The weekend just past was a complete and total disaster for me in the pro football underdog pool in which I play. Only one underdog lost -- San Diego -- and of course, that's who I picked. My hopes of first and second place finishes are history, and now there's a guy just 3½ points behind me as I sit in third place! Nobody said it was going to be easy, but the last three weeks have been brutal.

With only two games left in the pool, I may be able to lock in my third place spot without even caring if my team wins. If the underdog in the closer of the two games is favored to lose by 3 points or less, I can guarantee third place for myself by picking the other game. But if it's 3½ points, I could actually end up tied for third place; and if it's 4 or more, I could finish in fourth place. Not taking third prize outright would be a disappointing finish indeed.

The pool will post the official point spreads in the morning, but right now it's looking like 6 for Pittsburgh and either 3 or 3½ for the Eagles. Yikes. If it's 3½ or more, the strategizing will likely give me a headache.