to beat the Baltimore Colts. I'd have been dead wrong, of course.

This week's high school games

• Kilgore vs. Ennis at Mesquite (*****): I would say the key matchup here is how Kilgore's defense handles the Lions' passing game, but as it turns out, Ennis can run the ball well, too. Kilgore is primarily a running team, but the Bulldogs also have dangerous receivers and if quarterback Steven McBryde gets hot, he's capable of doing some great things.

This game should be a fairly even matchup. If I were just Joe Fan and was seeking a good high school football game this Friday, this would be the game I'd want to be at.

Kilgore is 13-4 in playoff games since I've been here, and there those years where I thought it would come down to the wire. But I honestly thought KHS would win every single time. And that's the case again. I haven't been back to Alabama for Thanksgiving since I've been here, because the Bulldogs are almost always playing that weekend. As much as I'd like to see my family in Alabama, I'm thinking we'll be making a football trip next Friday.

• West Rusk vs. Daingerfield at Gladewater (****): No question, the Raiders do have their hands full, and I think they're probably the clear-cut underdog in this game. Daingerfield is on a heck of a roll, and they're going to be tough to stop. If the Raiders can elevate their game to the early-season or mid-season form, they very well could pull off a shocking upset.

• Leverett's Chapel vs. Star at Rio Vista (****): For those of you going to this game, I'd plan on staying late. We're probably talking an over-under of about 175 points scored between the two schools.

• Longview vs. Lancaster in Dallas (***): This game could be played at Lancaster, in Waco, in St. Paul, Minnesota or at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and it probably wouldn't change the outcome. Longview is a very good football team playing at a different level right now. I do expect the Lobos to run into someone down the line that will test them, make them play their best game. But I don't think it's this week. Longview rolls.

• Sulphur Springs vs. Waxahachie in Richardson (****): I haven't seen either of these teams this year. I do know a little bit about Sulphur, simply because a lot of us thought that's who Kilgore would be facing in the first round. Didn't work out that way.

Sulphur Springs has put up a lot of points this year, but has given up a lot, too. They both have 8-3 records; this game might be evenly matched.

• Gilmer vs. Mexia at Rose Stadium in Tyler (**): This incarnation of Gilmer isn't as strong as the Buckeyes are good enough to probably beat 90 percent of 3A teams. Mexia, I think, is in that percentage.

• Arp vs. Jefferson at Tatum (*): On paper, this is a big mismatch. I'm not a big believer in 2-8 teams making the playoffs — that's what Jefferson did this year, then won its opening game last week. Arp is No. 1 in the state for a reason.

This week's college games:

• Texas Tech at Oklahoma (*****): This is a game on which the entire (and I mean ENTIRE) college football world will be focused Saturday night.

I've kind of been dreading this column because of this pick. I'm really divided. My head tells me Texas Tech has the better team, but my heart tells me that Oklahoma isn't chopped liver by any means, and that Norman, Okla., is one of the most difficult stadiums to be playing as the visitor.

There's hardly any defense going on in the BIg 12 this year, and every single team in the Big 12 South has a Heisman candidate. No matter what happens in this game, Texas Tech has had a great season — here it comes — but I just think Oklahoma on a Saturday night will be too much for the Red Raiders to overcome, like the scene in Lubbock a few weeks ago for Texas-Texas Tech.

I think Oklahoma wins the game and shakes up the poll again. If that does happen, OU shouldn't vault Texas, though. The Longhorns lost one game to Tech with one second left on the clock, and also have a win over the Sooners this year.

If Tech wins, now, then they have a clear path to the national championship game, because I can't see Baylor or Missouri beating the Red Raiders in their remaining games.

• Air Force at TCU (***): Our guest picker this week — that'd be Kilgore College head football coach J.J. Eckert — believes Air Force will get a win in Fort Worth. He may be right. But TCU has played some fairly good football this year. I spoke with Kilgore's Nick Sanders, a cornerback for the Horned Frogs, over the phone last week, and Nick assures me they've got this game. That's good enough for me.

• Michigan State at Penn State (***): A few weeks ago, this looked like it would be the game that would allow an undefeated Penn State team to punch its ticket to the national championship game. Thankfully, though, Iowa saved the entire country from another Big 10 team getting in the title game, then getting waxed by a Big 12 or SEC team. I like Joe Paterno, but I don't think anyone should go to the national championship game if they're 11-0 and have only played a couple of teams with winning records. There is no question the Big 12 and the SEC are the two best conferences in the nation — let their top dogs play each other and keep way.

• Michigan at Ohio State (***):

gave this game a third asterisk not based on the game, but based on the rivalry. I've had the opportunity to see Michigan a few times this season and they are some kind of bad. I know they don't really have the personnel to run the offense that coach Rich Rodriguez wants to run, but he is finishing the worst season of football in Michigan's history. He's going to be on a short leash, and I think maybe he should be — he left West Virginia high and dry, in my opinion. By all rights, if the Wolverines can even keep this game competitive into the second half, it's off of sheer adrenaline.

• Ole Miss at LSU (****): I picked LSU simply because they've been the better team lately, and they've got the home field (do they EVER play a road game?). But don't be surprised if coach Eckert and Mr. Kusheba, who picked Ole Miss on page 7 today, are correct. It wouldn't be that farfetched for the Rebels to beat the Tigers. I still give LSU the edge, though.

This week's NFL games

• San Francisco at Dallas (**): This might be the biggest mismatch all season in the NFL. I know J.J. picked San Fran, but I cannot see the 49ers — one of the NFL's junior varsity teams — getting out with a win here. Dallas desperately needs this game and next week's game against Seattle to keep pace in the NFC East. Following the Cowboys' big win at Washington last week, I really think they'll turn the corner.

I've never been all that high on Marion Barber. I used to look at him as simply just a good thirddown back. But I'm changing my mind. Dallas' game plan in tough games should focus on getting Barber and Terrell Owens the ball as much as possible. Game-breakers make big plays, and without Barber last weekend, I'm not sure Dallas beats the Redskins. He put them on his back late, and carried them to a win. He is the real deal. No more Barber-bashing for me.

• Houston at Cleveland (***): How about this — if Cleveland beats Houston, the Browns will have won their second straight game, not bad for a team that everyone wrote off three weeks ago. Brady Quinn has looked very good in his two starts. The Browns are a team of the future, but the future might be coming quicker than many thought.

• Indianapolis at San Diego (****): I really thought the Chargers laid an egg last week in Pittsburgh. Because of that, this is pretty much a must-win for them. The Colts have been playing must-win ball for two weeks. I think the loser of this game is in serious, serious danger of missing the playoffs, and considering the fact these were two of the four favorites in the AFC in the preseason (Pittsburgh and New England being the other two), that's quite a statement. I'm taking San Diego because I think they're more desperate.

• Carolina at Atlanta (****): I've been waiting for the time when Atlanta rookie quarterback Matt Ryan actually looks like a rookie. It hasn't happened yet. I think it will against this Carolina defense.

• Green Bay at New Orleans (Monday night, ****): Les Murray, our photographer who also picks for us, assured me that the Packers have this game won. I'm not so sure. The Saints have been just rocked by injury, but they have played well at home under coach Sean Payton. Green Bay is no world-beater this year. The Packers need this game to keep up with Minnesota in the NFC North. I don't think they get it — I picked the Saints outright.