NCAA College Football 2008 Week 4 Picks early games

NCAA College Football 2008 Week 4 Picks

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Fearless Rick's 2008 College Football Week 4 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | September 17-20, 2008

All times Eastern - Click here for late games.

Thursday, Sept. 18

8:00 pm West Virginia (-2 1/2, 56 1/2) at Colorado - The Mountaineers have had nearly two weeks to mull over their stunning 24-3 loss at East Carolina. That game marked the lowest point output and the first time West Virginia has been held without a touchdown since 2001. While the East Carolina defense can be credited with playing great defense, the Buffaloes may be even better and that really puts QB Pat White and the Mountaineer offense on the spot and under the bright ESPN spotlight.

2-0 Colorado has held opponents to under 60 yards rushing this season. On offense, look for freshman RB Darrell Scott to gash the suspect West Va. defense and produce scoring opportunities. On the road, against a solid defensive team, the Mountaineers find themselves facing a hill too high to climb.

Prediction: Buffaloes 23 Mountaineers 16

Friday, Sept. 19

8:00 pm Baylor at Connecticut (-14, 51) - Often overlooked and usually under-appreciated, the UConn Huskies may have the best team they've ever fielded in their short Big East conference football history. Following their blowout, 45-10 win over Virginia last week, the Huskies are 3-0 and looking forward to conference play.

But first, they have to get by feisty Baylor, which has run up big scores against Northwestern State (51-6) and Washington St. (45-17) after being mauled by Wake Forest, 41-13, in the season opener. This will be Baylor's 4th straight home game, a fact that should not be lost on the Huskies.

Baylor turned the ball over 5 times in that season-opening loss. Since then they've only given the opponent once and freshman QB Robert Griffin has blossomed into an overnight sensation averaging 182 yards passing and 96 rushing in three games.

UConn counters with QB Tyler Lorenzen and RB Donald Brown, who has rushed for 566 yards in just three games. Both teams are on the rise, but this one figures to be much closer than the line indicates and a possible upset.

Prediction: Bears 27 Huskies 26

Saturday, Sept. 20

12:00 pm East Carolina (-7 1/2, 44 1/2) at North Carolina State - We're already aware of what these two teams have to offer. The Pirates upset both Virginia Tech and West Virginia in their first two games. Last week, they almost got beat at Tulane, but managed to rally to a 28-24 win.

The Wolfpack are just downright overmatched practically every time they step onto the field. While the defense can hold their own, the offense is somewhat of a work-in-progress. Though they are young and should improve, they're not experienced enough for East Carolina, a team with much more to prove this season.

Prediction: Pirates 31 Wolfpack 14

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12:00 pm Iowa at Pittsburgh (-1 1/2, 41 1/2) - Fans of Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt are losing patience. This was supposed to be Pitt's year to challenge in the Big East, but instead, the Panthers lost their opener to Bowling Green and just barely got past Buffalo, 27-16. Face it, Wannstedt was a bust in the NFL and he's proving to be just as bad at the collegiate level.

Iowa is off to a 3-0 start, with wins over a couple of patsies, Maine and Florida International, but a significant victory over in-state rival Iowa State, 17-5. The Hawkeyes have not allowed a touchdown this season and have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 105-8. Pitt is likely unprepared for this level opponent, which, without Ohio State or Michigan on their schedule, is looking a Big 10 title square in the eye.

Considering the Hawkeyes returned 52 lettermen to their squad this year, they are gaining experience and confidence with every game.

Prediction: Hawkeyes 30 Panthers 16

12:00 pm Mississippi State at Georgia Tech (-7 1/2, 37 1/2) - Both of these teams lost close games against heady rivals last week and will have to forget the past and focus on the task at hand. Georgia Tech lost 20-17 at Virginia Tech, while the Bulldogs ended up on the short end of a 3-2 score at Auburn (no, that's not a typo). The Bulldogs have to travel, so the preparation edge should go to the Yellow Jackets, but one has to wonder just how good Mississippi State really is, holding the Tigers to just a field goal.

Georgia Tech's only important win was at Boston College, where they won, 18-16, though BC isn't all that good this year. The Yellow Jackets are 2-1, while Miss. St. is at 1-2, and has plenty of motivation for a win. The line here just looks out of whack. The SEC is loaded this season, and while the Bulldogs may only be in the middle of the pack, so too Georgia Tech in the ACC. Edge to Mississippi State.

Prediction: Bulldogs 17 Yellow Jackets 16

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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