Is it possible that the Big East may still have a powerhouse football team in Florida? No, Miami did not return to the Big East. However, the University of South Florida Bulls served notice that they may be the best team to join the newly configured Big East by hammering #9 ranked Louisville 45-14 last Saturday night in Tampa. Who would have imagined that Louisville, who was being mentioned as a national title contender as late as last week, would go into Tampa and lay an egg?

USF may eventually become a top ranked program in the years to come, but this upset was a huge blow to the national image of the Big East; an image that didn’t need another black eye. If Louisville was going to get upset by a Big East team this year, it needed to be a team such as WVU or Syracuse – an established conference program that has a storied past and is known to upset ranked teams at home. That being said, USF has an immediate opportunity to prove that beating the Cards wasn’t an aberration as the Bulls travel to Miami next Saturday night to take on the Hurricanes. The game will be televised on ESPN U at 8:00pm.

Big East Games

South Florida (+21) at #9 Miami (FL) Miami has won two straight following their season opening loss to rival Florida State. Now, the Bulls stampede into the Orange Bowl looking make the Hurricanes 0-2 against state rivals. Imagine the size of the smile Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese would have if the Bulls were to beat the team who began the reconfiguration of his conference! Will USF continue its “Running of the Bulls” against Top 10 ranked opponents this week? Unfortunately, we all know its Hurricane season………

Miami 31 South Florida 13

Cincinnati (+12.5) at Miami (OH) This heated rivalry gets a national stage this week as ESPN has moved the game to Wednesday night for a primetime telecast. Both of these teams are in rebuilding years and are looking to not only obtain annual bragging rights, but also the recruiting edge in Southwestern Ohio. The home team has won the last two meetings between these two and will do so again this year as the Redhawks claw the Bearcats………..

Miami 27 Cincinnati 20

Pitt(iful) at Rutgers (Even) Congratulations to the Panthers for finally securing their first victory of the season as Pitt(iful) posted a 41-0 victory over I-AA Youngstown State. However, before I can drop the (iful) off of their name they must beat a quality I-A team. That’s not going to happen this week as the Panthers prance into Piscataway to take on a Scarlet Knight squad looking to move up the Big East ladder. RU has been anything but impressive this year as they blew a large fourth quarter lead in a loss to Illinois in their opener and have beaten two much lesser opponents in the interim. If it weren’t for Cincinnati, this could be the battle for last place in the Big East. Both schools know that any chances of a bowl game (ha ha) ride on this game. The Scarlet Knights slay the Panthers for the first time since 1998, most likely in OT………

Rutgers 27 Pitt(iful) 24

Florida Atlantic at #24 Louisville (-38) Howard Schnellenberger is probably wishing this game would have been scheduled for another date as his Florida Atlantic Owls travel to Louisville to take on a very angry Cardinals team. Louisville is still licking their wounds after being trampled at South Florida last Saturday and can’t wait to take out their frustration on their next opponent. Cards QB Brian Brohm and RB Michael Bush will have huge stat lines in this one as the last thing anyone in Louisville wants to hear right now is anything relating to the word Florida. “Elvis will have left the building” with four sacks, DE Elvis Dumervil that is, as the Owls get their feathers ruffled.....

Louisville 77 Florida Atlantic 10

UConn (-10.5) at Army Army put up a valiant effort last Friday night as they surrendered a fourth quarter lead and lost to #23 Iowa State at West Point. The Huskies should have plenty of energy as they have had two week’s to prepare for the Black Knights. Husky running backs Cornell Brockington and Terry Cauley are just too athletic for the Knights of the Hudson to conquer………..

UConn 28 Army 13

Syracuse at #6 Florida State (-21) The Orange take to the road this week for their first road trip of the season as they travel to Tallahassee to battle the Seminoles in a game that will be televised on ABC. Last year, the Seminoles were lucky to defeat the Orange in the Carrier Dome as FSU had to come from behind in the second half to secure the victory. The Seminoles won’t need to worry about coming from behind this year as running backs Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker help crush the Orange…..

Florida State 42 Syracuse 10

#3 Virginia Tech (-11) at West Virginia The Mountaineers were definitely looking ahead to this game as they displayed a very lackluster performance against East Carolina. Virginia Tech was very focused as the Hokies pummeled previously #15 Georgia Tech 51-7 in Blacksburg. The game’s outcome turned on a blocked field goal by Virginia Tech which they returned for a touchdown in the first quarter. After that, the Hokies were nearly flawless as they also scored two defensive touchdowns. If the Mountaineers are to pull the upset, they must be able to establish the run and keep the Hokies off balance by mixing the run and pass on first down. WVU must also get a consistent pass rush up the middle to block Tech QB Marcus Vick’s passing lanes while the defensive ends must contain him in the pocket. Tech’s favorite target in short yardage is TE Jeff King and they love to play action pass to him in those situations. WVU must defend him well. If the Mountaineers make Vick beat them with the pass FROM THE POCKET, then they have an opportunity to slow down the Hokie attack. Editor's note: for superstition and various other purposes, no "pick" will be provided on this game. Go Mountaineers!

Virginia Tech 0 West Virginia 0 (at the start of the game)

Top 25

#1 USC (-16) at #14 Arizona State Arizona State has had this game circled on their calendar since the schedule was announced. ASU proved they had maturity by not overlooking Oregon State and played well on the road defeating the Beavers handily last Saturday night. The Sun Devils truly believe that they have a shot to beat the mighty Trojan warriors as QB Sam Kellar is a star in the making. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, they do not have Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush or LenDale White. The Trojans scored 35 unanswered points in the second half to rout Oregon at Autzen Stadium last Saturday night. USC has become known for being a strong second half team under Pete Carroll. The Trojans have been listening to all of the media attention being given to this game since June and are sick and tired of hearing how Arizona State can end USC’s 25 game winning streak. Arizona State won’t be able to use a Trojan Horse this weekend as USC burns the Devils in Tempe……………..

USC 45 Arizona State 24

#2 Texas (-14.5) at Missouri Talk about a major ‘Tweener game! Mack Brown has his work cut out for him this week as the Longhorns play their annual Red River rival, Oklahoma, next weekend. However, they have to travel to Columbia first to take on the 2-1 Tigers this weekend. Missouri is off to a rather slow start as many “experts” predicted great things from this Tiger team led by star QB Brad Smith. Smith is the type of quarterback that can give Texas fits, especially if they are not 100% focused. Missouri played the ‘Horns tough last year in Austin, but came up short. The Tigers will play their best game of the year, but Heisman hopeful QB Vince Young passes this pre-test and has the leadership to make sure his teammates stay the course. The Longhorns stampede the Tigers……..

Texas 41 Missouri 24

#4 LSU at Mississippi State (+14) LSU was stunned by Tennessee Monday night as the Vols overcame a 17 point fourth quarter deficit to upset the Bengal Tigers in Baton Rouge. With as much emotional turmoil as the LSU players have endured this year, will they be able to get back on all fours this weekend as they travel to Starkville to play Mississippi State? MSU is still being rebuilt by Sylvester Crooms, but the Bulldogs have enough talent to pull the upset if the Tigers play their “B” game. Both of these teams should be sore this week as they both played top tier SEC teams in their last games. The Bulldogs make the Tigers chase their tail for most of the game, but LSU claws their way to victory in the fourth quarter……….

LSU 24 Mississippi State 20

#5 Florida at #15 Alabama (+4) These two teams haven’t played each other since the 1999 SEC Championship game. ‘Bama rolled to victory in that game, but can they duplicate their success half a decade later? Both teams are 4-0 and have staunch defenses that allow an average of roughly 225 yards per game, of which only 88 are rushing yards. This should be a very even match up with ‘Bama having the home field advantage. However, Florida coach Urban Meyer lives for these types of games and Florida will play their best game of the year. The Gators sink the Crimson Tide…

Florida 17 Alabama 14

Mississippi at #10 Tennessee (-20) The Vols may not have needed a plane to fly back to Knoxville Monday night as they snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat at LSU. The Rebels haven’t had such luck this year as they have fallen on hard times since the graduation of QB Eli Manning. Former USC defensive coordinator Ed Orgeron is in his first year as the Rebels’ coach and will need time recruit better talent if Ole Miss is going to be an upper echelon SEC team. Fortunately for Tennessee, the game is in Knoxville and their fans will provide enough emotion to will the Vols to victory in another ‘Tweener game at the Vols play host to Georgia next weekend. Tennessee won’t Volunteer a victory for Ole Miss this week……….

Tennessee 31 Ole Miss 10

Michigan at #11 Michigan State (-5.5) The Wolverines fell out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in seven years as Michigan lost in the final seconds at Wisconsin last weekend for their first conference loss of the season and second overall. Michigan State is proving it is the Big Ten’s national title contender as the Spartans demolished Illinois last week. MSU QB Drew Stanton has played his way onto the Heisman watch list and is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. This intrastate rivalry went triple overtime last year with Michigan stealing a victory away from State and the Spartans have not been favored in this matchup in more than ten years. How will Coach John L. Smith’s troops handle the pressure of being the favorite in this game? The Spartans skin the Wolverines………

Michigan State 38 Michigan 30

Arizona (+16) at #12 California The Wildcats are a much improved team under second year coach Mike Stoops and they played Purdue down to the wire in their last outing. They have had two weeks to get ready for this game and Coach Stoops will have his troops well prepared as they travel to Berkley this Saturday. Cal hasn’t seemed to suffer much from the graduation of running back J.J. Arrington and quarterback Aaron Rodgers as they have replaced them with QB Joe Ayoob and RB Marshawn Lynch. Lynch has been out with an injury the past two games and it has given backup Justin Forsett a chance to shine. Forsett ran for 234 yards last week against New Mexico State and will give the Golden Bears a one-two punch at running back when Lynch returns from his injury. Cal has been dominant in their first four games of the season as their average margin of victory has been 30 points. This game should provide a smaller margin of victory for Cal, but a victory none the less. Arizona won’t be able to make Cal “Bear Down” as the Golden Bears remain undefeated …………..

Cal 31 Arizona 17

#13 Notre Dame (+2.5) at #22 Purdue The battle of Indiana takes place this year in West Lafayette as Purdue tries to extend their win streak over the Irish. The Boilermakers have won the past two meetings and come into this game looking to rebound from their overtime loss at Minnesota last Saturday. Both teams are averaging more than 30 points and 400+ yards of total offense per game so look for this game to offer a ton of fireworks. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis may just be the second coming of Knute Rockne as he has not only made this team a winner, but is adding to the historical lore of Notre Dame. Last week, he let a terminally ill young boy call the first play of last week’s game – a pass to the right. Weis had paid a visit to the boy last week and told him that he would run any play the boy suggested on the Irish’s first play. Notre Dame began their first drive from their own one yard line, but Weis stayed true to his word and the Irish completed the pass for a 13 yard gain. Unfortunately, the boy passed away last Friday before the game and Weis was notified later that night. He still kept his word to the child’s family and sent them an autographed game ball after their victory over Washington. This man is something special and it is no wonder that the Irish have become a winner under his leadership. This game will come down to whoever is able to contain the oppositions running game. The Irish stuff the Boilermakers………..

Notre Dame 42 Purdue 24

Kansas at #16 Texas Tech (-17) Both teams enter this game 3-0 with all three games played in their respective home stadiums. However, don’t consider them great teams quite yet as neither team has played a decent opponent. Texas Tech has averaged more than 66 points per game but, two of their opponents have been I-AA teams and the other has only been a Division I school for a few years. Kansas has averaged only half, 33 points per game, of Tech’s output. The Jayhawks defense may get the edge when comparing both teams, but Tech just have too much firepower. The Red Raiders pluck the Jayhawks……

Texas Tech 45 Kansas 24

Indiana at #17 Wisconsin (-18.5) This game is a battle of beginnings and endings, at least from the coaches perspective. Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez will retire at the end of this season after building the Badgers into a very respectable program. Meanwhile, Hoosiers coach Terry Hoeppner is in his first year at Bloomington after guiding the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks to a Top 12 finish two years ago. Hoeppner has a long road ahead of him in this reclamation project while Alvarez has no such problem. RB Brian Calhoun put the Badgers on his back in last weekend’s victory over Michigan and has run himself into Heisman contention by having a phenomenal first four games. There is no reason to expect anything different this weekend. The Badgers batter the Hoosiers……

Wisconsin 34 Indiana 14

#19 Virginia (-3.5) at Maryland Sometimes statistics can be misleading. Virginia has only allowed 91 yards rushing per game, but two of their three games have been against very sub par teams who fell behind early and had to play catch up. The key to the Cavs is QB Marques Haggins and his scrambling ability. The Terps must keep him in the pocket and prevent big plays. Maryland finally found a running game last week while their defense stuffed a Wake Forest offense that had rolled up more than 400 yards rushing the previous week against East Carolina. Terp RB Keon Lattimore seems to have separated himself from the rest of the backs and shows great promise. He also has great bloodlines as his half brother is Baltimore Ravens MLB Ray Lewis. The home team has won this game since the turn of the century and the trend will continue as Maryland “shells” the Cavaliers……

Maryland 24 Virginia 21

Washington at #20 UCLA (-21) The Huskies played inspiring football against Notre Dame last week. Unfortunately, it was only for one half. UCLA has had a resurgence under third year coach Karl Dorrell. The Bruins toppled Oklahoma two weeks ago and have had two weeks to prepare for the Huskies, but had better not look ahead to next week’s game against Cal because UW has a star in the making: QB Isaiah Stanback, who threw for 353 yards against the Fighting Irish last week. Bruin QB Drew Olson is listed as day-to-day with a hand injury, but expect him to play. RB Maurice Drew should have a nice stat line when this one is over. The Bruins have defeated the Huskies the past four years. Make it five in a row as the Bruins tame the Huskies…….

UCLA 45 Washington 21

#18 Minnesota (-2.5) at Penn State The Golden Gophers strut into Happy Valley with one of the best rushing attacks in the country led by RB Laurence Maroney. Fresh off their upset over Purdue in double overtime last week, Minnesota looks to go into next week’s Michigan game with an undefeated record for the third year in a row. It won’t be easy for them as the Nittany Lions sport a very tough defense that has only allowed an average of 47 yards rushing per game. Something has got to give. The difference in this game will be the quarterbacks. Even though Nittany Lions QB Michael Robinson led his team to victory in the final minute last week, Minnesota QB Bryan Cupito is the better quarterback in this battle and should be able to throw over the defense if Penn State loads up the box to stop the run. Happy Valley it won’t be after this contest as the Golden Gophers dodge the Nittany Lions…………

Minnesota 20 Penn State 17

Ball State (+38.5) at #21 Boston College The Eagles are 1-1 against the Bowden family this year as BC beat Clemson in overtime last week after falling to Florida State the previous week. Ball State should be spelled “Bawl State” because that’s all the Cardinal fans have been able to do over the past as they have only had two winning seasons since 1997 and have won just two of their last 18 games. This game works out well for BC as they get a chance to get quarterback’s Quinton Porter and Matt Ryan healthy after a couple of physical ballgames. Coach Tom O’Brien will turn to running backs L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callendar to carry the load for the Eagles this week as the Eagles swoop over the Cardinals.…...

Boston College 38 Ball State 3

#23 Iowa State (-3.5) at Nebraska In the 100th meeting between these two Big 12 schools, Iowa State and Nebraska both look to improve on 3-0 records. ISU was definitely looking ahead to this game in their last outing, a 28-21 come from behind victory at Army. Nebraska was off last week and pretty much the week before that. No, the ‘Huskers didn’t have consecutive bye weeks, but their home victory over Pitt two weeks ago was anything but inspiring. This looks to be a battle of two programs headed in different directions. Dan McCartney has slowly built the Cyclones into a solid program, whereas Bill Callahan has run the Nebraska program into the ground. Oh how the ‘Husker faithful would love to have back Frank Solich back now! Cyclones QB Brett Meyer will be the difference in this contest as Nebraska is susceptible to the pass. ISU’s offensive line must give him time to exploit the Blackshirts if they hope to win their first game in Lincoln since 1977. Iowa State stirs up the “Callahan Must Go!” chants……..

Iowa State 17 Nebraska 13

Bye Week: #7 Georgia and #8 Ohio State

Don't forget to come and welcome the WVU players upon their arrival to Puskar Stadium at 9:40 Saturday morning!

Let’s Goooooooooooooooooooooo Mountaineers!!!