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|
Connecticut
|
Louisville
|
Pittsburgh
|
Rutgers
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Florida | Syracuse
|
West Virginia
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How'd we do so far? SU 39-4 ATS
22-15-1
Big East Game of
the Week
Syracuse
(3-5) at
Cincinnati
(4-4), 12:00 EST, ESPN Plus, Saturday, October 28
Why to watch: Enough with the
moral victories. After a couple of
strong showings against ranked teams,
Cincinnati finally broke through with a
quality win over South Florida Sunday
night bringing the program to within a
pair of victories of bowl eligibility.
A post-season game and the 15 extra
practices that come with it would be
huge accomplishments for Mark Dantonio,
however, all bets are off if the
Bearcats can’t handle Syracuse at home
this week. The Orange just completed
its toughest stretch of the year, losing
three straight to bowl-bound Pittsburgh,
West Virginia and Louisville, but never
embarrassing itself in the face of
superior competition. To regain some of
the momentum it enjoyed at the end of
September, Syracuse needs a win this
weekend.
Why Syracuse might win: The
Orange D finally gets to face an offense
that’s not loaded with track speed,
Heisman contenders or future NFL
quarterbacks. Syracuse creates pocket
pressure with linemen Jameel McClain and
Tony Jenkins as well as any Big East
team, which will cause problems for
mistake-prone Cincy QB Dustin Grutza.
The Orange doesn’t have the offense to
win high-scoring games, but won’t have
to against a Bearcat offense that’s last
in the league in scoring.
Why Cincinnati might win:
Dantonio’s Ohio State roots are
beginning to spring up in the Queen
City. The Bearcats have begun
succeeding with the same formula that’s
won the Buckeyes so many games, a
physical running game, solid special
teams and sound defensive play. The
ground game has been superb the last
month, but it’s that air-tight defense,
which will give Syracuse the most fits.
Cincy has allowed just 13 points and 68
rushing yards a game over that stretch,
a trend that’ll continue versus the
impotent Orange.
Who to watch: Sophomore DT Trevor
Anderson continues to be the catalyst of
an undersized Cincinnati defensive line
that’s growing up fast this year.
Anderson leads the Bearcats with 6½
tackles for loss and had a key strip
Sunday night that led to a defensive
touchdown.
What will happen: The Big East
spotlight isn’t bright enough to reach
Cincinnati, but the Bearcats are quietly
weaving a better-than-expected season.
They’ll get at least 50 yards and a
score from backs Greg Moore and Butler
Benton and another sound defensive
effort to nudge above .500.
CFN Prediction:
Cincinnati 21 ... Syracuse 13
...
Line: Cincinnati -6
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Flicka)
...
2
Connecticut
(3-4) at
Rutgers
(7-0), 8:00 EST, ESPN, Sunday, October
29
Why to watch: This just
in…Rutgers is a really, really good.
The group of doubters surrounding the
program dwindled dramatically shortly
after the Scarlet Knights stuffed Pitt
20-10 at Heinz Field with a brutal pass
rush and a great running game. With Ray
Rice growing into a legitimate Heisman
contender, Rutgers has risen to No. 14
in the latest BCS rankings to become one
the biggest stories of 2006. A visit
with unbeaten Louisville looms on Nov.
9, but first the Knights must dispatch
of Connecticut Sunday night. The
Huskies hung with West Virginia for
about 20 minutes Friday night before
succumbing to the big-play ability of
the Mountaineer offense. Not long ago,
the Connecticut program had caught up
with Rutgers, but that now seems like a
distant memory.
Why Connecticut might win: For
Rutgers, this is a sandwich between last
week’s huge road win and that Thursday
night clash with the Cardinals. UConn
isn’t a program that stirs emotion these
days, but it could catch the Knights
dead-flat. Not much is going wrong
these days for Rutgers, however, QB Mike
Teel continues to be a non-factor on an
offense that’s relying almost
exclusively on the running game.
Why Rutgers might win: There’s a
chance the Knights will suffer from a
post-Pitt hangover, but don’t count on
it. The program, which is reveling in
its new-found success, will use the
Worldwide Leader to make a statement to
the nation. The defense has been
otherworldly this fall, rising to No. 2
nationally in total defense after
holding Pitt to just 236 yards and
sacking Tyler Palko a season-high five
times. After Rutgers hog-ties RB Terry
Caulley, it’ll be up to QB Matt
Bonislawski to move the chains, which is
a bad sign for the road team.
Who to watch: DT Eric Foster has
become an inside force for a Rutgers
defense that’s allowed just one
team—Navy—to rush for than 100 yards
since the opener. In his first season
as a starter, the junior has blown up
opposing lines for a league-high 9½
tackles for loss and 4½ sacks. With a
strong final month of the season, Foster
could get some All-America attention.
What will happen: Don’t expect
Rutgers to letdown one bit. Rice will
race for 150 yards, but the defense will
be the headliner shutting out the Husky
attack until the fourth quarter.
CFN Prediction:
Rutgers 31 ... Connecticut 10
...
Line: Rutgers -19.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Flicka)
...
2
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