Rutgers at #23 Louisville (-21) Rutgers couldn’t stand prosperity and literally gave away a victory to the South Florida Bulls last week. Turnovers plagued the Knights throughout the day and USF did what good teams do when they receive turnovers – they turn them into points. Louisville had the turnover bug as well in their game against Pitt, but only for the first half of the game. The Cardinals only led 22-20 at the half, but dominated the Panthers in the second half to secure a 42-20 victory. However, star running back Michael Bush sprained his foot against the Panthers and is listed as questionable for Friday’s game. It won’t matter if he plays or not as Louisville has dominated opponents in Papa Johns Stadium this year. The Cardinals devour the Knights…… Louisville 47 Rutgers 24

UConn at Pitt (-12) Pitt and UConn both returned to their losing ways last week as each faltered against conference opponents. The outcome in this game will be determined by who plays better defense and that is certainly the Panthers. Linebacker H.B. Blades can be a dominating force at times and the Pitt defense has been the strength of the Panthers all season. QB Tyler Palko continues to grow into offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh’s offense and should pick apart the Huskies porous secondary……..Pitt 38 UConn 20

South Florida (+8) at Syracuse The Bulls, who started their football program from scratch in 1997, will go to a BCS Bowl if they win the remaining three games on their schedule. Of course, they must defeat the Mountaineers in their last game of the season and no WVU fan wants to see that…and probably won’t. However, you have to admit that just being in this position is a great accomplishment for a team that hasn’t even fielded a team for 10 years. USF travels to Syracuse this weekend to take on the Orange in what normally is a hostile Carrier Dome, but the Syracuse fan base has been dwindling of late and there will probably be as many empty seats as filled ones for this game. This game will get ugly fast and the only question in doubt is how many Orange fans will be wearing brown paper bags over their heads by the time the final gun sounds. The Bulls trample the Orange……..South Florida 31 Syracuse 3

Top 25 Games

#1 USC (-19) at Cal The Trojans visit the scene of the crime, or in this case, the scene of their last loss this Saturday. It’s been 31 consecutive victories since USC fell to the Golden Bears in triple overtime at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. Cal coach Jeff Tedford has somehow figured out a strategy that makes the Trojans look mortal. Not only did the Bears defeat USC a little over two years ago, but they had the best opportunity to defeat USC last year as a fourth down pass from inside the USC 15 yard line fell just short with less than two minutes to go in the game. Cal has been on a rollercoaster ride this season, but has the potential to upset USC if the Trojans play their “B” game. Two years ago, the Bears were 13 point underdogs and pulled the upset of the year by toppling USC, but that won’t happen this year. Pete Carroll will not have any problems getting his team motivated this week as USC will not be caught off guard by Cal’s Trojan Horse. The Trojans “Bear Hug” Cal…. USC 55 Cal 27

Kansas (-34) at #2 Texas The Longhorns had some of their BCS worries eased by Virginia Tech’s loss to Miami. Texas’ goal is simple: Win out and play for the national championship in the Rose Bowl. Before they can pack their bags for Pasadena, the ‘Horns must defeat Kansas, Texas A&M and probably Colorado in the Big XII Championship Game on December 3rd. Mark Mangino’s Jayhawks have vastly improved since the beginning of the season and hammered Nebraska last week 40-15. It was the Jayhawks first victory over the Cornhuskers in 37 years. Kansas needs to defeat either Texas or Iowa State to become bowl eligible and it will have to be Iowa State as Texas wins in a much closer than expected game. The Longhorns slip by the Jayhawks……. Texas 31 Kansas 20

#3 Miami at Wake Forest (+16.5) The Hurricanes served notice to everyone in the country that they are still one of the elite college programs in the country by whipping Virginia Tech last weekend. On the other hand, Wake Forest is still trying to prove that they can play with the best teams in America. Coach Jim Grobe has done a marvelous job rebuilding the Demon Deacons and his teams always play hard, especially at home. The ‘Canes lost running back Tyrone Moss for the year in the Tech contest and speedster Jesse Hester re-aggravated a hamstring injury and will likely miss the Wake game. Miami was sky high last week and it is almost impossible to play with that type of intensity in consecutive weeks. This is also the Demon Deacons last game of the year and they are not bowl eligible. Look for Grobe to throw the playbook at the ‘Canes and also try to get running back Chris Barclay the ball in open space. Miami better stay focused or they very well could get upset this weekend by a hungry and talented Wake team. The Hurricanes won’t exorcise the spirit of the Demon Deacons... Miami 27 Wake Forest 20

#5 LSU (-3) at #4 Alabama The Tide has rolled all year, but the loss of standout wide receiver Tyrone Prothro eliminated the deep threat in the ‘Bama passing game. QB Brodie Croyle has thrown this team on his back since the loss of Prothro, but the Tide hasn’t faced a team as talented as LSU yet this season…and the Tigers are just now starting to peak. QB JaMarcus Russell has a firm grasp on the Bengal Tigers offense and some leaders are starting to emerge on the defense side of the ball at just the right time for a title run. LSU has a chance to pull back into a tie in the SEC West race with a victory and has two very winnable games to be played after Alabama. The Tide can’t roll over the Tigers….. LSU 17 Alabama 13

Navy at #7 Notre Dame (-23½) The Irish cleared their last major hurdle in route to that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, a BCS Bowl game and $17 million, by defeating Tennessee last Saturday in South Bend. Notre Dame closes the season with Navy, Syracuse and at Stanford and should be heavily favored in all three. Navy had the fewest number of returning starters than any other team in Division I football this year and has surprised many of the pundits this season by already winning five games and need just one more victory to become bowl eligible. They’ll have to wait until next weekend to punch their bowl ticket against Temple as the Irish torpedo Navy…….. Notre Dame 49 Navy 17

#15 Auburn (+3) at # 9 Georgia Georgia suffered their first defeat of the year in their last outing by falling to SEC East rival Florida. Georgia currently leads the East with three games to be played. Auburn is currently one game back of rival Alabama in the SEC West and will win the division if they win the remaining games on their schedule. Bulldogs quarterback D.J. Shockley returns to the lineup after missing the Florida game with a sprained knee, but you have to wonder how his mobility will be affected in this game. The War Eagles have only lost once since opening day and that was against LSU in overtime on a missed field goal. Auburn has played the tougher schedule and seems to be improving weekly whereas Georgia seems to have hit a plateau. The Tigers scratch out a win in Athens……… Auburn 13 Georgia 9

#25 Northwestern at #10 Ohio State (-18) The Cardiac Kids from Evanston squeaked out a home victory over Iowa last weekend as QB Brett Basanez connected with Ross Lane for a nine yard touchdown pass with 42 seconds remaining to defeat the Hawkeyes 28-27. Ohio State blasted Illinois last weekend and the only negative to come out of that game for the Buckeyes is that they had an extra point attempt returned for two points by the Illini. Unfortunately for Illinois, it would be the only points they scored all day. Northwestern will be able to move the ball against the Buckeyes, but they will find the going tough once they get inside Ohio State 35 yard line. OSU quarterback Troy Smith has a complete understanding of Jim Tressel’s offense and speedster Ted Ginn, Jr. has created big plays for the Buckeyes all season. Both teams can put up points, but only one team’s defense can stop the other and that is Ohio State. The whipping that Ohio State puts on Northwestern this weekend makes the Wildcat alumni conjure up that old Northwestern chant: “That’s alright, that’s OK, you’re gonna work for me some day!”………………. Ohio State 48 Northwestern 14

#11 Oregon (-4½) at Washington State The Ducks defeated Cal on Brady Leaf’s four yard touchdown pass in overtime to secure a 28-21 victory and improve their record to 8-1 on the year . Yes, Brady is the younger brother of NFL bust Ryan Leaf, but it is said that he and his brother are like night and day. It’s a good thing for the Ducks as Leaf did not play at all during regulation and was told he would be the quarterback in the overtime period just as regulation ended. Meanwhile, Washington State lost a hard fought game to Arizona State 27-24 to fall to 3-6 on the season. The Cougars have been able to score points in abundance at times this season, but are very young and lack consistency. Fortunately for Oregon, the Ducks defense is much stronger this year than in years past and will allow the backup Duck quarterbacks to ease into the position after starter Kellen Clemens broke his ankle and was lost for the regular season. The Cougars won’t feast on these Ducks………. Oregon 30 Washington State 20

#12 Florida at South Carolina (+4) The media credentials issued for this game will be astronomical as the Gators travel to Columbia to battle their “Old Ball Coach”, Steve Spurrier, and his red hot Gamecocks. South Carolina surprised many so called experts by becoming bowl eligible after last week’s victory at Arkansas and now can work on improving their bowl lot as an upset victory over Florida would make Spurrier’s team a hot commodity during bowl season. The Gators don’t plan on rolling over and playing dead though. Urban Meyer’s crew survived in overtime against Vanderbilt last Saturday night and would love nothing better than to butcher the Gamecocks to show their old coach that he shouldn’t have walked out on them. If anyone knows the strengths and weaknesses of the Gators it is Spurrier. While Florida has the better talent, Spurrier knows how to get inside the Gators heads and cause them numerous headaches. The The Gamecocks fight to victory…………………. South Carolina 22 Florida 19

#13 Texas Tech (-23) at Oklahoma State Can the Cowboys play with the intensity that they displayed against the Texas Longhorns in the first half? If so, they have a chance to upset the Red Raiders. Texas Tech does not play nearly as well on the road and will likely be looking ahead to next week’s showdown with sputtering Oklahoma in their regular season finale. Expect this game to be close for a while, but Tech QB Cody Hodges get the Red Raiders offense running on all cylinders in the second half as the Red Raiders ambush the Cowboys…. Texas Tech 45 Oklahoma State 16

Arizona State at #14 UCLA (-3½) The Bruins dream season came to a screeching halt at Tucson last weekend as the Arizona demolished UCLA 52-14. QB Drew Olson had rallied his troops to victory in their three previous contests, but could not find his magic in this one as was evident midway through the second half that the Bruins had thrown in the towel. The Sun Devils secured the state championship of Washington last weekend after consecutive victories over Washington and Washington State respectively and must defeat either UCLA or rival Arizona to become bowl eligible. Did UCLA lose this game last week as well? The first team to score 50 points wins as the Bruins swat the Devils…. UCLA 49 Arizona State 45

#17 Florida State (-1½) at Clemson - IE: The Bowden Bowl North Carolina State stunned the Seminoles in Tallahassee last week and exposed several weaknesses of Bobby Bowden’s squad, Clemson easily defeated Duke without starting quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. Whitehurst is expected to return to the lineup this week, and it is not a moment too soon, as the Tigers must defeat either FSU or intrastate rival South Carolina to become bowl eligible. Clemson is much better than their 5-4 record would indicate and it would almost be a travesty for them to not be in a bowl with all of the great games they have played this season. Tommy Bowden beat his dad for the first time in Florida State’s last visit to Death Valley and would like nothing better than to become bowl eligible by defeating him again. In one of the better games of the day, Daddy puts Junior over his knee….. Florida State 24 Clemson 20

UNLV at #18 TCU (-28½) Imagine if TCU wouldn’t have been upset by SMU in the Horned Frogs second game of the season. Not only did they lose bragging rights in Dallas, they would have had a legitimate shot at an at-large BCS Bowl. However, TCU claimed their first outright conference championship last week by thumping Colorado State 33-6 and close out the regular season this Saturday night against the Rebels. UNLV enters this contest with only two victories this season and can lay claim to being one of the worst teams in the country. Will UNLV play the role of Rebels against the Horned Frogs? Unfortunately, yes they will…..the role of the 2005 UNLV Rebels……… TCU 55 UNLV 10

Iowa at #19 Wisconsin (-2½) Both teams are coming off disappointing losses to Northwestern and Penn State respectively. Iowa grasped defeat from the jaws of victory after surrendering 14 points to the Wildcats with under 2:30 remaining in the game. The Badgers were just over matched against the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley and could never get into a rhythm offensively. The Hawkeyes were a preseason upper echelon team, but it will be extremely difficult to go bowling this year as they will have to defeat either Wisconsin or Minnesota in their last two games. The Badgers bury the Hawkeyes hopes of becoming bowl eligible this week…….. Wisconsin 17 Iowa 14

Boise State (+9) at #20 Fresno State - IE: The WAC Championship Game Fresno State enters Thursday night’s contest having reeled off six consecutive victories, but will face one of their stiffest challenges of the season against Dan Hawkins’ Broncos. Boise State struggled early in the year as they dropped their first two games of the season at Georgia and at Oregon State. However, the Broncos have rebounded quite nicely by winning seven consecutive games and seem to be peaking at the right time of the year. Pat Hill’s Bulldogs are hoping defeat the Broncos for the first time in five years and win the WAC Championship. It won’t be easy as Bronco quarterback Jared Zabransky leads a high potent offense into Bulldog Stadium. Can Boise State prove that they are still the top dog in the WAC? Fresno State 34 Boise State 27

Indiana (+24) at # 21 Michigan The Wolverines silenced the critics by dominating Northwestern in their last outing and can’t wait for next week when the play host to rival Ohio State. Indiana is a much improved team this year, but coach Terry Hoeppner just doesn’t have the depth yet to finish in the upper echelon of the Big Ten. Can the Hoosiers upset the mighty Wolverines who are no doubt looking ahead to the Buckeyes? Michigan 35 Indiana 17

#22 Colorado at Iowa State (+2) The Cyclones have rebounded nicely following their three game losing streak midway through the season to defeat Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Kansas State by an average score of 41-13. Iowa State must win this game if they have any chance of winning the Big XII North and Colorado has shown signs of weakness when they have played away from Boulder this season. In their last road game, the Buffaloes struggled to a 23-20 win over Kansas State. By comparison, Iowa State whipped K State 45-17 last weekend in Ames. Coach Gary Barnett stated this week that QB Joel Klatt was the best quarterback in the history of the Buffaloes program. That’s a bold statement since Darian Hagan won three Big Eight titles and a national championship for the Buffs between 1988-1991. Colorado just seems to be getting too caught up in their current success while Iowa State seems to be hungry for success. The Cyclones R.I.P. the Buffaloes……… Iowa State 23 Colorado 21

#24 Georgia Tech (+5½) at Virginia The Ramblin’ Wreck look to extend their current winning streak to four games as they travel to Charlottesville to take on Marques Haggins and the Virginia Cavaliers. UVA upset Florida State in Charlottesville three weeks ago and is undefeated at home this season. The Cavaliers finish the season needing just one more victory to qualify for a bowl, but face one of the toughest schedules in the country during the last three weeks of the season as they face Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and travel to Miami (Fla.) to conclude their season. This may be their best chance for that victory because Georgia Tech has struggled to score points against quality opponents this season and UVA plays extremely tough defense in Charlottesville. Can the Cavaliers avoid being stung by the Yellow Jackets? Virginia 17 Georgia Tech 14

Bye Weeks: #6 Penn State, #8 Virginia Tech

Since the Mountaineers aren’t playing this weekend, show your true Blue & Gold spirit and root like heck that UConn beats Pitt.