NCAA College Football 2008 Week 6 Picks early games

NCAA College Football 2008 Week 6 Picks

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Fearless Rick's 2008 College Football Week 6 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | October 1-4, 2008

All times Eastern - Click here for late games.

Thursday, Oct 2

7:30 pm Pittsburgh at South Florida (-13 1/2, N/A) - A real sleeper in the national championship race, the 5-0 South Florida Bulls have already knocked off Kansas (Sept. 12, 37-34) and are the favorite to win the Big East. Pitt hasn't distinguished themselves thus far, losing their opener to Bowling Green, beating Iowa by a point, 21-20 and having to rally past Syracuse in last week's 34-24 win.

Pitt would like to run the ball, but the Bulls are stingy on the ground, allowing just 58.8 yards/game, 4th best in the nation. Long day for the Panthers and another notch on the win belt for South Florida.

Prediction: Bulls 38 Panthers 13

9:00 pm Oregon State at Utah (-12, N/A) - Maybe beating USC wasn't enough to convince people that they were for real. On the other hand, their 2-2 record, with both lossing occuring on the road (at Stanford and Penn St.) doesn't exactly inspire confidence either. The Beavers may have finally found their way, however, and an upset of the Utes is a possibility though Utah has won both of their home games by an average of 20 points. The stats skew largely in Utah's favor, but the level of opposition suggests that the Beavers played a tougher schedule. Utah may win this one, but it will be no walk in the park.

Prediction: Utes 33 Beavers 27

Friday, Oct 3

8:00 pm Cincinnati (-3, 47 1/2) at Marshall - Why the Bearcats are only 3 point favorites is a little puzzling, though it's probably due to their narrow escape from Akron in last week's 17-15 win. In that game, they lost their starting QB and were forced to insert redshirt freshman Zach Collaros, who is likely to start here. This creates somewhat of a trap for bettors, however. The Thundering Herd are 2-0 in Conference-USA, but they managed only a field goal last week at West Virginia in a 27-3 thumping. Their other loss, to Wisconsin, was another pounding, 51-14.

Translation: They're not very good and the Bearcats should be able to hold them to less than 17 points. So, if Cincy can find a way to put up three TDs, they will be OK.

Prediction: Bearcats 24 Thundering Herd 13

Saturday, Oct 4

12:30 pm Kansas (-13, 52) at Iowa State - Todd Keesing and his KU teammates have had an additional week to prepare for the Cyclones and the time off should serve them well in what may well turn out to be a massive mismatch despite Kansas being on the road. Iowa State was 3-9 last year and are 2-2 this season, with losses at Iowa and UNLV following walkover home wins against North Dakota State and Kent State. The Jayhawks played in a BCS bowl last season and are among the elite in the power-packed Big 12. It's doubtful they will lose their conference opener and should be able to hang up a huge number here.

Prediction: Jayhawks 48 Cyclones 9

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3:30 pm Kentucky at Alabama (-16 1/2, 45) - Now that the Crimson Tide have moved into the college football elite at 5-0 with wins over Clemson, Georgia and Arkansas to their credit, are they to be the next victim of early-season success? Well, if there's going to be a shocker this weekend, this could easily be it. Kentucky has quietly compiled a 4-0 start by pounding no-name opponents by an average score of 31.5-5.5 and uncharacteristically leading the NCAA in points allowed at 5.5 per outing. Alabama has allowed 13.4 per outing, ostensibly against much better teams, so the stats may not be all that reliable.

After their big win over Georgia last week and their top 5 ranking in most polls, the Tide must avoid a letdown at home. Alabama is coming off two straight road games, so complacency may set in. As is often the case in the SEC, this game may be much closer than the line indicates and, as we've seen all season, nobody is invincible.

Prediction: Crimson Tide 20 Wildcats 17

3:30 pm Illinois at Michigan (-2 1/2, 50 1/2) - The Wolverines pulled off a miracle last week, rallying from a 19-0 halftime deficit to overcome Wisconsin, 27-25 for their first conference win. No such theatrics will occur against the Illini this week, however. Illinois has a potent offense and a defense capable of handling the Wolverines. Despite their 2-2 record, Illinois' losses have come at Missouri and Penn State, both Top 5 teams. Michigan is not of the same caliber and it will show.

Prediction: Fighting Illini 24 Wolverines 16

3:30 pm South Carolina at Mississippi (-3, 43 1/2) - Ole Miss is coming off one of the more stunning upsets of Week 5, downing Florida, but now get a visit from one of the best defensive units in the conference. South Carolina has yet to allow more than 3 TDs in any game, and they've won their last two after suffering tough losses to Vanderbilt and Georgia. Mississippi will let down a little here and the Gamecocks will be up. If South Carolina's offense finds any degree of success, this won't even be close.

Prediction: Gamecocks 26 Rebels 14

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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