NCAA College Football 2008 Week 5 Picks late games

NCAA College Football 2008 Week 5 Picks - late games

Untitled

Beat the NFL odds and college football lines with weekly NFL picks and weekly football predictions.

Sports handicapping:
Get NFL picks from Top Ten Cappers, the best football picks on the web.
toptencappers.com

Looking for great football picks?
Get free NFL picks and college football picks from Wunderdog Sports Picks.
www.freeunderdog.com

Fearless Rick's College Football Week 5 Picks - Late Games

Rick Gagliano | September 27, 2008

All times Eastern - Click here for early games.

3:30 pm Purdue at Notre Dame (-2 1/2, 46 1/2) - How can Notre Dame be favored here after their ugly loss at Michigan State last week? The 2-1 Boilermakers are playing their first road game, but their lone loss was in overtime to Oregon. Defensively, Purdue just doesn't impress, but Notre Dame is no powerhouse with the football.

Purdue handled the Irish 33-19 at home last season, and not that much has changed for either team. These are not major bowl hopefuls, but Purdue will win this on rivalry grounds.

As usual, Notre Dame, even though only a slight favorite, is overrated.

Prediction: Boilermakers 31 Fighting Irish 27

3:30 pm Wisconsin (-6 1/2, 42) at Michigan - Hey, Wisconsin is 3-0 and they've been banging on the Big Ten door for the last couple of seasons. Is this the year they break through and win the conference? Maybe. They've looked disciplined and rock solid on both sides of the ball, and were impressive out on the coast two weeks ago, knocking off a very good Fresno State team.

Michigan has already lost twice - to Utah and Notre Dame - and it appears that heralded coach Rich Rodriguez simply doesn't have the players needed to run his spread offense effectively.

For Wisconsin, senior QB Allan Evridge provides seasoned leadership and junior RB P.J. Hill is averaging 126 yards per game on the ground. The Badger defense is better than last year's when they topped the Wolverines, 37-21 at Camp Randle. On the road, Wisconsin will not falter here.

Prediction: Badgers 35 Wolverines 14

7:30 pm South Florida (-8, 44) at North Carolina State - The Wolfpack shocked the nation (well, maybe just the Carolinas) with their 30-24 OT upset of East Carolina last week, but the Pirates were showing signs of wear and tear even the week before, when they nearly lost to Tulane.

NC State caught a tired team (and it really showed in the 4th quarter and OT) on their home turf there, but the Bulls are not East Carolina, where a natural rivalry exists, and they are much better.

The Wolfpack is dealing with a load of injuries, not the least of which is to QB Russell Wilson. Not so with S. Florida's QB Matt Grothe and the underestimated Bulls' defense. They're ready to rock.

Prediction: Bulls 45 Wolfpack 20

--- Story continues below ---

7:45 pm Alabama at Georgia (-6, 44) - The Bulldogs managed wins in consecutive road games at South Carolina and Arizona, looking more and more like the kind of team that could win the national championship. QB Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno spearhead a potent offense which has found freshman A.J. Green to be a weapon downfield as well. The defense is also playing smart and hard. Georgia is a team on a mission in the rugged SEC.

Alabama seems poised to return to glory under coach Nick Saban, but maybe not just yet. They've run up a 4-0 record against pretty good opposition, especially in their opening week, 34-10 win over Clemson and last week's ridiculously-lopsided 49-14 rout of Arkansas. They'll not find the end zone so easily between the hedges, however. In a game in which points will come at a premium, 6 is not enough for the Tide.

Prediction: Bulldogs 27 Crimson Tide 17

8:00 pm Illinois at Penn State (-14, 46 1/2) - In August, Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions were nothing more than a blip on the Top 25 radar, but after four dominating wins, by a combined score of 211-40, they host the Fighting Illini in what is the conference opener for both teams.

OK, so the Vegas guys understand that a lot of people will lay down money on Penn State due to an undying allegiance to JoPa, especially when they're 4-0 at home and the Illini are 2-1 and coming off a messy 20-17 win over pipsqueak Louisiana-Lafayette. But that game was two weeks ago and Juice Williams and his gang have had plenty of rime to prepare.

Penn State hasn't faced quality opposition yet, but Illinois' only loss was at Missouri and they only fell 10 points short in a 52-42 shootout. Are the Lions equal to the Mizzou? Probably not. Illinois should at least cover this line and may win a close one.

Prediction: Fighting Illini 34 Nittany Lions 31 (Catchy team names A+)

8:00 pm Virginia Tech at Nebraska (-6 1/2, 46) - Much has changed at Nebraska since last season. Bill Callahan has departed and Bo Pelini has the 'Huskers pointed in the right direction with a 3-0 record.

As for the Hokies, they seemed to be going backwards before rallying last week over North Carolina for a 20-17 win. They did the same thing the week before, beating Georgia Tech by the same score.

The Hokies' defense isn't as good as usual, the special teams not awe-inspiring and the offense barely functional, but they've won three straight after being stung by East Carolina in their opener. Nebraska has rolled up big scores against no-name opponents, but they are home for the 4th straight week and this is VaTech's second straight road game. Those points are tempting, but Nebraska will be well-prepared and may dominate with their offense. QB Joe Ganz has a multi-faceted offense and Pelini's defense may be more steady than the Hokies expect.

Prediction: Cornhuskers 28 Hokies 14

All times Eastern - Click here for early 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.

Untitled

Sports Handicappers Lounge
Check out the web's best sports handicapping forum - get free service plays from Capper's Lounge.
www.capperslounge.com