How are the picks so far? SU:
38-14 ... ATS: 25-23
Big East Game of
the Week
Cincinnati (6-2) at South Florida (6-2)
3:30 EST, ABC Why to Watch: Wasn’t it just a
few weeks ago that both Cincinnati and
South Florida were trendy choices to win
the Big East championship? A lot has
changed in a short period of time with
both schools currently mired in two-game
losing slumps, and one more loss from
being completely out of the title
chase. The Bulls, in particular, can’t
wait to get back home to the Sunshine
State after suffering back-to-back
losses in the Northeast, including
Saturday’s 22-15 clunker at
Connecticut. While there’s still time
for USF to deliver a special season and
play in a decent bowl game, it has to
start playing more fundamentally sound
football beginning right now. In losses
to Louisville and Pittsburgh, the
Bearcats were a weak facsimile of the
team that started the year 6-0 and rose
as high as No. 15 in the polls. In
response to his team’s recent sloppy
play, head coach Brian Kelly has shaken
up his lineup, naming sophomore Jacob
Ramsey as the new starting running back
and either by sophomore Charley Howard
or true freshman Armon Binns as a new
starter at the “X” receiver spot. Why Cincinnati might win: What’s
up with the South Florida run defense
lately? The same unit that hadn’t
allowed a 100-yard rusher in 14 straight
games has given up 181 yards to Rutgers’
Ray Rice and 167 yards to Connecticut’s
Andre Dixon in consecutive weeks.
Ramsey will find the running room
necessary to open things up for QB Ben
Mauk and the passing game to have
success against the veteran Bulls
secondary. Since torching UCF three
weeks ago, the USF offense has been
stagnant and one-dimensional, reverting
back to last year when QB Matt Grothe
was a one-man show. Why South Florida might win:
Since joining the Big East, the Bulls
haven’t been all that great away from
home, so no one should be floored that
they lost two straight games in
unfamiliar territory. At Raymond James
Stadium, however, they’re very tough to
beat, winning all four of this year’s
games by an average score of 37-12. The
South Florida defense, led by sackmaster
George Selvie, LB Ben Moffitt, and
lockdown corners Mike Jenkins and Trae
Williams will put the brakes on a
Cincinnati offense that struggled badly
versus far worse defenses in the last
two games. Who to watch: If the South
Florida offense is going to perk up,
it’s incumbent upon backs Mike Ford and
Benjamin Williams to start contributing
more to the offense. Grothe is special
in many ways, but like Tim Tebow up in
Gainesville, he can only absorb so much
pounding before it starts to take its
toll. Moving the ball on the ground,
however, won’t be easy against a
Cincinnati front that was rock solid
before last week’s loss to Pittsburgh. What Will Happen: One of these
teams is going to exit the weekend
saddled with a three-game losing streak,
looking as if they were living a lie in
September. That program will be
Cincinnati, which will labor to move the
ball on South Florida, or own the
turnover battle, like it did earlier in
the year. CFN Prediction:
South Florida
27 … Cincinnati 16
... Line: South Florida -5 Must See Rating: (5 Heidi Klum on
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -
1 Heidi Klum on Oprah) ...
3.5
Big East Saturday, November 3rd
Syracuse (2-6) at Pittsburgh (3-5)
12:00 EST GamePlan Why to Watch: Pitt will be trying
to shake off a tough seven-point loss at
Louisville that looked as if it would be
headed to overtime. The Panthers were
ready to punch in the tying score in the
final minute when the exchange between
freshmen Pat Bostick and LeSean McCoy
was botched, ending their upset bid and
creating a lost opportunity to reach the
.500 mark. Such is life as the program
attempts to win today with players that
are built for tomorrow. By defeating
Syracuse at home this week, Pitt can
inch closer to .500 while maintaining a
glimmer of hope that all of those
contributing underclassmen will get 15
more practices in December. The Orange
returns to work this week looking to
build on a 20-12 win over Buffalo before
the team went on its bye. Syracuse,
too, will be holding auditions for 2008,
some out of choice and others out of
necessity. Starting RB Curtis Brinkley
suffered a broken leg two weeks ago,
thrusting 6-2, 215-pound true freshman
Doug Hogue into the role of feature back
over the final month of the season. Why Syracuse might win: No doubt,
Bostick is the future at quarterback for
Pittsburgh, but he’s been predictably
unpredictable for a passing attack that
ranks 96th in the country and
an offense that’s scored more than 24
points just once in the last six games.
The Orange doesn’t light it up
offensively, but won’t have to in order
to pick up a second straight win this
weekend. It’ll get Hogue involved in
the running game, while allowing QB
Andrew Robinson to air it out to his two
top receivers, Mike Williams and Taj
Smith. Why Pittsburgh might win: McCoy’s
sprint toward Freshman All-America
honors will continue this week against
one of the nation’s worst run defenses.
He has been magnificent this season,
going over 100 yards in five of the last
seven games, despite getting little
protection from the passing game. McCoy
will rip through a soft Syracuse D,
opening things up for Bostick to make a
few plays downfield on play-action. The
Orange needs to get things going through
the air, but won’t have much luck versus
a Panther defense that held Louisville’s
Brian Brohm in check last Saturday, and
is 11th nationally defending
the pass. Who to watch: Yet another true
freshman, WR Maurice Williams, has begun
to make his presence felt on the
Pittsburgh offense this fall. A
terrific all-around athlete at 6-1 and
190 pounds, he started for the second
time last week, catching a career-high
three passes for 50 yards in the loss to
Louisville. While Williams is still
somewhat raw, all of the live action
he’s getting in 2007 will benefit him
and the offense big time in 2008. What Will Happen: McCoy was
inconsolable at the end of last week’s
painful loss to Louisville. He’ll be
smiling again after running for 150
yards and three scores, leading
Pittsburgh to a two-touchdown victory. CFN Prediction:
Pitt 28 …
Syracuse 14...
Line: Pitt -12 Must See Rating: (5 Heidi Klum on
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -
1 Heidi Klum on Oprah) ...
2
Rutgers (5-3) at Connecticut (7-1)
7:15 EST ESPNU Why to Watch: For proof that this
has been a wildly improbable year in the
Big East, feast your eyes on
Connecticut, a preseason afterthought
that enters November as the league’s
last unbeaten team in conference play.
The Huskies are firmly on the national
radar, courtesy of last week’s upset of
South Florida that propelled them into
the rarified air of the Top 25 in both
major polls. A throwback team, of
sorts, it’s winning with defense, a
steady running game, and solid
all-around fundamentals. No longer a
well-kept secret, how will this
unheralded group respond to being in the
spotlight and expected to win? Rutgers
will look longingly across the field at
Connecticut this weekend. It remembers
what it was like to be the darlings of
the Big East, overcoming long odds to
contend for a BCS bowl game. That,
however, was last year. This season,
the Scarlet Knights have had problems
beating quality opponents, going 1-3
versus teams with a pulse, including
last Saturday’s listless, 31-3 loss to
West Virginia. If they can’t overcome
the Huskies in East Hartford, qualifying
for a third straight bowl game could
become an unexpected concern in
Piscataway. Why Rutgers might win: While it
isn’t getting the same attention it did
last year, Scarlet Knight RB Ray Rice is
having a sensational year, averaging 142
yards a game and going well over 100
yards in each of the last three games.
A downhill runner that seems to have
gotten quicker in his junior season,
he’ll easily be the most dynamic
offensive player in Rentschler Stadium
Saturday night. If Rutgers controls the
clock and grabs a lead, Connecticut
doesn’t have the weapons on offense to
mount a comeback. The Huskies lack the
balance, particularly in the passing
game, to move the chains consistently on
a veteran, attacking Scarlet Knight D. Why Connecticut might win:
Although you may not know many of the
players, the Husky defense is absolutely
for real. Ranked No. 10 nationally in
total defense, they’ve yet to allow more
than 17 points in a game this season.
Rice will get his yards, but with QB
Mike Teel suffering from an injured
thumb, Connecticut will stack the box in
order to slow down No. 27. With Julius
Williams and Cody Brown coming off the
edge, and Danny Lansanah and Lawrence
Wilson manning the middle, it’s going to
be a disappointing night for the Rutgers
offense. Who to watch: Although RB Donald
Brown was pegged before the season as
Connecticut’s catalyst on offense,
sophomore Andre Dixon has come out of
nowhere to assume the role in 2007. A
shifty runner with good inside power, he
grew up close to the Rutgers campus, but
didn’t get an offer from the home team.
Since returning from a two-game
suspension, Dixon has rushed for more
than 100 yards in four of the last six
games, a trend that’ll continue against
a Scarlet Knight defense that’s been
beatable on the ground this fall. What Will Happen: While it’s way
too early for Connecticut to start
making Orange Bowl reservations, this is
a quality program that gaining
confidence with each win. In a
nip-and-tuck game dominated by the backs
and the defenses, the Huskies will
remain atop the Big East on a fourth
quarter field goal from Tony Ciaravino.
CFN Prediction:
Connecticut
23 … Rutgers 20...
Line: Connecticut -3 Must See Rating: (5 Heidi Klum on
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -
1 Heidi Klum on Oprah) ...
3
