NCAA College Football 2008 Week 2 Picks early games

NCAA College Football 2008 Week 2 Picks

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Fearless Rick's 2008 College Football Week 2 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | September 4-6, 2008

All times Eastern - Click here for late games.

Thursday, Sept. 4

8:30 pm South Carolina (-10, 41) at Vanderbilt - Impressed by the Gamecocks 34-0 win over North Carolina State, it should be noted that South Carolina was deadlocked through most of the first half in a scoreless tie with the offensively-challenged Wolfpack, recording only a 2nd quarter field goal.

That said, the South Carolina defense was better than advertised, holding NC State to just 138 yards total offense, though some of that had to do with the ineptitude of the Wolfpack QBs, a collective 5-of-20 for all of 49 yards and two interceptions. SC QB Tommy Beecher (12 of 22 with 4 INTs) will not start due to a shoulder injury, so Chris Smelley (5-5, 92 yards, 2 TDs) will get the nod, and that looks like a stroke of luck, or genius, or both.

Vanderbilt got off to a good start with a 34-13 win over Miami (OH), and though the defense was solid, the offense still leaves much to be desired. Chris Nickson rumbled for 162 yards on the ground and threw for 92 more on 9-of-16 passing in the opener, but the SC defense should be able to handle him and also harass him into costly errors. Don't expect a scoring onslaught from either team, though South Carolina should pull out a win on the road. Last season, Vandy won 17-6 at SC. A much different result is expected this time around.

Prediction: Gamecocks 27 Commodores 10

Saturday, Sept. 6

12:00 pm Georgia Tech at Boston College (-7, 38 1/2) - Paul Johnson has taken over the head coaching job from Chan Gailey and things got off to a rousing start with a convincing 41-14 win over Jacksonville St.

The Yellow Jacket defense had to contend with Ryan Perrilloux, the dangerous QB who was dismissed by LSU in the off-season, but they held him in check, allowing 22 of 37 completions, but for only 132 yards (3.7 y/a), 2 TDs and 2 INTs. Meanwhile, the Tech offense rolled up 349 yards rushing, using 9 different ball-handlers.

BC got past Kent State, 21-0, in week #1, and though the score was one-sided, the Eagles didn't really dominate and were aided by 3 Kent St. turnovers. With the ACC seemingly up for grabs after the upsets of Virginia Tech and Clemson in the opening week, both teams are eying this early conference game with great anticipation. The Eagles, however, lost most of their offense to graduation and will be hard-pressed to beat a more-experienced Georgia Tech squad.

Prediction: Yellow Jackets 24 Eagles 21

3:30 pm San Diego State at Notre Dame (-22 42 1/2) - Judging by the Vegas line, the Fighting Irish are a much better team than their 3-9 record from 2007 would suggest. Maybe, but the schedule is much easier this year as well. Charlie Weiss better have had a great recruiting season or this will go down as another massive flop. This is the opener for the Irish, so there's a high interest level here.

San Diego St. won their opener at home, 13-10 over UC-Davis, coming from behind with 13 second half points. Last season, they beat UC-Davis 34-14, so they may not even be as good as the 5-7 2007 team. The Spartans also lost their 3-year starting QB and leading rusher from 2007 to graduation.

While the Irish may not be bowl-caliber, they're probably not going to repeat last season's disasters. I'll go against my better judgment (which always tells me that ND giving 22 points is a sucker bet) and side with Weiss and Co., but only because SD St. is really, really bad.

Prediction: Fighting Irish 42 Spartans 13

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3:30 pm Cincinnati at Oklahoma (-21, 53 1/2) - Wow! Oklahoma looked like monsters in their 57-2 opener over Chattanooga. Well, they should have. It was 50-0 at the half and coach Bob Stoops had the second stringers on the field for most of the second half.

While blowout wins are commonplace this time of year, the Sooners best be prepared for the Ohio invasion because the Bearcats aren't exactly pushovers. They went 10-3 in the first year under head coach Brian Kelly, who built the Central Michigan Chippewas into a MAC powerhouse, including wins over Rutgers and South Florida, and opened this year with a dominating 40-7 win over Eastern Kentucky.

The Bearcats aren't in Norman just to put up a good showing. They intend to win, and this one will be very hard fought throughout. A real early-season treat, but a scare for the Sooners.

Prediction: Sooners 31 Bearcats 21

3:30 pm Mississippi at Wake Forest (-8, 46 1/2) - The Demon Deacons were impressive in their 41-13 road win at Baylor last week and the home fans are ready for another run at an ACC title and post-season bowl glory.

Houston Nutt took over the coaching chores at Mississippi during the off season and has his team ready after a 41-24 win over Memphis in their home opener. Texas transfer Jevan Snead hooked up with wideout Shay Hodge for a pair of scores in that game as the offense rolled up 28 first downs and 453 yards of offense. The problem is that the Rebels allowed Memphis to gain 438 yards, including 216 on the ground.

Wake Forest may be the best team - or at least one of the top three - in the ACC, while the Rebels are probably somewhere in the middle of the SEC pecking order. After watching Alabama beat up on Clemson last week, one has to wonder what those SEC players are eating these days, but this game is at Wake, and the Dekes are not Clemson. Also, any comparison between the Alabama defense and Mississippi's would be a joke. Wake Forest should win and cover easily.

Prediction: Demon Deacons 34 Rebels 21

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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