Conference USA
East
UAB
|
UCF
|
East Carolina
|
Marshall
|
Memphis
|
Southern Miss
West
Houston
|
Rice
|
SMU
|
Tulane
|
Tulsa
|
UTEP
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How'd we do so far? Straight up 49-18
... ATS 31-27-2 ATS
Conference USA Game of the Week
UTEP (4-3) at
Tulsa
(6-1), 8:00 EST, ESPN2, Friday, October
27
Why to watch:
Tulsa’s drive toward consecutive
Conference USA titles continues with its
toughest test in almost a month, a visit
from pass-happy UTEP. The Golden
Hurricane has hit its stride rolling to
a five-game winning streak behind a
balanced offense and the league’s
stingiest defense. A win on Friday
would eliminate the Miners from division
contention, making the West a two-horse
race between Tulsa and Houston. With
rumors swirling that head coach Steve
Kragthorpe will be the target of North
Carolina AD Dick Baddour to replace John
Bunting, the Hurricane has to remain
focused on the task at hand. UTEP was
half-good on Saturday, leading Houston
17-10 at the break before imploding in
the final two quarters. The
pitch-and-catch combo of Jordan Palmer
to Johnnie Lee Higgins versus Tulsa’s
league-leading pass defense will be a
delicious game-within-a-game at Skelly
Stadium.
Why UTEP might win: Tulsa has
feasted on softer Eastern Division foes
this month, but will they be as dominant
versus better competition? Remember,
this is the same Hurricane team that got
annihilated by BYU and needed a missed
extra point to escape with a win at
Navy. Palmer is at his best when he has
time to survey the secondary, something
he’ll enjoy against a Tulsa defense that
has just nine sacks all year.
Why Tulsa might win: UTEP can
neither run the ball nor stop the run,
two surefire ways to get mauled by
Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane will
control the clock and keep the Miner
offense on the sidelines with a physical
ground game that’s churned out 625 yards
and ten touchdowns over the last three
games. The Miners will have no solution
for Courtney Tennial and Tarrion Adams,
who returned from an injury to catch
five passes last weekend. Plus, when it
falls behind, UTEP will have a rough
time clawing back against a Tulsa pass
defense that’s No. 2 nationally,
allowing less than five yards per
attempt.
Who to watch: Part linebacker and
part safety, Bobby Blackshire is the
closest thing Tulsa has to a star on its
non-name defense. The versatile senior,
who does a lot of freelancing for the
Hurricane, will be in position to
increase his team-leading three
interceptions.
What will happen: Well-coached,
complete teams just don’t lose to
one-dimensional opponents, especially at
home. The Tulsa defense will render
Palmer a non-factor in the first half,
while the offense builds a lead on the
ground and with a couple of timely
play-action passes from Paul Smith.
CFN Prediction: Tulsa 33 … UTEP
17 ...
Line: Tulsa -14.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Flicka)
... 3
Army
(3-5) at
Tulane (2-5), 2:00 EST, Saturday, October 28
Why to watch: Army has been stuck
on three wins the last two weeks as it
clings to the hope it can rally for six
wins and a bid to the Poinsettia Bowl.
With a loss this week, the Cadets will
once again end a season with the annual
Army-Navy game. Freshman Carson
Williams replaced the ineffective David
Pevoto at quarterback in last week’s
loss to TCU, signaling a changing of the
guard at West Point. After following
the script by losing at UTEP and Auburn,
Tulane has an opportunity to secure some
much-needed momentum with upcoming games
against Army and Marshall. The Green
Wave doesn’t play much defense, but with
future pro Lester Ricard airing it out,
Tulane is capable of scoring points in a
hurry.
Why Army might win: Williams’
first career start couldn’t come against
a better opponent. The freshman, who
provided a little spark in the second
half last week, will face a Tulane
defense that’s 112th
nationally against the pass, having
allowed 15 touchdown passes to just four
picks. The Green Wave will struggle to
beat anyone this year if they continue
residing near the I-A basement in
turnover margin.
Why Tulane might win: The Green
Wave has begun to click, getting at
least 100 yards on the ground and 200
yards through the air in each of the
last three games, including last week at
Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Ricard to
Preston Brown connection, which has
hooked up 20 times over the last two
games, will have another big game
against an average Army defense,
particularly if top pass-rusher Cameron
Craig misses a another week with a
sprained ankle.
Who to watch: Matt Forte has
given the Tulane offense balance in
October, running for more than 100 yards
in each of the last three games. He’ll
crack the century mark for a fourth
straight week against an Army unit
that’s 105th nationally
against the run.
What will happen: It’ll be asking
too much for the freshman Williams to
keep Army stride-for-stride with a
versatile and improving Tulane offense
that’ll amass more than 400 yards and
four touchdowns in the Superdome.
CFN Prediction: Tulane 33 … Army
23 ...
Line: Tulsa -5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Flicka)
... 1.5
UCF
(2-5) at
Houston
(5-3), 4:00 EST, Saturday, October 28
Why to watch:
Desperate for a victory and losing at
halftime, Houston rallied for a 31-17
win over UTEP that could represent a
turning point in its season. The
gut-check performance with their backs
against the wall means the Cougars
remain just a game behind West-leading
Tulsa, which visits Robertson Stadium a
week from Saturday. QB Kevin Kolb
continues to perform like a non-BCS
Heisman contender, throwing for 2,303
yards and 18 touchdowns, while getting
picked just twice. Fresh off a spanking
at the hands of Rice, UCF is in the
midst of a freefall. The same squad
that won eight games and the league’s
Eastern Division in 2005 has lost five
of six games, while surrendering 92
points over the last two games.
Why UCF might win: With UTEP in
the rear view mirror and Tulsa on the
horizon, can Houston get caught looking
past UCF? You bet. This is the same
flaky bunch that got stunned by
Louisiana-Lafayette a week after scaring
Miami in the Orange Bowl. With Kyle
Israel taking over at quarterback last
week and RB Kevin Smith heating up, the
offense showed surprising results,
racking up 482 yards and 24 first downs.
Why Houston might win: Things are
not about to get any easier for a Golden
Knight defense that’s been absolutely
dreadful in 2006, which will contend
with Conference USA’s. The unit has
allowed each of its last three opponents
to rush for more than 230 yards,
dropping UCF to 112th
nationally in total defense. Kolb will
pad his stats, while the Cougar running
back by committee will flourish for a
second straight week.
Who to watch: Getting shown a lot
of Love is not necessarily a good thing
for Houston’s opponents. Cougar DT
Marquay Love has provided a presence all
year for a Houston defense that shut out
UTEP in the second half of last week’s
pivotal win. Love contributed seven
tackles and three tackles for loss to
earn Conference USA Defensive Player of
the Week.
What will happen: Houston would
be ripe if UCF wasn’t in such a state of
disrepair. However, the Knights are so
pathetic defensively, even a potentially
unfocused Cougars will run away and hide
by early in the third quarter.
CFN Prediction: Houston 37 … UCF
17 ...
Line: Houston -18.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Flicka)
... 2.5
Memphis
(1-6) at
Marshall
(2-5), 4:30 EST, Saturday, October 28
Why to watch: The Eastern
Division basement will be at stake this
weekend in Huntington, hardly the sort
of thing that belongs on a billboard.
Memphis and Marshall have been two of
this year’s biggest disappointments in
Conference USA, combining for just a
single win over a I-A opponent. That
banner win came last Saturday as the
Herd delivered its best effort of 2006
in a 31-24 upset at UAB. With winnable
home games the next two weeks, it could
still be playing meaningful football in
November. Memphis has lost five
straight games, sinking to new depths
each week. If this were baseball, Tommy
West would already be auditioning a
bunch of minor leaguers for next season.
Why Memphis might win: Marshall
is hardly on solid footing after one
victory. The Herd is still one of the
worst teams in the country at holding on
to the football and hasn’t held an
opponent under 200 yards passing since
the opener. The Tigers will turn the
offense over to Martin Hankins, who’ll
hook up all evening with talented
receivers Ryan Scott and Duke Calhoun.
Why Marshall might win: Ahmad
Bradshaw. Marshall’s star back showed
last week in Birmingham that he’s
capable of literally carrying a team to
victory, churning out a career-best 242
yards on 25 carries. The Herd leads
Conference USA in rushing, while Memphis
is next-to-last at stopping the run,
which is a recipe for long drives and a
gassed Tiger defense by the fourth
quarter.
Who to watch: Bradshaw’s the one
reason why you’ll endure a Marshall
football game these days. He’s the best
that’s ever played for the Herd, despite
getting minimal support from the passing
attack the last two seasons. Against a
Memphis defense that’s allowed 16
touchdowns on the ground in 2006,
Bradshaw’s single-game rushing mark may
be rewritten again this week.
What will happen: Marshall’s big,
physical offensive line will blow
Memphis off the ball, keeping the Tiger
offense on the sidelines and fueling a
two-game winning streak.
CFN Prediction: Marshall 31 …
Memphis 23 ...
Line: Marshall -6.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Flicka)
... 1.5
East Carolina
(3-4) at
Southern Miss
(4-3), 8:00 EST, CSTV, Saturday, October
28
Why to watch: With most of the
Eastern Division floundering, this
week’s game could decide who represents
the conference in December’s league
championship game. East Carolina, fresh
off a convincing win over SMU, trails
division-leading Southern Miss by just a
half-game with five left. The Pirates’
challenge will be locating consistency
and winning on the road after playing
the last five games in Greenville.
Southern Miss returns to league play
after getting humbled by Virginia Tech
in Blacksburg, 36-6. The Golden Eagles
might get back freshman phenom Damion
Fletcher, who was leading Conference USA
in rushing before injuring his knee in
the Oct. 14 victory over Houston.
Why East Carolina might win: Even
if Fletcher plays, Southern Miss has one
of the weakest offenses in the league,
averaging just 320 yards and 21 points a
game. East Carolina, on the other hand,
is beginning to heat up, thanks to the
resurgence of QB James Pinkney and WR
Aundrae Allison, who are healthy and
coming off their best games of the
season. The Pirates will move the ball
through the air against an Eagle D
that’s just 67th in the
country in pass defense.
Why Southern Miss might win: Not
only is East Carolina venturing out of
state for the first time since Sept. 9,
but they’ve got to travel to
Hattiesburg, where the home team has
already beaten NC State and Houston. QB
Jeremy Young’s improved play will
continue this week against a Pirate
defense that’s allowed 13 touchdown
passes over the last six games.
Fletcher’s return will be a smooth one,
considering East Carolina is 103rd
in the country in run defense.
Who to watch: Allison, who’s
coming off a brilliant 13-catch effort
and is capable of taking over a game, is
going to draw the attention of Southern
Miss SS Brandon Sumrall. Although he’s
built more like a corner, the sophomore
leads the Eagles in tackles and
interceptions, and will introduce
himself to Allison every chance he gets
Saturday night.
What will happen: East Carolina
is a confident bunch, but winning at
Roberts Stadium is a whole lot different
than handling SMU at home. Southern
Miss, which is a completely different
team in Hattiesburg, will get a
challenge before pulling away on three
Darren McCaleb field goals.
CFN Prediction: Southern Miss 30
… East Carolina 21
... Line:
Southern Miss -6
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Flicka)
... 2.5
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