Seeking its first bowl appearance, undefeated TCU will face its last ranked opponent of the year, conference rival Utah. A week after upsetting Oregon at home, Stanford faces USC on the road, where the Cardinal won two seasons ago. And Pittsburgh (8-1) seeks its second consecutive victory over Notre Dame. Iowa will try to prove they are a contender as they visit a tough Ohio State team. Both quarterbacks have a lot of critics to answer to. Buckeyes QB Terrelle Pryor needs to be consistent week in and week out and Hawkeyes QB Ricky Stanzi need to prove he can win games and not just manage them.
West Virginia Mountaineers vs Cincinnati Bearcats -9
Despite losing its starting quarterback, Cincinnati keeps rolling, but the Bearcats' toughest tests will come late in the season, starting Friday against West Virginia. The Bearcats are rated 5th in the nation and that is a new conquest for Cincy. They actually deserve it rolling up big scores in nearly every game. While Zach Collaros makes his fourth straight start as the fifth-ranked Bearcats chase the first 10-0 start in school history, injured starter Tony Pike is also expected to see action Friday night when their pursuit of a spot in the BCS title game continues against visiting West Virginia. The game is at home for Bearcats that also adds to their momentum. The sophomore helped Cincinnati rack up a school-record 711 total yards in Saturday's 47-45 win over Connecticut, after which Kelly said he was no longer committed to Pike as a starter. Collaros threw for 480 yards and a touchdown and ran for 75 yards and two scores. UConn scored more points than Cincinnati's previous three opponents combined, including 21 in the fourth quarter to narrow the deficit. The Huskies ran for 201 yards and four touchdowns. That could be a problem if West Virginia is able to use star running back Noel Devine, one of 16 players nationally who has topped 1,000 yards rushing.
Even with all that said we stay with Bearcats at home, lay the 9 points and take Cincinnati.
Stanford Cardinal vs. USC Trojans -11
The Cardinal beat Oregon last week and the Ducks crushed USC a couple of weeks ago, then it should be an upset by Stanford, right? Well, it doesn’t work quite like this. I don’t expect the Trojans to drop another again in a big game; keep in mind Pete Carroll is 28-0 in November. OK Pete’s teams have down exceptionally well in November but he had exceptionally different teams during that run. In those 28 wins they did not all cover the spread as what we see happening here. The Trojans have won some lower scoring games by close calls getting out with squeaky wins. They do play in LA and is an advantage to USC but 11 points is 1 point too much and by game time it could go to -12 because of that 28-0 run in November.
Take the Cardinal over the over rated Trojans at home. Take the 11 points and Stanford.
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Ohio St Buckeyes -16
One of the games of the week features a couple of good teams with a lot of trouble gaining respect because of inconsistent performances during the season. Iowa has been struggled on the offensive side of the ball and that could be deciding match-up for Ohio State. But Ohio St has also had some poor offensive games themselves. Iowa doesn’t go belly up for 2-3 games in arrow. They will be grinding it here in Ohio and in doing so will keep it closer than these 16 points. These teams have a bit of a grudge every time they meet which can only intensify the outcome.
We don’t see a three TD winning margin by the Buckeyes, therefore take the 16 points and take Iowa.
Florida Gators vs. South Carolina Gamecocks +16
The Gamecocks have loss two in a row against two really poor teams. Even though Tim Tebow and the Gators have struggled to blowout their opponents like they should, the Gamecocks have no chance. With its offense sputtering at times, Florida hasn't been quite as dominant as expected for a team that was an overwhelming pick to repeat as national champions. Despite the struggles, coach Urban Meyer notes his team is undefeated. Meyer's top-ranked Gators, who have already clinched a spot for next month's SEC championship, look to stay in the hunt for the BCS title game by finishing the conference season undefeated for the first time in 13 years Saturday at South Carolina, which is again experiencing a late-season fade under coach Steve Spurrier. After finding some offensive rhythm on Oct. 31 in a 41-17 victory over Georgia to help clinch a spot in the conference championship, Florida (9-0, 7-0) didn't look like the top team in the BCS standings in last Saturday's 27-3 home win over Vanderbilt. Tim Tebow wants that National Championship game as bad as anyone and will do what he has to run it up on fading Gamecocks.
Lay all 16 points and take Florida.
Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh -6
Notre Dame's spot in the Top 25 is gone after a surprising loss, and with that likely went its hopes of a trip to a BCS game. Boasting its highest ranking in 20 years, Pittsburgh's chances of representing the Big East in a major bowl game are growing stronger by the week. The eighth-ranked Panthers' final two games will determine if they're conference championship material, but they won't be looking past Saturday night's showdown with the stumbling Fighting Irish, who visit Heinz Field hoping to avoid an eighth straight loss to a top-10 opponent. Pitt (8-1) is off to its best start since Dan Marino's senior season in 1982, which was also the last time the program was ranked in the top 10 this late in the season. The Fighting Irish (6-3) likely lost their chance at grabbing a BCS bid after a stunning 23-21 home loss to Navy last Saturday dropped them from the rankings. The Panthers' players, though, are hardly treating it as a tune-up. Notre Dame will certainly need to do a better job stopping Lewis than it did against the Midshipmen, who gained 6.1 yards per carry in racking up 348 on the ground. That, plus three Irish turnovers, allowed Navy to control the clock and overcome a career-high 452 yards passing from Jimmy Clausen.
For these reasons we love Pittsburgh -6 over the Irish at Heinz Field!
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