Picks

Thursday Nite Showdown - Most at Stake - Must See TV: #2 Boston College @ #8 Virginia Tech - You gotta like the Hokies at home in Blacksburg because the Thursday Nite crowd will be on their feet boosting Virginia Tech and they will give them a big advantage and benefit the home team in this crucial ACC game that will determine who is on top in the Atlantic Coastal Conference at the end of this one, also who will stay in the Top 5, (BC) or who will move up into the Top 5 (VT), this game has it all. This week’s match-up has the most at stake of any of the games this weekend and it will be low-scoring - the way the Hokies like it. So far this season these games on Thursday Nite have gone to the home team (ex. SC, Rutgers, Miami, and WF). Defense and Special Teams will determine the winner and those are V-Tech’s greatest strengths and assets. Matt Ryan’s Heisman hopes will fall and come to end tomorrow nite in Blacksburg to the hands of a savvy, hungry, and aggressive Frank Beamer squad. Pick: @V-Tech 24 - B.C. 14 Watch out for G-Tech to return the favor next week at home vs. the same Hokies…

Scoring a Plenty - Too Much Option: #6 West Virginia @ #25 Rutgers - Lots of scoring in this game will favor the high potent offensive attack of the Mountaineers. The Option Run will pose problems for the Scarlet Knights because they will not stop it, and when a scrambling QB like Grothe ran on them last week, he had success. Look for Pat White and Steve Slaton to be on the move a ton and combine for over 350 total rushing yards on their way to the end zone 3 times each. I just see too much running for WV and they are on a mission to make it through the season with only 1 loss. Rutgers offense will crumble because of Teel’s inconsistency and WV has too many weapons to lose this Big East shootout. Pick: WVU 41 @ Rutgers 27 - Slaton and White are the best at what they do and it will show for all 60 minutes on the field in Jersey, this Saturday afternoon.

West Coast Dreamin’ - A Top 10 conest that won’t be all that it is advertised to be: #9 USC @ #5 Oregon - What a game this one will be as it has the chance to become the best game we have seen all year! But wait… I don’t see it coming down to the wire as most may expect to see. Experts will tout this one as a close game and give USC the favor because they have been there and done that, I’ll go out and say Oregon will score at least 5 touchdowns and rack up over 600 yards of offense. The Ducks have the best offense in College Football and the Trojans are on a downward spiral with Booty on the sidelines. They have no QB and Oregon has one of the best in the Ultra-Versatile Heisman Candidate Dennis Dixon. Jonathan Stewart ran for 255 last week and Oregon put up 55 on the road, at home they will put up 40+ and light up the scoreboard in a Pac-10 blowout. Pick: @Oregon 51 USC 34 - USC doesn’t have a chance in this game and Orgeon will jump out to a big lead early and show the world that they should play for the National Title and that their loss earlier to Cal was a fluke. Autzen Stadium will see plenty of fireworks this weekend in rooting for the Green & Yellow powerhouse in Eugene, against a slumping rival USC team.

SEC Slobberknocker - Early KO (Lock): #9 Florida @ #20 Georgia - Another evenly matched game in the eyes of fans and experts in a big conference showdown, though it will not turn out to be that way. No close game here as the Florida Gators are in full-effect and swinging mode, as they will knockout the Georgia Bulldogs and this game big. Tim Tebow is the Heisman Winner at this point in the season and he only can be the reason the team wins this game. Georgia’s defense is shkay and their offense does not have the playmakers to hold up with Tebow, Harvin, and Co., in protecting their house in this SEC match-up. Florida’s defense will be the key in forcing turnovers early and the Gator offense will go to work early and often, dominating the Bulldogs and showing the nation that they should be in the National Title picture and be mentioned in the same sentence/breath with the LSU, OSU, and OU, don’t let the 2-loss record fool you - this is the best road team in all of College Football.m Florida fans will get to see the benchwarmers and a team that is motivated and “chomping” by the bit to win by 30+ in order to impress voters. Coach Meyer will run up the score like the old ballcoach used to do and I smell a one-sided, lopsided affair. An LSU-Fla. rematch is looming ahead and awaits for us in the Georgia Dome, a Round 2 match-up that would be scheduled for the full 12, as it would be the “granddaddy” of ‘em all! Pick: Florida 45 @ Georgia 20

Upset: @Texas A&M over #12 Kansas - College Station will storm the field this weekend as their beloved Aggies will win this game by a score of 27-20.

Don’t Call It an Upset: @Tennessee over #15 South Carolina - Rocky Top makes it a rebound performance after last week’s debacle at ‘Bama, Vols hand it to Spurrier and stick it to a good S.C. defense. Tennessee takes care of business 23-17.

The Party’s Over: #18 Cal @#7 Arizona St. - Cal is too good of a team, no, has too good of an offense, I meant to say… to lose three in a row and DeSean Jackson will run up and down the field in this one, while his sidekick RB Justin Forsett, will go for 150+ in this Pac-10 game you have to stay up for. That combo along with the fact that Az. State is overrated and a Jeff Tedford squad that will pull out all the bags of tricks in this showdown, will be enough to unseat Mr. Carpenter and the undefeated Sun Devils. Golden Bears are the better team and come out on top by the final score of: 37-28.

The “BUCK” Stops Here (Close Call): #1 Ohio State @ #24 Penn State - Last OSU Buckeyes loss in the Regular Season was to who? Penn State… 17-10 in Happy Valley. Last time College GameDay came to the Nittany Lions Campus? October of 2005 in State College, before the OSU game. With that being said, I like Penn State’s chances because their defense will pressure the OSU offense more than the Buckeyes defense will get in the face of Penn State’s. I expect the home crowd, Morelli and the rushing attack, and an attacking defense to take a note/page out of MSU’s defense last week in the 2nd half - to be the difference. Penn State does not have problems with pocket QB’s, only the scrambling signal callers, Ohio State’s offense is not good enough to win on the road in this environment, Penn State’s defenes is good enough to get this victory, Ohio State’s bend but don’t break, stout defense will have trouble against a ball-control offense like Penn State’s, Joe Paterno’s squad will attack Jim Tressel’s squad straight up the gut win the run and attack the defensive line and go right at James Laurinaitis. I expect Penn State to play the smarter, turnover-free game on offense and have their defense hold OSU to 13 points, while the Buckeyes offense does not have enough to pull this one out and the defense will be out of position for a couple of big plays. Ohio State plays too tight, nervous, and conservative in these type of games, and I look for ‘em to collapse late in the game and for Penn State to pick up the pieces and capitalize off miscues, being the more aggressive, nothing to lose, and opportunistic team in this defensive battle of big hits. This seems like a “deja vu” game all over again and it feels like everything is set for an upset and a Penn State win over Big Ten 10 rival Ohio State - Pick: @Penn State 20 Ohio State 13.

Before the Bulls can start making reservations for the Sugar Bowl in Louisiana, it will have to convincingly pass its first true Big East road test, when it visits Rutgers Thursday night, if they want to impress me and show themselves to the entire Nation as an elite team.

With LSU and California - the top two teams just last week - losing last weekend, the No. 2 USF program (6-0, 1-0) will step onto the field with the highest ranking in the school’s brief history after a 64-12 home shalacking of Central Florida on Saturday. They climbed three spots in this week’s poll.

The Bulls, in their 11th football season, are also second to Ohio State in the newly issued BCS standings.

“I get distracted like everybody else, but I try to keep them to a minimum,” South Florida coach Jim Leavitt said. “We’ve only played one game in the Big East, and our goal from the beginning was the Big East championship. And I want to tell you something, it’s going to be a barn-burner these next number of weeks.”

Facing a tough test on the road in Rutgers (4-2, 1-1), which was ranked as high as 10th, will try for its second straight victory after losing its last two home games to Maryland and Cincinnati.

This South Florida squad is starting a challenging, brutal stretch that includes a visit to the Connecticut Huskies on Oct. 27 and a home game against No. 23 Cincinnati on Nov. 3.

The Bulls amassed a season-high 543 yards in scoring the third-most points in the program’s history Saturday. Matt Grothe was 15-of-28 for 212 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran 16 times for 100 yards and two scores.

The sophomore will be trying to reach the 100-yard rushing mark in his third straight game. He was 16-for-25 for 241 yards with a TD and two interceptions, and ran for 61 yards and two scores in 22-20 home loss to Rutgers on Sept. 29, 2006.

The Bulls’ defense will be the key reason if they come out on top victorious.

South Florida held Central Florida’s Kevin Smith - who came into the game as the nation’s leading rusher - to 55 yards on 18 carries, well below his 152.5 average.

The Bulls haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 14 games, but will face Rutgers All-American Ray Rice, the last to reach the mark against them when he ran for 202 yards on 35 carries and two TDs last season.

“It was a great challenge,” said defensive end George Selvie, who has a single-season school record 20 1/2 tackles for a loss. “We love it, but we’ve got to keep it that way all season.”

South Florida is 1-1 all-time against Rutgers, beating the Scarlet Knights 45-31 on Nov. 5, 2005 in its only visit to Piscataway.

“We have a huge game this week, a lot on the line, a lot at stake,” Bulls linebacker Ben Moffitt said. “We have to really get it done. All our focus is towards Rutgers.”

That means stopping Rice, who rushed for a season-high 196 yards on 36 carries and three touchdowns in Rutgers’ 38-14 road win over Syracuse on Saturday. The junior has 818 yards and 13 TDs and looks to extend the nation’s longest streak of scoring a touchdown to 14 straight games.

“You know I’ve been saying he’s a great player,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “He got a lot of hits (Saturday) so he’s going to be sore, but we’re going to get him rested and ready for next week.”

Rice, who needs 268 yards for 4,000, is averaging 180.0 yards in two games against South Florida.

South Florida is the highest-ranked team to come to Rutgers since then-No. 1 Miami beat the Scarlet Knights 42-17 on Nov. 2, 2002. Rutgers knocked off then-No. 3 Louisville 28-25 at home Nov. 9 for its most recent victory over a top 10 squad.

The Scarlet Knights have not lost three straight home games since 2003.

PICK - FINAL Outcome/Result: Rutgers 27 USF 17

Teel and Rice will show the country that USF’s defense is not as legit as some may think or point ‘em out to be. This game is Rutgers to win and South Florida’s to lose, so I like Rutgers to set the tone/tempo of the game early and not to look back. Expect the Scarlet Knights to be very aggressive early on in passing and then open up the run with Rice, along with some big play-action pass plays to follow after. Look for USF for melt under pressure on the road in a hostile environment in this Big East super match-up with lots on the line and a chance for the National Title hanging up in the air, as they have to prove themselves tremendously if they want to be considered a Top Team in College Football. I feel as if Rutgers knows what they can and cannot do and they will have USF’s number, as the Bulls are going to go in too confident and then find themselves down early, not knowing what to do next. I see Rutgers playing the game free and loosely, while on the other hand, South Florida plays it too tight and it will cost them going against a multi-dimensional Scarlet Knight offensive attack. USF depends way too much on the run and the play of their QB, I think Homefield advantage and Rice/Teel combo will be the difference here - write down the key reason for a win to be the red zone efficiency and 3rd down conversion late in the game for a Rutgers “W”.