College Football Week 9 Preview

West Virginia @ South Florida, Friday 8pm
Ahad: Noel Devine will be the difference in this game. Pick: West Virginia
Evan: USF has burned me recently, but they hold a special place in my heart. Go Bulls. Pick: USF
Matt: West Virginia is coming off an emotional game with UConn and South Florida is coming off two straight losses to top 25 teams. Can West Virginia make it three in a row? I think so. Pick: West Virginia
Mike: Cincy has been getting all the chat in the Big East but teams like Pitt and WVU are putting together some solid seasons. Poor USF had to play all three right in a row. At the time the USF win over FSU seemed pretty impressive. Turns out FSU is just capable of being really terrible for stretches of time. Ahad hits it, Noel Devine is the player to watch. Pick: West Virginia

Mississippi @ Auburn, Saturday 12:21pm
Ahad: These SEC games are always tough to predict. I have to go with my gut on this one. Pick: Mississippi
Evan: These games are only tough to predict for you northern yankees. I’ve got the pulse of the south. Pick: Auburn
Matt: Auburn comes in having lost 3 straight. Can they right the ship at home? Doubt it. Pick: Mississippi
Mike: The midrange SEC games are hard to pick because they don’t get a lot of air time up here. Instead of the SEC Game of the Week, our local channels pick up the Big East game of the week. Ole Miss is a solid team that has tumbled a little too far in the rankings. Are they any worse than 2-loss Ohio St or Miami? I’d put them ahead of both teams. Pick: Mississippi

Duke @ Virginia, Saturday 3:30pm
Ahad: It will be a long time before Duke has a good football team. Virginia will take care of business. Pick: UVA
Evan: This is my upset special. Pick: Duke
Matt: Actually, Ahad, I think Duke already has a decent team. They played Va. Tech close at home and have beaten some other good teams and they have a better record than the Cavaliers. I think I am gonna go with Duke, who will win it with a 3 at the buzzer. Pick: Duke
Mike: Disappointed that a) I can’t put this in my average games of the week and b) this week’s slate of games is so weak that this is a game worth picking. I’m glad at least Matt knows what’s going on. Duke and Virginia are almost identical so far this year. I like Duke a little better, but it is a toss-up. PIck: Duke

USC @ Oregon, Saturday 8pm
Ahad: The biggest question about this game is which Oregon team will show up? The Trojan’s defense will be able to contain the running game of Oregon. USC will control this game from the start, but look for Oregon to keep it close. Pick: USC
Evan: Woohoo! I’d watch this game if I weren’t watching the World Series. Pick: USC
Matt: Can USC actually lose two conference games? I think there is a real possibility of it. They have not been as dominant this year and Oregon is on a roll. Pick: Oregon
Mike: Points! Take last week’s USC/OSU game and add more points for the team from Oregon. This will likely cause the 2nd TV to be setup. Pick: Oregon

Texas @ Oklahoma State, Saturday 8pm
Ahad: How will Ok State handle the news that Bryant is suspended for the rest of the season? Granted he hasn’t played for a few weeks, but now there is no chance he will be back. He is their most dynamic playmaker and the offense will struggle without him. Texas is still unbeaten, but has been on the ropes a few times most notably in the Red River Shoot-out. (I will not call the game by its new name). McCoy doesn’t look like the same player from last year either. Look for the Cowboys to keep it close, but in the end Texas will find a way to win. Pick: Texas
Evan: McCoy’s got to show up eventually. Pick: Texas
Matt: McCoy needs a big game here to vault himself to the top of the Heisman race. He has been steady, but not as dominant as last season. I think OK State will come out energized behind the home crowd and have the lead early. However, the McCoy to Shipley combo will prove to be too much in the end. Pick: Texas
Mike: Ok State doesn’t impress me in the weaker Big 12 this year. Texas should win this game big. Not because this is a breakout game, even though that’s what the talk will be, just because they are better than Ok State. Pick: Texas

Average Games
Purdue @ Wisconsin – Both teams are 2-2 in conference. Out of conference is a different story as Wisconsin is only a win away from bowl eligibility but Purdue needs 3 more.
Kansas @ Texas Tech – How will Texas Tech do this week after their joke of a game last week? Hopefully they avoided their fat little girlfriends this week.
Western Kentucky @ North Texas – Pointed to this game in this week’s The Winless. North Texas is not in the winless ranks, they have 1 whole win. WKU might be the winlessest. I wouldn’t be surprised North Texas wins this one big.

Standings
Matt 27-13 (5-0)
Mike 24-16 (4-1)
Ahad 23-17 (5-0)
Evan 21-19 (2-3)