NCAA College Football 2008 Week 15 Picks early games

NCAA College Football 2008 Week 15 Picks

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Fearless Rick's 2008 College Football Week 15 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | December 4-6, 2008

All times Eastern - Click here for late games.

Friday, December 5

8:00 pm Ball State Cardinals (-15, 61) at Buffalo Bulls - Starting off Championship Week is this weekend starter which will decide the Mid-American title. Ball State, the obvious choice at 12-0, has answered every call, including late-season wins over the other two powerhouses in the west division, Central Michigan and Western Michigan, the past two weeks. They come into this game as ready as one could expect from an undefeated team.

The Bulls have had a solid season, though they won what was by far the weaker of the two conference divisions with a 5-3 record (7-5 overall). Two of those losses were close calls to the aforementioned Michigan teams. They lost by two points at Central and six to Western, at home. Within the conference, their worst loss was by six, so they can hang with the best of them. Being that the game is on their home turf, and weather conditions likely to be blustery, the Bulls should keep this one close enough to cover the line, though there's almost no possibility of them winning outright.

Prediction: Cardinals 33 Bulls 27

Saturday, December 6

12:00 pm Navy Midshipmen (-11, 44 1/2) at Army Black Knights - It looks as though the Middies may have their way over the cavalry in this one. while Navy's option run game isn't quite as good as when Paul Johnson ran things (now with Georgia Tech), it is still far superior to the anemic army attack. The Black Knights might as well have calling retreat, as they averaged only 16.1 ppg, a number which was better than only four teams in the Bowl Division. Bowl-eligible Navy comes in at 7-4, against the 3-8 Army unit, and they should manage to keep the Knights out of the end zone with just their base defense. This is unlikely to be very pretty, though it will be full of lots of spectacle.

Prediction: Midshipmen 28 Black Knights 13

12:00 pm Pittsburgh Panthers at Connecticut Huskies (-2 1/2, 47 1/2) - The Huskies had multiple injury problems this season, most notably that to QB Tyler Lorenzen, who was back for the November 23, 16-13 loss at South Florida and should be at 100% for the season finale. The Huskies began the season 5-0, but slipped to a 2-4 finish.

The 8-3 Panthers have been in and out of the lower portion of the Top 25 all season, but have put it together near the end of the season, winning three of their last four, though the one loss was to Cincinnati, and likely cost Pitt the Big East title. While there's little to prove for either team, an additional win would secure a better bowl bid, so this game should be competitive in every aspect. The differences between the two teams are not glaring - UConn is slightly more physical; Pitt may be more talented offensively. A very tough call, but a narrow escape for the Panthers.

Prediction: Panthers 27 Huskies 24

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1:00 pm Boston College Eagles (-1, 39) at Virginia Tech Hokies - After weeks of speculation and a slew of possibilities down the stretch, the two pre-season favorites to win their respective divisions made it to the ACC Championship game. The season could hardly be more challenging for Beamer-ball, as the Hokies got off to a shaky start, losing to East Carolina at home in their opener, but quickly righted that with 5 straight wins. The ACC proved to be tougher than expected, however, and Tech only finished at 5-3 overall, as did Boston College. Considering that 10 of the 12 teams in the conference finished either 4-4 or 5-3, it's not surprising that bookies, bettors and oddsmakers were all completely in the dark when it came to predicting the ACC.

These two met at BC back in October, with the Eagles emerging victorious by a 28-23 score, but this one will be in the heart of Blacksburg, and the fans will be loud and boisterous. That shouldn't faze the Eagles much, though they will feature freshman QB Dominique Davis in just his third collegiate start. davis has produced two straight wins for the Eagles, however, each of them critical, over Wake Forest and Maryland. Boston College has been dying for an ACC Championship and it looks like they finally have arrived.

Prediction: Eagles 26 Hokies 21

4:00 pm Alabama Crimson Tide at Florida Gators (-9 1/2, 51) - This is what college football is all about. the 12-0 Crimson Tide matching up with the 11-1 Gators for the SEC title. Before you go off thinking that the Gators are going to dominate this game with their offense, bear in mind that the Tide rolls in at 11.5 points allowed per game, third best in the nation, and much of that against pretty solid SEC competition. Nationally, only TCU allowed fewer rushing yards than Alabama this season, and they will certainly be put to the test against the multiple-set offense of Urban Meyer and the skills of possibly the best player in college football, Tim Tebow.

As good as Alabama is on defense, the Gators overmatch them on offense, checking in at 46.3 ppg, 3rd nationally, behind only Oklahoma and Tulsa. The Gators also are fifth in scoring defense, allowing just 12.3 ppg. Their 23 interceptions are also second-best nationally. This is truly a team meant to play for the national championship and the Crimson Tide is the only obstacle remaining. The Gators are a missed extra point (against Mississippi) from being a perfect 12-0.

Florida, which has scored more than 42 points in each of its last seven games, may not reach that total against the Tide, but their defense should limit the effectiveness of QB John Parker Wilson, who is not nearly an even match to Tebow. The loss of Percy Harvin (injured last week at Florida State and listed as questionable) will even the score somewhat, but even the nighty Alabama defense won't be able to keep Tebow and Co. from their destiny

Prediction: Gators 34 Crimson Tide 20

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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