NCAA College Football 2008 Week 12 Picks early games

NCAA College Football 2008 Week 12 Picks

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Fearless Rick's 2008 College Football Week 12 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | November 12-15, 2008

All times Eastern - Click here for late games.

Thursday, Nov. 13

7:50 PM Virginia Tech at Miami (FL) (-4, 43 1é2 ) - If this point spread seems odd, don't feel like you are alone. Virginia Tech, with 3 losses, is still in a position to win the ACC Coastal division because only two of those losses were in the conference. The Hokies currently share the lead with Miami and North Carolina at 3-2 in the ACC, so this one will go a long way towards determining who gets to the ACC title game.

The Hokies are somewhat less imposing on defense than usual, allowing 20.2 points per contest, a little better than Miami, at 21.9. But it's Virginia Tech's offense that has led to the defensive lapses due to turnovers and 3-and-outs. However, with Sean Glennon healthy and the emergence of RB Darren Evans, who gained 253 yards (school record) in last Thursday's 23-13 win over Maryland, Tech is poised for another run at the title.

All three of VaTech's losses this season have been away from home, but they are 15-3 all-time on Thursday nights, and while Miami is solid and at home, the Hokies love those bright national TV lights.

Prediction: Hokies 24 Hurricanes 22

Friday, Nov. 14

8:00 PM Cincinnati (-3 1/2, 48 1/2) at Louisville - The Bearcats are tied with West Virginia and Pittsburgh at 3-1 for the Big East lead, and needs to prove they can win on the road against a capable foe for the second week in a row. Last Saturday, they upset West Virginia, 26-23, to gain a leg up in tie-breakers, but they have to avoid a letdown against the Cardinals. It's been and up-and-down season thus far for Louisville. They beat South Florida, but lost their last two - to Syracuse and Pittsburgh - and both games were on the road but very significant.

The Syracuse loss was unexpected, and the loss at Pitt was a 41-7 rout, so the Louisville faithful are hoping for better results at home. The problem is that the Bearcats are loaded on both sides of the ball, while the Cardinals are allowing 25.9 ppg and the offense is way off, at 26.8. Cincy should have little trouble throttling down the Louisville offense and moving up in the polls.

Prediction: Bearcats 31 Cardinals 17

Saturday, Nov. 15

12:00 PM Notre Dame (-3, 50 1/2) at Navy - Upset with his offense, Charlie Weis will be calling the plays for the Irish this Saturday at the Naval Academy. He may be better served paying more attention to Notre Dame's run defense, as they will be facing the #2 rushing offense in the country. The Midshipmen has galloped for 2772 yards in 9 games with their unstoppable option offense. On the other hand, Navy's defense is only so-so, but they should be good enough to handle the Irish, control the clock with their run game and beat Notre Dame for the second straight season.

Prediction: Midshipmen 34 Fighting Irish 29

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12:00 Ohio State (-10, 47 1/2) at Illinois - The Illini were ambushed at Western Michigan last week, 23-17, dropping them to 5-5 for the season, but they've played a tough schedule, also losing to Missouri, Penn St. Wisconsin and Minnesota. Only the loss to the Gophers was at home, but Ohio State is another story. The Buckeyes have availed themselves quite well this season, losing only to USC and Penn State, while pretty much pounding everyone else. Ohio State is allowing just 13 points per game, which is a heck of a lot better than Illinois' 26.3 mark.

Sandwiched around that 13-6 loss to the Nittany Lions are a 45-7 win at Michigan State and a 45-10 thumping of Northwestern, also on the road, so being away from the horseshoe doesn't seem to bother the Buckeyes. Besides, Ohio State will be seeking to avenge their only Big 10 loss from '07, a controversial 28-21 win by Illinois.

Prediction: Buckeyes 35 Fighting Illini 19

12:30 PM Texas (-13, 68) at Kansas - The Longhorns still have hopes of playing for the national championship, though they'll need Oklahoma to knock off Texas Tech next week in order to do so. The game plan is to win out and end in a the-way tie with the Sooners and Red Raiders and win the fifth tie-breaker (highest ranking in BCS poll) at the conclusion of conference play on November 29. Then it would be on to the title game against, right now, Missouri. That's a long way off, but it starts with beating up Kansas - a solid team offensively, but with little in the way of defense to stop the marauding Longhorns.

Texas will take their first step toward at least a BCS bowl game and maybe the big enchilada.

Prediction: Longhorns 49 Jayhawks 24

All times Eastern - Click here for late games

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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