One thing that Columbus has in common with Kansas City is that it seems like the vast majority of the people who live here are originally from here. This is different for me, since I spent most of my formative years in Atlanta, where almost everyone is from somewhere else. Even when I was in St. Louis, I was surrounded by college students who were mostly from other places (namely Long Island). This not only leads to everyone here being crazy OSU football fans, but also to everyone being familiar with strange local customs that I was unaware of.

Last Friday at my work's Oktoberfest lunch party, I was introduced to Cornhole, which is like horseshoes but with beanbags filled with corn. Since then, I've learned all sorts of interesting things about it on Wikipedia, in that there is a "World Championship" held in some random Ohio city. Kansas City had a similar game called washers which was also very much like horseshoes and very much unheard of in any of the places I had lived before.

So does every region of the US have their own horseshoes knockoff? If I'm going to play a proximity-based game, I'll stick with bocce. Now on to the picks.

ATL at TEN: I don't care how good Joey Harrington has looked the past two weeks, but he's not winning a road game against an AFC team. TEN

JAX at KC: Why is it that when the Chiefs play poorly, everyone makes fun of Herm "I don't have the internet" Edwards and his craziness, but when they win there is no mention of it? Whether the team wins or not, he's still crazy and he still could benefit from looking up "clock management" on wikipedia. JAX

AZ at STL: Everyone (Bill Simmons included) has gotten way too excited about a Cardinals team that hasn't won a road game yet. Still, the Rams are going nowhere fast. AZ

CLE at NE: It's wayyyyyy too early to start talking undefeated season with the Patriots, but if they're going to lose, it isn't going to be to the Browns. NE

CAR at NO: Every week I keep picking the Saints in the hopes that they'll turn it around, and every week they go and make me look like an idiot. I'd be more inclined to pick the Panthers if David Carr didn't have that "Italian male model" hair. NO

NYJ at NYG: Oh goody, two New York teams playing each other. Tom Coughlin is another coach who gets roasted by the media when he loses and absolutely nothing when he wins. Whether the team wins or loses, he's still a bad coach whose players will turn on him eventually. NYJ

SEA at PIT: I don't have anything remotely interesting to say about the Seahawks except that Mike Holmgren looks like a walrus. PIT

DET at WAS: Don't recycle those paper bags yet, Lions fans, Jon Kitna apparently hasn't prayed hard enough for a decent defense. WAS

MIA at HOU: As if things couldn't get worse for the Dolphins, Ricky Williams is applying for reinstatement. HOU

TB at IND: What I wrote about the Pats? The same applies for the Colts, although if Bob Sanders doesn't play Earnest Graham could look like Walter Payton this weekend. IND

SD at DEN: Hmm, do we go with Denver's underwhelming offense or San Diego's underwhelming coach. Anyone who hires Norv Turner as a head coach again after this must be smoking whatever Travis Henry's got. DEN

BAL at SF: So yeah, about that Ravens defense... upset special. SF

CHI at GB: Fine Lucas, you win, the Packers are actually good this year. Just hope they don't pull a Brewers and disappear down the stretch. GB