NCAA Week 8 picks

Whew!  I can't believe we're to mid-October alreay!  Classic rivalries will start popping on a weekly basis soon!

Wednesday Oct 21
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at UTEP Miners:  Tulsa is having a tremendous year.  They may not have been able to pull off the upset last week, but they made it interesting.  This game won't be so interesting - Tulsa will own it from the beginning.  TULSA

Thurs Oct 22
Florida State Seminoles at North Carolina Tar Heels:  Everyone is still raving about Florida State, despite a losing record right now.  Go figure.  North Carolina was a preseason favorite, and then they stumbled.  They won't stumble here, and should quiet all of the Seminole supporters.  NORTH CAROLINA

Friday Oct 23
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Army Black Knights:  Battle of the Knights!  This game could be closer than people expect, as Army doesn't exactly suck this year.  I think Rutgers will edge them out, but don't discount those hard-battling cadets!  RUTGERS

Top 25
Tennessee Volunteers at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide:  Last week proved who the real powerhouse team in the SEC is -- ALABAMA

#2 Florida Gators at Mississippi State Bulldogs:  Florida should have a much easier time of it this week, preventing Alabama from leap-frogging over them on the national rankings.  FLORIDA

#3 Texas Longhorns at Missouri Tigers:  This is a must-win situation for Missouri if they want any chance at the Big XII title game, but I fear the Longhorns will crush them.  TEXAS

#4 Boise State Broncos at Hawaii Warriors:  Hawaii can be tough at home, but the Broncos have been here before, and don't fear them.  The Warriors aren't the offensive machine this season like they've been in the past, and their defense hasn't improved any.  BOISE STATE

#5 Iowa Hawkeyes at Michigan State Spartans:  Sparty can be tricky, but I think the Hawkeyes are a force too great for most of the Big Ten.  Iowa may have a pretty easy time of it until their showdown with Ohio State next month.  IOWA

Louisville Cardinals at #6 Cincinnati Bearcats:  Cincinnati leads the Big East while Louisville is yet to win a conference game.  That losing streak should continue for the Cardinals, as Cincy simply has too many tools in their arsenal this season.  CINCINNATI

Oregon State Beavers at #7 USC Trojans:  The Trojans are happy this contest is in LA.  They've lost the last two times they've travelled to Corvallis, and they don't need a loss right now.  The Beavers will still play them tough, as USC is lacking the consistent tools they've had in the past.  USC

#8 Penn State Nittany Lions at #20 Michigan Wolverines:  Michigan needs this game to have any chance at the Big Ten title, but I don't think they'll get it.  Rich Rodriguez's spread offense is working this year, but Penn State has too many speedy linebackers for the spread to be effective.  Michigan's defense is good, but the Penn State offensive line is big, and they'll just wear them down.  PENN STATE

#9 Oregon Ducks at Washington Huskies:  Washington has had a good run this year, already exceeding their total wins over the past two seasons, but they enter a tough run on their schedule.  They host Oregon, then have two road games against tough home opponents.  Midnight may be striking on Washington's Cinderella season.  OREGON

#10 TCU Horned Frogs at #14 BYU Cougars:  This could decide the Mountain West winner, although Utah still weighs in.  BYU has scored more points, but TCU's defense is evident.  I often like the defense in these matters, but the home field and late start time might help the Cougars.  BYU in a very close game

Oklahoma Sooners at #11 Kansas Jayhawks:  The Sooners tumbled from the Top 25 after two losses in the past three weeks.  They're hoping to reverse their fortunes against the Jayhawks, but I think not.  Kansas may not be blowing out their opponents, but they are consistently winning, a feat Oklahoma cannot seem to do.  With Sam Bradford's health an issue, I like Kansas' rush defense to pester the Sooners.  KANSAS

Auburn Tigers at #12 LSU Tigers:  This game doesn't look as appealing as it did two weeks ago, when both teams were in the Top Ten.  Auburn's two-game losing streak makes them desperate, and desperate teams make stupid mistakes.  LSU has the type of defense to make you pay for such mistakes.  LSU

#13 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Baylor Bears:  Baylor is capable of surprising opponents this season, but not the Cowboys.  Baylor's defense won't slow them down enough, and the Cowboys put up big numbers.  OKLAHOMA STATE

South Florida Bulls at #15 Pittsburgh Panthers:  This sould be a close game!  South Florida suffered their first loss last week, while Pitt remains unbeaten in the Big East.  The Bulls won't want to lose two games in a row, so they'll knock the Panthers around fiercely.  I think Pitt will prevail, but it'll be a rough battle.  PITT

Air Force Falcons at #16 Utah Utes: The Utes need a good win to get back into BCS contention.  The Falcons won't make it easy, but they aren't flying as high as they used to.  UTAH

Texas A&M Aggies at #17 Texas Tech Red Raiders:  Can the Aggies' defense slow the Raiders?  Unfortunately not, as the Aggies will continue to look for their first conference victory.  TEXAS TECH

Minnesota Golden Gophers at #18 Ohio State Buckeyes:  The Buckeyes wish to atone for their embarrassing offensive performance last week.  Preventing turnovers will be the disciplinary work of the offense during practice this week, while the defense works on pass coverage drills.  Jim Tressell knows how to recover from losses, although he hasn't seen one in conference for a while.  OHIO STATE

UConn Huskies at #19 West Virginia Mountaineers:  If UConn hopes to regain some swagger and stake a claim for the Big East title, they must post the upset here.  They have to tools to do so, but their exection has been off.  The Mountaineers frequently throw off team's performances, so that execution will  continue to lack results this week.  WEST VIRGINIA

Iowa State Cyclones at #21 Nebraska Cornhuskers:  While Nebraska was pleased with their victory over Missouri, they can't be happy about how they struggled against Texas Tech last week.  The Cyclones defense is better than that of the Raiders, but Nebraska has the home crowd and a week of practice to help restore their offense.  I think they can do it, although this will be a closer game than the team and fans would like.  NEBRASKA

#22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Virginia Cavaliers:  After an atrocious start to the season, which included a loss to FCS William and Mary, the Cavs have won their last three games and lead the Coastal division.  Virginia's early ACC success has come at the hands of Maryland and North Carolina, however, two teams with two conference losses each.  Now the Cavs start to get tougher competition, and I think the tide will turn.  GEORGIA TECH

#25 Central Michigan Chippewas at Bowling Green Falcons:  Central Michigan needs just two conference victories to capture the MAC West title.  Although Bowling Green can be tough, I think the Chippewas move one step closer to that title.  CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Big Ten
Illinois Fighting Illini at Purdue Boilermakers:  The Illini offense has great talent, but lousy play calling.  While there could be a letdown after Purdue's shocking upset of Ohio State last week, I think they'll wake up over halftime and trounce my Illini.  PURDUE

Indiana Hoosiers at Northwestern Wildcats:  Here's two teams fairly evenly matched.  I usually go for the home team in those situations.  NORTHWESTERN

Other Games of Interest:
Clemson Tigers at Miami Hurricane:  Nationally, everyone is touting Miami (they're even in the Top Ten of the first BCS rankings, for heaven's sake!), yet they just pulled out of a negative difference between points scored and points allowed against FBS teams.  They really aren't that good, and Clemson will prove that.  Clemson had a great game against Wake Forest, but they still remember the tough loss against Maryland the week before that, and still feel they have something to prove.  Beating Miami will help prove that.  CLEMSON

Arkansas Razorbacks at Ole Miss Rebels:  The Rebs haven't quite lived up to preseason and early season promises, and they know it.  Arkansas has shown power, but the Rebels want to regain some respect.  OLE MISS

Idaho Vandals at Nevada Wolf Pack:  Idaho battled to a 6-0 record, their first in decades, before stumbling last week.  The mark of a good team is how they handle adversity.  Will they further collapse, or will they regain their form?  Idaho is used to losing, so I think they'll buckle down and come back from that loss.  IDAHO

Arizona State Sun Devils at Stanford Cardinal:  Watch out, as the Sun Devils are regaining their winning form.  This is the perfect point in the season to do that, too.  ARIZONA STATE

Game of the Week:  Boston College Eagles at #24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  The Irish to need to regain their stride after their rough outing last week.  The Eagles are aglow atop the Atlantic division, but they still remember the Virginia Tech debacle.  Both teams are fighting for respect and Top 25 position.  Expect the lead to change several times in this game, but I think the Irish will hold it when the dust settles.  NOTRE DAME