Week 2 College Football Predictions

Thursday
Oregon State at Cincinnati: Both schools looked good in their opening week wins, but I'd have to say the Beavers are much more prepared following their 24-7 victory against Utah than the Bearcats are after their 59-3 throttling of Southeast Missouri State.
Oregon State 27 Cincinnati 17

Middle Tennessee State at Louisville: The Blue Raiders are, dare I say, a tougher test for the Cardinals than their Week 1 opponent of Murray State, but that's not saying much. For Cardinals' fans who like seeing 73-10-type scores with their team as the winner, get ready for more of the same in this one.
Louisville 59 Middle Tennessee State 13

Friday
Navy at Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights better not look past these Midshipmen as some teams tend to do. Boston College about did that in the bowl game last year, only to come out of the game with a lucky 1-point last second victory. With the game in Jersey, I think Navy will hang tough for about a half, but Ray Rice will be too much for the Navy front seven in the second half.
Rutgers 35 Navy 21

Saturday
West Virginia at Marshall: After Week 1's performance, it appears to be more of the same this year as last year for the Mountaineers. They'll just try to find ways to outscore their opponents, because after giving up 24 to Western Michigan, it appears that their defense may not be up to juggernaut status quite yet. Even so, Pat White, Steve Slaton, and company will have plenty of firepower to blow past the Thundering Herd.
West Virginia 56 Marshall 17

Nevada at Northwestern: What can be made of these two clubs' opening performances? Sixty-six freshman and sophomores help comprise Nevada's roster, meanwhile Northwestern shut out Division I-AA Northeastern. With one year under newbie head coach Pat Fitzgerald, the game at home, and so much youth on the other side, I'm giving the slight edge to the Wildcats.
Northwestern 27 Nevada 24

Nebraska at Wake Forest: Wake always seems to be a very pesky opponent. WIth their constant motion on offense, gadget plays, and bend-but-don't-break defense, they're never an easy team to beat. But, they lost a great deal of talent following last year's ACC Championship, especially on the defensive side of the ball. So long as Nebraska doesn't play sloppy - aren't penalized much and don't turn the ball over, I think they'll come out with a nice road victory here, before going back home to play USC.
Nebraska 35 Wake Forest 17

Miami (Florida) at Oklahoma: These two teams are still mysteries at this point. Not much can be told about either club after Miami beat up on Marshall 31-3 and Oklahoma put up 79 points on North Texas. In either case, with the game in Norman and with Stoops and his crew having a bit more experience at their fingertips than Miami's new crew, I'm giving the advantage to the Sooners.
Oklahoma 24 Miami (Florida) 10

Miami (Ohio) at Minnesota: Why'd the Gophers can Glen Mason again? After that devastating bowl game against Texas Tech? Hey, at least they went bowling. I bet you they're regretting the decision now after their opening game loss to Bowling Green 32-31 in overtime. I would hope that they'd be able to rebound at home against Miami (Ohio), but I've been wrong before.
Minnesota 38 Miami (Ohio) 17

Akron at Ohio State: Can the mighty Zips do to the Buckeyes what the Mountaineers did to the Wolverines? I wouldn't bet on it, especially at the Shoe.
Ohio State 38 Akron 10

Duke at Virginia: After UVA's opening game loss to Wyoming by the score of 23-3, I would almost be tempted to go with the Dukies if it weren't in Charlottesville. But, on the other side of the coin, Duke lost to UConn last week 45-14. So, I can't say they looked all too impressive either.
Virginia 24 Duke 10

Alabama at Vanderbilt: Both teams are coming off games against Division I-AA opponents. While I believe (if he stays around) Nick Saban will turn the Tide around and back to prominence eventually, I also believe that Vandy may pull a Kentucky from last year and be bowl bound this season. With the game at home, I'm going with the upset. Those pesky Commodores do it again!
Vanderbilt 24 Alabama 21

Bowling Green at Michigan State: If the Falcons win this one, they'd start the season 2-0 in the Big Ten. With the game in East Lansing and the Spartans looking impressive in their 55-18 opening week victory against UAB, I'm not thinking that's going to happen.
Michigan State 42 Bowling Green 17

Rice at Baylor: Do I have to pick? Rice is coming off a 16-14 loss to Division I-AA Nicholls State and Baylor was shut-out by TCU last week, 27-0. Rice is heads and Baylor is tails. It landed tails. Okay, Baylor it is.
Baylor 24 Rice 21

San Jose State at Kansas State: K-State impressed me this past weekend in their 23-13 loss to Auburn. For anyone who watched the game knows, the score was much closer than that. I just hope that they don't summer a hangover against the Spartans. With the game in Manhattan, I'm not thinking that's going to happen.
Kansas State 31 San Jose State 13

California at Colorado State: As I just mentioned in the previous game, Cal better not be hung-over in Fort Collins this week following their huge home win against Tennessee. As I stated about West Virginia, from their Week 1 performance, Cal's offense appears to be one of the best in the nation, but I'm not at all convinced on their defense. If their offense falters at all in this one, they could be in trouble. Word of advice to Sonny Lubbick and company: Don't let DeSean Jackson touch the football! Unfortunately, for them, he will and Cal should win because of that.
California 42 Colorado State 24

Missouri at Mississippi: Ole Miss' defense is pretty underrated, but can they score enough to become bowl eligible this year? That's the question. While I feel they'll make this game a bit closer than Mizzou head coach Gary Pinkel would like, I do feel that the Tigers should get the victory.
Missouri 24 Mississippi 17

North Carolina State at Boston College: Tom O'Brien, welcome back! What a start he's off to with the Wolfpack. While BC started the season with a big 38-28 conference victory against defending ACC Champion Wake Forest, NC State started the year off with a big L at the hands of (gulp) Central Florida. Look for more of the same as BC welcome O'Brien back with another L and an 0-2 start with the Wolfpack.
Boston College 31 NC State 17

Oregon at Michigan: Let me get this straight...Michigan becomes the first ranked Division I-A school to lose to a Division I-AA team and yet they're an 8.5 point favorite against Oregon, a club who won 48-27 against Houston this past weekend and who runs a similar-style offense to that of Appalachian State? While it's extremely hard for me to believe Michigan will start the year 0-2, both games being at home, it was even more difficult for me to have believed they would lose to Appalachian State to start the year 0-1 in the first place. Until I see some life from the Wolverines' defense (or until they face Notre Dame), it'll be hard for me to pick them.
Oregon 38 Michigan 35

Boise State at Washington: This is a tough game for me to pick. Washington improved a great deal last year in Tyrone Willinghmam's second season as head coach there and they appeared to pick up right where they left off last week, in their 42-12 destruction of Syracuse in their opener. But, until Boise State loses, it's going to be difficult for me to pick against them. This will be a tough early season test, but I look for the Broncos to eke one out against the Huskies.
Boise State 31 Washington 24

Fresno State at Texas A&M: Here's another toughy. Pat Hill's Fresno State Bulldogs just aren't afraid to play anyone, anywhere, at any time, are they? College Station? Here we come! If this were two to three years ago, I might think about taking Fresno in the upset, but they've kind of lost their identity this past season+ and I don't look for them to suddenly find it again at College Station.
Texas A&M 27 Fresno State 17

UAB at Florida State: Do I have to even say much about this one? If Michigan State can beat the Blazers 55-18, I would think/hope that Bobby's 'Noles could beat up on the same UAB squad. I look for FSU to rebound nicely following the tough 24-18 loss to Tommy's Tigers.
Florida State 49 UAB 10

South Carolina at Georgia: Spurrier vs. Richt. Should be a great game with those two coaches going head-to-head, right? While I think it'll be a decent game, in no way do I think it'll go down to the final possession. Georgia looked very impressive in their 35-14 win against Oklahoma State, while South Carolina looked less than stellar against Louisiana-Lafayette, in their 28-14 win. With the game in Athens and some Gamecock players still in trouble, I look for Georgia to win this game rather comfortably.
Georgia 28 South Carolina 17

Notre Dame at Penn State: Considering the fact that I believe Penn State will be a better ball club than Georgia Tech this year and considering the other fact that Notre Dame lost to those same Yellow Jackets this past weekend in South Bend by a deceptive 33-3 score (it was worse than that), I look for Penn State to trounce on the Irish as well.
Penn State 38 Notre Dame 10

North Carolina at East Carolina: Butch Davis should improve the Tar Heels quite a bit in a rather short period of time, especially with how some ACC teams are floundering a bit right now. But, with only one game to their credit, a victory over a Division I-AA school and so much youth on the squad that Michael Jackson may become a Heels' fan soon, I look for the stingy Pirates' defense to do enough to hold off the young talent in the Tar Heel blue.
East Carolina 24 North Carolina 17

BYU at UCLA: BYU has an opportunity to start the year 2-0 against the Pac-10, as they beat Arizona 20-7 this past weekend. But, I'm not thinking that's going to happen. UCLA is much too quick on the defensive side of the ball and are ever improving on the offensive end. With the game being in L.A., that's just icing on the cake for the Bruins, as they should win and improve to 2-0.
UCLA 27 BYU 17

Southern Mississippi at Tennessee: If the game were in Hattiesberg, I might opt to take the Golden Eagles in the upset. But, I just can't see Phillip Fulmer and his 'Vols falling to 0-2 with a home loss to Jeff Bower's always stingy and pesky Southern Miss squad.
Tennessee 24 Southern Mississippi 14

Mississippi State at Tulane: For whatever reason, this will be the first game of Tulane's season. Mississippi State had it handed to them against LSU in their opener, 45-0. Keeping that already in mind, Sly Croom's crew will be seeing holes this week they never thought were possible and making the most of their opportunities against the usually sluggish Green Wave defense.
Mississippi State 28 Tulane 17

Kent State at Kentucky: Kentucky starts the year with Eastern Kentucky and then meets up with Kent State. Who's next? Anyone with the four letters K-E-N-T in their name? The Golden Flashes are coming off a victory over a Big XII school, in their 23-14 win over Iowa State, but the Suckclones aren't anywhere near as good a teams as these Wildcats. Look for Kentucky to improve to 2-0.
Kentucky 38 Kent State 17

UTEP at Texas Tech: Mike Price vs. Mike Leach. I actually hope this one is televised, because it could be entertaining, to say the least. However, in saying that and in seeing the Red Raiders annihilate SMU in their house 49-9, I have to go with the Red Raiders in this one as well.
Texas Tech 56 UTEP 35

San Diego State at Washington State: The Aztecs of SDSU are the only other school outside of Tulane to not have played this past weekend. Wazzoo played top ten Wisconsin tough for about three quarters, before the Badgers pulled away 42-21. I look for the Cougars to rebound in Pullman and even their record at 1-1.
Washington State 27 San Diego State 14

Syracuse at Iowa: Iowa looked anything but impressive offensively in their 16-3 victory over Northern Illinois this past week, but Syracuse, they looked even worse, losing by thirty points to Washington. Regardless of how unimpressed I was with Iowa in their first game, they should have no problems (knocks on wood) against the Orange.
Iowa 24 Syracuse 10

Indiana at Western Michigan: This is a game where the teams seem to be so evenly matched, that depending upon who the home team was, I'd most likely predict them as the winner. I'm going to do just that and go with the Western Michigan Broncos.
Western Michigan 27 Indiana 24

South Florida at Auburn: Here is my second upset special of the weekend. I already took Vandy over Alabama. Now I'm going to take South Florida over Auburn. The Tigers' offense has done anything but click over their previous 8 games. They've had to rely solely on their tough defense to win field position battles and put their offense/special teams in position to score. South Florida knows a thing or two about upsets, as they beat then undefeated Louisville two years ago and beat West Virginia last season. Jim Leavitt's team always plays aggressively and with more heart than I can see the Tigers playing with this weekend.
South Florida 17 Auburn 13

Virginia Tech at LSU: It was a very emotional opening win for Virginia Tech in their 17-7 victory over East Carolina this past weekend, but if they felt it was difficult running the ball and clicking offensively against the Pirate defense, at home mind you, that'll be nothing compared to the difficulties they'll face in Baton Rouge against LSU. If Tech can prevent themselves from turning the ball over, they may be in this game until the end, but even so, I have trouble believing they'll be able to win this night game in Baton Rouge, one of the toughest places for a road team to play, especially in the evening hours. This game starts at 8:15 CST...
LSU 24 Virginia Tech 14

UNLV at Wisconsin: Not even the richest gambling man in Vegas could convince me that the Rebels had a shot in this one. The Badgers should run away with it.
Wisconsin 42 UNLV 10

Colorado at Arizona State: I was glad to see Dan Hawkins and his CU squad get off to a good start. Sorry Husker fans. He went through an awful first year in Boulder and it was nice to see him get off to a better start this time around. In saying that, it'd be a huge boost to both his and his players' confidence if they were able to start the year 2-0 with huge wins against rival Colorado State at home and a road victory in Tempe against the Sundevils. While I think the Buffs should make this interesting for a half or maybe three quarters, I don't think their defense will be able to slow Rudy Carpenter and the Sundevils' offense enough to give their own offense an opportunity at winning the game in the end.
Arizona State 38 Colorado 24

Louisiana-Monroe at Clemson: This would be a major hangover if Clemson found a way to lose this one. I'm not going to say it's not possible, but as the Magic 8 Ball might say, it's highly unlikely.
Clemson 49 Louisiana-Monroe 10

Troy at Florida: Western Kentucky and Troy? Quite the non-conference schedule the defending champs have slated for themselves thus far, isn't it? Either way, the Gators will win going away.
Florida 45 Troy 10

Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma State: This will be a nice week for the men in white, black, and orange to rebound, following their very disappointing 35-14 loss to Georgia. The Cowboys should easily even their record at 1-1 with a win in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State 56 Florida Atlantic 14

Maryland at Florida International: Maryland faces Division I-AA Villanova and then one of two winless teams from a season ago, Florida International. While the Terps didn't look great in their 31-14 win over the Wildcats, they should have no problem beating the 0-12 2006-2007 squad that lies before them on Saturday.
Maryland 28 Florida International 3

TCU at Texas: If Appalachian State can beat Michigan at the Big House, I would think that TCU has a chance at beating Texas in Austin. It's not nearly as large of an upset, but would be one nonetheless. The Horned Frogs improve to 2-0 against Big XII opponents.
TCU 24 Texas 21

Buffalo at Temple: Turner Gill's first victory with Buffalo last season came at the expense of Temple. With one game under their belt against a very tough Rutgers ball club, I look for Gill's Bulls to be ready for a much more competitive contest against the Owls. Gill and the Bulls even their record at 1-1.
Buffalo 21 Temple 17

Toledo at Central Michigan: Opening week went nothing like the Rockets or Chippewas had hoped. Facing Purdue and Kansas, the two MAC schools were outscored 104-31. With the game at home and thinking that their opener was simply an aberration, I'm going with the Chippewas.
Central Michigan 31 Toledo 24

Utah State at Wyoming: The Cowboys have been hovering around mediocrity the past few couple years or so. They started this season off with a bang, as they beat ACC Virginia 23-3 this past weekend. At home, I look for them to continue on the momentum to improve to 2-0.
Wyoming 31 Utah State 13

Ball State at Eastern Michigan: I'll keep this short, because who really cares? Ball State has appeared more average in the past season+ than Eastern Michigan, so I'm going with the Cardinals.
Ball State 24 Eastern Michigan 17

Air Force at Utah: Even though I'm very skeptical and wary about this pick, I'm going with the home team over the always pesky Falcons of Air Force.
Utah 31 Air Force 28

Hawaii at Louisiana Tech: It's as simple as this. Louisiana Tech may be able to put up a few points here and there, especially at home, but Hawaii can score many more points. Quarterback Colt Brennan was yanked in the Warriors' first game this past weekend after just one half of action. He threw for 416 yards and 6 touchdowns in the first half alone! Imagine what his numbers would've been had he played for the entire game!
Hawaii 56 Louisiana Tech 17

New Mexico State at New Mexico: New Mexico has definitely been the better of the two in-state Division I-A schools over the past few years, but under head coach Hal Mumme, the gap has been tightening and I think this season, the Aggies finally defeat their inner-state rival Lobos.
New Mexico State 31 New Mexico 28

Ohio at Louisiana-Lafayette: Even though Lafayette played Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks tightly in their first game, I still like Ohio's chances in this one. They're coming off a 9-5 campaign, making it as far as the MAC title game and a bowl in just Frank Solich's second season.
Ohio 24 Louisiana-Lafayette 17

Memphis at Arkansas State: The Arkansas State Indians lost by just 8 points to #4 Texas this past weekend. Was Texas playing that poorly? Was Arkansas State playing that well? I don't know, but I'm going with Memphis in this game. If Arkansas State wins and in a landslide, then perhaps I'll take them seriously from here forward.
Memphis 28 Arkansas State 17

North Texas at SMU: What happened to the Mean Green? It seems up until about two to three years ago, they were a perennial Sun Belt Conference power and one could count them as being the conference representative in the New Orleans Bowl. But, they've fallen on hard times the past year or so and things aren't looking any better for the men in green, following their 79-10 loss to Oklahoma. Look for their hard times to continue with another loss, this time to the Mustangs.
SMU 34 North Texas 14