WVGameDay.com

As an avid Mountaineer fan, it pains me to see Virginia Tech win a football game. However, my heart is torn because I don’t know if anything could be sweeter than to see the Hokies go undefeated this year and NOT be chosen to play in the BCS Championship Game. It just wouldn’t be right for Marcus “Dirty Bird” Vick to lead his team of at least five future convicts into the championship game.

Can you imagine if they were to play Texas in the Rose Bowl?! Tech’s Sports Information Director would surely have to inform Vick that he needs to use two fingers to form the “Hook ‘Em Horns” symbol and that his middle finger is not one of them.

Enough about former Big East members, let’s talk about the present.

The Good: It's official - Rutgers is bowl eligible. Congratulations to Greg Schiano and his staff for performing this miracle! The second largest crowd in Rutgers history witnessed the Scarlet Knights’ 26-24 historic victory over Navy. By the way, Rutgers is on the verge of a Top 25 ranking. They are 28th in this week’s AP rankings.

The Bad: With only three of eight teams in action this past week, was it really necessary for the Big East to name its “Players of the Week”?! (Which they did)

The Ugly: Commissioner Mike Tranghese recently stated that the Big East has 26% of the television markets in the country. Let’s hope most of them didn’t watch Cincinnati’s victory over Syracuse this weekend. Games like this are why critics argue that the Big East should not have an automatic BCS bid.

	Straight Up	Vs. Spread
Last Week’s Record:	17-3	8-12
Overall Record:	160-35	96-87-1

<<< Scott's UConn-WVU Preview from earlier in the week >>>

Big East Games

Pitt at Louisville (-20½)
In what was predicted to be the Big East Game of the Year during the preseason, third place Pitt travels to sixth place Louisville in a game that will likely decide which team goes to the Gator Bowl. The Cards finally picked up their first league victory in their last outing by defeating Cincinnati and have much to prove in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN Thursday night. Pitt beat Syracuse in their last game, but had to overcome a 17-7 first half deficit. Panther quarterback Tyler Palko is starting to become more comfortable with Pitt’s new offense and has finally reconnected with standout wide receiver Greg Lee. This connection has led the Panthers to three straight conference victories and a renewed confidence in the Steel City. However, Pitt’s recent successes have all been at home and against two of the worst three teams in the conference. Meanwhile, Louisville’s two conference defeats were on the road with one of those losses coming against the best team in the conference, West Virginia, in triple overtime. The Panthers may catch a break though as Cardinals star wide receiver Mario Urrutia is listed as questionable for the game. Louisville is averaging a whopping 64 points per game at Papa John’s Stadium this year while Pitt has struggled on the road as the Panthers are only averaging 15 points per contest away from Heinz Stadium. The Cards are 4-0 against Pitt dating back to 1990 and will be 5-0 after this contest as Cardinals “peck” the Panthers apart………

Louisville 47 Pitt 20

South Florida at Rutgers (-3)
Yes, it is true. Rutgers is bowl eligible due to their victory over Navy last Saturday and are now looking to solidify their hold on the second place in the Big East. South Florida has had three weeks to prepare for the Scarlet Knights as they had a bye week this past weekend and had their game with West Virginia postponed the previous week due to Hurricane Wilma. The Bulls dropped their first conference game of the year as they were defeated by Pitt 31-17 in the Steel City. USF still has a chance to finish in second place with a victory over Rutgers and may catch the Scarlet Knights still on “Cloud 9” following their victory over the Midshipmen. Maybe so, but South Florida is not nearly as dangerous on the road as they are in Raymond James Stadium. Rutgers is “Knighted” as the second place team in the Big East……….

Rutgers 20 South Florida 13

Top 25

Stanford at #1 USC (-32½)
Matt Leinart and company had no problems with Washington State last weekend while Stanford blew a 24-3 lead to UCLA with under seven minutes to go in the game and lost in overtime to the Bruins. This was a devastating loss for Stanford, but it should not surprise WVU fans because former Pitt coach Walt Harris is now the head coach of the Cardinal. Some may say that the Trojans might be looking ahead to their game at Cal next weekend, but it won’t matter as Stanford is still shell shocked from last weekend’s outcome. The Trojans whittle the Cardinal………

USC 48 Stanford 13

#2 Texas (-28) at Baylor
The Bears host another intrastate rival this week as they lost 28-0 to the Red Raiders of Texas Tech last Saturday in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated. Tech was only ahead 6-0 entering the fourth quarter, but pulled away late to secure the victory. Oklahoma State had Texas on the ropes last weekend and were ready to pull the upset of the year at halftime. Heisman hopeful quarterback Vince Young wasn’t about to let that happen as he rushed for 267 yards and threw for 239 more as the Longhorns overcame a 28-9 deficit to defeat the Cowboys 47-28. Baylor has had three very physical games in a row and this has to be taking a toll on the stamina of the Bears. As stated last week, coach Guy Morris has done a great job rebuilding this program to respectability, but he hasn’t been there long enough to build the depth that will allow him to compete every week in the Big XII. The Longhorns throttle the Bears………

Texas 45 Baylor 14

#5 Miami (+6½) at #3 Virginia Tech
Formerly a key battle in the Big East, the Hurricanes travel to Blacksburg to battle the Hokies for the ACC Coastal Division title. Miami lost their only conference game to rival Florida State in the opening game of the season, but would win the division if they defeat the Hokies and win the remaining games on their schedule due to winning the head to head match up with VaTech. The Hurricanes finally showed up in the second half of their game against North Carolina last week to defeat the Tar Heels 34-16. Virginia Tech handily defeated Boston College last Thursday night in Blacksburg to make the stakes all that more interesting. The Hokies have won the past two meetings and will look to move the ball through the air against the ‘Canes. Miami would love nothing more than to have running back Tyrone Moss dominate the game and keep the ball away from the Tech offense. This has been the year of the Hurricane, but it won’t be the year for the Hurricanes. The Hokies take the wind out of Miami’s sails………….

Virginia Tech 24 Miami 20

#4 Alabama at Mississippi State (+17)
This game would be an absolute blowout if it weren’t for Alabama’s opponent next week: LSU for first place in the SEC West. The Crimson Tide easily dispatched of Utah State last weekend and look to use the Bulldogs as a springboard into next week’s contest against the Tigers. Mississippi State has dropped their past five contests, including a 7-3 setback to lowly Kentucky last weekend. Common sense says this should be a blowout, but ‘Bama should have blown out Ole Miss three weeks ago too. Instead, the Crimson Tide had to kick the game winning field goal on the last play of the game to defeat the Rebels prior to their game against Tennessee. History repeats itself as Alabama’s focus is on the Tigers and allows the Bulldogs to stay in the game. High Tide floods Mississippi State……

Alabama 23 Mississippi State 10

#7 UCLA at Arizona (+9½)
The Bruins performed a miracle at Stanford last Saturday night as they overcame a 24-3 deficit late in the game to defeat the Cardinal in overtime. This was UCLA’s second consecutive overtime road victory as they defeated Washington State in OT three weeks ago. The Cardiac Kids of Westwood travel to Tucson looking to continue their magical season under coach Karl Dorrell. QB Drew Olson and RB Maurice Jones-Drew were again the keys to the Bruins comeback as each displayed great poise and leadership in last week’s victory. Arizona captured their second victory of the season by defeating Oregon State in Corvallis last Saturday. True freshman quarterback Willie Tiutama sparked the Wildcats as he threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns in his first start as a collegian. The ‘Cats have been steadily improving under second year coach Mike Stoops and play well at home, especially in night games. Could this be the weekend that another undefeated team gets eliminated from the Rose Bowl? The Wildcats upset the Bruins and claw to victory…………..

Arizona 23 UCLA 20

Tennessee at #8 Notre Dame (-8)
Tennessee hit its low point of the season last weekend by losing to the “Old Ball Coach” and his South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville. For a team that was ranked as high as #3 in the preseason polls, the Volunteers have been extremely disappointing and enter this contest with a record of 3-4 and one fired offensive coordinator on the season. Coach Phillip Fullmer decided to fire his offensive coordinator Monday and will take over the play calling responsibilities for the remainder of the season. He is hoping to enjoy the success that Irish coach Charlie Weis has shown this season as Weis is his own offensive coordinator and has resurrected the Notre Dame program to national prominence. The Irish are hoping to win the remaining games on their schedule and receive one of the three BCS at large bowl bids. To do so, they will have to defeat a desperate bunch of Volunteers who seem to be short handed with the loss of star running back Gerald Riggs. There are no “Rocky Tops” in northern Indiana as the Fighting Irish kick the Volunteers back to Knoxville….

Notre Dame 28 Tennessee 17

North Carolina State at #9 Florida State (-14)
The Seminoles survived a major scare last week in their attempt to win the ACC Atlantic Division as they came from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat Maryland. Fifth year senior wide receiver Willie Reid took over the game in the second half and ended the contest with 227 all-purpose yards. N.C. State enters to contest looking to even their record and keep their bowl hopes alive. The Wolfpack need to win three of their last four games to go bowling this year and their remaining schedule is not in their favor. The ‘Pack plays at Florida State, at Boston College, Middle Tennessee State and finishes the year by hosting a much improved Maryland team. N.C. State will likely give their best effort in an attempt to keep those bowl hopes alive, but it won’t be enough because Florida State is fighting for a BCS berth and got their wake up call last weekend. The Wolfpack won’t be howling much after this game…..

Florida State 38 N.C. State 17

#14 Wisconsin (+10½) at #10 Penn State
Talk about no respect! Wisconsin enters this contest with only one blemish on their record and the Nittany Lions are a 10½ point favorite?! Yes, Happy Valley has become a tough place to play this year, but the Badgers should be used to hostile environments at this point in the season. It must have something to do with how both of these teams fared against Illinois in Champaign the past two weeks. Penn State played the perfect game versus the Illini while Wisconsin was obviously looking ahead to this contest. I don’t put much credence into past margins of victory because if that were the case, UC Davis would be one of the mid conference teams in the Pac 10. Both of these teams are having magical years and both have been inspired by their coaches nearing the end of their illustrious careers. It just goes to illustrate how much emotion plays a part in the game of football. Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State are currently tied for the top spot in the Big Ten. This will be the last major obstacle the Badgers should encounter in their attempt to win at least a part of the conference title, while Penn State must travel to East Lansing, Michigan in two weeks for their season finale against Michigan State. Ohio State fans are praying for a Penn State victory this weekend and a Nittany Lion loss against the Spartans so they may capture the league title. It is said that defense wins championships and there is no doubt that Penn State has the better defense in this match up. The Nittany Lions restore the roar to Happy Valley......

Penn State 17 Wisconsin 12

ILLinois at #12 Ohio State (-34)
The Buckeyes are starting to peak and that’s not a good sign for opponents. OSU dominated Minnesota in the second half of last week’s game and look to build upon that momentum in their last three games of the year. The ILLini rebounded from their horrid performance against Penn State to at least play respectably against Wisconsin last week. Ohio State plays Northwestern next week and historically plays down to the level of lesser teams. That won’t happen this year as style points become very important this time of the year. The Buckeyes muzzle the ILLini…..

Ohio State 54 ILLinois 0

Vanderbilt (+19) at #13 Florida
The Gators are coming off a huge win over rival Georgia and can win the SEC East if the Bulldogs lose one more game and they run the table. Vandy’s season started with great promise, but all chances of becoming bowl eligible have been lost with loses to Middle Tennessee State and South Carolina. Commodore quarterback Jay Cutler is rated as the number three NFL quarterback prospect in the next draft and has the talent to help Vandy pull the upset. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much of a supporting cast. Florida will likely be a little flat, but have more than enough talent to demote the Commodores……

Florida 27 Vanderbilt 9

#23 Cal at #15 Oregon (PK)
This will be the first full game that the Ducks will play without starting quarterback Kellen Clemens. Clemens was lost for the season with a broken ankle in Oregon’s 28-21 victory at Arizona two weeks ago. Sophomore Dennis Dixon will replace Clemens in the starting lineup and should give the Ducks more of a running threat at quarterback. Dixon can pass the ball as well, but will need time to adjust to the various coverages he will see in his first collegiate action. Coach Mike Bellotti feels that the Quack Attack will be just as potent with Dixon behind center, but it’s hard to imagine a freshmen having great success in his first game. Cal has been a mystery all year. The Golden Bears were touted as having a strong defense and outstanding running game early in the year. That was the case until they were defeated by UCLA and the Bears have been playing average at best since that game. Cal is coming off a 42-38 victory over Washington State two weeks ago and will look to build upon that momentum as they play Oregon and USC in their next two games. The Bears defeated Oregon 28-27 in last year’s meeting, but can’t repeat as the Quack Attack adds a new dimension to their offense and stuns the Bears…….

Oregon 37 Cal 34

Texas A&M at #16 Texas Tech (-17)
Injuries have depleted Aggie quarterback Reggie McNeal of his top two wide receiving threats this season and have yet to develop a serious threat at running back. McNeal is also the teams leading rusher and it is difficult to have success when your quarterback is also your leading rusher. A season of promise is starting to fall apart for the Aggies as A&M was waxed 42-14 by Iowa State last weekend. Tech returned to the winning column by defeating Baylor 28-0, albeit a much tougher game than they expected. Coach Mike Leech will certainly be at an advantage when he devises his passing scheme this week as the Aggies are surrendering 312 passing yards per game over their last three contests and we everyone knows that Tech loves to throw the football. The Red Raiders steal the title of Texas’ second best college football team from the Aggies……

Texas Tech 51 Texas A&M 31

#17 Auburn (-22½) at Kentucky
The Wildcats won their first SEC tilt of the year by defeating Mississippi State last weekend in Lexington while Auburn went through the motions to soundly defeat Ole Miss. Auburn will likely go through the motions again this weekend before traveling to Athens to battle Georgia in a huge SEC game next weekend. Kentucky coach Rich Brooks’ team has looked more like a Mel Brooks movie than an SEC football team as the Wildcats have been a comedy of errors this season. Brooks announced a few weeks ago that he would not step down as the coach of the Wildcats. Translation: He wants UK to fire him so he can get his severance pay…and he will at the end of the year. Auburn tunes up for Georgia by skinning the ‘Cats………

Auburn 38 Kentucky 13

#19 Boston College (-5) at North Carolina
Any hopes that BC had of playing in the first ever ACC Championship Game were dashed last weekend by Virginia Tech. The Hokies completely dominated the Eagles from kickoff to the final whistle and sent BC packing for a lower tier bowl. North Carolina had Miami on the ropes in the second quarter last weekend, but the entire complexion of the game changed when Tar Heel wide receiver Jarwarski Pollock dropped a sure touchdown pass that would have put UNC up 23-7 late in the second quarter. That drop seemed to demoralize the Tar Heels and ignited the Hurricane defense. Don’t be surprised to see this turn into a sloppy game as both teams are coming off disappointing defeats. The Eagles swoop past the Tar Heels…

Boston College 33 North Carolina 20

Colorado State (+7) at #20 TCU
This should be one of the better games of the day as the Mountain West Conference title will be determined in Fort Worth Saturday evening. Last Saturday, the Horned Frogs won their seventh consecutive game as they slipped by San Diego State while Colorado State defeated New Mexico to set up this showdown. TCU made national headlines in their first game of the season by defeating Oklahoma while Colorado State struggled early in the season. The Rams rise to prominence this season began with the emergence of sophomore running back Kyle Bell. Bell is averaging 4.7 yards per carry and needs just 142 yards to reach 1,000 on the season. Quarterback Justin Holland has been the recipient of Bell’s success as the running game has allowed Holland to take advantage of defenses who are loading up the box to stop the run. TCU has great offensive balance with QB Jeff Ballard, RB Robert Merrill and WR Cory Rodgers. The Horned Frog attack should be able to take advantage of a Rams defense that has allowed more the 425 yards of total offense per game and control the time of possession with Merrill rushing the football. The Horned Frogs leap to the conference title in their first season in the Mountain West Conference……….

TCU 30 Colorado State 27

San Jose State at #21 Fresno State (-33)
The Bulldogs came home with a tan and a victory after their trip to Hawaii last weekend. Running back Wendell Mathis rushed for a career high 229 yards and three touchdowns as Fresno State ran their record to 6-1 on the season and a step closer to hosting perennial league champion Boise State next Saturday. It will be very difficult for the Bulldogs to be focused on this match up as they have had to deal with the long flight back from Hawaii and face a very poor football team this weekend prior to their game with Boise State. San Jose State has lost eleven straight games to the Bulldogs dating back to 1990, but they will treat this game like it’s their bowl game. It won’t matter as the Bulldogs play very well at home and will capture the Spartans……….

Fresno State 51 San Jose State 13

Missouri at #25 Colorado (-11½)
This is a huge game in the Big XII North Division as Colorado currently holds a one game lead over second place Missouri. The Tigers have been erratic this season and are the Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hyde team of 2005 as they have defeated solid Iowa State and Nebraska teams, but lost to New Mexico and Kansas. However, you never want to count Mizzou out of a game with Brad Smith at quarterback. The Buffs are a pretty good team and have won all of the games that they were supposed to win this season. Their only two loses this season came on the road at the hands of Miami (Fla.) and Texas, both of which are ranked in the Top 5. Missouri defeated Colorado last year for the first time in six season, but won’t be able to extend their winning streak as the Buffs trample the Tigers………….

Colorado 41 Missouri 28

Bye Week: #6 LSU, #11 Georgia, #22 Michigan

There are only five weeks left of the college football regular season. Avoid raking the leaves as much as possible and take in the great games this weekend. This is a great weekend to purchase ESPN’s College Gameplan and become a football vegetable! Enjoy the games.