Conference championship games
handicapping column

By Keith Schleiden
Friday, Jan. 12, 2001

Just look at what some interested politicians have riding on the games this weekend. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York (how did that happen?) is taking the Giants, naturally. Sen. Mark Dayton of Minnesota has the Vikings, obviously. Clinton is offering up New York cheesecake and upstate maple syrup if the Vikings win. Dayton is on the hook for two pounds of Minnesota wild rice and two pounds of Minnesota cheese if the Giants win.

The AFC teams have their supporters betting on their game, as well. Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening is wagering some of his state’s famed crabs against California Gov. Gray Davis’ state’s finest wine. If the Raiders win, Davis gets the shellfish. If the Ravens win, Glendening gets the wine.

Minnesota (-2.5) at N.Y. Giants

Both of these teams have cause to whine about the lack of respect they have received this season. The Vikings entered the 2000 campaign without much hope for the playoffs, at least in the minds of most experts. There was doubt that inexperienced QB Daunte Culpepper could rally the offense, and there were question marks all over the defense. Of course, now, we know that the Vikings’ critics were dead wrong. Culpepper and WRs Randy Moss and Cris Carter are extremely explosive, and RB Robert Smith has been more than capable. The defense did a fine job of stunting the Saints’ offensive attack last week. Meanwhile, the Giants are openly bothered by the lack of respect and are using it as a rallying point. The offense is very balanced but hardly flashy. A hard-charging defense is what has gotten the Giants to an unexpected conference title game. While the secondary is considered the weakest part of New York’s defense, it looked good last week vs. the Eagles. The Vikings definitely get the edge here, but I still think the rest of the Giants’ defense will step up and slow down the Minnesota attack. I’m going to give the Giants the respect they crave.

Schleiden’s pick: N.Y. Giants

Baltimore (+6) at Oakland

On paper, these teams appear to match up pretty well — at least in the rankings department. The Raiders feature the No. 6 offense in the NFL, and they will face the Ravens’ No. 2 overall defense. The Raiders have the top-ranked rushing offense, which will face the Ravens’ top-ranked rushing defense. The Ravens’ No. 16-ranked offense will go up against the Raiders’ No. 17-ranked defense. While the Ravens are all about defense, I still have many questions about their offense. Do you believe that Trent Dilfer is really a Super Bowl quarterback? I don’t either.

Schleiden’s pick: Oakland

Last week: 3-1
Season record: 41-34-1

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2000 - 2001 Season