Football Games

Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines this week's matchups; lines according to Glantz-Culver. See Farmer's video picks online at our Fabulous Forum blog at latimes.com/sports. Last week 10-4, overall 42-20 (.677); against spread 3-11, overall 25-37 (.403): Cincinnati at Baltimore When: Sunday, 10 a.m. TV: none. DirecTV: 704 Line: Ravens by 8.5. Over/Under: 42 The Ravens, who swept last season's series by a combined 51-13, will use the run to control the clock and tempo.

Times' NFL writer Sam Farmer examines this week's matchups; lines according to Glantz-Culver. See Farmer's video picks on line at our Fabulous Forum blog at www.latimes/sports. Last week 12-4, overall 32-16 (.667); against spread, 9-7, overall 22-26 (.458): Cincinnati at Cleveland When: Sunday, 10 a.m. TV: none. DirecTV: 704 Line: Bengals by 5.5. Over/Under: 38.5 The Bengals have shut out the Browns on the road twice in the last two seasons.

Jordan Hill had 20 points and 14 rebounds and No. 21 Arizona pulled away to beat stubborn Oregon State, 76-63, in the teams' Pac-10 opener on Thursday night at Tucson, Ariz. Nic Wise, starting in place of injured freshman point guard Jarryd Bayless, scored 17 points on seven-for-nine shooting. He had 12 points in the second half when the Wildcats (10-3) rallied from a seven-point deficit.

It appears USC won't be leaving its home field any time soon. But the Trojans aren't likely to be playing football at the "Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum" for much longer either. That's because the landmark agreement reached Wednesday by USC and the Coliseum Commission hinges almost entirely on the sale of naming rights.

No, as a matter of fact, I don't own stock in any Las Vegas casino and, contrary to the evidence, I really do know a thing or two about NFL football. So, to borrow a phrase I've dutifully penned into my notebook off the lips of dozens of coaches over the years, let's sum up this way my two-week record (15-16) of picking NFL games: "We're just off to a little bit of a slow start."

I almost lost my job to a chimp. That's right, my bosses were ready to let a monkey take a wild stab at picking NFL winners, figuring he couldn't do much worse -- and maybe he'd do better -- than my 15-16 performance through the first two weeks. Give it a rest, Bonzo, because I'm back on track. I used a highly sophisticated system to bust my slump, one honed over my last 14 seasons covering the NFL: I went with all the home teams.

The weekend football game between UCLA and Fresno State at the Rose Bowl was by no means the hottest on record. But Pasadena fire officials said Monday that nearly 1,000 people sought medical attention for heat-related medical issues -- the most in recent memory. Nearly 74,000 people attended Saturday's game between the Bruins and the Bulldogs, and forecasters said the weather was no hotter than usual for a mid-September football contest.

Oregon State at No. 15 Utah Today, 6 p.m., Versus Why USC and Brigham Young should be watching in the short-term interests of their long-term national title hopes: USC wants the team that just beat the Trojans to finish the season strong and make the case that Oregon State (2-2) was better than everyone thought. An Oregon State victory also would improve the Pac-10's record against the Mountain West this season to 2-5, which is better than 1-6.

My 6-year-old daughter had a soccer game last weekend and the other team was short a player. The show must go on, though, so she happily switched jerseys and played goalie for the other side. Wouldn't it be interesting if the NFL had that type of loan-a-player policy? If it did, there would be a bidding war for the services of Brett Favre, who threw a career-best six touchdowns last Sunday.

No. 1 Oklahoma (5-0) vs. No. 5 Texas (5-0) Saturday, 9 a.m., Channel 7 This year's Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl has a lot more punch than last year's, when both teams spoiled the party by losing their lead-in games. The game is a throwback to the dramas pitting Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops and Mack Brown, who have been going at this for more than a decade.