2012 FP Upset Special Challenge: Week #10

As we begin the trek down the back stretch there is a lead pack at six wins (Trumpetbdw, chris, Colts01, brauneyz and Pruitt) closely followed by a smaller pack at five (DaBearsFan, mikesteelnation1 and jfkaspar).

Current Standings

Last Week

I need image ideas. I'm rather proud of my job masking out a bunch of grass and rebuilding the edges this week (need to learn how to build beveled edges without copying) but am bereft of ideas for week 11 and beyond. None of us want to see my boring collage of 11's. Please send me your awesome 11's (and beyond).

Now on to Week #10 of the FP Upset Special Challenge. Let's get busy.

You can join us every week. You can join mid-season. If you miss a week, so what? Come back next week. We're just glad you're here and you'll always have me to talk to down at the bottom of the standings.

Rules:

• One pick per week
• Your chosen team must be at least a (+3) underdog (Only games listed in this column are eligible)
• Your chosen team must win the game outright (no 'pushes' or 'covers')
• Season winner is the one with the most upsets correctly chosen between Week #1 through the Conference Championship Games (20 weeks all together)
• There will be a points system to determine a winner in the event of a tie
• Points will be accumulated by adding the game spreads for your correct picks (if you take Carolina (+4.5) and Carolina wins, you will be awarded a win and 4.5 points). Be careful making picks based on the number of points possible. Points only count if you are tied for the total wins lead when the whole contest is finished.
• The No Upsets Option: Predict correctly that 'No Upsets' will occur in any given week and you will be awarded one win and a point total equal to the sum of all the spreads in that week's Upset Special. If you wish to exercise the 'No Upsets' Option, that prediction is due by 5 minutes prior to kickoff of the first game of the week in question. This includes Thursday Night Football and Saturday Playoff games. The 'No Upsets' option is confined to the Upset Possibilities listed in this article.
• Picks are due no later than 5 minutes before the scheduled start of the broadcast time for your game. The FootballPros.com time stamp on your post is gospel.
• Spread lines will be posted Wednesday and will remain static throughout the week. This isn't The Sports Book at Caesar's Palace, after all.

Prizes to be determined but may include a cool icon denoting your status as *ahem* Upset Special Top Dog, a hat or t-shirt or possibly tickets to the Super Bowl (NOT!!)

Week #10 Upset Special Possibilities (odds by OddsShark). Underdogs in bold.

Thursday Night Football

• Colts @ Jaguars (+3)

Sunday Early Games

• Bills (+12) @ Patriots
• Titans (+7) @ Dolphins
• Broncos @ Panthers (+4)
• Chargers (+3) @ Buccaneers
• Giants @ Bengals (+4)

Sunday Late Games

• Jets (+7.5) @ Seahawks
• Rams (+12.5) @ 49ers

Sunday Night Football

• No games qualify

Monday Night Football

• Chiefs (+13) @ Steelers

Before I get to my pick, two lines worth noting:

• Raiders @ Ravens (0)
• Texans @ Bears (0)

The Ravens host the Raiders, who lost at home to the Buccaneers last week and may have lost their top two running backs. Thus far, the Ravens have played well at home and the line opened at Ravens (-6). Did last weeks Steeler performance help move some money? You bet!

The Bears opened at 0 and are stuck there. Their offense has to get out of the rut and contribute early. I wish we had this game in play this week.

Dave's Week #10 Upset Special:

Decisions, decisions...

• @Jaguars (+3) : The Jags are a better at home than they are on the road, does it matter?
• Titans (+7) : This game is all about the Dolphins, I'm not ready to pick against them.
• @Panthers (+4) : Denver is on the road again and the Panthers still hope to make noise. Can the Panthers D confuse Peyton for more than 30 minutes?
• Chargers (+3) : Can they stop the Buccaneers run without opening up to their passing attack?
• @Bengals (+4) : Bengals fans would love 60 minutes of good football some week. Will they get it?

I'm taking the Bengals, in the hope that they play great or the Giants follow the script.