Sports Picks & Predictions

4 Unit Play. #70 Take Oklahoma State Cowboys over Troy Trojans (Saturday 7 pm) Both squads came away with victories last Saturday. The Cowboys looked real impressive against Washington State winning the game in blowout fashion, 65-17. As for Troy, they edged Bowling Green, 30-27. This was a revenge game for them since they lost to the Falcons last year, 31-14. These two teams met two prior times in 2007 & 2008 and both times the home team emerged victorious. Look for that trend to continue on Saturday and I believe that this Cowboy offense is much better then what most experts predict. OK State was totally balanced last week with 291 yards rushing and 253 yards passing. I look for more of the same here especially playing an undersized opponent.
Troy could be an elite team in the Sun Belt Conference but it will take some time for their young players to develop. Going to Stillwater is not an idle situation for them and I look for the Cowboys to light-up the scoreboard for sixty minutes. OK State continues to roll in a big blowout!
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS 49, TROY TROJANS 17.

10 Unit Play. #16 Take Iowa Hawkeyes over Iowa State Cyclones (Saturday 3:30 pm ABC) As I look at this game, I feel that Iowa State will be much better offensively then the 2009 team; however, Iowa will be much better on BOTH sides of the ball. Case stated! Defensively this may be the best unit under Coach Kirk Ferentz

5 Unit Play. #43 Take South Florida Bulls over Florida Gators (Saturday 12:20 pm ESPN 3) Did the Florida Gators lose too much talent from their 2009 squad to make a National Title run in 2010? My opinion is yes! Florida opened the season up by beating Miami (OH) by a score of 34-12. That looks to be convincing right? With less than seven minutes remaining in the third quarter the Gators led 21-3, but only had a total of 17 yards on offense. That was despite the Redhawks going 1-11 in 2009. One would have thought the Gators would have scored at will on this team and put up fifty-plus points.
Most experts expect Coach Meyer to lay the whip into his team during practice this week. That may be the case but I just do not think the offensive chemistry is there. QB Tim Tebow is gone and so are his top two receivers. Defense seems to be Florida

4 Unit Play. #36 Take Temple Owls over Central Michigan Chippewas (Thursday 7 pm ESPN U) Last week against division 1-AA opponents, one team (CMU) scored 16 points in the game's first 3 minutes, while the other (Temple) didn't gain the lead until the final 3 seconds of the game. The strength of their respective foes was the reason. Hampton, playing its first FBS opponent ever had an anemic 129 yards of total offense, yielding a safety on the games second play, a 81 yard run back on the free kick, and losing a fumble at their own 12 yd. line when they got the ball back. They quickly proved they didn't belong in this match-up. Temple on the other hand played Villanova the 1-AA champion in 2009 and the only team to defeat them during the regular season last year. This game was a slugfest from start to finish with the Owls finally prevailing.
Having to come from behind to win will serve as a wake-up call for this veteran team. Head coach Al Golden and his staff, almost all of whom have player and coaching experience at Penn St. on their resume, know what it takes to be a winner. It's highly doubtful that fist time coach Dan Enos and his freshly formed staff have had the time to develop this at CMU. The Chip's lost tons of talent to graduation and the team is still learning new systems on both sides of the ball. The combination of new coaches and a 2nd game starter at QB on the first road trip and in their first conference game present too many handicaps to overcome. Temple is plainly more battle ready and will have little trouble in this one.
TEMPLE OWLS 34, CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS 14

10 Unit Play. #100 Take Fresno State Bulldogs over Cincinnati Bearcats (Saturday 10 pm ESPN 2) After a very successful season in Cincinnati, Coach Brian Kelly packed his bags and moved west to lead the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. His well-liked, no nonsense approach will be missed; however, this team lost much more than just their head coach. Also gone are QB Tony Pike, WR Mardy Gilyard, and six starters on defense. It will take some time for the defenses to improve and going to Fresno under this scenario is not an idle situation.
Fresno State returns 15 starters and is always a solid play under Coach Pat Hill as a dog or a small favorite. The Bulldogs have won 10 of their last 11 home openers. These two teams met last year in Cincinnati and it was a close game with the Bearcats winning, 28-20. That was a tough spot for Fresno State since they were coming off a home loss to Boise State the week prior.
Look for both teams to have outstanding seasons but feel the Bearcats defense will not be ready for the powerful Fresno offense. Coach Pat Hill had to take a pay cut this season and that will motivate him and his team to make a major statement in the home opener. The last five games of the 2009 season the Bearcats defense gave up 45, 21, 36, 44, and 51 points. Expect another high scoring game with the homer getting the call.
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS 38, CINCINATTI BEARCATS 28.

10 Unit Play. #93 Take Northwestern Wildcats over Vanderbilt Commodores (Saturday 7:30 ESPN 3) Coach Bobby Johnson jumped ship in early July and this leads me to believe that the handwriting is on the wall. This is certainly not the case at Northwestern where Coach Pat Fitzgerald returns for his fifth year. He has his players and coaches believing that winning is going to be a reality for 2010. The Wildcats return 13 starters and this unit won road games in 2009 at Purdue, Illinois, and Iowa. They did lose QB Mike Kafka to graduation but that will not be a significant of a loss as most people think. QB Dan Persa challenged Kafka for the starting job in 2009 and this kid can play.
I expect the Commodores to really struggle running the football with an inexperienced offensive line. Northwestern has a chance to be 6-0 this season before they host Michigan State on Oct. 23rd. I will not be selling them short as this is the most talent Coach Fitzgerald has had since he took over as head coach. I am not a fan of laying points on the road, but I have to make an exception here. Northwestern is 5-0 ATS in their last five road games. Vanderbilt is 0-5 ATS in their last five home games. The trend continues here.
NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS 31, VANDERBILT COMMODORES 14

4 Unit Play. #2 Take Northern Illinois over Iowa State (Thursday 8 pm FSN) This game features the MAC's best defense versus the Big 12's worst offense according to '09 stats. Most of the starters from their respective units return for 2010. Look for the Cyclones to save their best game for next week

1 Unit Pick #267 Take Texas over Alabama (8:10pm, Thursday, January 7th) This one is for all the marbles and I know people tend to go off what then seen last and that was Alabama handling Florida while Texas struggled against Nebraska. I will tell you know the better team is the dog, I love Texas in this spot. Alabama might have gotten a little full of themselves by beating Florida and might have the feeling that have accomplished something. Texas has herd nothing but negative things after kicking a last second field goal to here. Texas has a good rushing defense to keep Ingram in check and force the quarterback to make big play

4 Unit Play. #266 Take Central Michigan over Troy (GMAC Bowl Wednesday 7 pm ESPN) I truly believe that this will be a coming out party for Chippewa QB Dan Lefevour and he will impress NFL scouts with his performance in the GMAC Bowl. He threw for over 3000 yards, had 27 touchdowns, and completed over 70% of his passes. Troy is also strong on offense but the MAC is a better conference then the Sun Belt and that will become evident on Wednesday. Thus the main difference will lie on defense and Central Michigan is just a notch above compared with Troy. The Trojans are giving up 277 yards per game through the air. That will not bode well this evening, as Central wins yet another game. Central Michigan 34, Troy 24.

5 Unit Play. #38 Take Texas Tech over Michigan State (Alamo Bowl Saturday 8 pm ESPN) The Spartans have once again proved that they are the same team as in years past. They look like a championship contender at times but when it really counts, they tank. Their final home game of the season proved this as they were beaten by Penn State, 42-12. They not only lost that game but 11 players were suspended for this game for an incident that night.

Texas Tech will also be without their head coach, as Mike Leech may be fighting to hang onto his job. His absence will hurt but his game plan will be used and look for his players to rally behind him. The Spartans have been picked apart on defense especially through the air. They gave up 416 passing yards to Minnesota, 373 yards to Purdue, and 324 yards to Penn State. None of these teams mentioned have the passing attack that Texas Tech does. The Spartans do not have the offense to keep up and this one will get ugly early. Tech puts up a big number and we collect big in the process as well. Texas Tech 42, Michigan State 20.

6 Unit Play. #25 Take Ohio State over Oregon (Rose Bowl Friday 4:30 pm ABC) Top Bowl Game. The Buckeyes are not playing in the BCS Title game like they did in 2006 & 2007; however, this game is very import to Coach Tressel. The Buckeyes will enter this game on a three game bowl losing streak. Ohio State has not played since November 21st, one must wonder if the layoff will hurt them. My opinion is no, as this will give Coach Tressel more time to finally win a bowl game.



As one looks at the Ducks, their offense has been outstanding but the defense has been a real question mark. Now that outstanding offense has to face one of the best defenses in the country. This defense held USC to 18 points and Penn State to 7. Ohio State will come ready to play and they have the talent to stop the Ducks and a low scoring upset would not surprise me. Ohio State 21, Oregon 17.

5 Unit Play. #19 Take Northwestern over Auburn (Outback Bowl Friday 11 am ESPN) Just believe this is too many points to be laying for a Tiger team that is not real good on either side of the football. Everyone is on the Auburn bandwagon after they put up a great performance against Alabama in the Iron Bowl on 11/27. But that was a rivalry game and this Tiger team will not be that energized playing a Big Ten team that they are expected to beat. Auburn has lost five of their last seven games and they have faced very little offenses as efficient as Northwestern.



The Wildcats have the best quarterback on the field in Mike Kafka and he played tremendous down the stretch. They will enter this game off of three straight victories including two against ranked teams (Wisconsin & Iowa). I expect this game to go down to the wire but truly believe that the Wildcats will find a way to get it down in crunch time. They are well coached and their head man did not back his way into the job by going 1-11 the previous year.

4 Unit Play. #7 Take Nebraska over Arizona (Holiday Bowl Wednesday 8 pm ESPN) Nebraska improved each and every week this season and had a chance to finish 12-1 on the season if a couple of breaks would have went their way. They only game they did not show up was against Texas Tech. They played their hearts out in the Big XII Championship Game especially on the defensive side of the football. Normally I could see a letdown here for the Huskers; however, I just expect them to build upon that impressive performance.



Arizona has played well at times but the team does not have a shutdown defense like Nebraska has. That defense should be the difference especially going against an average U of A offense. Nebraska will continue to climb in the hopes of once again becoming a football power. It starts tonight with Big Red winning handily. Nebraska 24, Arizona 10.

5 Unit Play. #43 Take Kentucky over Clemson (Music City Bowl Sunday 8:30 pm ESPN) Once again Coach Rich Brooks has done a great job with this program. He obviously does not have the talent of other conference teams such as Florida or Alabama; however, his team plays very completive in the league. Kentucky has also been plagued by injuries but most of them should be back for this game.



As for Clemson, they have talent especially with running back C.J. Spiller, as he is one of the top backs in the country. Clemson had a disappointing finish to the season closing with two losses including a loss to Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship. Look for that emotion to carryover into this game, as Kentucky hangs around and takes this one down to the wire. Clemson 27, Kentucky 24.

7 Unit Play. #2 Take Oregon State over BYU (Las Vegas Bowl Tuesday 8 pm ESPN) No question that the Beavers have played a much tougher schedule with wins over Stanford, California, and UCLA make their record impressive. The question will be how much did the Civil War loss to Oregon affect their moral? If they would have won that game they would have went to the Rose Bowl. But looking deeper, one will notice that Coach Riley is 5-0 in bowl games and I see no reason why they will not come to play in this game.



As for BYU, they stunned Oklahoma in the opener, 14-13, when QB Bradford went down with an injury. But they did not win another big game losing to Florida State, 54-28, TCU, 38-7, and Utah, 26-23. BYU struggles against teams with a balanced offensive attack. In what will be a high scoring affair, I believe that Oregon State

7 Unit Play. #36 Take Southern Miss over Middle Tennessee State (New Orleans Bowl Sunday 8:30 pm ESPN) This is almost like a home game for the Golden Eagles, as this will be their second straight trip to the Superdome and their fourth visit in the last six years. This was a team that had high expectations for the season with 19 starters back from 2008. They were competitive this year but did suffer five road losses.



As for the Blue Raiders, they will enter this game hot on a six game winning streak. As you look further into this you will see that they played weak conference teams. QB Dasher is a big time playmaker but I question the talent behind him. The Eagles have experience on defense and look for them to contain QB Dasher. The Eagles have the offense to light-up the scoreboard and I just do not believe that the Blue Raiders will be able to keep pace. Southern Miss 42, MTS 28.

4 Unit Play. #34 Take Under in Florida vs. Alabama (Saturday 4 pm CBS) Both teams have outstanding defense and I really question just how good the Tide is on offense. Scoring over 14 points may be very difficult for them. As for the Gators, their offense is loaded but this will be the best defense that they face in 2009. In championship games, usually teams test the water early which leads to less points being scored. The game last year was low scoring until Florida broke out in the fourth quarter, but I do not see that happening this season. All this leads me to believe that the total score will be kept in the low thirties. Florida 17, Alabama 14.

8 Unit Play. #14 Take Illinois over Fresno State (Saturday 12:30 pm Big Ten Network) The Illini had one of the most disappointing seasons in the country and they never seemed to recover from the opening loss to Missouri. As for Fresno, they have played competitive at times, but the bottom of the WAC has made their record misleading. In a high scoring affair, look for the Illini to send their seniors off with a victory. QB Williams will be playing his final game of his career and this will be a chance to showcase his abilities. I was surprised that Illinois will retain Coach Zook, but that is the case and the underclassman now they better performance. Illinois needs this game to gain momentum for next year and the cold weather will help them, as the homer gets the call. Illinois 38, Fresno State 21.

5 Unit Play. #8 Take Central Michigan over Ohio U (Friday 8 pm ESPN 2) Will be the second to last game QB LeFevour plays for the Chippewas. He will get a chance to play on Sundays because he is that good. But the quarterback position is not the only strength of this team, as the Chippewas have a balanced attack. True NIU and Toledo did put up points, but that came when the game was already out of reach. As for Ohio, they are a well coach team, but not as strong as their record would indicate. They were outgained in wins over NIU and Buffalo and enter this game in Detroit with QB Scott and RB Garrett questionable. I do expect them to play since this game has great importance but they will not be at full strength.



Look for the Chippewas to make a statement that they are far and away the best team in the MAC. QB LeFevour shines and so do the Chips, as they win this game going away and likely will return to Detroit for the Pizza Pizza Bowl. CMU 42, Ohio U 17.

9 Unit Play. #95 Take Arizona over Arizona State (Saturday 3:30 pm ABC) Normally would not go with a team coming off a heartbreaking game that kept them from going to the Rose Bowl. But this is state rival and the U of A will have no problem getting up for this game in Tempe. ASU lost to UCLA last week and that made sure that they will be home for the holidays. Speaking of staying home, the injury report for the Sun Devils cold fill up a roster. Parley that with the fact that Arizona is still not solid at quarterback and it is hard not to like the Wildcats. Arizona still has a chance to go to the Holiday Bowl and look for them to easily put away their rivals.

4 Unit Play. #25 Take Nevada over Boise State (Friday 10 pm ESPN 2) What a game this should be and it could go over the posted total by halftime. Boise State is playing as good as anyone in the country. However, they have more talent than most of the teams in the WAC. Their only real tests came early in the season against Oregon and Fresno State.



Nevada started the season 0-3 with their opening loss to Notre Dame carrying over into their next two games. Since then, Nevada has been on a tear, winning eight straight games. The last two meetings between these two teams have been close with the 2007 game going into 4 OTs, with Boise State winning, 69-67. Nevada has lost the last nine games to Boise State straight-up, but this year they have the talent to keep up with them. Getting double digits it too good to pass up and this will be tight throughout and go down to the wire. Boise State 42, Nevada 38.

8 Unit Play. #36 Take Northwestern over Wisconsin (Saturday 3:30 pm Big Ten Network) Top Play of the Weekend. I thought that this line would come in around 4 points, but it came in at 6 and now the public has drove it up to around a touchdown. No question that the Badgers have been playing inspired since they suffered back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Iowa. That being said, those were the only two good teams that they have played this season and they caught Purdue at the right time and struggle to put away Indiana on the road. In fact, Indiana passed for 300 years in the air and look for QB Kafka to have similar success against a Badgers secondary that is still unproven.



Wisconsin has had good success on the ground; however, the Cats run defense will key on them and make QB Tolzien beat them through the air. This is the last game of the season for Northwestern and they have won this game the last five years. Traditionally the Badgers have had trouble playing in Northwestern and to me this line is inflated. Have to side with the Wildcats getting a touchdown in the final game of their season. Coach Fitzgerald does a great job with this program and I will call the upset. Northwestern 31, Wisconsin 28.

4 Unit Play. #14 Take Utah State over Boise State (Friday 9:30 pm ESPN 2) The Broncos show no mercy for anyone, but one has to believe this is a flat spot as they play Nevada next. Throw in the fact that the Aggies will be playing their last home game of the season, a place they have performed well at. They took Nevada to the wire and lost, 25-32 and they did beat Louisiana Tech, 23-21. They have not been really blown out all season and look for them to hang around in this affair as well. Boise State 37, Utah State 21.

9 Unit Play. #34 Take Kansas State over Missouri (Saturday 12:30 pm Versus) Big XII Game of the Year. The Missouri Tigers remind me a lot of the situation that Hawaii is in this season. The last couple of years they pounded opponents, but now they have less talent and experience and everyone is getting their revenge on them. No question that these two teams are going in opposite directions. The return of Coach Bill Snyder is starting to show. He has owned Missouri in his career winning 13 straight games and after a slow start to the 2009 season; his Wildcats are starting to get on a roll. The Wildcats are 6-0 on the season in Manhattan and this is there final home game of the season.



The big question mark for the Wildcats will be their pass defense. They have struggled with this in 2009 but if the Cats can run the ball effectively on offense, this will limit the Tigers passing opportunities. Missou lost to Baylor last week in Columbia and look for a carryover effect here. K-State still has a lot of play for and look for a maximum effort with the troops playing hard for Coach Snyder. Homer gets the call. K-State 31, Missou 20.

5 Unit Play. #5 Take West Virginia over Cincinnati (Friday 8 pm ESPN 2) Top Underdog Play. The Bearcats have a chance to go undefeated and earn a trip to the Orange Bowl but their schedule gets much tougher and this writer predicts that they will lose at least one of their remaining three games. These two teams met last year in Morgantown with the Bearcats blowing a big lead but coming through in overtime, 26-23. Cincinnati now has a quarterback controversy brewing with the return on starter Tony Pike, who will play in this game but not start. QB Collaros will start the game and he has played well since QB Pike went down with an injury. I expect this to be a problem since both will play and nobody knows who this will turn out.




The Mountaineers have quietly had another successful season under Coach Bill Stewart and will enter this game with a 7-2 record and a 3-1 record in the Big East. WVU has beaten Cincinnati three of the last four meetings and have had great success in this series overall. WVU is 14-2-1 straight-up and 7-0 in games played in Ohio between these programs. I do not believe that they have enough firepower to pull off the victory straight-up but they will play hard for sixty minutes and take this one down to the wire. The last two meetings have been decided by 4 points per game and that is how I see this one going as well. Cincy 27, WVU 23.

4 Unit Play. #3 Take Toledo over Central Michigan (Wednesday 8 pm ESPN 2) The Chippewas are likely the best team in the MAC but this is too many points to be laying against a solid Rockets team. Toledo has an impressive win this season against Colorado and will enter this game well rested having not played a game in 12 days. The Rockets can score point,s averaging 29 per game and that is good enough for 50th in all of division one football. Central Michigan averages just over 30 points per game and because of that I have a hard time laying this much and instead will side with the underdog. The Chippewas win this game, but it comes much closer then what the experts predict.

4 Unit Play. #2 Take Buffalo over Ohio (Tuesday 7 pm ESPN 2) This Tuesday night MAC battle features the Bobcats and the Bulls at UB Stadium in Buffalo, NY. The Cats have not played a game since Halloween and this will be there sixth road game in ten outing this season. Buffalo won the MAC last year and still has enough firepower left to win this home game in 2009. Their offensive production is solid, as they rack up 411 yards per game including 162 yards on the ground. They will be able to finish drives tonight and reach the thirties in points scored. Buffalo is outgaining their opponents by sixty yards per game yet allowing three points more then what they score. If they do not beat themselves this evening with special teams or turnovers, they will win this game by double digits.

9 Unit Play. #32 Take Penn State over Ohio State (Saturday 3:30 pm ABC) Top Selection of the Week. In past years this would be a proper line; however, this Ohio State team is not as talented as in past years. Do not be misled by the two big wins over Minnesota and New Mexico State. The Gophers played Ohio State after visiting Penn State the week before and the Aggies are one of the worst teams in the land. The Buckeyes started the season with a limited offense and that problem still remains. This unit has trouble moving the football on the ground and QB Pryor is not a big passing threat. Now he must face of the best defenses in the country and expect him to have a long day.

As for Penn State, this team is playing better after suffering a setback to Iowa. They are coming off two big road wins and they now appear to be on a mission. They will have a hostile crowd behind them and the Lions will roar loud and clear! Penn State 27, Ohio State 10.

10 Unit Play. #57 Take Temple over Navy (Saturday 3:30 pm CBS College Sports) College Game of the Year. The Owls are on a mission! They were once everybody

4 Unit Play. #53 Take Georgia over Florida (Saturday 3:30 pm CBS) It is one of the biggest rivalries in college football when Florida takes on Georgia in the World

10 Unit Play. #45 Take Georgia Tech over Virginia (Saturday 12 pm ESPN 360) Las year the Jackets were off to a great start, then hit a road block, losing to Virginia, 24-17. In that game, Georgia Tech led 14-3 at one point before giving it away. In 2009, Tech is once again off to a great start, could history repeat itself?

Not so fast! I firmly believe this teams has too much talent to once again fold here. Former Navy Coach Paul Johnson is in his second year and he knows how important this game is. Their only bad performance this year took place on a Thursday Night game at Miami, a spot in which they were coming off a big win against Clemson. Virginia is once again following a similar pattern: starting out slow and putting Coach Groh on the hot seat only to make a late season run and save his job for one more year. Tech has lost eight straight in Charlottesville and will end that streak on Saturday. Cav QB Jameel Sewell did leave the game last week with a sprained ankle, but should play in this game. It will not matter as the talent is just too deep on the Yellow Jackets sideline. This team is ready to win the ACC Conference and remember they were favored by 14 points last year. Only laying four today with this talent discrepancy is too good to pass up. Ga Tech 31, Virginia 17.

4 Unit Play. #70 Take Idaho over Hawaii (Saturday 5 pm ESPN 360) What a season the Vandals are having thus far, currently 5-1, and 6-0 against the spread. A win here will give Idaho a chance at a possible bowl bid and look for an all-out effort here since they lost to the Warriors, 49-17 in 2008 on the island. Since that game, these two teams have gone in different directions. Hawaii has lot a lot of talent from the 2008 edition and this season they are down to the third string quarterback in Bryant Moniz. He is just not getting the job done completing less then 47% of his passes and that does not bode well in the run and shoot offense. I wanted to go stronger with this selection; however, Idaho has not been a big favorite in the past five years and now is installed as a double digit one.



This does create a bit of a question mark; however, the 2009 Vandals edition will be up to the test with a strong state of mind that can play the role of the favorite well. The Vandals schedule gets much tougher after this and they need this win since they have yet to play Boise State, Fresno State, and Nevada. The homer gets the call. Idaho 31, Hawaii 13.

6 Unit Play. #78 Take Clemson over Wake Forest (Saturday ESPN 360) Revenge Game of the Year. The Tigers certainly have their backs against the wall, as they already have three setbacks on the 2009 season. They were upset two weeks ago by Maryland, but I believe that was due to their close lose the week before to TCU. Clemson should be fresh for this game since they are coming off of a bye. Wake Forest beat Maryland last week, 42-32 and this will be only their second road game of the season. Their first road game was a loss at Boston College, 27-24.



Picked by many to win the ACC Atlantic Division, this Tiger

3 Unit Play. #6 Take South Florida over Cincinnati (Thursday 7:30 pm ESPN) This is the best that the Big East has to offer and it features a pair of unbeaten teams. The winner of this game will have the inside track to the conference crown and a bid to the Orange Bowl or possibly the BCS Title Game if things break their way. South Florida has lost three straight games to the Bearcats, but the home team has been the play, winning five of the last six with a 13 average margin of victory. An inside angle to this game is that Bulls DC Joe Tresey used to coach at Cincinnati but was fired after last season. You can bet he will have his squad ready to pull. The points are usually the play on Thursday night you can bet the house will be rocking at Raymond James Stadium as the Bulls move to 6-0 on the season in what will likely be a low scoring game. USF 20, Cincinnati 14.

9 Unit Play. #99 Take Fresno State over Hawaii (Saturday 11 pm ESPN Gameplan) Top Game of the Weekend. Lets take a look at Fresno State first! They are currently 1-3, losing to Wisconsin and Cincinnati on the road, and Boise State at home. Hawaii is 2-2 on the season, beating Washington State and Central Arkansas. Last week they got hammered by Louisiana Tech, 27-6. Note in that game they rushed for negative seven yards. There is just no comparison to the talent of opponents that each team has faced.

The Bulldogs will enter this game with revenge, losing, 32-29 in overtime last year at Bulldog Stadium. In this game, they outgained the Warriors 522-342 but were done in by six turnovers. Now the Bulldogs return 15 starters with a punishing ground game playing against a defense that returns just two starters. Throw in the fact that Hawaii QB Greg Alexander is out for the season with a knee injury. Fresno had last week off, while the Warriors were making their longest flight of the season to Louisiana Tech.

Just want to mention that when reviewing the Bulldogs yardage thus far in 2009, it appears that they will be able to tear through this weak defense. Fresno must salvage their season here in order to get back on track for a bowl bid. Other then the fact that this game is being played in Hawaii, absolutely nothing else favors the Warriors. This may be the biggest gift of the season. No Rainbow for Hawaii, as the rout is on. Fresno State 42, Hawaii 10.

5 Unit Play. #3 Take Nebraska over Missouri (Thursday 9:00 pm ESPN) The Huskers were beaten by Missouri, 52-17, in Lincoln last year, but that was helped by an emotional loss the prior week by Nebraska to Virginia Tech. This is a very different Husker team and a totally different Tiger team. Granted, Missou will enter this game at 4-0 and dominated a highly rated Illinois team in the opener. But that win appears to be less and less impressive, as Illinois is in complete disarray. The Tigers have had to replace QB Chase Daniel, a talented WR core, and some strong defenders, all of which are in the NFL. One just cannot replace that type of talent and now I expect the Tigers to struggle during Big XII play.

As for the Huskers, their defense is for real and they have a strong running attack. They have already played a tough road game this season at Virginia Tech and lost, 16-15. They outgained the Hokies and should have won as a roadster. If Nebraska cannot beat this Missouri team, the program has simply not progressed as expected by most experts. I think Missou will lose their next three games with the first one coming here. Nebraska starts to regain their dominating form of year

10 Unit Play. #88 Take Minnesota -2 ½ over Wisconsin (Saturday 12 pm ESPN) Big Ten Game of the Year. Now we will find out who is for real and who is just an imposter. The Gophers enter this game at 3-1, with their only loss coming against California. This team has two road victories on the season, at Syracuse and at Northwestern. As for the Badgers, they are untested, supporting a 4-0 record; however, this team has yet to be challenged on the road. You did read that right, it is October and Wisconsin has yet to play a road game this season.



The Badgers have won five straight games in this series. In 2008 the Gophers led the 21-7 at halftime, before falling, 35-32. In that game, All-Conference WR Eric Decker was injured and did not play. The 2009 squad is the best group Coach Tim Brewster has had since he took over and the offense is loaded with QB Adam Weber and a great receiving core. The offensive line is much better then the 2008 edition and they now have the ability to beat you via the ground as well as though the air.




As for the Badgers, the home cooking will not be found here. The quarterback position is in good hands with Scott Tolzien; however, the running game is not up to Wisconsin

9 Unit Play. #89 Take Iowa over Penn State (Saturday 8 pm ABC) Top Big 10 Play. This is the fourth straight home game for the Nittany Lions and they will be looking for revenge after losing last year, 24-23. One would think that the home team should be the call here, but not so fast! This Iowa team is not Akron, Temple, or Syracuse for that matter. The Hawks are loaded on defense with a solid defensive line and linebackers that are as good as anyone in the country. This core should give QB Clarke and RB Royster a real challenge. When one talks about defense, the Nittany Lions linebackers are always mentioned among the best. But this year

4 Unit Play. #44 Take Auburn over West Virginia (Saturday 7:45 pm ESPN 2) Used the Tigers last week and will come right back with them here. This team is on a mission after a disappointing 2008 season. The offense has been balanced with RB

6 Unit Play. #56 Take Washington over USC (Saturday 3:30 ABC) Top Underdog Play of the Year. The Huskies were beaten 56-0 in 2008, but QB Jake Locker was injured and UW was in the midst of a 7 game losing streak. USC had a top notch QB in Mark Sanchez and a defense loaded with NFL talent. Things have changed since that last meeting, as Washington has a new coach in Steve Sarkisian, the former OC at USC. The Trojans also have a new defensive coordinator (also from USC). I expect QB Locker to be able to move the football against this talented defense. The Huskies took LSU to the wire in the opener and cruised to a victory last week against Idaho. Now they are playing their third straight home game and expect this team to only get better under the new young head coach.



USC is loaded again in 2009; however, no way near as good as in 2008. Had a big emotional win last week in Columbus, but remember the 2008 team went on to lose their next game in the Pacific Northwest after beating Ohio State. Could history be repeating itself again in 2009? Not sure the Huskies have the talent to pull such an upset, but this will not be a breathier for the Trojans. QB Barkley is doubtful with a shoulder injury and he did not look good for 55 minutes last week before leading them on a game winning drive. Home field, former USC coaches, revenge from last year

4 Unit Play. #47 Take Michigan State over Notre Dame (Saturday 3:30 pm NBC) I went against the Spartans last week as a 14-point favorite and easily won even though I did not expect them to get beat straight-up. They were looking ahead to this week

6 Unit Play. #72 Take Clemson over Boston College (Saturday 12 pm ESPN Gameplan) Top Selection of the Week. I really like the fact that this Clemson team did not give up this past Thursday against a very good Georgia Tech team. Everything that could go wrong went wrong early in that game and they trailed 24-0, but came back to make a game of it losing just, 30-27. I feel that loss brought this team together and expect them to have their way this Saturday against a BC team that has yet to determine its starting quarterback.

The Eagles loss a bunch of defensive talent from the 2008 squad and they have yet to impress me much this season despite being 2-0. Those wins came against Northeastern and Kent State and now they face a major step-up in talent going to Death Valley. The Eagles have a young defense and an unproven quarterback and Saturday afternoon you will find out why we tagged this game. Clemson 31, Boston College 13.

6 Unit Play. #40 Take Auburn over Mississippi State (Saturday 7 pm ESPN Gameplan) Top Selection of the Week. The Tigers used a dominating performance over a good Louisiana Tech squad last week winning, 37-13. Auburn had over 300 yards on the ground and two backs went over 100 yards. QB Chris Todd looked solid as he completed 17 of 26 for 255 yards and two touchdowns.


That being said, the offense shined but the defense of the Tigers was really the story. This group held the Bulldogs to under 100 yards on the ground. Tech went 8-5 in 2008 and returned nine starters on offense. Now home again, Auburn faces a much weaker group of Bulldogs, a team they beat 3-2 in 2008. Despite that low score, Auburn outgained MSU by 200 yards and was in control of that game. Although they have only one game under their belt, Auburn is much better then in 2008. MSU returns just four starters and their offense is weak to say the least. Look for a beat down and we will collect big along the journey. Auburn 42, Mississippi State 10.

5 Unit Play. #69 Take Illinois over Missouri (Saturday 3:30 pm ESPN) Top Big 10 Selection. The Illini have lost to the Tigers in 2007, 40-34, and in 2008, 52-42 and four straight meeting overall. Illinois has 13 starters back including a powerful offense led by QB Juice Williams and outstanding wide receivers.

Looking at Missou, they were hit hard by graduation including the loss of QB Chase Daniels and three of their top receivers including Jeremy Maclin. Missou returns just four starters on defense and if Illinois is ever going to beat them, it will come this season. My only hesitation is that the world will be on Illinois this week. The Tigers were a disappointing 10-4 in 2008 and it appears they will progress even more in 2009, especially with all the good teams in the Big XII South. The losses start in game one, as Illinois takes out years of frustration and emerges victorious. Illinois 35, Missouri 10.

6 Unit Play. #57 Take Toledo over Purdue (Saturday 12:00 pm Big 10 Network) Top Selection of the Weekend. The Rockets were only 3-9 in 2008, however, they did upset Michigan. This club returns 16 starters and I look for this team to be much better in 2009. The Rockets have a new coach in Tim Beckman and he was Oklahoma

5 Unit Play. #4 Take Under in Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners (BSC National Championship Thursday 9:00) This is just too many points to be laying in the Title game considering this game has gone over this posted number just one time in the BCS Title Game history. Oklahoma has been lighting up the scoreboard to close out the regular season but that came in the Big XII, where not much defense was being played. The Gators have the speed on defense to shutdown the Sooners passing attack and remember OU is without RB DeMarco Murray. The Gators had great ball control against Alabama and just took with the defense gave them and kept moving the chains and running the clock. Only one team will hit thirty points in this contest and we will collect with the under with whomever comes out on top. Florida 31, Oklahoma 28.

3 Unit Play. #266 Take Under in Tulsa vs. TCU (8:00 pm ESPN) This is the second to last bowl game of the season and the last non-BCS Bowl game. It takes place in Mobile, AL and features the 12-1 Cardinals against the 10-3 Hurricanes. Ball State has got to be disappointed to be in this bowl game as they entered postseason with a 12-0 record only to be upset in Detroit by Buffalo. Much like Alabama, we fully expect a carryover in this contest and thus their offense will not be as explosive, especially with a coaching change in the works. Coach Brady Hoke has left for San Diego State and will not be in attendance. Tulsa can light up the scoreboard on offense but they did not get much competition from Conference USA. Both teams will likely reach the thirties but the total will stay in the sixties giving us the victory with whoever comes out on top.

5 Unit Play. #43 Take Ohio State Buckeyes over Texas Longhorns (Fiesta Bowl Monday 8:00 pm FOX) This is my upset special! Buckeyes were embarrassed last year, but no repeat is in sight. They have done extremely well in the Fiesta Bowl winning the game straight-up three of their last four trips. One needs to look past the Southern Cal loss, as their running back was injured and they had yet to decide on the quarterback. Since QB Pryor has taken over this team has improved each week and they now have an outstanding run/pass option similar to QB McCoy and the Horns. QB McCoy is the better QB in this game and he had an outstanding year, but he has not seen a defense like this in the Big XII. Look for this to be a low scoring battle and getting the points is too good to pass up. The money line (+260) may also be worth a look for a few tokens as well. Ohio State 27, Texas 24.

5 Unit Play. #38 Take Connecticut Huskies over Buffalo Bulls (International Bowl Saturday 12:00 pm ESPN 2) The more I look at this game, the more I like it. Have to give a lot of credit to the BCS Golden Child Turner Gill for an outstanding season; however, the real truth is the MAC, especially the MAC East was weak. That became even more evident with Rice pounding Western Michigan. The Bulls were 8-5 and did beat Ball State, but turnover played a major role sine they were outgained 503-301. They are not in the league with the Huskies and their competition and expect the UCONN defense to shut them down. This is one of the best in the country and with QB Lorenzen likely back this gives them another advantage. Too big of a step for the Bulls, as we will collect in the process. UCONN 38, Buffalo 17.

4 Unit Play. #31 Take Utah Utes over Alabama Crimson Tide (Sugar Bowl Friday 8:00 pm Fox) No question that Utah has not played the same schedule as Alabama and if both teams were undefeated playing for the National Championship my opinion would be different. The Tide are disappointed to be here and Utah is happy to be in New Orleans. One has to wonder if Bama has any gas in the tank especially since they will be without Outland winner Smith. Parlay that with the Utes having the better QB in Johnson will allow the Utes to be very competitive in this affair. Bama did not blow out many mid-majors this season and Utah is certainly the best team of that field. Alabama 27, Utah 24.