Week 8 College Football Picks and Results

Predictions
Thursday South Florida at Rutgers: A dangerous game for the upstart and #2 ranked South Florida Bulls. But, from what I've seen this year and for how USF responded to their poor showing two weeks ago against Florida Atlantic by racking up 64 points against Central Florida this past weekend, I have to believe Jim Leavitt will have his team more than ready for a victory that would vault them to a 7-0 record.
South Florida 35 Rutgers 24
Rutgers 30 South Florida 27 (0-1)

Utah at TCU: Two of the most inconsistent teams in college football go head-to-head on Thursday night in this one. Both teams are coming off victories this past weekend, with Utah defeating San Diego State and TCU getting the best of Stanford on the Cardinal's let-down week. With the game at home and their offense finally showing signs of life, I'm giving the slight edge to the Horned Frogs.
TCU 24 Utah 17
Utah 27 TCU 20 (0-2)

Friday
Northwestern at Eastern Michigan: How about them Wildcats? I should watch what I say with the 4-3 club, because after looking decent in their first couple contests, they fell to a Division I-AA team. Now, following a close loss to Michigan and victories against Big Ten foes, Michigan State and Minnesota, Northwestern goes out-of-conference to face those pesky Eagles of the MAC, who only lost by 11 earlier this year to Michigan. This is no gimme (come on, it's Northwestern!), but I'm going to show a little bit of faith in Pat Fitzgerald's club. Victory #5 with one more necessary for bowl eligibility.
Northwestern 38 Eastern Michigan 24
Northwestern 26 Eastern Michigan 14 (1-2)

Louisville at Connecticut: This is a very intriguing match-up, for me anyway. UConn was 5-0 going into their game last weekend and received no love from the media or fans because of their weak schedule until that point. While they fell to Virginia in Charlottesville on Saturday, they battled for 60 minutes, only to lose 17-16 in the end. Louisville, meanwhile, showed some signs of life, especially on the defensive side of the ball, as they snapped Cincinnati's unbeaten streak, beating the Bearcats 28-24. I'm always tempted to go with the home club in these types of match-ups, especially with the history of Louisville's defense being what it is, but I have a feeling the club is finally turning the corner and will win their second huge Big East game in a row.
Louisville 31 Connecticut 24
Connecticut 21 Louisville 17 (1-3)

Saturday
Army at Georgia Tech: Unless Chan Gailey's club plays drunk and/or hung over, they should beat Army. No disrespect to the Black Knights, but as has been typical in recent years, they should finish third in the Commander-in-Chief Trophy sweepstakes.
Georgia Tech 31 Army 7
Georgia Tech 34 Army 10 (2-3)

Oklahoma at Iowa State: As I said last week when having to choose between Texas and Iowa State...need I even pick? Oklahoma wins and in an embarrassing fashion!
Oklahoma 52 Iowa State 0
Oklahoma 17 Iowa State 7 (3-3)

Penn State at Indiana: Indiana was 5-1 going into last week's game against Michigan State. We're now starting to see the Hoosiers for what/who they really are. They fell to the struggling Spartans by 25 points and things shouldn't go much better in Bloomington against JoPa's Nittany Lions. PSU played terrific last week against Wisconsin and should ride that momentum for another conference win. A let-down is possible, but not likely.
Penn State 31 Indiana 17
Penn State 36 Indiana 31 (4-3)

Texas A&M at Nebraska: After witnessing NU these past couple weekends, it's going to be extremely difficult for me to pick them again this season. There's a slim chance I could have a change of heart/mind for the home game against Kansas State and an outside chance I could see them upend Colorado in Boulder, but after being outscored 86-20 these past two weekends against Missouri and 3-3 (at the time) Oklahoma State at home, I just can't see Nebraska putting together all the pieces by this weekend to upstage A&M. On a positive note, though, if there was a Big XII team (outside Baylor and Iowa State) that NU had a chance against at this point in the season, it's definitely Texas A&M. The two clubs are mirror reflections of one another in terms of disappointing performances, coaches on the hot seat, and team distractions.
Texas A&M 31 Nebraska 21
Texas A&M 36 Nebraska 14 (5-3)

Miami (Ohio) at Temple: Temple is riding a two-game winning streak going into this one! That's their longest streak since John Cheney was the head coach! But seriously, congratulations to the hapless Owls. Perhaps a move to the MAC was just what they needed. But, unfortunately for them, I see that streak coming to a close with a loss to the hot Red Hawks of Miami, who just put up 47 points on Bowling Green last Saturday. Miami (Ohio) 34 Temple 20
Temple 24 Miami (Ohio) 17 (5-4)

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: The outcome of this game largely depends on the focus of Cincinnati. The Bearcats were 6-0 until last week's loss to Louisville and if they play hung-over in this game at all, Pittsburgh has the weapons necessary to upset the 'Cats. But, I don't see that happening. Pittsburgh has some very young talents in place, which could make them dangerous in the next couple years, but will Dave Wanstedt have the opportunity to see his recruits perform in the years ahead? That is the question. Bearcats win this one to send Pitt to 2-5 on the season.
Cincinnati 38 Pittsburgh 24
Pittsburgh 24 Cincinnati 17 (5-5)

Central Michigan at Clemson: Tommy Bowden's Tigers had a week off to recover from Beamer Ball. They mustn't take the Chippewas lightly, however, as CMU has finally found the flow and rhythm to their offense that made them MAC Champions a year ago. Even taking that into consideration, however, it won't be enough to stop the dynamic duo of the Tigers' backfield, Spiller, in particular.
Clemson 45 Central Michigan 24
Clemson 70 Central Michigan 14 (6-5)

Texas at Baylor: Back-to-back weeks against the two worst teams in the Big XII for the Longhorns. It started with a 56-3 slaughter of the Suckclones last week and will end with a beatdown of the Bears this week. Texas 45 Baylor 10
Texas 31 Baylor 10 (7-5)

Northern Illinois at Wisconsin: Just what the Badgers needed, a club as bad as 1-6 Northern Illinois. Of course, I shouldn't be so certain of that, as Wisconsin pulled away from 2-5 UNLV in the 4th quarter of their 20-13 win over the Rebels earlier this year and allowed 31 points to I-AA The Citadel. But, after two consecutive losses to Big Ten teams (Illinois and Penn State), Wisconsin should be relieved to see a club like NIU in Madison this weekend.
Wisconsin 31 Northern Illinois 3
Wisconsin 44 Northern Illinois 3 (8-5)

Iowa at Purdue: Like completely contrasting styles of football and strength on weakness? Then this game is for you. Saying Iowa's offense has been sub-par would like saying that Bill O'Reilly is a tad outspoken and to say that Purdue's defense has been awful would be like saying 2 + 2 = 4. With the game in West Lafayette, I'm very tempted to go with the Boilers, but believe that the two clubs have two different sets of heads on their shoulders right now. Iowa comes into the game with a renowned set of confidence following their big 10-6 win over then 5-1 Illinois, while Purdue has been correctly labeled Purdon't, especially on the defensive side of the ball, the past couple weekends in their losses to Ohio State and Michigan by a combined score of 71-28. As usual, I'm picking the solid defense to defeat the usually solid offense.
Iowa 24 Purdue 17
Purdue 31 Iowa 6 (8-6)

Tennessee at Alabama: Similar as in the previous game, these two clubs are seemingly going in different directions. After the Vols 1-2 start, they've won three straight, including a dominant performance against Georgia two weekends ago and a solid effort this past weekend against Mississippi State. Alabama, meanwhile, since starting the year 3-0, has gone 2-2 and those two wins have come by a combined 9 points against teams with a 5-8 record. I look for the trends to continue and for Tennessee to get the best of 'Bama in Tuscaloosa.
Tennessee 31 Alabama 21
Alabama 41 Tennessee 17 (8-7)

Vanderbilt at South Carolina: This is no game to take lightly for Steve Spurrier, but given the fact he's coached in the SEC before, he knows this. If the game were in Tennessee, I would probably take the Commies in an upset, but with it being played in Columbia, I'm taking the Gamecocks to improve to 7-1 on the season.
South Carolina 27 Vanderbilt 13
Vanderbilt 17 South Carolina 6 (8-8)

Wake Forest at Navy: Like lots of motion and gadget plays? This one is for you! Navy comes in running the all, but dead option offense and Wake is the king of major conference teams of using motion. Due to their advantage in size up front and with wide out and utility stud, Kenneth Moore, I give the edge to Wake in this one, to win their 5th consecutive game after starting the year at 0-2.
Wake Forest 31 Navy 21
Wake Forest 44 Navy 24 (9-8)

Arkansas at Mississippi: Both teams are in desperate need for a win. But, while 2-5 Mississippi wasn't expected to do much this year, 3-3 Arkansas had higher aspirations and expectations from the press and their fans. Everything is telling me to pick the pesky Rebels in this one, who lost to Florida 30-24 earlier this year and fell to Alabama by a 27-24 tally last weekend, but I have to go with Darren McFadden. Ole Miss had problems stopping the Tide's rush game last week and if that was the case with the inconsistent Tide run game, I have to believe McFadden and Felix Jones will run wild for the Hogs in this one.
Arkansas 28 Mississippi 20
Arkansas 44 Mississippi 8 (10-8)

Wyoming at Air Force: Believe it or not, this is a big MWC game. Wyoming comes in at 4-2 and Air Force at 5-2. With the game at home and with the tough to defend option offense being the staple of the team, I'm going with the Falcons in Colorado Springs.
Air Force 24 Wyoming 21
Air Force 20 Wyoming 12 (11-8)

Ball State at Western Michigan: The MAC has been anything but steady this year and until recent with Central Michigan playing well, no team in the conference has stood out from any other. But, Ball State may be attempting to prove they're the second best team in the conference. At 4-3 and coming off a win over independent Western Kentucky, the Cardinals should be able to defeat struggling Western Michigan, who defeated 1-6 Northern Illinois by four this past weekend.
Ball State 27 Western Michigan 20
Ball State 27 Western Michigan 23 (12-8)

Memphis at Rice: Both teams have looked horrendous at times this year, but Rice has shown some signs of improvement in their previous two games, whereas Memphis has not. I look for Rice and their option attack to give Memphis fits at home and for the Owls to improve to 2-5.
Rice 31 Memphis 24
Memphis 38 Rice 35 (12-9)

Nevada at Utah State: Utah State is one of only a handful of winless teams left. With Colin Kaepernick now leading the Wolfpack offense, look for that streak to continue. Nevada wins big.
Nevada 38 Utah State 13
Nevada 31 Utah State 28 (13-9)

California at UCLA: Uncertain of quarterback Nate Longshore's health, with UCLA coming off a bye, and Cal's heart being broken by Oregon State this past weekend, I'm giving the edge to the Bruins. While they seem to struggle with the teams they should have no problem defeating (i.e., Utah, Notre Dame), they appear to have less problem with the teams whom they may be underdogs against (i.e., USC, Cal).
UCLA 27 California 24
UCLA 30 California 21 (14-9)

Miami (Florida) at Florida State: With the game in Tallahassee, I'm going with Bobby's 'Noles, who, dare I say it, have played much more consistently over the course of this season than Randy Shannon's 'Canes. Florida State 20 Miami (Florida) 17
Miami (Florida) 37 Florida State 29 (14-10)

USC at Notre Dame: This could be another dangerous game for USC. Notre Dame has shown improvement in their previous three games and USC has appeared to be more like Wisconsin. They may be winning, but they're doing it in a very ugly fashion. Wait, what am I talking about? Notre Dame isn't a Pac-10 school. USC should thereby breeze by them, right?
USC 31 Notre Dame 10
USC 38 Notre Dame 0 (15-10)

Florida at Kentucky: South Carolina in Columbia on a Thursday night, followed by LSU at home, and now Florida at home. Kentucky's past three games (including this one) have come against opponents with a 16-4 record. Unfortunately for them, as I've seen it so many other times, I have a hard time believing they'll be good and ready for this big showdown following the huge upset win of then #1 LSU last Saturday night. Add that with this past week's bye for Urban Meyer's Gators, and I have to believe Florida will improve to 5-2, sending Kentucky to 6-2. Florida 31 Kentucky 24
Florida 45 Kentucky 37 (16-10)

Texas Tech at Missouri: Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree. That's it. Forget Chase Daniel. It's all about Harrell and Crabtree.
Texas Tech 49 Missouri 42
Missouri 41 Texas Tech 10 (16-11)

Michigan State at Ohio State: As much as I'd like to pick against #1 Ohio State, I just don't see their first loss occurring against the Spartans at the Shoe.
Ohio State 31 Michigan State 17
Ohio State 24 Michigan State 17 (17-11)

Mississippi State at West Virginia: With an extra week to heal from wounds and prepare, the Mountaineers should avoid the potential upset at home. MSU should keep things close for about a half, but West Virginia's speed on offense will pull away in the third and fourth quarters.
West Virginia 31 Mississippi State 17
West Virginia 38 Mississippi State 13 (18-11)

Arkansas State at Middle Tennessee: MTSU has shown steady improvements over the course of the season and Arkansas State has been inconsistent as of late, but I believe them to be the better team, so...so long as they don't beat themselves on the road in this one, they should come out victorious.
Arkansas State 24 Middle Tennessee 17
Middle Tennessee 24 Arkansas State 7 (18-12)

North Texas at Troy: The best team in the Sun Belt at home against the worst team from the conference (possibly...either they or Louisiana-Monroe or Louisiana-Lafayette). Take a wild guess who wins this one. Troy 45 North Texas 14
Troy 45 North Texas 7 (19-12)

Buffalo at Syracuse: That win at Louisville was a fluke if I ever saw one. Outside of that one victory, the Orange are 0-6 on the year, including their blow-out loss to Rutgers this past weekend. Call me crazy (please don't), but I'm calling for the Bulls to win their third consecutive game and improve to 4-4 with a win at the Carrier Dome.
Buffalo 27 Syracuse 21
Syracuse 20 Buffalo 12 (19-13)

Tulsa at Central Florida: Central Florida appears to be a completely different team at home than they do on the road (No, Rece and John Saunders, they're not "schizophrenic," but they may suffer from dissociative identity disorder). With that in mind, I'm taking O'Leary's club at home over the Golden Hurricane.
Central Florida 38 Tulsa 31
Central Florida 44 Tulsa 23 (20-13)

Bowling Green at Kent State: Both teams have been so inconsistent, it seems almost fitting to just flip a coin on this one. Heads - Bowling Green and Tails - Kent State. It's tails. Okay, I'm going with the home team, the Golden Flashes.
Kent State 31 Bowling Green 27
Bowling Green 31 Kent State 20 (20-14)

North Carolina State at East Carolina: NC State is 1-5 (that one win against I-AA Wofford) and coming off a bye week. Skip Holtz's ECU Pirates are now 4-3, coming off their third straight win this past Saturday. Tom O'Brien has a winnable game this Saturday, but can I see them actually winning on the road against a decent opponent? No.
East Carolina 24 North Carolina State 13
North Carolina State 34 East Carolina 20 (20-15)

San Jose State at Fresno State: Fresno is young and improving on a weekly basis. That isn't good news for Dick Tomey's Spartans, who are coming off a heart-breaking 42-35 overtime loss to undefeated Hawaii. Fresno continues to show improvement at home in this one to improve to 5-2 on the season.
Fresno State 31 San Jose State 20
Fresno State 30 San Jose State 0 (21-15)

Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Lafayette: Howard Schnellenberger's Owls had a well deserved week off this past weekend to get over their hard fought loss to South Florida. With that week off to recover, they should have no problems defeating the 1-6 Rajun' Cajuns.
Florida Atlantic 27 Louisiana-Lafayette 17
Florida Atlantic 39 Louisiana-Lafayette 32 OT (22-15)

Kansas at Colorado: Here it is, my upset of the week. In Kansas' only tough road test thus far, they played well enough to beat Kansas State, but looked far less dominant than in their other five contests, who came against five single-man teams. Colorado appears to be a completely different team in Boulder than when away from their home field. They'll play solid defensively, will run a balanced offense, and a last second field goal will again win it for the Buffaloes, as it did in two other home games this year (Colorado State and Oklahoma).
Colorado 31 Kansas 28
Kansas 19 Colorado 14 (22-16)

Houston at UAB: There's a simple formula to the madness in Houston, Texas. Will they have the ball last? If so, then they'll come out on top, but if not, they're in trouble, as could be displayed in their 56-48 win over Rice this past weekend. Well, lucky for them, they should have the ball last this Saturday and with that, the victory.
Houston 45 UAB 38
Houston 49 UAB 10 (23-16)

Stanford at Arizona: With the game in Tucson and Arizona (Mike Stoops) needing the win a bit more than their counterpart (Jim Harbaugh), I look for U of A to be the more focused and determined of the two, as the Wildcats improve to 3-5 on the year.
Arizona 27 Stanford 24
Stanford 21 Arizona 20 (23-17)

Boise State at Louisiana Tech: Boise State is 5-1 and beginning to show that Hawaii may not be the best team in the WAC. Make that 6-1 with a win this Saturday.
Boise State 45 Louisiana Tech 24
Boise State 45 Louisiana Tech 31 (24-17)

Florida International at Louisiana-Monroe: Wait, I take back what I said before in regard to the worst team in the Sun Belt Conference. That's Florida International. There are so many awful teams in that conference, it's difficult to pick a worst team some weeks. Unlike some major conferences, the Sun Belt is bottom heavy. Anyway, on to the game, look for the War Hawks to win one at home to improve to 2-5 on the year, while FIU falls to 0-19 over the past two years.
Louisiana-Monroe 24 Florida International 14
Louisiana-Monroe 28 Florida International 14 (25-17)

Ohio at Toledo: Frankie's boys are back, offensively anyway, as Ohio defeated Eastern Michigan 48-42 this past weekend to end their four game slide. With how porous Toledo's defense is, look for the Bobcats to even their record in conference play and overall with a win over the Rockets.
Ohio 42 Toledo 35
Toledo 43 Ohio 40 (25-18)

Kansas State at Oklahoma State: Both clubs are coming off very impressive victories. Kansas State beat up on then 4-2 Colorado 47-20 last Saturday night and Oklahoma State dominated Nebraska in Lincoln, winning by the final score of 45-14. Far more impressed by their defense than that of the Cowboys this year, I'm going with the Wildcats.
Kansas State 31 Oklahoma State 27
Oklahoma State 41 Kansas State 39 (25-19)

Oregon at Washington: Dennis Dixon is the man. That's all you need to know. Due to that and that alone, Oregon wins in Seattle.
Oregon 38 Washington 24
Oregon 55 Washington 34 (26-19)

Virginia at Maryland: Virginia, to my surprise, is 6-1, reeling off six consecutive victories following their twenty-point opening week loss to the Wyoming Cowboys. But, they haven't looked very impressive in some of those wins, defeating Middle Tennessee by two points just two weeks ago and upending UConn by a single point this past weekend. At home and coming off a bye week, Ralph Friedgen should have his boys geared up and ready to improve to 5-2 on the season with a big conference win over Al Groh's Cavaliers.
Maryland 24 Virginia 17
Virginia 18 Maryland 17 (26-20)

Idaho at New Mexico State: With or without Chase Holbrook at quarterback, the Aggies should have enough offensive potency to get past the mighty Vandals at home.
New Mexico State 28 Idaho 21
New Mexico State 45 Idaho 31 (27-20)

Michigan at Illinois: With Mike Hart attempting to play with a sore ankle and Illinois falling victim to the trap game against Iowa this past weekend, I look for Illinois to be more than amped up for this one. The Illini beat their third ranked conference opponent in four weeks and with that, attain bowl eligibility with a win this weekend against the Wolverines.
Illinois 27 Michigan 24
Michigan 27 Illinois 17 (27-21)

Tulane at SMU: Whew. Here's another coin-flipper. Both teams come into the game at 1-5, so what's a guy to do? Go with the home team! Mustangs win a thriller...
SMU 28 Tulane 24
Tulane 41 SMU 34 OT (27-22)

New Mexico at San Diego State: The Lobos continue to look good in MWC play and that should not alter any this weekend against the Aztecs. New Mexico improves to 5-2 on the year, while SDSU falls to 2-5.
New Mexico 24 San Diego State 10
New Mexico 20 San Diego State 17 (28-22)

Auburn at LSU: Like defense? Like blood? Like deaths on the field? This one is for you! While Auburn has been playing better of late, their defense in particular, LSU has far more speed and depth on the offensive side of the ball (at running back, in particular) than Auburn. With it being a night game in Baton Rouge, that furthers my belief LSU won't drop two straight games. It'll be hard fought for 60 minutes, but LSU should be triumphant in the end.
LSU 17 Auburn 10
LSU 30 Auburn 24 (29-22)

Colorado State at UNLV: I'm done picking Colorado State to attain their first victory of the season. UNLV has already done that twice this year and with the game at home, I'm going with the Rebels. BUT, if Sonny Lubick wants to win a MWC game this year, this may be the one.
UNLV 24 Colorado State 17
Colorado State 48 UNLV 23 (29-23)

Sunday
Southern Mississippi at Marshall: I shouldn't be so certain on this game, as Southern Miss lost to then winless Rice a couple weeks ago, but am fairly confident, so long as the Golden Eagles don't turn the ball over seven times like they did in the Owls' game. Marshall comes into this game at 0-6 and should walk out 0-7, barring seven turnovers by Southern Miss.
Southern Mississippi 27 Marshall 13
Southern Mississippi 33 Marshall 24 (30-23)

Inelligible Games
North Dakota State at Minnesota (psst... Don't be surprised to see Minnesota lose this one. NDSU 27-21 over Minnesota... (31-23))
Western Kentucky at Indiana State
Eastern Washington at BYU

Week 7 Record: 31-23 (.574)
Overall Record: 253-113 (.691)