Week 9 College Football Predictions

Thursday
Clemson (+5) at Virginia Tech: Something deep down is telling me to go with the Hokies at home in a Thursday night game, but I just can't do that. Clemson is even due for a let-down after their dominating 31-7 win against Georgia Tech. This game may be closer than I would've expected a couple weeks ago, but Clemson's playing so well, it's hard for me to see them losing an ACC game anytime soon.
Clemson 28 Virginia Tech 21
Virginia Tech 24 Clemson 7 (0-1) (0-1)

Friday
UTEP at Tulsa (+14): This should make for an entertaining Friday night matchup, much more so than West Virginia's 37-11 win over UConn last week. UTEP's offense should keep them in the game, but I think Tulsa will pull this one out at home.
Tulsa 31 UTEP 21

Saturday
Nebraska (+5.5) at Oklahoma State: This has all the makings of a trap game for the Cornhuskers. This comes between two home games with Texas and Missouri. Okie State will be able to score against the NU defense, but their defense probably won't be able to stop NU's either. As long as NU doesn't turn the ball over and beat themselves, they should come out on top.
Nebraska 35 Oklahoma State 28

Colorado at Kansas (+2): The 'Buffs offense has shown up once this year, two weeks ago in their 30-6 win against Texas Tech. Kansas is one of the better 3-5 teams out there, with two overtime losses to the likes of Toledo and Nebraska, a three point loss to Texas A&M, a one point loss to Baylor, and a ten point loss to Oklahoma State. This one shouldn't be too close and that'll only help KU.
Kansas 21 Colorado 13

Iowa State at Kansas State (+5): It's going to be difficult for me to pick ISU the rest of this season. They're 3-5 with those three wins coming against UNLV (1-6) by 6, Toledo (2-6) by 2 in triple overtime, and Division I-AA Northern Iowa (0-8, according to my system) by 1. That's right, they've beaten three teams with records of 3-20 by a combined 9 points. With the game in Manhattan and ISU not having a defense, I'm going with the Wildcats.
Kansas State 28 Iowa State 21

Oklahoma at Missouri (+2): OU passed their first test with Adrian Peterson last week against the 1-7 Colorado Buffaloes. What a first test that was! Things won't be so easy this time around in Columbia. OU's offense won't be able to match Mizzou's offense and should fall short on the road.
Missouri 28 Oklahoma 21

Texas (+11) at Texas Tech: Texas Tech simply isn't as solid as they have been the past couple years and it's a shame, because they haven't played as weak a schedule as they have been notorious for in recent years. Texas is coming off a big road win in Lincoln and should have no problem in Lubbock.
Texas 42 Texas Tech 24

Texas A&M (+4.5) at Baylor: It seems like every week I go against A&M and every week, I'm proven wrong. The game in Waco against the 4-4 Bears will be no cakewalk, but I'm finally going to pick the Aggies. Watch, they lose.
Texas A&M 24 Baylor 17

Northern Illinois at Iowa (+17): While I think Iowa should win this game at home, reports say that Drew Tate will not play, so I don't believe the Hawkeyes will cover the spread. The other game that Tate didn't start was against Syracuse and it took a great goalline stand in double overtime by the 'Hawks defense to proclaim victory against the Orange.
Iowa 21 Northern Illinois 14

Northwestern at Michigan (+34): Must I even comment about this game? Northwestern was up 38-3 against the fellas from East Lansing last week in the 3rd quarter and couldn't hang on to the lead. Michigan will dominate at home.
Michigan 42 Northwestern 7

Michigan State (+7) at Indiana: Yes! Finally, I get to pick an upset! Sure, Michigan State pulled off the biggest comeback in Division I-A history last week against Northwestern. But, to lose 4 straight previously and to be down 38-3 to Northwestern in the first place? Indiana beat Iowa two weeks ago, got drummed by Ohio State last weekend. With this game in Bloomington and Terry Hoeppner keeping things upbeat as always, I see as upset in this one.
Indiana 28 Michigan State 24

Minnesota at Ohio State (+27): Minnesota is 3-5 with wins against Temple and Division I-AA North Dakota State by a single point last week. The GO-phers are lacking the confidence and motivation to do much right now, especially at the Horseshoe. The Buckeyes should have a field day on offense and no problems on defense either.
Ohio State 42 Minnesota 14

Penn State (+3.5) at Purdue: 4-4 teams butt heads in the MSU/Indy game and a pair of 5-3 teams butt heads here. It should be a pretty close and entertaining game, but I've been less impressed by Purdue this year than Penn State. Even on the road, I'm going with JoPa and the Nittany Lions.
Penn State 28 Purdue 21

Illinois at Wisconsin (+21): Wisconsin has picked up right where they left off when Barry Alvarez retired. Redshirt freshman tailback P.J. Hill has been the big surprise. Wisconsin seems like the Denver Broncos of college football. It doesn't matter who they place back there, he's going to rack up plenty of yards for the BAH-gers. Oh, yeah, and expect them to have their way with the Fightless Illini at home.
Wisconsin 38 Illinois 14

Akron (+5.5) at Toledo: Following Toledo's loss to then 0-6 Eastern Michigan last week, I will have trouble picking the Rockets from here on out. What happened to them? Did Bruce Gradkowski mean that much to the offense? The Zips should get back to .500 with this game.
Akron 28 Toledo 17

Florida International at Alabama (+36): That's a mighty high spread for Alabama. How many times have they even scored 36 points in a game this year? Once that I can remember. Florida International didn't even allow that many points to Miami (Florida). Because of those factors, I'm going against the spread in this one.
Alabama 31 Florida International 3

Arkansas State (+8) at Florida Atlantic: Arkansas State is picking up right where they left off last season, when they went to the New Orleans Bowl. They're 5-2 right now and well on their way to 6-2 after this win.
Arkansas State 24 Florida Atlantic 14

Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas (+36.5): If the game only lasted the 20 minutes that typical "NCAA Football '07" games last, Louisiana-Monroe may have a chance to make it close. Ahh, forget about it. They'd need to set the quarter to a minute a piece in order to accomplish that. 'Backs win this one big.
Arkansas 52 Louisiana-Monroe 3

Auburn (+18.5) at Ole Miss: While I have no qualms about picking Auburn to win this game, I do have some doubts that they'll cover the spread. The game is in Oxford and Ole Miss has played well defensively this season. I think I'll go against the spread in this one.
Auburn 24 Ole Miss 7

BYU (+8) at Air Force: The Falcons are coming off a very disappointing loss to then 0-5 San Diego State. Meanwhile, BYU, since their two heartbreaking loss to start the season against Arizona and Boston College, have plowed their opposition into the ground. I expect it to be no different in this one. It'll be an entertaining game to watch. Talk about two completely different philosophies on offense. But in the end, BYU should have the upperhand.
BYU 35 Air Force 24

Buffalo at Boston College (+35): Boston College likes to play their games close. They beat Central Michigan by 7 early on, beat BYU by 7 in overtime. Their biggest victory, in terms of margin, was against Division I-AA Maine. BC won that game 22-0. Keeping all that in mind, I'm going to pick against the spread in this one.
Boston College 35 Buffalo 7

Bowling Green (+19.5) at Temple: Here it is! The Owls have a chance! A home game against a MAC team! Yes! Wait, wasn't that the scenario last week in their loss to Northern Illinois? Hmm. Allright, so I got a little excited there. How long's Temple going to stay in Division I-A?
Bowling Green 35 Temple 14

Syracuse at Cincinnati (+6.5): Yeah, I picked against Cincy on Sunday night and paid for it. Cincy may very well be better than their record indicates. They're 4-4 with those losses coming against Pittsburgh (6-2), Ohio State (8-0), Virginia Tech (5-2), and Louisville (7-0) and those opponents are a combined 26-4 (.867). Syracuse has been a pain in the backside to most teams and should pose that problem here as well, but at home, Cincy should come out on top.
Cincinnati 17 Syracuse 10

New Mexico at Colorado State (+6.5): CSU started the year hot, but against very poor competition. New Mexico is going in the opposite direction following their season-opening loss to Division I-AA Portland State. With the teams heading the way they are, I'm going with the Lobos on the road in Fort Collins.
New Mexico 28 Colorado State 24

Georgia at Florida (+14): Even though I think Georgia is the most overrated team in the SEC, I don't see the Gators covering the spread here. What Georgia has is a very good defense. It won't be good enough to stop the Gators all together, but it should be good enough to keep them in the game.
Florida 21 Georgia 14

Florida State (+5) at Maryland: Two more mediocre teams in the mediocre ACC. Florida State has the more talent, but does that matter anymore? FSU has no running game and even that's being polite. The Terps might be one of the worst, if not the worst two-loss team left in college football. I can't see them saying that after this weekend, because they'll be at three losses.
Florida State 24 Maryland 17

Miami (Florida) at Georgia Tech (+6): Miami got lucky last weekend against Duke? Yeah, Duke! Tech, meanwhile, got slaughtered by Clemson. Neither team is entering the game on a good note. With the game being played in Atlanta and Calvin Johnson playing a bit angry after being shutout last week against the Tigers, I look for Georgia Tech to come out with the victory at home.
Georgia Tech 21 Miami (Florida) 17

Idaho at Hawaii (+25.5): With Hawaii comes a lot of points. Idaho has had a decent year under Dennis Erickson in his debut season for the Vandals. Erickson and his crew, like many visitors, will probably get too caught up in the nice weather, babes, and Hawaii environment to win this one.
Hawaii 49 Idaho 24

Central Florida at Houston (+18): I have little doubt that Houston will pull this one out, but am not certain on the spread. Given the fact that Houston ended their snide last week by beating UTEP by 17 and that UCF is not playing well (to be nice), I'm going to go with Houston big in this one.
Houston 45 Central Florida 21

Ohio at Kent State (+6.5): This is actually a big MAC game. It's odd to say that, being a matchup between Frank Solich's Ohio Bobcats and the Kent State Golden Flashes. I don't know about the spread. I think the game will be closer than that. But, I'm going to give the edge to KSU because of their home-field advantage.
Kent State 28 Ohio 24

Kentucky (+2) at Mississippi State: I'm secretly pulling for Croom's Bulldogs in this game, but I don't see it happening. They don't have enough on offense to win this one.
Kentucky 24 Mississippi State 17

Middle Tennessee State at Louisiana-Lafayette (+3): A big Sun Belt game between MTSU and the Rajun' Cajuns? Yeah. MTSU comes in at 4-3 and Louisiana-Lafayette at 4-2. MTSU has played better competition out of conference this year and while it was ugly on the field for the Blue Raiders in those losses, I think that tough competition will pay dividends for them in this game to pull off the upset on the road.
Middle Tennessee State 24 Louisiana-Lafayette 21

Memphis at Marshall (+6.5): Who's worse? That should be the key question. Memphis enters the game at 1-6 and Marshall at 2-5. Ouch! DeAngelo Williams is gone from Memphis and I've already noted in the past who's no longer at Marshall. With the game at home, I'm giving the slight edge to the Thundering Herd. If you like close games, this may be entertaining. If you like quality close games, then you may want to stay far away from this one.
Marshall 28 Memphis 24

Ball State at Miami (Ohio) (+4): Miami was a favorite over Buffalo when the Red Hawks hadn't won a game. They're now a favorite over Ball State with just that one win over Buffalo to their credit still. The "experts" knew something last time. I think I'll follow in their footsteps this time as well.
Miami (Ohio) 31 Ball State 24

NC State (+1) at Virginia: Two more mediocre teams from the mediocre ACC. How many mediocre clubs are in the conference? NC State has had more ups and downs this season than Terrell Owens has had over the past two years. Virginia started off the season horribly, but are playing better ball of late with their freshman quarterback Sewell garnering playing experience. With the game in Charlottesville and the improved play of UVA, I'm going with the Cavs at home.
Virginia 21 NC State 17

New Mexico State at Nevada (+18): New Mexico State will be able to put points up on the board, but don't expect them to snap their losing streak to Division I-A teams on the road against a pretty decent Nevada squad. I think NMSU will beat the spread, however.
Nevada 38 New Mexico State 28

Notre Dame (+14) at Navy: The Irish have snuck by some opponents this season. They got lucky against Georgia Tech, Michigan State, and UCLA just last weekend. Navy presents a bit of a challenge to the Irish defense with their unusual style of play. Even then, I think ND's pool of talent is too big and physical for Navy to handle.
Notre Dame 28 Navy 14

Louisiana Tech at San Jose State (+9.5): I'm very hesitant on this game. SJSU is 4-2 but has played one of the weakest schedules to this point in Division I-A. Louisiana Tech is on the opposite end of the spectrum, having played one of the toughest. Coming off a win last week, I'm giving the edge to the Bulldogs. I'm shocked that the Spartans are such a heavy favorite.
Louisiana Tech 24 San Jose State 21

East Carolina at Southern Miss (+5.5): If one likes defense, they should tune into this one. ECU and Southern Miss have stingy defenses this year and this is a big game for the two teams in Conference USA. ECU is 3-4 and Southern Miss 4-3 following their drubbing at the hands of Virginia Tech. With the game in Hattiesberg, I give the slight edge to Southern Miss, but it's not a very confident pick.
Southern Miss 17 East Carolina 14

Wyoming at TCU (+6): Wyoming is finally learning how to win football games! Following their 1-4 start with heart-breaking losses all four times, the Cowboys have reeled off four consecutive victories to even their record at 4-4. TCU has been anything but great following the hype they received in the pre-season. Like the previous game between ECU and Southern Miss, expect this to be tight and low-scoring all throughout. But, I'm giving the edge to the Cowboys to win their fourth straight.
Wyoming 21 TCU 17

Tennessee (+5) at South Carolina: The 'Vols have looked great at times this season and not so at others, with their one-point win over Air Force and last week's ugly win against the Crimson Tide. Because the Gamecocks are not run-dominated on offense and not particularly dominant on defense, I think it'll be much more difficult for Carolina to force the 'Vols to play as ugly as 'Bama made them play last week. I give the edge to Tennessee and think they'll cover the spread.
Tennessee 28 South Carolina 17

North Texas at Troy (+9): Who to pick in this one? Wait, Troy is a nine-point favorite? What? Yeah, I think the Trojans will probably win, but not by 9. North Texas has been disappointing this season, but still have a stud at tailback.
Troy 21 North Texas 14

Army at Tulane (+5.5): Much different styles on offense for these two clubs. With the game at home, Tulane playing better of late, and Army not playing quite as well, I'm giving the edge to the Green Wave.
Tulane 28 Army 17

Washington State at UCLA (+1): Wazzu gets no love. What, since UCLA almost beat Notre Dame, they're the one-point favorite? Wazzu just beat Oregon at Autzen by 11. Following USC and Cal, I'm now starting to believe that Washington State is the third best team in the Pac 10.
Washington State 24 UCLA 21

USC (+12) at Oregon State: The Trojans had a week off to think about their three close Pac 10 victories. The Trojans should come out fresh and ready for this one and shut critics up for a week.
USC 28 Oregon State 14

UNLV at Utah (+20): Both teams are heading in the wrong direction. Utah is now 4-4 following two consecutive losses. This could be the perfect game for the Utes to rebound against lowly 1-6 UNLV. The Rebs have lost some close ones, including a 16-10 defeat at the hands of Iowa State. I think Utah will win at home, but not by what the spread indicates.
Utah 24 UNLV 10

Vanderbilt (+10.5) at Duke: Vandy was hung over last week following their big win in Athens over Georgia. They had their week to be high. Now they have a chance to get back on the winning track against the winless Blue Devils. The Commodores should do just that.
Vanderbilt 24 Duke 10

Wake Forest (+8.5) at North Carolina: Two words: Carolina stinks. That's about all there is to say. They're 1-6, got shutout 23-0 against 3-5 Virginia, and head coach Bunting is on his way out after the season. Wake had a week off and should put it to the Tar Heels, well, what's left of them.
Wake Forest 28 North Carolina 10

Arizona State at Washington (+1): UW has had some rough losses this year. They got hosed by the refs for one last play against USC and lost a game in overtime last week to Cal. I think ASU is starting to roll offensively again and should find a way to pull this one out.
Arizona State 31 Washington 24

Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan (+15): This is the last game to pick and I don't feel like writing much. Western Michigan is solid defensively and should have no problems winning this one at home.
Western Michigan 38 Eastern Michigan 21

Sunday
UConn at Rutgers (+19): It's hard for me to take Rutgers by three touchdowns here. They're not a high-scoring team. They're run-dominated on offense with their underrated dual-back system of Ray Rice and Brian Leonard. I think Rutgers should have no problems pounding UConn on the ground, but I don't see them covering the rather large point spread.
Rutgers 31 UConn 14