Conference USA
East
UAB
|
UCF
|
East Carolina
|
Marshall
|
Memphis
|
Southern Miss
West
Houston
|
Rice
|
SMU
|
Tulane
|
Tulsa
|
UTEP
Past C-USA Picks:
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week
3 |
Week 4 |
Week 5
Week 6 |
Week 7 |
Week 8 |
Week
9 |
Week 10
-
Week
11
C-USA Fearless Predictions. Part 2 | Get
Tickets for These Games
How'd we do so far? Straight up
57-21
... ATS 38-31-2 ATS
Conference USA Game of the Week
Houston
(7-3) at
SMU (5-4), 8:00 EST, Saturday, November 11
Why to watch: SMU is on the cusp
of a ground-breaking bowl game for the
first time in more than two decades.
The Mustangs have won five of their last
seven games behind unflappable freshman
QB Justin Willis and a seasoned defense
that stops the run better than any team
in Conference USA. If SMU is going to
get that magical sixth win this week,
it’ll have to come against Houston, the
new leaders of the Western Division.
The Cougars nabbed their biggest win in
years last Saturday, topping incumbent
Tulsa 27-10 to move one huge step closer
to a league crown. They are a flaky
program, however, that lost at home to
the Mustangs in 2005, needing to develop
a killer instinct in these final two
games.
Why Houston might win: The
Cougars sport a balanced offense that
leads the conference in scoring and
total yards, but it’s the recent play of
the defense that really has Art Briles
excited. Since losing three straight
games earlier in the year, Houston has
allowed just a single touchdown pass and
held a solid Tulsa offense to only 249
yards in last week’s win. If they shut
down Willis, the Mustangs don’t have the
running game to offset the shortfall.
Why SMU might win: In just over
half a season, you can just tell Willis
is special. He’s cool under pressure
and can improvise at a moment’s notice.
He won’t have to, however, against a
Houston defense that’s registered just
five sacks in the last seven games. The
Cougars are most dangerous when they can
run the ball to complement the
high-powered passing attack, but they’ll
be unsuccessful in the face of defense
that’s yet to allow an opponent run for
more than 100 yards in a game.
Who to watch: SMU can stop the
run, but they’ve been awful all year
defensing the pass. That’s good news
for Houston QB Kevin Kolb, who’s capping
a terrific tenure as a four-year starter
with the best season of his career.
With time, Kolb will surpass 300 yards
through the air for the sixth time in
2006.
What will happen: It will not be
easy, but Houston will use three Kolb
touchdown flips to sidestep a letdown
and a potential landmine on the path to
the Liberty Bowl.
CFN Prediction:
Houston 31 … SMU 23 ... Line:
Houston -5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Santa
Clause 3: The Escape Clause) ...
3
UTEP
(4-5) at
UAB
(3-6), 8:00 EST, ESPN2, Friday, November 10
Why to watch: It’s do-or-die for
UTEP and UAB if either hopes to play
meaningful football games the rest of
November. The Blazers, which are still
mathematically alive in the Eastern
Division, are coming off a 22-9 loss at
SMU, their most listless effort of the
season. The only constant with Watson
Brown’s 2006 team has been its
maddeningly inconsistent performances
from one week to the next. Well on its
way to becoming the league’s biggest
flop of 2006, UTEP has lost three
straight games, playing with its backs
to the wall for the first time since
Mike Price arrived. The Miners reached
what they hope is a low point last
weekend, getting spanked by Rice to a
chorus of boos from the disapproving Sun
Bowl crowd. Price, returning to Alabama
for just the second time since his
embarrassing ouster from the Tide, might
hear far worse from the Legion Field
crowd.
Why UTEP might win: UAB hasn’t
been able to contain decent passing
offenses since league play hit full
swing in October. Memphis and Rice
pierced the Blazer secondary for three
touchdown passes in consecutive weeks, a
precursor of what will happen Friday
night. Of all the troubles the Miners
are having, throwing the ball is not one
of them. The nation’s 11th-ranked
passing attack is enduring fewer
turnovers from QB Jordan Palmer and an
All-American-caliber season from WR
Johnnie Lee Higgins.
Why UAB might win: Which Blazer
offense will show up Friday night? With
UTEP playing defense, the prolific one
that scored 92 points in the three games
leading up to last week’s debacle in
Dallas. The Miners have allowed more
than 30 points in three straight games
and were ripped for 471 yards by Rice
last weekend. They haven’t stopped
anyone in 2006, which means it’ll be a
good night for versatile UAB QBs Chris
Williams and Sam Hunt, both of whom will
play.
Who to watch: If UTEP is going to
climb back to .500, it’s going to have
to keep UAB’s leading sacker, Larry
McSwain, off Palmer’s back. That
responsibility will fall largely on
three freshmen linemen, Mike Aguayo,
Anthony McNac and Colby Meek, who played
well last week and will get the start
again on Friday.
What will happen: Facing a
desperate situation, Palmer and Higgins
will provide the senior leadership and
big plays, hooking up for three
touchdowns in a critical win for the
Miners.
CFN Prediction:
UTEP 31 … UAB 27 ... Line: Pick
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Santa
Clause 3: The Escape Clause) ...
2
Marshall
(4-5) at
East Carolina
(5-4), 1:00 EST, Saturday, November 11
Why to watch: Three-game winning
streaks from both schools have made this
game far more interesting than anyone
could have imagined just a month ago.
The winner of Saturday’s game will exit
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium with no less than
a share of first place in the Eastern
Division and control of its own destiny
going forward. East Carolina has been
fueled by the play of an opportunistic
defense, but to qualify for their first
bowl game in five years, the Pirates
will have to prove they can handle
success and win when wearing a bullseye.
Marshall’s recent success has been a
product of a revived offense that’s
gotten three straight 100-yard games
from Ahmad Bradshaw and a couple of
stellar efforts from backup QB Jimmy
Skinner. Ailing starter Bernard Morris
is expected to keep his job this week,
but with five touchdown passes against
Memphis and Tulane, Skinner has proven
he’s ready if needed.
Why Marshall might win: The
offense has emerged from its year-long
slumber with three consecutive games of
at least 31 points, including 42 versus
Tulane last week. Bradshaw has been a
show-stopper, but it’s the play of the
improved passing game that’s really made
the Herd offense so potent. East
Carolina’s 90th-ranked run
defense won’t corral Bradshaw now that
he’s got a passing to keep the
opposition from stacking the line.
Why East Carolina might win: No
one in Conference USA is creating
takeaways faster these days than the
Pirates, a huge advantage over a
Marshall team that’s 105th in
the country in turnover margin. All
those picks and fumble recoveries
explain why the East Carolina D has
stepped up during the winning streak,
holding opponents to just 16 points a
game. Back-to-back clunkers from James
Pinkney will be remedied by the Herd,
which has been kind to opposing
quarterbacks all year.
Who to watch: Veterans of just
eight snaps before the season, East
Carolina’s Quentin Cotton and Van
Eskridge have developed into the team’s
top two tacklers and backfield
disrupters. With the focus squarely on
stopping Bradshaw, the young linebackers
will be instrumental to the success of
Pirate defense Saturday afternoon.
What will happen: In a very tight
game between comparable teams, turnovers
will prove to be the difference. East
Carolina will create multiple takeaways,
giving Pinkney a short field to work
with and stalling Marshall drives.
CFN Prediction:
East Carolina 34 … Marshall 24 ...
Line: East Carolina -8
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 Santa
Clause 3: The Escape Clause) ...
2
-
Week
11
C-USA Fearless Predictions. Part 2 | Get
Tickets for These Games