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Syracuse (2-8) at Connecticut (8-2)
12:00 EST, ESPN2
Why to watch: Connecticut’s
perfect league record may have ended
abruptly in Cincinnati last week, but
its quest for a Big East title has not.
The Huskies are tied atop the conference
with West Virginia, needing to beat the
Mountaineers in two weeks and Syracuse
on Saturday to lock up the league crown
and a berth in a BCS bowl game. After
getting exposed by the Bearcats for 60
minutes, it’ll be interesting to see how
Connecticut responds to true adversity
for the first time this season. For
Randy Edsall, this week could be a job
audition in front of his alma mater
Syracuse, a school that might be looking
for a new head coach in a few weeks.
All alone in the Big East basement, the
season can’t end soon enough for the
Orange, which has lost four consecutive
league games since stunning Louisville
on Sept. 22. With underclassmen now
littered throughout the two-deep, the
only intrigue surrounding Syracuse these
days is whether Greg Robinson can
survive another horrible season to
return for a fourth year with the
program.
Why Syracuse might win: Averaging
28 points a game, Connecticut doesn’t
have the tools on offense to pull away
from anyone. The Huskies’ 91st-ranked
passing game will allow the Orange to
commit the linebackers and safeties to
stopping RBs Andre Dixon and Donald
Brown, the team’s only consistent
threats on offense. Connecticut showed
some cracks in pass defense in
Cincinnati, which Syracuse can exploit,
especially if QB Andrew Robinson can
return from a rib injury.
Why Connecticut might win: While
the Husky defense took a hit last
weekend, it remains light years ahead of
a Syracuse offense that has no running
game, and hasn’t scored more than 20
points in almost two months. The Orange
offensive line, which ranks 115th
in sacks allowed, won’t have a puncher’s
chance against a Connecticut front seven
that’s quick to the ball and will bring
pressure off the edge with bookends
Julius Williams and Cody Brown. On
offense, it’ll pound away with success
at a Syracuse D that’s last in the Big
East at stopping the run.
Who to watch: A feeble Syracuse
running game that’s produced 45 yards on
its last 48 carries will allow
Connecticut LBs Danny Lansanah and Scott
Lutrus to drop back into coverage, where
both are very effective. The pair has
been outstanding stopping the run and
getting into opposing backfields, but
have also picked off six passes,
presenting another barrier for Robinson
or Cameron Dantley.
What will happen: While the fight
has left Syracuse, Connecticut will
still be playing for a Big East crown.
The Huskies will return to playing solid
defense, while getting a big day on the
ground from Dixon for a lopsided win.
CFN Prediction:
Connecticut
38 … Syracuse 9
... Line:
Connecticut -18
Must See Rating: (5 On
HBO, "Michigan vs. Ohio State: The
Rivalry" - 1
Writer strike induced reruns) ...2
Pittsburgh (4-5) at Rutgers (6-4)
12:00 EST, ESPN GamePlan
Why to watch: When Pittsburgh
travels to Rutgers on Saturday, a spot
in a second-tier bowl game might be at
stake. While the Scarlet Knights will
be looking for a seventh win that’ll
secure a third straight post-season
appearance, the Panthers are hoping to
even up the record with two games
remaining. The Big East has five
automatic tie-ins, and with West
Virginia, Connecticut, Cincinnati, and
South Florida already on board, there
could be a mad scramble for that final
opening. Rutgers is coming off an easy
win over Army that ended its two-game
losing streak, but may have lost QB Mike
Teel, who re-injured his thumb in Friday
night’s game. Pittsburgh is well-rested
after not playing last weekend, and
looking at the rugged last leg of the
season as a barometer of how far the
program has come in 2007. Hope for the
future continues to be found in RB
LeSean McCoy, who’s just 197 yards away
from setting a new Big East record for
rushing yards by a freshman.
Why Pittsburgh might win: Jabu
Lovelace showed great wheels against
Army Friday night, but he is not Teel in
the passing game, which will neutralize
Rutgers’ tremendous speed on the
outside. It’ll be up to RB Ray Rice to
shoulder the load, a tall order against
a Panther run defense whose only bad
game was against Navy, which runs on
everyone. The Knights, on the other
hand, have had problems all year
stopping the run, something Pitt will
exploit with McCoy darting behind
massive linemen Jeff Otah and Mike
McGlynn.
Why Rutgers might win: Although
Pittsburgh has excelled at getting to
the quarterback, it’s going to get
stonewalled by a veteran Scarlet Knight
offensive line that’s yielded a mere
five sacks all season. With time
Lovelace or Teel will complete dump-offs
and intermediate passes to soften up the
Panther D for Rice and the running
game. True freshman QB Pat Bostick will
have a rough time navigating a physical
Rutgers secondary that leads the country
in pass defense, and is not afraid to
press up to stop the run.
Who to watch: No matter how
analytical you want to get, this game
boils down to the duel between Rice and
McCoy, the top two rushers in the Big
East. Both backs have shown a knack for
taking over games, and with neither
quarterback a threat to explode, it’ll
be up the runners to keep drives alive
and defenses from getting blows on the
sidelines.
What will happen: Rutgers will
have its hands full Saturday afternoon
before sealing a win in the fourth
quarter with a couple of time-consuming
drives. Rice will lead the way with 125
yards and a pair of scores, but it might
take 35 carries for him to compile those
numbers.
CFN Prediction: Rutgers 28 …
Pitt 20
... Line:
Rutgers -11
Must See Rating: (5 On
HBO, "Michigan vs. Ohio State: The
Rivalry" - 1
Writer strike induced reruns) ...2.5
Louisville (5-5) at South Florida (7-3)
8:00 EST, ESPNU
Why to watch: Now that South
Florida has ended its three-game losing
streak by routing Syracuse, where does
the program go from here? The Bulls,
once the second-ranked team in the
country, have crawled out of the Big
East basement, and can move a step
closer to the top half of the league
with a win over Louisville. With two
more regular season victories, the
school will still have a shot at 10 wins
and a decent bowl invite, which might
help offset the reality of how close it
came to really making waves in the
postseason. At 5-5, the Cardinals would
be content just to play past Nov. 29.
They need one more win for bowl
eligibility, but realistically, two will
be needed to secure a bid. Despite
falling from grace in 2007, Louisville
put on a good show last Thursday, nearly
upending West Virginia in Morgantown.
Why Louisville might win: As last
week proved, when you have QB Brian
Brohm, you’ve always got a chance. The
senior is fifth in the country in total
offense and eighth in passing
efficiency, making good use of a very
deep corps of pass-catchers. If needed,
the Cardinal offense can outgun a South
Florida team that’s way too inconsistent
and one-dimensional on the offensive
side of the ball. Defensively,
Louisville has been light years better
in the second half of the season than it
was in the first.
Why South Florida might win:
Louisville has star power in Brohm, and
WRs Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia, but
that alone hasn’t equaled monster
results. The Cardinals haven’t really
broken out like expected since early
September, when Murray State and Middle
Tennessee State was visiting Papa
John’s. Their problems with the running
game, and in the red zone will continue
against a Bull defense that’s making a
ton of plays for negative yards, and is
No. 9 in the country in pass efficiency
defense. For the first time in weeks,
South Florida got help for QB Matt
Grothe, getting 100 yards rushing from
Mike Ford and Aston Samuels, a trend
that’ll continue this Saturday night.
Who to watch: Douglas and Urrutia
versus South Florida corners Mike
Jenkins and Trae Williams is a match up
that warrants a big old spotlight.
While Douglas is one of the best
receivers around and Urrutia a potential
mismatch if his toe isn’t barking,
Jenkins and Williams form one of the
toughest lockdown tandems in the
country. If the Bull secondary can take
Louisville’s weapons out of the game,
the Cards lack the running attack to go
to a viable Plan B.
What will happen: Whatever
Louisville had in the 2007 tank was
spent in last week’s moral victory in
Morgantown. South Florida will play
with a sense of purpose, dominating on
defense, and creating a short field for
Grothe and the Bull offense.
CFN Prediction:
South Florida
30 … Louisville 21
... Line:
South Florida -6
Must See Rating: (5 On
HBO, "Michigan vs. Ohio State: The
Rivalry" - 1
Writer strike induced reruns) ...2.5
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