Big
East
Cincinnati
|
Connecticut
|
Louisville
|
Pittsburgh
|
Rutgers
|
South
Florida |
Syracuse
|
West Virginia
Past Big East Predictions
Week One |
Week Two |
Week Three
How'd we do so far? SU 20-2 ATS
11-5-1
Big
East Week Four Fearless Predictions, Part
2
Big East Game of
the Week
Louisville
(3-0)
at
Kansas State
(3-0) 12:10 pm EST Saturday, Sept.
23
Why to watch:
Someone ought to hurry up and get a
full-time psychologist on staff at
Louisville. Two weeks after losing
Michael Bush to a broken leg, and on the
same day the Cards humiliated Miami,
Brian Brohm suffered a thumb injury
that’ll shelve him for about a month.
The emotional rollercoaster ride
continues with this week’s journey to
Manhattan. Even with Hunter Cantwell
behind center, the expectations won’t
change for a program that stamped itself
among the nation’s elite with Saturday’s
31-7 dissection of the Hurricanes.
Kansas State is taking baby steps in Ron
Prince’s first season as Bill Snyder’s
successor. The Wildcats have improved
each week since eking out a win over
I-AA Illinois State, particularly on a
defense that’s creating turnovers and
hasn’t given up a point over the last
two games. A win here instantly changes
the program’s timetable for winning the
Big 12 North.
Why Louisville might win:
All the talk about the Cardinals’
offensive playmakers makes it easy to
lose sight of a defense that’s playing
really well. One week removed from
shutting out Miami over the final 52
minutes, Louisville is No. 3 nationally
in run defense and 17th in
scoring defense. They’ve also got a
dozen sacks, which presents a problem
for a jittery Wildcat offensive line
that had five false starts last week.
Despite opening with three bad football
teams, Kansas State is No. 87 in the
country in total offense, raising doubts
they can run with the Louisville
offense.
Why Kansas State might
win:
Everything seems to be lining up for the
Wildcats to pull an upset that knocks
Louisville out of the top 10. No Bush
and no Brohm this week for a quick
Kansas State D that’s 14th
nationally in scoring defense and No. 15
in sacks. Defensive coordinator Raheem
Morris will turn the dogs loose on
Cantwell, who’ll be starting just the
third game of his career.
Who to watch:
Well, if Louisville is going to win a
Big East title or more, it’s up to
Cantwell to tap into his inner Earl
Morrall long enough until Brohm gets
healthy. When Brohm went down last
year, Cantwell was rushed into the
lineup with no warning. Today, he’s a
very different quarterback with quality
game experience against Virginia Tech
and Miami to go along with a full spring
as the No. 1 guy under his belt.
What will happen:
Louisville is ripe for the upset, but
with its offensive stars on the mend,
the underrated Cardinal defense will
step up and prevent a post-Miami
meltdown.
CFN Prediction:
Louisville 31 ... Kansas State 17
... Line: Louisville -7.5
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
The Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency) ...
3
Cincinnati
(1-2) at
Virginia Tech
(3-0), 12:00 EST, ESPNU, Saturday, September 23
Why to watch:
Although they’ve played three games, we
really don’t know much about the Hokies.
We rarely do this time of year. Sure,
they can run the ball with Branden Ore,
shut down pedestrian offenses and change
games on special teams, but are they
genuine ACC contenders or just posing
against Northeastern, North Carolina and
Duke? Unfortunately, Cincinnati won’t
provide an answer, but Georgia Tech
might a week from Saturday. For more
than a quarter, the Bearcats led No. 1
Ohio State on Saturday, but once the
Buckeyes awoke from their Texas-induced
slumber, the threat of a cataclysmic
upset was over. Cincy’s making progress
in Mark Dantonio’s third year, and if
nothing else, last week’s trip to
Columbus will offer valuable lessons for
this Saturday’s trek to Blacksburg.
Why Cincinnati might win: For
almost a half last Saturday, the
Bearcats looked like the squad that
almost knocked off the eventual champion
Buckeyes in 2002. They were efficient
on offense, gang-tackling on defense and
playing with speed and confidence until
Ohio State created some daylight. Yeah,
doing it for 60 minutes is a lot
different than providing a 20
minute-scare, however, Virginia Tech has
yet to be tested in 2006. If Cincinnati
starts strong again this weekend, the
young Hokies may not be so quick to
answer the bell.
Why Virginia Tech might win: You
just don’t beat a Frank Beamer-coached
team with a one-dimensional offense.
The Hokies have allowed 10 points all
year, pitching shutouts in two of three
games. The Bearcats are averaging just
53 yards a game on the ground, which
means it’ll be up to sporadic QB Dustin
Grutza to move the offense. Considering
how Cincinnati pass blocked last week,
don’t count on it.
Who to watch: Whether or not the
Hokies are bona fide ACC challengers
depends heavily on the development of QB
Sean Glennon. Tech has begun gelling
into a cohesive unit, including the
sophomore, who’s No. 9 nationally in
passing efficiency and is coming off a
300-yard day. Glennon’s been
sacked just twice and hasn’t thrown many
balls with a hand in his face, a luxury
that’ll continue for at least one more
week.
What will happen: In typical
Beamerball fashion, the Hokies will
harass Grutza into turnovers, get 100
yards from Ore and parlay at least one
big play on special teams into the
beginning of the end for Cincinnati.
CFN Prediction:
Virginia Tech 37 ... Cincinnati 13
... Line: Virginia Tech -26
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
The Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency) ...
2
Connecticut
(1-1)
at
Indiana
(2-1) 12 pm EST GamePlan
Saturday, Sept. 22
Why to watch:
This is a prove-it game for two two
teams coming off of wildly disappointing
losses. Connecticut played great on
defense in last week's 24-13 loss to
Wake Forest, but the offense made a few
huge mistakes and showed that it still
needs time before it'll be consistent.
Indiana had the game against Southern
Illinois well in hand before gagging in
the second half in a stunning 35-28
loss. With Wisconsin up next week, this
needs to be a must win for the Hoosiers.
UConn gets to deal with Navy's running
game next week before diving into Big
East play at South Florida.
Why Connecticut might win:
Southern Illinois outrushed Indiana 244
yards to 76. While the Hoosier running
game has been bad, the run defense was
atrocious when it needed to be stout
last week. It did a good job against
pedestrian Western Michigan and Ball
State ground games, but UConn's rushing
attack is explosive and extremely
effective with Terry Caulley, Donald
Brown, and Lou Allen each able to come
up with a big day. If they're motoring,
the pressure is off of QB D.J.
Hernandez, and the overall offensive
mistakes will be kept to a minimum.
Why Indiana might win:
IU should be fine as long as it's not
turning the ball over. It had the SIU
game well in hand before the mistakes
kicked in, and it struggled early
against Ball State with inconsistent
overall play and no defense. The
Hoosiers will win if they can put
together two good halves, but that's
asking for a whole bunch out of a young
team led by a freshman QB in Kellen
Lewis.
Who to watch: Don't go away when
each team is punting. Each team has been
horrible at kicking the ball, and each
team has explosive punt returners.
UConn's Larry Taylor leads the nation
with a 27-yard average, and he's also
growing into a steady receiver. Indian's
Tracy Porter took a return 86 yards for
a touchdown against Western Michigan,
but the real star is Lance Bennett,
who's way overdue to bust out. The
senior is way too good a kick and punt
returner to only average nine yards on
kickoffs and 0.67 on punt returns.
What will happen: Connecticut
will commit two big turnovers to keep
Indiana in the game, but the running
attack will end up controlling the game
and getting the win.
CFN Prediction:
Connecticut 27 ... Indiana 23
... Line: Indiana -2
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
The Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency) ...
2.5
West Virginia (3-0) at East Carolina (1-2), 4:00 EST, ESPN2, Saturday, September 23
Why to watch:
As teams around them faltered last
weekend, West Virginia stayed the course
in its first showcase game to move up
to No. 4 in both polls. The
Mountaineers ambushed Maryland on
national television, once again getting
monster production from Heisman wannabe
Steve Slaton. After just 13 career
games, Slaton has officially ascended
into the proverbial rock star in the Big
East. Certainly no one celebrates
injuries, but even the bad breaks
Louisville is enduring seem to indicate
the ‘eers are one of those teams of
destiny. With two losses behind them
and West Virginia in front of them, East
Carolina absolutely had to beat
Memphis in last week’s home opener.
They did behind a pair of second-half
touchdowns from both the offense and the
defense.
Why West Virginia might win: East
Carolina’s numbers against the run are
out of whack from opening with Navy,
however, that doesn’t suggest the
Pirates will be able to slow down the
nation’s top-ranked ground game. The
Mountaineers have become a force of
nature, averaging 348 yards a game
thanks to Slaton and a Dan Mozes-led
offensive line that run blocks as well
as any in the country. Once ECU starts
giving Slaton too much respect, QB Pat
White will call his own number and rip
through an unsuspecting defense.
Why East Carolina might win: The
West Virginia defense showed cracks
Thursday night allowing Maryland to pick
up chunks of yards through the air and
score 24 points. The Mountaineers still
haven’t registered a sack in 2006,
giving Pirate QB James Pinkney the
necessary time to throw darts to
receivers Aundrae Allison and Phillip
Henry. Add in RB Chris Johnson, and
East Carolina has the most dangerous and
versatile offense West Virginia has
faced so far in 2006.
Who to watch: As if the
Mountaineers need more offensive
weapons, WR Darius Reynaud is beginning
to heat up. The mighty mite with next
level speed caught a touchdown pass from
White and returned a kick 96 yards for
another score, giving Pirate defensive
coordinator Greg Hudson one more
game-breaker to try and defense.
What will happen: With West
Virginia hitting the road for the first
time and East Carolina emboldened by
last week’s comeback win, this has the
ingredients of a
closer-than-logic-dictates type game.
The Pirates will dish out some blows
with their passing game, but it won’t be
enough to keep pace with the Mountaineer
offense.
CFN Prediction:
West Virginia 40 ... East Carolina 21 ... Line:
West Virginia -21
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
The Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency) ...
3
Big
East Week Four Fearless Predictions, Part
2