Tues Oct 22
Sam Houston BearKats at Florida International Golden Panthers : Perhaps the best story among the Group of 5, other than the simultaneous unbeaten seasons of Army and Navy, is the progression of Sam Houston. This is their first full year of FBS play after losing all eight of their FBS games last year. Now they are contending for Conference USA title. That battle continues in this game. SAN HOUSTON by six
Wed Oct 23
Liberty Flames at Kennesaw State Owls : Standing in the way of Sam Houston is Liberty, who is the only other unbeaten Gang of 5 team aside from the military academies. Liberty is not winning big, but they are winning. LIBERTY by eleven
Thurs Oct 24
Syracuse Orange at Pitt Panthers : The one-loss Orange travel to face the unbeaten Panthers. Pitt is clearly the favorite, but the Orange are a strong team who could easily capture this victory. PITT by eight
Fri Oct 25
Louisville Cardinals at Boston College Eagles : The Eagles can play tough, but Louisville is a strong team this year. They have faced off against stronger teams and hung in there, so winning this game should be straight-forward. LOUISVILLE by nine
#20 Boise State Broncos at #17 UNLV Running Rebels : Wow, this should be an exciting game. Both teams are playing well this season. Boise State had a bye week, so the extra week of practice should help them. However, UNLV fought back from a deficit last week, and that confidence might propel them past the Broncos. UNLV by three
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at USC Trojans : It's "Big Ten After Dark" at the Rose Bowl as the Knights travel all the way to Pasadena. It's the second longest travel any Big Ten will perform this season, and they have to travel a day early to make it work. Rutgers is a bit unsteady this season, ad the late hour and off schedule will already be playing havoc with their players, let alone the determination the Trojans have to win their second conference game. USC by eight
Sat Oct 26
Top 25
Illinois Fighting Illini at #1 Oregon Ducks : I rarely get to start the column with my Illini, but that mans they are playing the Number One team. Their defense might give the Ducks some fits, but the Ducks offense is just too strong. OREGON by 12
#2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #18 Navy Midshipmen : The Midshipmen have been a strong force, but the Irish have been dominant since their opening week loss. NOTRE DAME by 13
Nebraska Conrnhuskers at #3 Ohio State Buckeyes : Indiana crushed Nebraska last week. The Cornhuskers would love to win this week to wipe that out, but they have to travel to Columbus. It might be an even bigger loss. OHIO STATE by lots
#5 Penn State Nittany Lions at #25 Wisconsin Badgers : I honestly believe the Badgers have a chance at this. They have been gradually improving, and the Lions have had to come from behind three times this season. If the Badgers can have a two-score lead going into the fourth quarter, they could win. Something tells me, though, that the Penn State coaching staff examined their slow start situation over the bye week, so they won't start that slowly this week. PENN STATE by eight
#6 Texas Longhorns at Vanderbilit Commodores : The worst thing that could have happened to Vandy was a Texas loss last week. Now they are hungry for a win. TEXAS by lots
Florida State Seminoles at #7 Miami Hurricanes : The Seminoles have collapsed this season. MIAMI by lots
Washington Huskies at #8 Indiana Hoosiers : Indiana will control the pace of this game, as the Huskies continue to struggle against the tough defenses of the Big Ten. INDIANA by 24
#11 BYU Cougars at UCF Golden Knights : UCF almost gave Iowa State their first loss last week. They will be shooting to do that to BYU this week. They will fight hard, but I think the Cougs will pull it out. BYU by six
#14 LSU Tigers at #16 Texas A&M Aggies : I have to go with the upset here. The Aggies are playing a bit better, and certainly can be more dynamic than the slow-developing Tigers. In tight games, the ability to score quickly can make the difference. TEXAS A&M by four
#21 Missouri Tigers at #15 Alabama Crimson Tide : Could the confused Tide lose again? They certainly seem to be having troubles recently, especially on offense. Can the Tigers pull off the upset? Maybe, but the Tide rarely lose two in a row, so I'll give them an edge. ALABAMA by four
#19 Cincinnati Bearcats at Colorado Buffaloes : Cincy celebrates their defeat of Arizona State, and re-entering the Top 25, by traveling to Colorado. In his second season, Coach Prime has the Buffaloes playing very well. They are a force, and will give Cincy some trouble. And you can never count the Buffaloes, either. CINCY by four
Oklahoma Sooners at #22 Ole Miss Rebels : The Sooners are showing that they can't compete with the top of the SEC. OLE MISS by 13
Kansas Jayhawks at #23 Kansas State Wildcats : These in-state rivalries can often be unpredictable, but the Jayhawks have struggled since being deflated by the Illini. KANSAS STATE by eight
Big Ten
Northwestern Wildcats at Iowa Hawkeyes : The Hawkeyes want a strong win to wipe out last week's upset. They should get it. IOWA by 14
Maryland Terrapins at Minnesota Golden Gophers : Either team could win this game, as they are fairly evenly matched. Maryland has struggled late in games, and that's when Minnesota really pushes, so I think the home team will capture this game, even if it means coming from behind. MINNESOTA by six
Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Wolverines : Another in-state rivalry. The Spartans have been inconsistent, although they successfully engineered an upset last week. I don't think they will do it again, as the terrible performance against the Illini will force the Michigan staff to work hard this week. MICHIGAN by five
Other Games of Interest
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Virginia Tech Hokies : Both teams have looked good at times this season, and both teams have also stumbled badly. Which team will show up? In situations like this, I usually like the home team, as the home crowd can help motivate them. VIRGINIA TECH by four
SMU Mustangs at Duke Blue Devils : SMU is doing very well in their first season in the ACC. Duke is playing well, but the Mustangs are good at exhausting opposing defenses. SMU by 13
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