The Colts, who have won 16 regular-season games in a row, are 8.5-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.

In fact Houston is just 1-13 all-time against the Colts, although they led both games last year before letting Indy rally. But fortune seems to be smiling on Houston this week because Indy’s defense has been absolutely ravaged by injuries. It was learned on Friday that star Colts safety Bob Sanders will miss the remainder of the 2009 season with a torn biceps tendon.

After struggling to get on the field with a knee issue that lingered all offseason, Sanders had played in the Colts’ last two games but made just three tackles. He injured his arm in Sunday’s win over San Francisco. The Colts officially placed Sanders on injured reserve Friday afternoon. This is a huge hit for Indy, as Sanders is one of the five best defensive players in the league – 2007 Defensive Player of the Year – when healthy. But he’s rarely healthy, as he has played just 47 regular-season games since joining the league in 2004.

While Sanders’ injury is the biggest news, it’s far from the only one on the Indy defense. Starting cornerback Kelvin Hayden is expected to miss up to four weeks with a knee injury, fellow cornerback suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice this week and linebacker Tyjuan Hagler was lost for the year as well with a biceps injury. No team can overcome injuries like this.

This should bode well for a Houston offense that’s one of the best in the league behind Matt Schaub, who is tied for the league lead in TD passes and is top in passing yards. Indianapolis has given up a league-low 10 pass plays of 20 yards or more in 2009, while the Texans have 31 such completions this season. Still, Houston may try to run plenty (especially with Sanders out) with a committee of Steve Slaton, Ryan Moats and Chris Brown. The Texans are 18-2 over the past two seasons when they run 30 or more times. Houston has won three in a row and is 5-3 for the first time ever. It has never won four straight games. The team did lose a key player of its own this week when star tight end Owen Daniels was put on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Indy QB Peyton Manning is 7-0 at home against the Texans and has 20 touchdown passes and only two interceptions in those games. The Colts have scored 30 or more points in seven of their last eight games against the Texans (33.5 ppg average). Manning is 19 yards passing and four TD passes to become first player in league history with 40,000 yards and 300 TD passes in a decade.

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As for this week’s game, Arizona probably is glad to be on the road. The Cards looked terrible last week in losing 34-21 to Carolina to drop to 1-3 at home. Arizona QB Kurt Warner threw five interceptions last week, and Panthers ran off 270 yards against what was the No. 1 run defense in the NFL. But away from the desert, the Cards are 3-0, winning by an average of 15 points.

Chicago, which is a 3-point betting favorite on WagerWeb.com, is 3-0 at home after thumping inept Cleveland last week. The Bears offense is still trying to find itself, although WR Devin Hester has come on. In the three games since a Week 5 bye, Hester has averaged 88.3 receiving yards and has had at least six catches in each contest. Jay Cutler has been good as long as he’s not on a Sunday night national TV game and when Cutler has at least a 100 passer rating, his team is 13-0. Chicago really needs to get Matt Forte going. He had two TDs and 90 yards last week, but it took him 26 carries – he’s averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. Chicago did rush for 170 yards against Cleveland … but that’s Cleveland.

It looks like Cards WR Anquan Boldin will be a game-time call after not finishing a second straight game. The team might sit him just to get him healthy, because he has been fairly ineffective this year. And that ineffectiveness is causing teams to focus on Larry Fitzgerald. After catching 20 passes for 20 or more yards last year, Fitzgerald has six this season. He’s also averaging 10.8 yards per reception, down from 14.9. Arizona has to throw a ton because it can’t run the ball, ranking dead last in the NFL. Chicago is one of the best run-stopping teams in the league, so Warner could see 40 attempts on Sunday. Warner has 11 picks to go with 11 TDs this season; through seven games last year, he had 14 touchdown passes and six interceptions. Arizona has turned the ball over 18 times in 2009, the second-most in the NFC.

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Oddsmakers at WagerWeb.com don’t much care, as Bama is a 7.5-point betting favorite.

The Tide were scuffling a bit in their past few games but got a needed week off last week. LSU enters off a pasting of Tulane, and that Tiger defense is hitting its stride, having allowed just 36 points in the past four games. A victory for LSU puts the Tigers in the driver’s seat in the West Division, while Alabama clinches the West with a win.

The score at halftime should tell you who will win this game, as Bama has led at the half in each of the past seven games and is 25-1 when leading at intermission under Nick Saban.
It will be tough for LSU’s running game to do much Saturday. Led by Terrence Cody, that Alabama defense has allowed only three rushing touchdowns this season and not any at home. Opponents are average just 1.9 yards per carry at Alabama this year.

The Tigers are ranked seventh in the nation in scoring de­fense (12.1 points per game), but Alabama ranks fifth (11.4). The Tigers are ranked 15th in the nation in total defense (293 yards per game), but the Tide are ranked fourth (240.6). So, yeah, you might want to take the under of 40 on WagerWeb.com.

With Tide QB Greg McElroy struggling, look for Alabama to give the ball to Heisman candidate Mark Ingram early and often. He has rushed for 1,004 yards on 153 carries to rank fifth in the nation in yards per game (125.5). Among backs with more than 150 carries, only Fresno State’s Ryan Matthews has averaged more yards a carry (7.35) than Ingram (6.56). . In three games against ranked teams this year, Ingram has averaged 189.3 rushing yards and nearly 7.3 yards a carry. The LSU rush defense allows an average of 114.4 yards per game to rank 35th in the nation.

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Penn State is a 5-point favorite on WagerWeb.com.

History says the home team will win here, because that has happened in 12 of the 16 meetings since Penn State joined the Big Ten. However, the visitor has won the past two seasons, and OSU coach Jim Tressel is 5-3 against Penn State.

Whichever QB plays better between OSU’s Terrelle Pryor of Penn State’s Daryll Clark probably will end up on the winning side. Pryor, a Pennsylvania high school legend who chose Ohio State over Penn State, is expecting a hard welcome from the fans in Happy Valley:

“The crowd is going to be against us, especially against me,” Pryor said.

Pryor has been very inconsistent all season and has 13 TD passes and nine interceptions. On the other side, Clark has been magnificent of late with 14 total touchdowns (9 passing) and just one pick in the Nittany Lions’ five-game winning streak. Since losing at home to Iowa, Penn State really hasn’t been challenged, winning every game by at least 18 points.

The two defenses are about even, so the wild card could be PSU running back Evan Royster. After struggling to start the year, Royster has rushed for 100 or more yards in five games, including the past three. The Nittany Lions are 11-0 all-time when Royster rushes for 100 yards.

Ohio State had a costly injury last week when senior placekicker Aaron Pettrey was injured in last week’s rout of New Mexico State. He was arguably the top kicker in the country and had converted 13 of 17 field-goal attempts and 28 of 29 extra-point attempts.

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The Badgers are 10.5-point betting favorites on WagerWeb.com. They have won four in a row in this series and have outscored Indiana 140-40 in the last three meetings.

Indiana is not a good team defending the run, so we could see a big dose of Wisconsin RB John Clay all day Saturday. Clay leads the Big Ten in rushing and is 20th nationally, averaging 104.9 yards per game. The sophomore is averaging 4.7 yards per carry and has 10 touchdowns. He rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns last week against Purdue. Wisconsin, which is averaging 194.6 rushing ypg on the season, ran on 17 of its first 18 plays from scrimmage and 53 of its 72 plays overall.

“We have to tackle him,” Indiana coach Bill Lynch said of Clay. “We’re going to have to gang-tackle him, because he can bounce off you if you just count on one guy trying to tackle him all day.”

In the Badgers’ two losses this year, Clay has 134 yards and no scores. During Clay’s 21-game career, 17 of his 19 scores have come in Wisconsin’s 13 wins.

The Hoosiers, meanwhile, have led in four of their past five conference games. But they have been outscored 47-3 in the past two second halves. Last week they were up on Iowa 14-0 and ready to punch another TD in before an interception return for a TD changed that game. Indiana has given up at least 29 points in five of its last six games.

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Well, the Cards appear to have decided that 70 percent of Boldin isn’t enough, as the team appears ready to sit him for Sunday’s game at Chicago – the Bears are 3-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.

Boldin’s sprained right ankle was reaggravated in last Sunday’s 34-21 loss to the Carolina Panthers and he has failed to finish the past two games. The three-time Pro Bowler first injured the ankle against Houston on Oct. 11. He didn’t practice last week until Friday and said he expected the same thing this week.

Boldin says that he’ll never be 100 percent healthy this season but as long as he can move around and run, he’s going to play. But Coach Ken Whisenhunt seemed to hint that sitting Boldin and getting him healthier will be his decision. Boldin calls himself a game-time decision, for what that’s worth.

“We’ll do what it is the best interest of the team,” Whisenhunt said. “I think Anquan knows we feel he’s a tough player,” Whisenhunt said. “Everyone knows that. Week in and week out, we are trying to make decisions that best help this team win. That’s it, bottom line. There is no other agenda.”

Steve Breaston would start if Boldin can’t play. The Cards, by the way, are 3-0 on the road this season.

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First, Mike Williams, the Big East’s leading receiver, quit the team on Monday. He had 49 catches for 746 yards and six touchdowns. That’s as many receptions as the next three receivers, Donte Davis, Antwon Bailey and Marcus Sales, have combined to catch for the Orange. The school record for receptions in a season is 60. Williams was Syracuse’s most talented player but was apparently on the verge of a second suspension in his career when he left the squad.

A day later, coach Doug Marrone announced that he suspended tailback Antwon Bailey, defensive end Torrey Ball and offensive guard Andrew Tiller for violating team rules, reportedly for their role in a traffic accident. Tiller is a starter on the offensive line.

So with all that hanging over a team that is winless in the Big East, the Orange have to travel to Pittsburgh, which is having its best season in more than two decades and is the co-Big East leader. The Panthers, who are 21.5-point betting favorites on WagerWeb.com, are 7-1, their best mark after eight games since the 1982 team that was led by a guy named Dan Marino. They are 13th in this week’s Bowl Championship Series ratings, their highest listing ever.

Pitt has possibly the top freshman in college football this year in Dion Lewis. He has rushed for 1,065 yards and 11 touchdowns this season for the Panthers. He ranks No. 1 in the Big East in rushing and scoring.

But if Syracuse is good at anything, it’s stopping the run. The Orange rank seventh nationally, giving up 88 yards on the ground per game. Lewis presents the same kind of challenge the Orange faced earlier this year when it went up against Noel Devine of West Virginia, holding him to 91 yards on 22 carries.

“Dion Lewis is a heck of a back,” said Syracuse middle linebacker Derrell Smith. “True freshman I believe, too. He’s done a tremendous job coming in for LeSean McCoy. Probably one of the best backs in the country. Most likely, one of the best backs we’ll face this year. He’s quick, fast.”

QB Bill Stull ranks third in the nation in pass efficiency, and Pitt is averaging 34.25 points in its first eight games, or nearly a touchdown per game more than at this point last season. The players almost regretted having last week off after clobbering South Florida in perhaps the team’s most complete effort so far. Stull has 16 touchdown passes and only four interceptions, and eight receivers caught passes against South Florida. WR Jonathan Baldwin has four 100-plus receiving yard games this season and possesses two TD receptions of 70 or more yards.

The Panthers have won six of the past seven meetings in this series.

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But UCF is one of the best defensive teams in its conference, No. 7 in the country in run defense (87.8 ypg and just six scores) and No. 5 in the country with 27 sacks (Bruce Miller leads with nine), and the Knights put a scare into Texas two years ago in Orlando, losing by just three. So UT coach Mack Brown is making sure the players still on his team remember that 2007 close call because this seems to have the potential to be a bit of letdown game for Texas.

“All we have to do is look back to 2007,” Brown said. “They kicked an onside kick late in the game; we won, 35-32. Their seniors were on that team as sophomores a couple years ago so they will be coming here with a lot of confidence because they know they played us that well at that time.”

Central Florida coach George O’Leary said this year’s Texas’ team is stronger than the 2007 squad. These Horns are averaging 41.0 points and giving up just 240.8 yards per game.

“Texas has all the pieces in place to make a run at the national championship,” he said.

UCF will try and establish a run game with RB Brynn Harvey. UCF’s leading rusher ran for 212 yards against Memphis earlier this season but has carried 45 times for 143 yards in his last three games since then. UCF does lead C-USA in rushing and scoring. Texas has the nation’s top-ranked rush defense and has allowed just two rushing TDs all season.

The No. 2 Horns are the highest-ranked team UCF has played since becoming a Division I-A team. Texas has won a school-best 16 consecutive nonconference games. The winning streak ranks third nationally behind LSU (22) and Kentucky (17).

Central Florida needs just one win to become bowl eligible, but there’s something about this team in the first half of games: It has led only once at intermission. The Knights have outscored opponents 124-66 in the second.

The only chance UCF has of staying close is to catch Texas flat-footed right out of the gate.

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Well, Floyd is in the news again. Floyd was at the Morongo Resort and Casino in Cabazon, Calif., this week where he was caught on video trying to break up a fight among a group of women. The video shows Floyd and former USC coach Henry Bibby breaking up a fight involving at least six women, hair pulling and near chair throwing at this casino cafeteria in Southern California.

Floyd told ESPN.com that he had been meeting a friend at the Morongo Casino on his drive out of Los Angeles to New Orleans.

“I was leaving and then this thing happened in the food court,” Floyd said of the fight. “It looks like a bar but it’s a food court. All I can say is that it was more physical than anything I’d seen in the Pac-10 and decided somebody needed to break it up.”

Floyd, who does a nice job getting right into the fight and restoring order while a bunch of other folks just stand around and stare, said he had no idea that a woman was behind him ready to clobber him with a chair.

“I didn’t see behind me,” Floyd said. “It was one of those deals where people were circling, chanting and cheering. It went on for 20 to 30 seconds before I walked up there. I was thinking someone would break it up but nobody would.”

Current Chicago Bull Taj Gibson, who played three seasons for Floyd at USC, said it doesn’t surprise him that his former coach would act as a peace-maker.
“Everybody is telling me about it,” Gibson said. “And from what people have told me, I’m like, ‘Yeah, that sounds like Coach Floyd.’ He would break something up. He’s such a soft-hearted guy.”

WASHINGTON REDSKINS at ATLANTA FALCONS – REDSKINS: OUT: LB H.B. Blades (knee), TE Chris Cooley (ankle), CB Byron Westbrook (knee). FULL: T Stephon Heyer (knee). FALCONS: DNP: DE John Abraham (foot), DT Jonathan Babineaux (ankle), T Sam Baker (ankle), WR Brian Finneran (ankle), DT Thomas Johnson (calf), LB Curtis Lofton (knee, ankle), RB Jerious Norwood (hip), C Mike Schneck (ribs), RB Jason Snelling (hamstring), WR Eric Weems (ankle), WR Roddy White (knee), TE Keith Zinger (back).

le). LIMITED: LB Lance Briggs (shoulder), DT Tommie Harris (knee), DE Adewale Ogunleye (ankle), TE Greg Olsen (ankle), S Craig Steltz (bicep), DT Matt Toeaina (calf). FULL: DT Israel Idonije (knee).

BALTIMORE RAVENS at CINCINNATI BENGALS – RAVENS: DNP: LB Prescott Burgess (illness), C Matt Katula (elbow), S Haruki Nakamura (chest), NT Haloti Ngata (ankle), CB Frank Walker (illness), S Tom Zbikowski (illness). LIMITED: TE Todd Heap (ankle), RB Le’Ron McClain (shoulder). FULL: LB Jarret Johnson (shoulder). BENGALS: LIMITED: RB Jeremi Johnson (knee), S Tom Nelson (shoulder), S Roy Williams (forearm). FULL: RB Bernard Scott (knee), T Andre Smith (foot).

HOUSTON TEXANS at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS – TEXANS: OUT: TE James Casey (knee). DNP: S Dominique Barber (ankle), DT Shaun Cody (back), CB Glover Quin (not injury related). LIMITED: LB Brian Cushing (foot), DE Mario Williams (shoulder). FULL: LB Xavier Adibi (ankle), LB Kevin Bentley (shoulder), DT Tim Bulman (ribs), S Nick Ferguson (knee), C Chris White (ankle). COLTS: DNP: DE Dwight Freeney (not injury related), WR Anthony Gonzalez (knee), CB Kelvin Hayden (knee), CB Marlin Jackson (knee), S Bob Sanders (elbow), K Adam Vinatieri (right knee).

T Maurice Williams (knee). FULL: CB Rashean Mathis (finger), CB Brian Witherspoon (hamstring).

MIAMI DOLPHINS at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS – DOLPHINS: LIMITED: LB Channing Crowder (shoulder), DT Jason Ferguson (elbow). PATRIOTS: DNP: WR Julian Edelman (forearm), DE Jarvis Green (knee), T Matt Light (knee), RB Sammy Morris (knee), RB Fred Taylor (ankle), DT Ty Warren (ankle), CB Jonathan Wilhite (illness). FULL: QB Tom Brady (right shoulder), WR Randy Moss (shoulder).

GREEN BAY PACKERS at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS – PACKERS: OUT: LB Brandon Chillar (hand). DNP: WR Donald Driver (neck), TE Jermichael Finley (knee), WR Jordy Nelson (knee), QB Aaron Rodgers (feet), C Jason Spitz (back), CB Charles Woodson (hip). LIMITED: RB Korey Hall (calf), S Derrick Martin (concussion). FULL: T Chad Clifton (ankle). BUCCANEERS: LIMITED: CB Aqib Talib (ankle), G Jeremy Zuttah (shoulder). FULL: WR Antonio Bryant (knee), WR Michael Clayton (wrist).

CAROLINA PANTHERS at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS – PANTHERS: DNP: RB Tony Fiammetta (concussion), S Charles Godfrey (ankle), RB Brad Hoover (ankle), LB Landon Johnson (shoulder), WR Muhsin Muhammad (knee), TE Dante Rosario (knee), RB Jonathan Stewart (Achilles). FULL: QB Jake Delhomme (chest). SAINTS: DNP: DT Kendrick Clancy (knee), DT Sedrick Ellis (knee), LB Scott Fujita (calf), C Jonathan Goodwin (knee), WR Lance Moore (ankle). LIMITED: CB Malcolm Jenkins (ankle), LB Marvin Mitchell (foot).

ETROIT LIONS at SEATTLE SEAHAWKS – LIONS: DNP: RB Kevin Smith (shoulder). LIMITED: RB Jerome Felton (ankle), DE Jason Hunter (ankle), DT Grady Jackson (knee), WR Calvin Johnson (knee), QB Matthew Stafford (knee), DE Dewayne White (hamstring). FULL: LB Jordon Dizon (foot), DT Sammie Hill (ankle). SEAHAWKS: DNP: RB Justin Griffith (not injury related), WR Ben Obomanu (oblique). LIMITED: QB Matt Hasselbeck (rib), LB Will Herring (shoulder), T Sean Locklear (ankle). FULL: S Jordan Babineaux (hip).

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS at NEW YORK GIANTS – CHARGERS: DNP: LB Kevin Burnett (ankle), LB Tim Dobbins (knee), DT Ogemdi Nwagbuo (ankle). LIMITED: TE Antonio Gates (foot), S Steve Gregory (ankle), C Nick Hardwick (ankle), NT Travis Johnson (groin). FULL: P Mike Scifres (groin). GIANTS: DNP: RB Ahmad Bradshaw (ankle, foot), CB Aaron Ross (hamstring). LIMITED: LB Michael Boley (knee), TE Kevin Boss (ankle), DT Chris Canty (calf), WR Mario Manningham (shoulder), WR Sinorice Moss (foot).

TENNESSEE TITANS at SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS – TITANS: DNP: T Mike Otto (knee), RB Javon Ringer (back), LB David Thornton (hip). LIMITED: CB Nick Harper (forearm), DE Jevon Kearse (knee). 49ERS: OUT: CB Nate Clements (shoulder), DE Demetric Evans (shoulder), T Joe Staley (knee). DNP: DE Justin Smith (not injury related), LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder). LIMITED: CB Reggie Smith (groin).

DALLAS COWBOYS at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES-COWBOYS: DNP: CB Allen Rossum (hamstring). FULL: RB Marion Barber (thumb), DT Jay Ratliff (knee), S Gerald Sensabaugh (thumb), LB DeMarcus Ware (foot). EAGLES: OUT: WR Kevin Curtis (knee). DNP: DE Victor Abiamiri (knee), DT Brodrick Bunkley (knee), DE Chris Clemons (shoulder, elbow), LB Chris Gocong (quadricep, hamstring). FULL: C Nick Cole (knee), CB Macho Harris (ankle), G Todd Herremans (foot), DE Darren Howard (ankle), WR DeSean Jackson (foot), G Max Jean-Gilles (shoulder), WR Jeremy Maclin (foot), CB Dimitri Patterson (quadricep, hand), T Jason Peters (ankle), RB Brian Westbrook (concussion).

Note: The report for Monday’s game not yet available.

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