J.Pike's Ballot: Sayers Award

This was another difficult choice. I could have voted any of the three players on my ballot in the #1 spot, but in the end I went with Jahvid Best. Kendall Hunter had a great season, and we all know Knowshon Moreno never goes down without a fight, but Best fit the bill of "most elusive" better than all the rest. I mean, the guy averaged 8 yards a carry!

Overall, Best compiled almost 2,000 all purpose yards and 14 touchdowns. His elusiveness is a big reason why he made up a significant portion of Cal's offense.

Jahvid Best
(Sophomore RB, California)

Deion Award Finalists

THE DEION

The Deion, named after Prime Time himself, is awarded to the best ballhawk defensive back in the nation. Much like Deion Sanders, we're looking for a player who has a knack for being around the ball and making big plays.

There is a strong group of defensive backs to choose from this season, and the following represents the six players J.Pike considers worth of being finalists for the prestigious "Deion".

J.Pike's Finalists

ERIC BERRY
(Sophomore S, Tennessee)
Ballhawk Stats
7 interceptions;
2 returned for touchdown (265 total return yards);
6 passes broken up;
72 tackles, 3 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss



JAIRUS BYRD
(Junior CB, Oregon)
Ballhawk Stats
4 interceptions;
14 passes broken up;
1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovered;
74 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss



VICTOR "MACHO" HARRIS
(Senior CB, Virginia Tech)
Ballhawk Stats
6 interceptions;
2 returned for touchdown (142 total return yards);
7 passes broken up;
2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovered;
44 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss;
234 punt return yards, 111 yards total offense


RASHAD JOHNSON
(Senior S, Alabama)
Ballhawk Stats
5 interceptions;
2 returned for touchdown (125 total return yards);
11 passes broken up;
1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovered;
82 tackles (second on the team), 1 sack, 5 tackles for loss

ALPHONSO SMITH
(Senior CB, Wake Forest)
Ballhawk Stats
6 interceptions;
13 passes broken up;
36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss;
20 career interceptions



SYD'QUAN THOMPSON
(Junior CB, California)
Ballhawk Stats
4 interceptions;
128 return yards, long of 90;
12 passes broken up;
65 tackles, 2 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss;
344 punt return yards (12.3 avg), 1 td

Gale Sayers Award Finalists

GALE SAYERS AWARD

The Gale Sayers Award, named after the all time great Kansas running back, is given to the most elusive back in the nation. In the spirit of its namesake, this is an award that takes highlight reels into account and will eventually become a who's who list of the most athletic college players to ever carry the ball.

Surprisingly there aren't a lot of candidates to choose from for this award in 2008, but the few finalists chosen by J.Pike are impressive.

J.Pike's Finalists

JAHVID BEST
(Sophomore RB, California)
Key Stats
Rushing: 1,394 yards, 8.0 avg, 13 td, long run of 86 yds;
Receiving: 27 receptions, 246 yards, 1 td;
Kick Returns: 378 yards, 29.1 average;
183.5 all-purpose yards per game;
Ran for 311 yards and 4 touchdowns in the season finale against Washington;
Highlight reel: [LINK]

NOEL DEVINE
(Sophomore RB, West Virginia)
Key Stats
Rushing: 1,228 yards, 6.4 avg, 3 td, long run of 92 yds;
Receiving: 34 receptions, 171 yards;
120.5 all-purpose yards per game;
Highlight reel: [LINK]



PERCY HARVIN
(Junior WR/RB, Florida)
Key Stats
Receiving: 35 receptions, 595 yards, 17.0 avg, 7 td, long of 70 yds;
Rushing: 538 yards, 8.8 avg, 9 td, long run of 80 yds;
103.0 all-purpose yards per game, 16 total touchdowns;
Harvin is the most important cog in the potent Florida offense - not Tim Tebow;
Highlight reel: [LINK]

KENDALL HUNTER
(Sophomore RB, Oklahoma State)
Key Stats
Rushing: 1,518 yards, 6.7 avg, 14 td, long of 68;
Receiving: 20 receptions, 186 yards, 1 td;
143.1 all-purpose yards per game, 15 total touchdowns;
Hunter is the most dynamic back in the Big XII - and he's only a sophomore!
Highlight play: [LINK]
Highlight play from 2007: [LINK]

KNOWSHON MORENO
(Sophomore RB, Georgia)
Key Stats
Rushing: 1,338 yards, 5.9 avg, 16 td, long run of 68 yds;
Receiving: 27 receptions, 329 yards, 1 td
141.4 all-purpose yards per game;
Moreno runs with a determination matched only by former Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson;
Highlight reel: [LINK]
Highlight reel (2007 vs Florida) [LINK]

JACQUIZZ RODGERS
(Freshman RB, Oregon State)
Key Stats
Rushing: 1,253 yards, 4.8 avg, 11 td
Receiving: 29 receptions, 247 yards, 1 td
136.4 all-purpose yards per game;
The true freshman led Oregon State in the win over USC with 186 yards and 2 touchdowns;
Highlight reel: [LINK]

WEEK FIFTEEN - Preview

#19 Pitt (8-3) at UConn (7-4)
(Saturday, 11 am, ESPN)
Pittsburgh seems to be finding their stride of late, but winning in Storrs, Connecticut is never easy. This matchup features two of the best running backs in the Big East Conference in Pitt's LeSean McCoy and UConn's Donald Brown. I like UConn to upset the ever-underachieving Panthers here on the shoulders of their defense and Brown's running.
J.Pike's Pick: UConn 27, Pitt 24

Army (3-8) vs Navy (7-4)
@ Philadelphia, PA
(Saturday, 11 am, CBS)
Sure, Navy has won six games in a row by a commanding average score of 40-12; and the records look to be lopsided yet again in 2008. But since Stan Brock called out his team early this season, the Cadets have been playing a lot better. This game also happens to feature the bottom two ranked passing attacks in Division 1A. The two teams combined average a paltry 109.2 yards per game through the air; both have played a full game in the 2008 season without completing a pass; and both teams have attempted fewer than five passes in a game four times. Don't be surprised if you don't see a single pass thrown today. What that means is that this game will come down to who wants it more. Army has been blown out six years in a row, and even though it looks on paper like they'll get blown out again, I think this is the year they break the streak.
J.Pike's Pick: Army 20, Navy 17

Washington (0-11) at #24 California (7-4)
(Saturday, 2 pm, FSN)
Cal shouldn't have any problems putting the capper on Washington's winless season.
J.Pike's Pick: California 42, Washington 12

#6 USC (10-1), at UCLA (4-7)
(Saturday, 3:30 pm, ABC)
I really wish people would quit blaming the Bruins awful season on Karl Dorrell. For one thing, he's not the coach anymore, and secondly, at least he made it to a bowl game with this team last year. UCLA isn't bad because Karl Dorrell "couldn't recruit", they are bad because they ran a perfectly good coach out of town to hire that dirtbag Rick Neuheisel. Have fun going 4-8 for the next three years, Bruins.
J.Pike's Pick: USC 36, UCLA 6

#21 Missouri (9-3) vs #3 Oklahoma (11-1)
@ St. Louis, MO
(Saturday, 7 pm, ABC)
I'd like to point out that I didn't include this game in the writeup for the conference championship games because I don't recognize this as a conference championship game. It's hard for me to understand how the winner of this game can be considered the Big XII Champ when there is team sitting at home that beat both of these teams during the regular season, and has an equal or better record than both of them. So call me a hater if you must, but I'm considering this just another regular season Big XII matchup and handing the de-facto Big XII title to Texas, no matter what the outcome here is.
J.Pike's Pick: I hope it snows.

#11 Cincinnati (10-2) at Hawaii (7-5)
(Saturday, 10:30 pm, ESPN 2)
Big East champion Cincinnati has a BCS bowl berth locked up and a Heisman hopeful at quarterback, but they are no lock to win on the island. The Warriors had a rough start to the season but they have finally settled on a quarterback. Junior Greg Alexander has started the last five games and played well, leading the team to a 4-1 record over that stretch. But Cincinnati has secret weapon Tony Pike in the shotgun. Pike will be able to lead a late Bearcat touchdown drive to win the game if necessary.
J.Pike's Pick: Cincinnati 27, Hawaii 25

WEEK TWELVE - Top 25 Preview (Part I: 11-25)

#11 Ohio State @ Illinois

(Saturday, 11 am, ESPN)
Illinois became the first blemish on the Ohio State’s Big Ten record late last season, breaking their 20 game conference winning streak. Don’t think the Illini can’t do it again either. Why? Because they possess Buckeye kryptonite – speed. Juice Williams ran circles around James Laurinaitis and company a year ago, and he and Benn will team up to give the Buckeyes problems again on Saturday. The difference between last year and this year though is quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor will be the main ingredient in holding off a motivated Ron Zook squad as the Buckeyes escape Champaigne with a win.
J.Pike’s Pick: Ohio State 25, Illinois 22

#12 Oklahoma State @ Colorado
(Saturday, 7 pm, ABC)
Colorado is struggling right now. Thanks in large part to the growing number of injured starters, the Buffaloes have lost two of their last three ball games. Oklahoma State is coming off a beat-down suffered at the hands of Texas Tech, but the Cowboys have more than enough offensive weapons to put this game away early.
J.Pike’s Pick: Oklahoma State 41, Colorado 17

#13 North Carolina @ Maryland
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC/ESPN)
Sure, Maryland is a perfect 5-0 at home this year and has defeated all three ranked opponents they have played, but the Terps haven’t played a team like North Carolina yet. Butch Davis has his young team playing the best football of his tenure. Quan Sturdivant (77 tackles) and Trimane Goddard (6 interceptions) lead an improving defense that ranks fourth in the ACC in points allowed. Maryland on the other hand is a poor tackling team with nobody to match up with receiver Hakeem Nicks. North Carolina keeps pace with Miami in the Coastal Division by picking up a clutch road win over Maryland.
J.Pike’s Pick: North Carolina 27, Maryland 17

#14 Missouri @ Iowa State
(Saturday, 5:30 pm, FSN)
Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin are finally getting Missouri back on track. After losing two in a row to Big XII South powers Oklahoma State and Texas, the Tigers have struggled to find their rhythm. Considering Iowa State has the worst pass defense in the conference, it’s safe to assume Maclin will see a fair share of passes. If Iowa State has one advantage it’s in the return game where true freshman Leonard Johnson has shown some flash this year. He might be able to take advantage of Mizzou’s often-lackadaisical special teams to provide a spark and keep the Cyclones in this game. At least for a little bit.
J.Pike’s Pick: Missouri 44, Iowa State 20

#15 Michigan State is IDLE

#16 TCU is IDLE

#17 Pittsburgh is IDLE

Boston College @ #18 Florida State
(Saturday, 7 pm, ABC)
Florida State is quietly putting together a solid season. After more seasons of mediocrity than ‘Nole fans care to remember, Jimbo Fisher (he’s the head coach now, right?) has paced his team to a 7-2 start. With Boston College coming to town, the Seminoles face their toughest test to date. BC linebacker Mark Herzlich is a menace who will continue making plays all over the field (even on special teams!), and he’ll make sure nothing is easy for FSU quarterback Christian Ponder. Bobby Bowden announced that five wide receivers will be suspended from this game, but none of them are Greg Carr or Preston Parker, so it won’t matter. Everette Brown (9 sacks), Derek Nicholson (10 tackles for loss) and the Florida State defense hold a significant advantage over the BC offense in nearly every category. That’s where the game will be won. The ‘Noles avoid the upset.
J.Pike’s Pick: Florida State 22, Boston College 16

Troy @ #22 LSU
(Saturday, 7 pm, Tiger Vision PPV)
LSU is on the verge of dropping out of the top 25 entirely. After losing big to Florida and Georgia, the Tigers needed a win over Alabama to maintain legitimacy. Well, the game went into overtime, but nobody watching came out of the game with any confidence at all in quarterback Jarrett Lee. Will Lee be able to find a rhythm against a respectable Sun Belt opponent? It probably won’t matter because Charles Scott and Keiland Williams should have a field day running on the nation’s 55th ranked rush defense.
J.Pike’s Pick: LSU 33, Troy 16

#23 California @ Oregon State
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC)
If for no other reason, you should tune into this game for the exciting running backs. Neither Jahvid Best or Quizz Rodgers stand much taller than an Ewok, but the pair has enough speed and athleticism to light up scoreboards and pad highlight reels. Both teams also field solid defenses, so the two mighty mite backs will have to earn their yards today. The difference in this game will actually come down to quarterback play. Cal will be going with Kevin Riley (a huge upgrade over Nate Longshore), who isn’t flashy, but just knows how to win. Lyle Moevao is inconsistent, and facing a Cal defense that leads the Pac-10 with 17 interceptions, I think he’ll make a key mistake down the stretch, probably involving a forced pass that gets picked off by Cal’s stud corner Syd’Quan Thompson.
J.Pike’s Pick: California 23, Oregon State 22

#24 Georgia Tech is IDLE

#25 BYU @ Air Force
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, CBS College Sports)
I love Troy Calhoun and the Falcons. Unfortunately this is a game where BYU’s skill will be too much for Air Force to handle. Harvey Unga, not Max Hall, will be the reason for victory. The bruising sophomore will be able to gain tough yards against the undersized Air Force front which will keep the chains moving.
J.Pike’s Pick: BYU 28, Air Force 24

News & Notes

*Minnesota will be without leading receiver Eric Decker for their matchup with rival Wisconsin on Saturday. Decker has a high ankle sprain and should be ready for the season finale against Iowa. The absence of Decker, the Big Ten's leader in receptions, opens the door for speedy freshman Brandon Green to take center stage in trying to get the Golden Gophers season back on track.

*The revolving door at quarterback for California continues. Kevin Riley will get the start against Oregon State on Saturday a week after Nate Longshore drew the starting assignment against USC. Riley won't impress you stats-wise, but he is much more confident in the pocket and less likely to make big mistakes that cost his team wins.

*Miami left tackle Jason Fox is listed as doubtful for the Canes Thursday night matchup with Virginia Tech. Fox sprained his ankle against Virginia and has not been able to practice since. With Jason Worilds and the active Hokie front coming to town, now is not the best time for Miami to have to shake up their offensive line.

NEWS & NOTES - NEBRASKA EDITION

*Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini finally handed out the Blackshirts on Tuesday. The defense's performance against Kansas on Saturday wasn't quite up to the standards set by Blackshirt units of the past, but defensive coordinator Carl Pelini liked the physical play and felt like the time was now. The first eleven Blackshirts of the Pelini era were awarded to Pierre Allen, Larry Asante, Phillip Dillard, Eric Hagg, Armando Murillo, Zach Potter, Ty Steinkuhler, Clayton Sievers, Ndamukong Suh, Anthony West and Tyler Wortman.

*Notably absent from the list of Blackshirt recipients is linebacker Cody Glenn. Glenn was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday for violating team rules. Carl Pelini wouldn't give any further explanation other than to say "there's lots of rules that cause suspension, let's move on to another topic." Glenn was easily one of the most athletic players on the Nebraska defense and his presence in the lineup will be missed.

WEEK ELEVEN - Top 25 Preview (Part II: Top 10)

#1-t Alabama @ #21 LSU

(Saturday, 2:30 pm, CBS)
Nick Saban travels to Baton Rouge, where he won a national championship just five years ago. Les Miles won a championship last year, but his Tigers have taken a step back this year. Without Bo Pelini to run the defense, LSU gave up 50+ points to both Florida and Georgia. LSU has some talent on the D-Line, but Knowshon Moreno ran wild on the Tigers. That means the Crimson Tide can do what they do best and hammer Glen Coffee and Roy Upchurch behind that massive offensive line. That will take the pressure off John Parker Wilson who will be able to make a couple plays to blossoming wideout Julio Jones. The Tide stays unbeaten.
J.Pike’s Pick: Alabama 25, LSU 17

#1-t Penn State @ Iowa
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC/ESPN)
Iowa has been the trendy upset pick this week. Unfortunately if you have seen either team play at all you’d know that Penn State will win this game without much difficulty. Iowa has had to rely solely on their tailback Shonn Greene because of the revolving door at quarterback. Greene is a solid back (139.7 yards per game), but Penn State’s defense is way too good to allow a one-man offense to score many points. Plus, the Nittany Lions seniors won’t let the team get a big head, and the upset talk will have them more focused than ever. Penn State wins this one going away.
J.Pike’s Pick: Penn State 27, Iowa 6

#8 Oklahoma State @ #3 Texas Tech
(Saturday, 7 pm, ABC)
Texas Tech pulled off a big upset over top ranked Texas a week ago with an excellent performance. But can the Red Raiders get as jacked up for Oklahoma State as they were against Texas? If they can, they’ll stay undefeated. But I think it’s near impossible to get that up for two games in a row, and Oklahoma State has a few more offensive weapons than the Longhorns had to offer. Running back Kendall Hunter is one of the best backs in the Big XII and he’ll have better luck against the Tech front than the Texas running game did. Also look out for tight end Brandon Pettigrew – he’ll have a huge game and end up making the difference. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I like the mental makeup of this Oklahoma State team. Coach Mike Gundy doesn’t let his team get too up or too down, and that will pay big dividends on Saturday night as they go to Lubbock and pull off the upset.
J.Pike’s Pick: Oklahoma State 41, Texas Tech 35

Baylor @ #4 Texas
(Saturday, 11 am, FSN)
This one is worth getting up early for. Getting to see freshman quarterback Robert Griffin go up against Will Muschamp and the Longhorn defense should be a treat. Texas is without the services of stud defensive end Brian Orakpo though, who was injured against Texas Tech. That leaves Roy Miller, Sergio Kindle, and Roddrick Muckelroy to chase after Griffin. Griffin is an excellent player and new head coach Art Briles has this program headed the right direction. After taking Missouri down to the wire last week, the Bears will continue to improve as they make another strong showing in Austin this weekend. Unfortunately Briles doesn’t have enough complementary players yet to beat Texas.
J.Pike’s Pick: Texas 42, Baylor 24
J.Pike Guarantee: Baylor will make at least one bowl game during Robert Griffin’s career

#5 Florida @ Vanderbilt
(Saturday, 7 pm, ESPN 2)
The Vanderbilt secondary is good enough to cause the Florida passing game some problems. But the speed of Jeffrey Demps and Percy Harvin out of the backfield will be enough to counter that Vandy advantage. Ever since Bobby Johnson went away from Chris Nickson at quarterback, the Vanderbilt offense has lost the ability to score consistently against SEC defenses. He was a player opposing defenses had to game plan for, and although Mackenzi Adams is a solid player, he doesn’t have that same effect. All of these factors add up to a Gator win.
J.Pike’s Pick: Florida 31, Vanderbilt 13

#6 Oklahoma @ Texas A&M
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC)
I’m starting to think the jig is up. Oklahoma hasn’t been dominant on defense for a couple years now, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the amount of coaches they have lost from the coaching staff on that side of the ball or if they just don’t have the same caliber of player anymore. Either way, it has become a trend rather than a fluke. So don’t write the Aggies off so quickly in this game. Quarterback Jarrod Johnson is proving week after week that he should have been playing ahead of Stephen McGee all along, and he has the talent to put the A&M offense on his broad shoulders and score 30+ against the Sooners. The problem is Mike Sherman inherited a roster completely void of any defensive talent. Sam Bradford shouldn’t have a problem putting points on the board against the woeful Aggie defense, but again – don’t be surprised if the outcome is still in doubt deep into the third quarter.
J.Pike’s Pick: Oklahoma 47, Texas A&M 34

#17 California @ #7 USC
(Saturday, 7 pm, ABC)
Oh no, this one could be ugly. Jeff Tedford finally realized his team was better with Kevin Riley at quarterback, but Riley suffered a concussion in the first quarter last week against Oregon. Cal held on to win with Nate Longshore at quarterback, but that was a fluke. If Longshore has to play against USC you can count on him throwing at least two picks and allowing the Trojans to pick up another easy Pac-10 victory. If Riley plays though, give the Bears a shot. Cal running back Jahvid Best is one of the fastest players in the nation and he could give the USC defense fits if he gets any help at all from the passing game.
J.Pike’s Pick: USC 32, California 20
Saturday morning update: Cal QB Kevin Riley will sit out this game with a concussion, which means Nate Longshore will get the start.

#9 Georgia @ Kentucky
(Saturday, 11:30 am, Raycom/ESPN360.com)
Both of these teams have suffered an alarming number of key injuries this season. That means it will come down to depth, and Georgia wins that battle every time. Oh yeah, there’s also the Knowshon Moreno advantage – Georgia has him and Kentucky doesn’t. This won’t be the prettiest game of the weekend, but Georgia will get back on the right track with a hard fought victory over Rich Brooks’ pesky Wildcats.
J.Pike’s Pick: Georgia 23, Kentucky 10

WEEK EIGHT - Top 25 Preview (Part I: 11-25)

#11 Texas Tech at Texas A&M
(Saturday, 11 am, FSN)
Texas Tech isn’t a top ten team. Half the teams in Division 1-A could go undefeated against the schedule the Red Raiders have played so far. A&M doesn’t look like they’ll be much of a test either. While Mike Sherman has some quality skill players (Mike Goodson and Jerrod Johnson), there are huge holes on the O-Line and on defense. Give him some time and he’ll win games like this, but it won’t happen this year.
J.Pike’s Pick: Texas Tech 52, Texas A&M 36

#12 LSU at South Carolina
(Saturday, 7 pm, ESPN)
The Gamecocks have been so inconsistent this season it’s hard to pick them against a talented LSU team coming off a loss. I like the South Carolina defense, but you never know what you’re going to get out of their offense. Stephen Garcia is finally going to get the start after residing in the doghouse for off-field incidents his first year and a half on campus. If he plays up to his hype, South Carolina will have a good chance to win this game. But again, you never know what you’re going to get. I think LSU’s advantage in the trenches will carry them to a sloppy, low scoring win.
J.Pike’s Pick: LSU 21, South Carolina 17

Colorado State at #13 Utah
(Saturday, 1 pm, The Mtn.)
Brian Johnson will continue to make his case for the Faulk Trophy by piling up numbers against the Rams of Colorado State. The Utes roll to 8-0 as they take over for BYU as the prime BCS-buster candidate.
J.Pike’s Pick: Utah 34, Colorado State 17

Baylor at #15 Oklahoma State
(Saturday, 2 pm)
Coming off their biggest win in recent memory, it’s tempting to think the Oklahoma State Cowboys are prime upset targets – especially with upstart Baylor and their phenom quarterback Robert Griffin coming to town. But the thing that impressed me the most about Okie State’s win over Missouri last week was how level-headed the Pokes were. They went into the game expecting to win and that’s exactly what they did. That leads me to believe they won’t get carried away by the emotions that could lead to a flat performance this week. It will be a closer game than it looks on paper, but the focused Cowboys will stay unbeaten.
J.Pike’s Pick: Oklahoma State 34, Baylor 24

#18 Virginia Tech at Boston College
(Saturday, 7 pm, ESPN 2)
Two of the best defenses in the ACC will take the field Saturday night in the third battle between these two teams in the last calendar year. Last season Va Poly avenged an early season choke job by beating the Eagles in the ACC title game, stealing a BCS berth in the process. This year both teams have vastly different rosters, but I think Virginia Tech has taken a bit more of a step back. BC quarterback Chris Crane got off to a terrible start this season, but he has really come into his own lately thanks to Josh Haden and the surprisingly solid running game. On the other side of the ball, Hokie quarterback Tyrod Taylor and running back Darren Evans are future stars, but this year, against Mark Herzlich and the imposing BC defense, I’m not sure they’ll be able to score enough points to win.
J.Pike’s Pick: Boston College 26, Virginia Tech 22

#19 North Carolina at Virginia
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC/ESPN2)
Be careful Tar Heels. Virginia is one of the hottest teams in the ACC right now, and they are facing North Carolina at the right time. Not only is UNC playing without starting quarterback T.J. Yates right now due to an ankle injury, they also received word earlier this week that their playmaking wide receiver/punt returner Brandon Tate will be out for the rest of the season after tearing up his knee in the first quarter against Notre Dame. But at the end of the day the UNC defense will make the stops necessary to cool the Wahoos off.
J.Pike’s Pick: North Carolina 24, Virginia 13

UTEP at #20 Tulsa
(Saturday, 7 pm, CBS College Sports)
Tulsa is racking up points at an alarming rate in Todd Graham’s offensive scheme. It doesn’t seem to matter who the quarterback is, but it helps when he’s as efficient as senior David Johnson has been. On the flip side, UTEP is starting to play good football now too. Sophomore Trinity HS alum [LINK] Trevor Vittatoe is coming into his own and running back Terrell Jackson is explosive. But can the Miners keep up with the high octane Golden Hurricane? On the road I don’t think they can.
J.Pike’s Pick: Tulsa 48, UTEP 33

#22 California at Arizona
(Saturday, 9 pm, FCS-Pacific)
Apparently Nate Longspare is back in at the starting quarterback for Cal. That’s not a good thing. The young Arizona defense will force him into turnovers by pressuring him from the get go. That will give Willie Tuitama and the offense great field position throughout the game so that the Wildcats can pull the mild upset.
J.Pike’s Pick: Arizona 31, California 27

#23 Georgia Tech at Clemson
(Saturday, 11 am, ESPN)
The Tommy Bowden era at Clemson is now officially over, but will that automatically translate into wins? The talent on the Clemson sideline is more impressive than anywhere else in the ACC, but Georgia Tech under new head coach Paul Johnson is the kind of team that neutralizes talent advantages as well as anybody. Josh Nesbitt is coming back from his injury to lead the triple option offense so you can expect the Bees to lull Clemson to sleep and bust a big run late. Clemson is going to start Willy “Candy” Korn just in time for Halloween. Michael Johnson and the Ramblin’ Wreck defense are licking their chops, ready to spook the freshman early and often as they shut down an inefficient Clemson offense that just fired its coordinator.
J.Pike’s Pick: Georgia Tech 17, Clemson 13

#24 Oregon is idle

#25 Minnesota is idle

WEEK SIX - Top 25 Preview (Part I: 11-25)

#11 Auburn at #17 Vanderbilt
(Saturday, 5 pm, ESPN)
Vandy quarterback Chris Nickson facing the intimidating Auburn defense should be a fun matchup to watch. Nickson is one of the most dynamic players in the SEC and won’t back down from anybody. Auburn’s defense is flat out one of the best in the nation. There hasn’t been anybody the defensive line couldn’t pressure, and the cornerbacks should easily blanket Vandy’s receivers. On the other side of the ball though Auburn hasn’t been able to score on anybody this year with Tony Franklin’s new spread offense. Ben Tate is woefully misused and quarterback Chris Todd isn’t producing. Todd will struggle again because, surprisingly, the Commodores have one of the better secondaries in the conference. The wild card here will be whether Franklin gives Kodi Burns a shot at quarterback. I don’t have any idea why Burns has been riding the bench all season while Todd struggles. If Burns plays, Auburn wins. If he doesn’t, Vandy wins. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to the Auburn coaching staff.
J.Pike’s Pick: Auburn 23, Vanderbilt 17

#14 Florida at Arkansas
(Saturday, 11:30 am, Raycom/ESPN360.com)
This one could get ugly. Not only will Florida be looking to redeem themselves after losing AT HOME to Ole Miss a week ago (who’s coaching at Ole Miss now? Hmm…), this also should be the perfect opportunity for Urban Meyer to run up the score as he’s known to do from time to time. Arkansas is arguably the worst team in the SEC because they decided to run off Houston Nutt in favor of Bobby Petrino. I hope you enjoy the cellar, Hog fans.
J.Pike’s Pick: Florida 48, Arkansas 10

#15 Texas Tech at Kansas State
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC)
I definitely don’t have a rooting interest in this game. In fact, if there was a way both teams could lose I would be rooting for that. But unfortunately one of these ugly football teams has to come away with a win in this contest. Kansas State is coming off back to back games in which they gave up over 300 yards rushing to average football teams (Louisville and Louisiana-Lafayette). Mike Leach isn’t smart enough to take advantage of the Wildcats deficiencies against the run, but Michael Crabtree and company will take advantage of K-State’s poor tackling by piling up huge YAC numbers. This will probably be a shootout, but Texas Tech is more stable at this point in the season.
J.Pike’s Pick: Texas Tech 51, Kansas State 37

#16 Kansas at Iowa State
(Saturday, 11:30 am, VERSUS)
Iowa State is a sneaky team that will upset somebody in the Big XII this year, but I don’t think it will be Kansas. Mark Mangino’s squad is too fundamentally sound to give the game away, and that’s exactly what would have to happen. Todd Reesing and the offense might not look as sharp as they did in their non-conference schedule, but they’ll be good enough to keep the feisty Cyclones at arm’s length.
J.Pike’s Pick: Kansas 27, Iowa State13

Westsern Kentucky at #19 Virginia Tech
(Saturday, 12:30 pm)
Taking the redshirt off Tyrod Taylor is the best decision Frank Beamer has made all season. So good in fact that it almost makes up for his decision to put the redshirt on him in the first place. With Taylor at quarterback the Hokies are 4-0; without him they are 0-1. VA Poly’s season officially got back on track last Saturday night with their win in Lincoln and now they appear to be the favorite to win the ACC Coastal division. Before they head into conference play the Hokies get one final tune-up against the Hilltoppers. The only thing I know about WKY is they have the coolest mascot in America.
J.Pike’s Pick: Virginia Tech 33, Western Kentucky 3

#20 Maryland at Virginia
(Saturday, 6 pm, ESPN U)
Maryland hasn’t exactly been the most consistent team this season. They have gone from losing to Middle Tennessee and barely slipping by Delaware to beating Cal and Clemson so far this season. Luckily it probably won’t matter which Maryland team shows up for this game because Virginia has been flat out bad.
J.Pike’s Pick: Maryland 27, Virginia 13

Arizona State at #21 California
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC)
I’m going to call for a rare road upset here. Arizona State’s defense is actually not too bad and Cal will be playing without their most dangerous weapon, RB Jahvid Best. On top of that, Jeff Tedford also opened up the quarterback job in practice again which means there is a chance Nate Longspare could see the field. Yikes! Meanwhile, Rudy Carpenter and Keegan Herring (back from injury) are rested coming off the bye week, so they’ll be ready to give Cal yet another early-in-the-day wake-up call.
J.Pike’s Pick: Arizona State 30, California 24

#23 Illinois at Michigan
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC/ESPN 2)
Michigan is riding high after their big second half comeback to beat Wisconsin a week ago. They’re going to have to put together a full game if they want to beat Illinois though. The explosive duo of Juice Williams to Arrelious Benn can put points on the board at a rate Michigan is incapable of matching. The Michigan defense will have to play a great game just to keep the Wolverines in this one.
J.Pike’s Pick: Illinois 27, Michigan 21

#24 Connecticut at North Carolina
(Saturday, 6 pm, ESPN 2)
This is an interesting matchup in that both teams will be playing without their injured starting quarterbacks. North Carolina had the benefit of breaking in Cam Sexton last week against Miami and he passed with flying colors. UConn isn’t quite as certain what they’ll get from Zach Frazier. One thing you can expect is Donald Brown to get the ball about 30 times. UConn’s tailback is one of the more underrated players in the nation (averaging 149 yards per game), but he’ll face a tough test against Marvin Austin and that Tar Heel D-Line. UConn always plays smart and tough, so they’ll keep this one close to the end, but North Carolina and Butch Davis will notch the win at home.
J.Pike’s Pick: North Carolina 28, Connecticut 24

Rice at #25 Tulsa
(Saturday, 7 pm, CBS College Sports)
If you like shootouts you should find out if you have CBS College Sports channel. When Rice and Tulsa get together on Saturday night there is a very real possibility that they could actually blow up the scoreboard. Last week alone, Tulsa scored 62 points and Rice scored 77! The two teams combined are averaging 96 points per game, so this should be an entertaining game to watch. Hopefully it will go into overtime and both teams will score triple digits.
J.Pike’s Pick: Tulsa 61, Rice 54

News & Notes

*Just when you thought Georgia’s injury situation couldn't get any worse, there's this. Running back Knowshon Moreno suffered a severely bruised elbow against Alabama and might have to miss the game against Tennessee in two weeks.

Tight end Tripp Chandler is also doubtful for the Tennessee game due to an aggravating shoulder problem. He also has an aggravating habit of dropping passes, but that’s another story. Backup tight end Bruce Figgins didn’t play against Alabama thanks to a separated shoulder that will likely require surgery. That leaves redshirt freshman Aron White and converted tackle Kiante Tripp to man the position in their absence.

If that isn’t enough, stud linebacker Dannell Ellerbe injured his knee in the first quarter against Alabama. Mark Richt said he “has an outside shot to play in the next game,” but he won’t be 100%.

*Cal running back Jahvid Best dislocated his elbow in the third quarter against Colorado State so he’ll be out of this week’s game against Arizona State. His 215.5 all-purpose yards per game (#3 nationally) will be missed, especially now that Jeff Tedford is giving Nate Longspare another chance to win the starting quarterback job.

*Undefeated UConn will be without their starting quarterback for at least the next 6 weeks. Tyler Lorenzen broke his foot against Louisville and will be replaced in the lineup by Zach Frazier. That means you can expect running back Donald Brown to continue getting the ball 30 times a game for the next several weeks. Tight end Steve Brouse is also expected to miss the next 6-8 weeks due to a broken leg.

*Thanks to Jonathan Crompton’s awful play so far this season, Phil Fulmer has opened up the quarterback job at Tennessee. Crompton was 8/23 for 67 yards against Auburn last week, and has only thrown 2 touchdown passes all season (both against lowly UAB). Nick Stephens will get more opportunities in practice and will probably see significant action against Northern Illinois in the hopes that one of the quarterbacks will step up in time to lead the offense against Georgia in two weeks.

*Cincinnati Heisman candidate and Pikes Picks favorite Tony Pike broke his left (non-throwing) forearm against Akron. Luckily he will probably only miss the next two games, which means redshirt freshmen Zach Collaros and Chazz Anderson only have to hold down the fort against Marshall and Rutgers until Pike gets back for the matchup with UConn at the end of October.

*Colorado lost starting offensive tackle Ryan Miller for the season. Miller suffered a broken left fibula in the loss to Florida State and will apply for a medical redshirt for this season. That doesn’t leave Colorado in good shape up front against a Texas team that racked up 7 sacks a week ago.

*Washington quarterback Jake Locker suffered a broken right thumb against Stanford and will probably miss the next 6-8 weeks recovering. Ronnie Fouch will start in his place as Washington looks to avoid their first 0-5 start in 39 years. One interesting note: Locker has expressed interest in playing another position once he has a cast for his right (throwing) hand if it will help out the team. You can’t question the guy’s heart, that’s for sure.

WEEK THREE - Recap

THE GOOD

*Drew Willy and the Buffalo Bulls knocked off Temple on a last second hail mary. After giving up a go ahead touch down with only 38 seconds left in the game, Willy calmly guided his team down the field and completed the 35-yard touchdown pass to Naaman Roosevelt on the last play of the game for the win.

*The Missouri offense looks unstoppable. If we had to hand out the Bo Jackson Award right now, my vote would be split between Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin. Daniel displayed his deadly accuracy and quick decision making yet again, posting ridiculous numbers (405 passing yards, 4 tds) in only two and a half quarters! Maclin's blazing speed was obviously too much for Nevada's defense as he racked up 172 receiving yards and scored on 3 of his 6 receptions. And if you think these are the only two weapons on the offense, you're wrong - three other receivers each grabbed 6 passes and went over 100 yards in the game. Wow.

*BYU and quarterback Max Hall burst UCLA's bubble. After a nice opening weekend win over nationally ranked Tennessee, Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow were geniuses. Now UCLA is 1-1 after suffering the school's most lopsided defeat since, like, the '30s. Max Hall was phenomenal. He had a record breaking stat line by halftime (6 touchdown passes in the first half, 7 in the game) in leading BYU to a 59-0 rout.

*Penn State is looking more and more like your Big Ten champs every week. With Ohio State's struggles, the door is wide open for the Nittany Lions. Against a vastly inferior Syracuse team, they didn't disappoint. The starters barely got to play the whole first half in this blowout! The Darryl Clark to Jordan Norwood connection continues to impress, as does running back Evan Royster. Royster might be one of the best kept secrets in the nation right now - he's fantastic. On top of the offensive firepower, the defense only allowed 159 yards and 8 first downs.

*Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford is on a mission to make me look bad for ranking him as the fourth best QB in the Big XII. Bradford simply led the Oklahoma offense to an easy 55-14 victory over Washington in Seattle. The Sooners were never tested thanks to Bradford's efficiency - he threw 5 touchdown passes against only 3 incompletions.

THE BAD

*Cross country road trips were't kind to California and Oregon. Oregon overcame a slow start and 20-6 halftime deficit to beat Purdue in overtime, but Cal wasn't as lucky. Cal had to make the coast-to-coast trip to Maryland, where the game kicked off at noon - or 9 am Berkeley time. They were clearly asleep in the first half as Maryland coasted to an easy 21-6 halftime advantage. This is notable because Maryland was only averaging 14 points PER GAME and was coming off a loss to Middle Tennessee. Cal finally woke up in the fourth quarter and scored three touchdowns, but by then it was too late.

*Oregon could use a quarterback with a bionic knee. A year ago the Ducks season was ruined when they lost potential Heisman Trophy finalist Dennis Dixon late in the season to a knee injury. Backup Nate Costa was already out due to a knee injury so they had to go with Brady Leaf. This season, Costa was projected to be the starter, but he injured the same knee and will be out all year. Then yesterday, Justin Roper injured his knee in overtime and will be out at least two weeks. I'm not sure I would want to play quarterback for Oregon right about now.

*Syracuse. Coach Greg Robinson is obviously on his way out because this team looks completely inept on both sides of the ball. The offense has been awful for years now, but defense was supposed to be Robinson's specialty. Well, this defense is continually out of position and could barely qualify as a speed bump in yesterday's matchup with Penn State's high powered offense.

*Notre Dame and Michigan. Notre Dame won in a downpour, but it looked more like Michigan just gave them the game thanks to 6 turnovers. Rich Rodriguez's offense has a loooooong way to go, there's no question about that. The quarterback play is atrocious, and their best running back right now is Sam McGuffie, who looks like a guy that should be playing in the MAC - not the Big Ten. On the other side of the field, The Ostrich Jimmy Clausen proved yet again that he's the second coming of Ron Powlus with another outstanding stat line: 10-for-21 with 2 interceptions. Notre Dame will make a bowl game because of their lame schedule this year, but don't let that fool you.

*Is there a worse pair of offenses than those featured in the Auburn/Mississippi State game last night? The final score was 3-2. Granted, both defense are pretty good, but those two offenses are putrid. Mississippi State quarterback Wesley Carroll has lead-feet. Even if he had time in the pocket, he couldn't complete a pass beyond the line of scrimmage. I expect that kind of play from the Bulldogs, but shame on Auburn. New offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has that offense headed in the wrong direction. I don't know why they decided to abandon the strong running game they've had for so many years, but now their short yardage running game is embarassing. And the trade off is Chris Todd at quarterback? Ugh. On top of that, Auburn committed numerous holding penalties (one in the end zone that gave Mississippi State their only 2 points in the game) and had a ton of problems with hand-offs that led to two crucial turnovers in the fourth quarter. Auburn scored 3 points in this game, and I think it's an indication of things to come for that offense the rest of the year.

THE GAME OF THE WEEK

*No surprises here. USC dominated Ohio State from start to finish, which falls in line with Ohio State's recent woes in big games. The Buckeyes defense struggled mightily against the speedy Trojan offense, proving once again that they don't have the speed on that side of the ball to compete on a national stage. Joe McKnight ran circles around James Laurinaitis and company, and Mark Sanchez proved he's going to be a step up from John David Booty. I think both teams are right about where we expected them to be.

WEEK THREE - Top 25 Preview (Part I: 11-25)

UNLV at #11 Arizona State
(Saturday, 9 pm, FCS-Pacific)
Arizona State gets one final tune-up before Georgia comes to town.
J.Pike’s Pick: Arizona State 35, UNLV 13

Western Kentucky at #12 Alabama
(Saturday, 7 pm, ESPN360.com)
The Alabama offense was awful last week against Tulane, gaining only 172 total yards. Western Kentucky, the newest addition to 1-A, should cure what ails them.
J.Pike’s Pick: Alabama 31, Western Kentucky 14

#13 Penn State at Syracuse
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC)
Penn State flexed their muscles last week in a dominating win over Oregon State. As a reward they get to feast on a Syracuse team that was embarrassed by Akron. The Penn State front four has suffered more injuries and suspensions than you can count, but they’ll still make it nearly impossible for Syracuse to score in this game. And the Nittany Lion offense won’t have a problem against an inept Syracuse defense.
J.Pike’s Pick: Penn State 38, Syracuse 7

N.C. State at #14 Clemson
(Saturday, 11 am, ESPN360.com)
This is step two in the rehab process after the humiliating loss to Alabama in week one. Clemson took care of The Citadel last week and now get a conference opponent at home. For some reason, James Davis and C.J. Spiller have only carried the ball a combined 27 times this season. They should average that per game.
J.Pike’s Pick: Clemson 27, N.C. State 14

SMU at #15 Texas Tech
(Saturday, 6 pm, FSN-Southwest)
If there’s one game this weekend you couldn’t pay me to watch, this would be it. These two offenses will make a mockery of the game of football, and both coaches will leave their defenses in bad positions in favor of their pet offenses at least a couple times (see Mike Leach going for it on 4th down twice last week inside his own 30!). Normally I would say the scoring could reach triple digits, but the Tech offense has been stuck in neutral so far this year.
J.Pike’s Pick: Texas Tech 52, SMU 27

#16 Oregon at Purdue
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC/ESPN)
Could this be the road trip that finally trips up Justin Roper? Roper has been playing lights out in place of the injured Nate Costa, who is out for the season. Curtis Painter and the Purdue offense look good on paper, but going up against one of the best defensive backfields in the nation will be a significant challenge. Oregon’s secondary will get the best of this matchup and that leaves Purdue with few other options. Jeremiah Johnson should be healthy and ready to run wild on the porous Purdue defense.
J.Pike’s Pick: Oregon 34, Purdue 20

#19 Kansas at #17 South Florida
(Friday, 7 pm, ESPN 2)
This is a matchup that should produce a great game. Kansas QB Todd Reesing is firing on all cylinders this year, especially with speedy freshman WR Daymond Patterson added in the mix. On the flip side, South Florida is coming off an overtime tussle with don’t-call-them-rivals Central Florida. The Kansas defense is solid and will be able to force Matt Grothe into a couple turnovers, but USF will be able to pressure Reesing and get him out of his rhythm. It will be a tight game throughout controlled by the defenses, so I’ll give a slight edge to the home team.
J.Pike’s Pick: South Florida 22, Kansas 20

#18 Utah at Utah State
(Saturday, 7 pm, ESPN360.com)
These two in-state rivals play every year, but it’s usually big brother Utah beating up on little brother Utah State. Expect more of the same this year with Utah QB Brian Johnson padding stats in his quest to win the Faulk Trophy.
J.Pike’s Pick: Utah 42, Utah State 10

#20 East Carolina at Tulane
(Saturday, 2 pm)
East Carolina has been the story of the year so far, upsetting Virginia Tech and West Virginia in their first two outings. The defense has been a big reason for the success and Tulane has struggled to score points this season. That doesn’t bode well for the Green Wave. However with ECU riding high off their 2-0 start, don’t be surprised if they let the headlines go to their heads early and get off to a slow start against a Tulane team that nobody is giving a chance. Remember, Tulane held Alabama to a mere 172 yards of total offense last week. Pirate QB Patrick Pinkney is too good to let his team sleep for too long though and he’ll lead the offense to just enough points to win comfortably.
J.Pike’s Pick: East Carolina 23, Tulane 10

Louisiana-Lafayette at #21 Illinois
(Saturday, 11 am, Big Ten Network)
Here’s another cupcake for the Illinois offense to run up and down the field against. The Ragin’ Cajuns could come in handy though because the Illini defense has been miserable so far this season. Louisiana-Lafayette QB Michael Desormeaux and RB Tyrell Fenroy both ran for over 1,000 yards last season so there should be plenty of opportunities for Illinois to practice their tackling.
J.Pike’s Pick: Illinois 48, Louisiana-Lafayette 20

#22 UCLA at #25 BYU
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, Versus)
The Cougars need to step up their play on the defensive side of the ball if they are to win this game. UCLA’s defense is excellent and they will make it very difficult on Max Hall, who isn’t the best under pressure. Defensive tackles Brian Price and Brigham Harwell will make sure that’s the case Saturday afternoon. It will be up to Kevin Craft, who must get off to a better start than he did against Tennessee when he threw 4 interceptions in the first half.
J.Pike’s Pick: UCLA 26, BYU 21

UAB at #23 Tennessee
(Saturday, 11:30 am, ESPN360.com)
After pondering their overtime loss to UCLA for almost two weeks, it’s time for Tennessee to take the field again. Facing one of the worst defenses in the nation – UAB allows a whopping 47 points per game - should help the potentially explosive Tennessee offense find a rhythm after struggling against UCLA.
J.Pike’s Pick: Tennessee 51, UAB 17

#24 California at Maryland
(Saturday, 11 am, ESPN)
It’s a tale of two offenses. The Cal offense has exploded thanks to the speedy Jahvid Best and the running game. In two games Best has 311 yards rushing and 4 tds, and the Bears are averaging 297 yards rushing as a team! Maryland on the other hand is averaging a putrid 14 points per game and is coming off an embarrassing loss at the hands of Middle Tennessee State. I’m a little concerned about the long road trip and early start time, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Maryland’s defense forces a couple three-and-outs early. The speed of Cal wins out in the end though.
J.Pike’s Pick: California 30, Maryland 16

WEEK TWO - Preview

Southern Miss @ #9 Auburn
(Saturday, 11:30am, ESPN360.com)
Why it could happen: Auburn didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard last weekend against Louisiana-Monroe. In fact the defense and special teams scored almost as many points as the offense did. Auburn is still trying to figure out their quarterback situation, but Southern Miss has a potent offense that amassed 633 yards and 51 points last week.
Why it won’t happen: The Auburn defense is significantly than the Ragin’ Cajuns defense. USM will score, but it will be much tougher going against Tuberville’s unit. Ben Tate should also have plenty of room to run the ball against the Golden Eagle defense.
J.Pike’s Pick: Auburn 26, Southern Miss 16

#25 BYU @ Washington
(Saturday, 2pm, FSN)
Why it could happen: Husky Stadium isn’t an easy place to play. BYU has high expectations this season and are favored in this game. Even though Washington doesn’t look very good this year, this looks like a classic “trap” game.
Why it won’t happen: Jake Locker doesn’t have a good enough arm to keep Washington from being one dimensional on offense. BYU is good enough defensively to slow down Washington, and good enough offensively to score points in a difficult environment.
J.Pike’s Pick: BYU 33, Washington 20

#10 West Virginia @ East Carolina
(Saturday, 3:30pm, ESPN)
Why it could happen: East Carolina did it to Virginia Tech last week. Patrick Pinkney played a very good game against a Hokie defense that is far superior to what West Virginia is going to field. East Carolina has a solid defense too, and West Virginia didn’t show off the same potent running game they had last year, running for “only” 149 yards last week.
Why it won’t happen: Pat White will find a way to win. Even though they didn’t run the ball as well last week, White threw a career high 5 touchdown passes.
J.Pike’s Pick: West Virginia 27, East Carolina 20

Buffalo @ Pittsburgh
(Saturday, 5pm, ESPN360.com)
Why it could happen: Pitt was upset by Bowling Green last week, and Buffalo might be an even tougher opponent. Turner Gill’s Bulls routed UTEP last week to the tune of 42-17.
Why it won’t happen: Pitt has to circle the wagons and get a win for coach Dave Wannstedt here … don’t they?
J.Pike’s Pick: Pittsburgh 24, Buffalo 22

Ole Miss @ Wake Forest
(Saturday, 2:30pm, ABC)
Why it will happen: Houston Nutt has the Rebels on the upswing while Wake and the ACC appear to be declining. Wake looked good against Baylor, but this isn’t Baylor. Look for the Ole Miss defense to contain the Demon Deacon running game and force Riley Skinner to beat them. Dexter McCluster will rack up some big plays for the Rebel offense and ice this game late.
J.Pike’s Pick: Ole Miss 27, Wake Forest 24


Alright, so I lied. After picking only four games against the spread last week (and going 2-2), I see even more games I want to pick against the spread this week. We'll see how this goes.

Southern Miss (+17½) over Auburn
(Saturday, 11:30am, ESPN360.com)
Auburn’s offense isn’t quite up to speed yet and won’t break the 30 point mark. The defense is really good but new head coach Larry Fedora has the Southern Miss offense humming already, and they’ll score enough to keep it close.

Ole Miss (+8) over Wake Forest
(Saturday, 2:30pm, ABC)
Congratulations Demon Deacons - you smacked around Baylor. Houston Nutt comes to town with a vastly improved Ole Miss squad that plays enough defense to possibly pull off the upset.

California (-13½) over Washington State
(Saturday, 5:30pm, FCS-Pacific)
Washington State simply doesn’t have enough players to compete this season. Cal on the other hand seems to have new life on offense thanks to the move from Nate Longspare to Kevin Riley at quarterback. Cal wins big.

Tulsa (-21½) over North Texas
(Saturday, 6pm)
Tulsa has one of the best offenses in the nation. Head coach Todd Graham has scored points everywhere he’s been, and North Texas coach Todd Dodge is in over his head here. Tulsa might go for 60 points in this one.

Western Michigan (-6) over Northern Illinois
(Saturday, 6pm)
Western Michigan tested their mettle in Lincoln last week and came out looking like they might be able to do some damage in the MAC. Northern Illinois on the other hand blew it against a Minnesota team that is one of the worst in the nation. Western wins handily at home.

Other games I like, but don’t feel good enough about to give them “Lock” status:
Oklahoma (-21½) over Cincinnati
Air Force (+3) over Wyoming
Buffalo (+13) over Pittsburgh
South Florida (-14) over Central Florida
Iowa State (-7) over Kent State
Miami (+21½) over Florida
Arizona State (-14) over Stanford

WEEK ONE - Preview

UPSET WATCH

Wake Forest @ Baylor
(Thursday, 7pm, FSN)
Why it could happen: Wake Forest is getting fat from all the preseason hype and is slightly overrated. Baylor head coach Art Briles will have his team fired up and ready to play the best game fans in Waco have seen in several years.
Why it won’t happen: Wake isn’t that overrated. Baylor will hang in there for a while on the high of the new coaching staff and their home crowd, but the Demon Deacon defense will come up with key stops down the stretch.

Virginia Tech vs East Carolina
(Saturday, 11am, ESPN)
Why it could happen: East Carolina returns quarterback Patrick Pinkney and a large portion of their defense. Virginia Tech on the other hand loses just about every key playmaker off last year’s team that was pushed to the limit by this same Pirate team.
Why it won’t happen: Virginia Tech still has too much overall talent to lose this game. It will be close throughout and the Hokies will need some offensive skill players to step up and make some plays, but in the end the Hokie defense has enough talent to shut down the ECU offense in a low scoring affair.

UPSET WARNING

Utah @ Michigan
(Saturday, 2:30pm, ABC)
Why it will happen: Michigan simply isn’t ready. New head coach Rich Rodriguez has too many new offensive schemes to put in and not enough players to run them. Utah plays plenty of defense and quarterback Brian Johnson is more than ready to duplicate what Armanti Edwards did to the Wolverines in The Big House last season.

Michigan State @ California
(Saturday, 7pm, ABC)
Why it will happen: Mark Dantonio’s Spartans are simply too physical for Cal. Jahvid Best has excellent speed and Kevin Riley will be an upgrade over Nate Longshore at quarterback, but in the end Michigan State will win it with defense and Javon Ringer.

LOCKS

I promised myself I would never get in the habit of picking games against the spread. But each week I'll take a look at the lines and if anything jumps out at me I'll let you know. Don't get used to looking at that fancy graphic is all I'm saying...

N.C. State (+12) over South Carolina
(Thursday, 7pm, ESPN)
South Carolina has an excellent defense, there’s no question about that. But at this stage of the season I’m not convinced their offense can even score 12 points.

East Carolina (+10) over Virginia Tech
(Saturday, 11am, ESPN)
Poly only won by 10 at home last year. Tech loses just about their entire starting defense and many key skill players on offense and must travel to Charlotte, NC this year.

Illinois (+8½) over Missouri
(Saturday, 7:30pm, ESPN)
Missouri will probably jump out to a big lead, much the way they did last season in this game. But Ron Zook will make adjustments and Illinois will take this rivalry game down to the wire.

Northern Illinois (+8½) over Minnesota
(Saturday, 6pm)
Minnesota is garbage until they prove to me otherwise. After going 1-11 and losing to Bowling Green and North Dakota State a year ago, I’m not convinced Minnesota can beat a MAC team that returns 18 starters. Even if they do it won’t be by much with that awful defense.

News & Notes

* Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn named JC transfer Dax Crum the starting quarterback. That leaves Karsten Sween, who started for the Cowboys the past two seasons, relegated to backup duty. Which begs the question: what the hell kind of name is “Dax Crum”?

* USC’s Matt Sanchez and Joe McKnight each suffered minor injuries in practice. Both are expected to be fine for the regular season, but this offense has been slipping recently, and these are two first time starters who could use the repetitions to gel with the rest of the offense.

An interesting side note to the Sanchez injury – redshirt freshman Aaron Corp is taking the snaps with the first team offense in his place instead of the highly touted Mitch Mustain. I’m guessing Pete Carroll is going to receive an angry call from Momma Mustain soon.

* Virginia Tech lost another wide receiver when Frank Beamer suspended Zach Luckett from the team indefinitely. The Hokies top four receivers from last season all graduated and the top three heading into ‘08 have all been lost due to injury or suspension. Now Poly must rely on true freshmen to get the job done. Tyrod Taylor better be ready to take over the QB job full time because he’s the only playmaker left on this depleted offense.

* Colorado named Demetrius Sumler the starting running back ahead of stud true freshman Darrell Scott. Sumler is a fine player, so all this means is the Buffs will have excellent depth in the running game.

* Tennessee tight end Brandon Warren has been cleared to play this season after transferring from Florida State. Two years ago Warren was one of the most impressive freshmen in the country, and he’ll make an immediate impact at Tennessee.

This news couldn’t come at a better time for the Vols either. After losing tight ends Chris Brown and Brad Cottam to the NFL draft, projected starter Jeff Cottam injured his knee in practice and will be miss the first half of the season.

* Purdue running back Jaycen Taylor tore up his knee and will miss the 2008 season. Kory Sheets will take over full time, but he doesn’t have quite the same ability Taylor does.

* SMU senior quarterback Justin Willis has been demoted to third string on new head coach June Jones’ depth chart behind somebody called Bo Levi Mitchell. Willis has started for the Mustangs the past three years so the move comes as a surprise.

* As expected, UCLA has named Kevin Craft the starting quarterback. Craft, a transfer from San Diego State, got the nod in large part because Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan are the two most injury-prone players to ever play major college football. But Craft can play a little bit too, so expect him to have a fine season playing for Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow.

* Ralph Friedgen has changed his starting quarterback again. Chris Turner, who played well in spots last season, has been replaced in the lineup by injury-plagued Jordan Steffy. Josh Portis, a transfer from Florida, is expected to see action as well. Friedgen said Portis has as much athleticism as any player he’s ever coached, so expect him to contribute a highlight reel play at some point this year.

* In another quarterback competition that went as expected, Cal has named Kevin Riley the starter over Nate Longshore. Long”spare” has been playing mediocre football for far too long, and Riley proved in the Bears’ bowl win over Air Force that he has what it takes to succeed in Jeff Tedford’s offense.

* Oregon quarterback Nate Costa suffered an injury to the same knee that caused him to miss all of last season. As of now the severity of the injury is unknown, but I have a hunch that Justin Roper is warming up in the bullpen already. Get your panic buttons ready Duck fans.

* Miami has suspended projected starting quarterback Robert Marve for the season opener against Charleston Southern. That means true freshman Jacory Harris will have the first shot at filling the ballerina slippers of Kirby Freeman and Kyle Wright.

* Gene Chizik has chosen a winner in the heated quarterback competition at Iowa State. Austen Arnaud will get first crack at the job. Phillip Bates will see the field though - he played wide receiver last season and has too much athleticism to keep on the sidelines.

* N.C. State redshirt freshman Russell Wilson was tabbed by head coach Tom O’Brien as the starter for the Thursday night opener against South Carolina. Wilson beat out incumbent Daniel Evans, Nebraska transfer Harrison Beck, and Justin Burke, who is transfering to Louisville.

* Notre Dame tight end Mike Ragone tore up his knee and will sit out the season. The Domers were already thin at tight end, so it will be up to incoming freshmen to handle an important position in Charlie Weis’ offense.