It's statement time. South Florida and West Virginia have a good recent history of battles, and now Benjamin Williams and the Bulls will look to stop the Mountaineers at home and throw its hat into the BCS ring. Check out all the picks, predictions and previews for this week's games.
West Virginia (4-0) at South Florida (3-0)
8:00 PM ESPN2
Why to watch:
The first of a handful of round-robin
games that’ll decide the Big East
championship, and one of ten BCS bowl
berths, makes for a wild Friday night
game in what’s become something of a
grudge match. The Bulls became a
national story by beating Auburn three
weeks ago, but can become the
story of the first month of 2007 by
upsetting West Virginia for a second
straight year. The biggest game in USF
history is also expected to attract the
biggest crowd in the school’s history, a
likely first-ever sellout that has
students camping out in tents for the
few remaining tickets. In terms of
electricity and anticipation for an
up-and-coming program, expect a scene
that mirrors last November’s game
between Louisville and Rutgers. The
Mountaineers are steamrolling everything
in their path, winning four games by an
average of 30 points with the same
formula of Patrick White and Steve
Slaton that continues to work so well.
If West Virginia has any hopes of
competing for national championship
consideration, it has to handle one of
the few ranked teams on the schedule,
particularly with so many pollsters
glued to the tube Friday night. With
Louisville running a fade route, a win
over South Florida would make the ‘eers
the prohibitive favorite to win the
conference. Why West Virginia might win: Has
anyone been paying attention to the
transformation of Jeff Casteel’s
defense? While the offensive stars get
all the pub, the D sort of gets lost in
the shuffle. The unit that was maligned
a year ago has had at least three sacks
in all four games and is No. 15 in the
country in total defense. Led by
linebackers Mortty Ivy, Marc Magro, and
Reed Williams, the Mountaineers have
been flying to the ball, creating
turnovers, and making life easier for a
secondary that’s still developing.
South Florida QB Matt Grothe is a
sparkplug, but his supporting cast is
just average and his line will have
trouble with the West Virginia pass
rush. If the Mountaineers land a few
blows early, the Bulls will labor to
mount a comeback against an underrated
defense that’s gaining confidence every
week. Why South Florida might win: West
Virginia is all about the speed, but
South Florida is the one program on the
schedule that can neutralize the burners
with a swarming D that ranks in the top
ten nationally in total defense, pass
efficiency defense, turnover margin,
sacks, and tackles for loss. Since
becoming a starter early in 2005, Slaton
has been held under 100 yards rushing
just four times, twice by the Bulls,
including last November’s 43-yard career
low-point. USF can also contain White
with the shutdown tandem of CBs Mike
Jenkins and Trae Williams, and the edge
rushing of DE George Selvie, who leads
the nation in sacks. West Virginia
won’t be contained all night, but it’ll
snap off half the big plays it normally
creates against lesser defenses. Who to watch: In a nip-and-tuck
game that could go either way, don’t be
surprised if the kickers/punters, West
Virginia’s Pat McAfee and South
Florida’s Delbert Alvarado, play a huge
part in the outcome. Advantage
Mountaineers. Alvarado, in particular,
bears watching after responding to four
missed field goals in the Auburn game by
going 3-of-3 in Saturday’s win over
North Carolina. If called upon late to
win the game, can he be for USF what
Jeremy Ito was to Rutgers in last year’s
upset of Louisville? What will happen: In a potential
bear trap game with North Carolina,
South Florida remained focused and
destroyed the Heels 37-10, a clear sign
that these Bulls are for real. They’ll
add another brick in the wall Friday
night, getting some late-game heroics
from Grothe and the defense that empty
the stands at Raymond James Stadium and
raise the ante for the program. CFN Prediction:
South Florida
28 … West Virginia 24
... Line: West Virginia -7 Must See Rating: (5 Ken Burns'
The War - 1 The Big Bang Theory)
... 5
Big East Saturday, Sept. 29
Akron (2-2) at Connecticut
(4-0)
12:00 PM GamePlan Why to watch:
There have been so many
surprising developments in the
Big East this month,
Connecticut’s improbable 4-0
start has been swept under the
rug. Although it was impossible
to give the Huskies too much
credit after beating Duke and
Maine, and getting a gift win
over Temple, Saturday’s 34-14
road thrashing of Pitt has
somewhat altered the landscape.
While Connecticut is no threat
to the upper echelon of the Big
East, a win this week would
bring it within one of bowl
eligibility, something no one
expected before we even reached
October. After a month of
growing pains, physical pains,
and a pair of games with Big Ten
opponents, Akron feels pretty
good about being 2-2. Despite
getting outplayed for much of
the game by Kent State last
Saturday, the Zips manufactured
a feel-good, 27-20 victory that
highlighted the program’s
improved depth under J.D.
Brookhart. Why Akron might win:
Let’s not too carried away with
Connecticut. This is the same
program that just two weeks ago
was spared the indignity of a
home loss to Temple by a blown
referee call on an apparent Owl
touchdown. The Zips have been
held together by an underrated
defense that leads the MAC in
scoring defense, tackles for
loss, and turnover margin, and
held Ohio State to just 20
points and 363 yards earlier
this month. LB Brion Stokes has
been living in opposing
backfields and CB Reggie Corner
already has three picks, red
flags for a Husky offense that’s
allowed 13 sacks and only
managed 289 yards against Pitt
in last week’s win. Why Connecticut might win:
That feisty, no-name Husky
defense that went AWOL in 2006
appears to have returned to
Storrs again in 2007. Last
week’s upset of Pittsburgh was
mainly a product of six
turnovers, three sacks, and a
stifling run defense. Ends Cody
Brown and Julius Williams, and
LBs Danny Lansanah and Lawrence
Wilson are going to add to the
misery of a young Akron offense
that’s 107th
nationally in scoring, and is
struggling to protect the
quarterback.
Who to watch:
A redshirt freshman that was
even slated to start this year,
Wilson has been a revelation for
the Connecticut defense. An
initial stop-gap at the weakside
for injured Ryan Henegan, he
leads the Huskies with 37
tackles, and shows no signs of
relinquishing his starting job.
What will happen: It
won’t be pretty, but Connecticut
will get just enough on the
ground from RB Donald Brown and
another solid effort from the
defense to earn win No. 5. CFN Prediction:
Connecticut 28 …
Akron
16
... Line: Connecticut -13 Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ... 2
Syracuse
(1-3) at Miami University (1-3)
3:00 PM GamePlan
Why to watch:
Syracuse delivered a whopper of
a Week 4 headline, stunning
Louisville and ending the Cards’
20-game home winning streak in
one of the biggest upsets in Big
East history. Will the win
catapult the Orange program back
to some degree of respectability
or will it just be a footnote in
an otherwise rancid season?
Syracuse can begin answering
that question with a very
winnable trip to play Miami this
Saturday. The RedHawks began
the year by beating Ball State
and taking Minnesota to
overtime, but have been exposed
by Cincinnati and Colorado over
the last two weekends, losing by
a combined score of 89-10.
Beyond some obvious issues on
defense, Miami’s depth in the
backfield is being tested by
recent injuries to Brandon
Murphy and Andre Bratton. Why Syracuse might win:
Orange QB Andrew Robinson had
his long-awaited breakout game
last Saturday, going 17-of-26
for 423 yards and four touchdown
passes. The sophomore showed
what he can do with time,
something he’ll get plenty of
against a Miami defense that has
just two sacks this season.
Since beating Ball State, the
RedHawks have given up an
average of 550 yards and 43
points a game, a trend that’ll
continue against a suddenly
confident Syracuse offense. Why Miami University might
win: Syracuse’s defeat of
Louisville was impressive, but
it doesn’t eliminate the first
three games in which the Orange
were horrendous in losses to
Washington, Illinois, and Iowa.
This is still the same program
that can’t run the ball, allows
way too many sacks, and is 112th
nationally in total defense.
Playing well in back-to-back
games has never been Syracuse’s
calling card under Greg
Robinson, so don’t be surprised
if the RedHawk passing game
recaptures the form that nearly
fueled an upset at Minnesota. Who to watch: It’s hard
to tell when Robinson is ducking
for cover, but Syracuse is home
to a really dangerous one-two
punch at receiver in Taj Smith
and Mike Williams. The pair
combined for nine catches for
256 yards and three touchdowns
in last week’s win, a preview of
what it’s going to do this week
against a really weak Miami
defense. What will happen: Miami
is in a freefall on both sides
of the ball, so even if Syracuse
suffers a mild letdown this
week, it’ll still get enough
from an improving passing game
to get out of Ohio with a second
straight win. CFN Prediction:
Syracuse
31 … Miami University 17
... Line: Syracuse -2 Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ... 2
Maryland
(2-2) at Rutgers
(3-0)
3:30 PM ABC
Why to watch:
The semi-pro portion of the 2007
schedule now behind it, Rutgers
will finally face an opponent
with a near equivalent amount of
talent. Are the Scarlet Knights
worthy of being the No. 10 team
in the country? A visit from
the Terrapins will go a long way
to answering what games with
Buffalo, Navy, and Norfolk State
could not. And with Louisville
losing two straight and South
Florida hosting West Virginia, a
Rutgers win could elevate it to
second-in-command in the Big
East after the first month of
the season. Maryland will be
trying to regroup from a
devastating overtime loss to
Wake Forest in a game it led
24-3 in the second half. A trip
to Piscataway represents an
opportunity for the Terps to
either bounce back with
authority or skid to a crushing
third straight loss. These two
schools recruit a lot of the
same players, so the outcome
could reverberate right through
to February. Why Maryland might win:
Did you notice how Penn State
played last week in Ann Arbor,
its first game of the year
against a quality opponent?
Rutgers is liable to suffer the
same fate as it attempts to take
a sizable step up in
competition. While the Knights
were pounding Buffalo and
Norfolk State, the Terps were
grappling with West Virginia and
Wake Forest, and will come in
battle-tested. Maryland also
boasts the ACC’s top-rated pass
defense, and a front seven
that’s beefy and quick enough to
slow down Heisman contender Ray
Rice. This is, by far, the most
athletic team the Scarlet
Knights have faced. Why Rutgers might win:
The Maryland offense is in
disarray, a situation that’s not
going to get better with this
week’s visit north to face one
of the Big East’s best
defenses. The Knights are going
to feast on QB Jordan Steffy,
who’s getting absolutely no
protection up front and appears
to be losing his confidence.
The Rutgers defense is short on
star power, but it’s extremely
well coached, rarely allows big
plays, and will endure few
issues containing this 98th-ranked
Terrapin attack. Who to watch: Just how
far Rutgers will go in 2007
hinges heavily on the maturation
of junior QB Mike Teel. So far,
so good for the nation’s passing
efficiency leader, but now he
must elevate his game and prove
he can get it done against a
Maryland secondary that’s ninth
nationally in pass defense, and
has twice as many picks as
touchdowns allowed. What will happen: While
Rice will get his yards and at
least one touchdown, this game
will be won by a Rutgers defense
that will harass Steffy from the
opening snap, and turn sacks and
turnovers into quick points for
the offense. CFN Prediction:
Rutgers
33 … Maryland 13
... Line: Rutgers -15 Must See Rating: (5 Ken
Burns' The War - 1 The
Big Bang Theory) ... 3
