THURSDAY NIGHT COLLEGE AND NFL FOOTBALL PICKS

NFL:

Kansas City (7 - 3) 19 @ Oakland (0 - 10) 24:  As I look at the Raiders' schedule, this may be their  best chance to avoid a winless season except perhaps a week 16 game where they host the Bills. The Chiefs face a short week after a really tough game against the Seahawks. It's difficult for me to predict that Oakland can pull the upset, but after my abysmal prognostications last week, I'm throwing caution to the wind and going with the home team on a Thursday night. Teams coming off games with the Seahawks tend to have a difficult time physically recovering, and in this case the Chiefs have a short week and have to make the trip to the west coast.

College:

Kansas State (7 - 2) 27 @ West Virginia (6 - 4) 23: Despite a loss to TCU in their last game, K-State remains in the thick of the Big 12 race. Ordinarily a Thursday night game in Morgantown would seem like a slam dunk for the Mountaineers, but the Wildcats have had 12 days to recover and prepare. My first inclination was to go with West Virginia, but I believe  Bill Snyder's troops are too good to lose two in a row, especially to a team that really has to rely on outscoring opponents, especially elite teams Even though K-State give up over 40 at TCU, I think they'll rebound to hold off West Virginia in what could be a very good football game.

North Carolina (5 - 5) 27 @ Duke (8 - 2) 28: North Carolina only has to travel about eight miles for this one, so it really doesn't qualify as a road game, particularly since the Blue Devils usually have about 17 fans in what they try to call a stadium. Carolina blue will be the dominant color as Duke attempts to come back after a sloppy loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday. This is a pretty big rivalry, although the football version pales in comparison to what occurs in hoops. But this game carries a lot of importance in the ACC Coastal, where another loss eliminates the Blue Devils and hands the crown to Georgia Tech. North Carolina is trying to become bowl eligible with a win tonight or over N.C. State next week. Following a four game losing streak, the Tar Heels have won three out of four. Duke will need to shake off the disappointment from Saturday and get focused on stopping a high-powered Carolina attack. I like Duke to flex its defensive muscle and get enough points from its offense to eke out an important win.