NCAA College Football 2007 Week 9 Picks early games

NCAA College Football 2007 Week 9 Picks

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Fearless Rick's College Football Week 9 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | October 23

All times Eastern - Click here for late games.

Thursday, October 25

7:30 pm Boston College at Virginia Tech (-3 1/2, N/A) - In their last meeting, The Eagles topped the Hokies 22-3 on Oct. 12, 2006. That game was at BC. The venue changes here, though many of the same players will suit up. Matt Ryan, the BC quarterback, will be the focus of the game. If he can solve the Hokie pass defense, the Eagles will be successful. BC clicks for nearly 36 points per outing, while VT allows just 16 points per game and 302 yards.

Where the Hokies break down is on offense, where they are converting only 28.9% of third down opportunities and have rushed for only 836 yards over 7 games. Of course, Virginia Tech football is defined by special teams, but the Eagles are well-coached and should avoid mishaps in those areas. BC's defense allows just 21 more yards per game than Tech's and they have the nation's #1 rush defense, allowing less than 50 yards per game on the ground. Boston College should be able to make the Hokies' offense one-dimensional and win on Matt Ryan's arm.

Prediction: Eagles 20 Hokies 10

Saturday, October 27

12:00 pm West Virginia (-6, N/A) at Rutgers - The 6-1 Mountaineers hope to keep their BCS hopes alive as they take on the 5-2 Scarlet Knights. Both teams are 1-1 in the conference, chasing, believe it or not, Connecticut. These two met in the Big East finale last year, won at West Virginia by the Mountaineers, 41-39, so the idea that the game may be close is realistic.

There will be plenty of running and scoring by both teams, though the Knights seem to have the edge on defense. The near-TD point spread for Rutgers, plus home field, makes the Knights the solid choice.

Prediction: Scarlet Knights 38 Mountaineers 35

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12:00 pm Indiana at Wisconsin (-7 1/2, N/A) - After suffering back-to-back losses at Illinois and Penn State, the Badgers' hopes for a Big Ten title seem to be a long shot and they may not be fully prepared for the Hoosiers, who played Penn State tough last week, losing 36-31. By comparison, Wisconsin lost at Penn St. by a 38-7 score. Considering the deficiencies both teas have on defense, the Hoosiers, clicking at 35.4 ppg, should have an edge and possibly pull off the upset. Wisconsin is, thus far, a disappointment, and their two conference wins have both been at home, by 4 points over Iowa and 3 over Michigan State.

Prediction: Hoosiers 34 Badgers 27

3:00 pm USC at Oregon (-3, N/A) - The line tells you everything you need to know about what Vegas thinks here. They think the Trojans are more hype than substance, obviously, or they would have installed them as favorites. Lord knows there's enough money in SoCal to move the line, so why did it go from 2 1/2 to 3 on Tuesday? End of the line for USC, even before they play Cal, Arizona St. and UCLA.

Prediction: Ducks 38 Trojans 30

All times Eastern - Click here for late games

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