NCAA College Football 2008 Week 9 Picks early games

NCAA College Football 2008 Week 9 Picks

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Fearless Rick's 2008 College Football Week 9 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | October 23-26, 2008

All times Eastern - Click here for late games.

Thursday, October 23

7:30 pm Auburn at West Virginia (-3, 38) - When this game was scheduled, who would have thought that neither team would be ranked? Well, that is the case currently, as the Tigers of Auburn, Alabama have dropped three of their last four and have been pretty much written off as a serious SEC contender. Their problem is a lack of sustainable offense. West Virginia was dealt a pair of early losses - at East Carolina and at Colorado - but have rebounded with wins over Marshall, Rutgers and Syracuse.

While those wins don't say much in terms of quality, the Mountaineers are still very much alive in the Big East. In fact, they're 2-0 in the conference. A loss here would not harm their chances of winning the conference, though it would be a third loss. Let's not fool ourselves; neither team is BCS bowl quality, though both defenses are sound, and the chance to keep the winning streak alive will be on the minds of the West Virginia players. They seem to be coming around while the Tigers are floundering.

Prediction: Mountaineers 20 Tigers 14

Saturday, October 25

12:00 pm Cincinnati (-1 1/2, 45) at Connecticut - The Huskies found out how tough the Big East is this season as they lost to then 1-5 Rutgers for their first conference loss. That followed a 38-12 thumping at North Carolina, putting the UConn season officially in catch-up mode.

5-1 Cincinnati was last seen on October 11, squeaking past those same Scarlet Knights, 13-10, and have had a light schedule thus far. But, with conference play underway, they have an opportunity to qualify for a BCS bowl by winning the Big East. The first part of that journey begins at UConn, so this is a very important game for the Bearcats. As the line indicates, this should be a close game, though Cincy's defensive stats are somewhat skewed by their only loss - a 52-26 beat-down at Oklahoma. Other than that game, nobody's scored more than 20 on them. If the offense can put up 21 (and they should), the defense will do the rest.

Prediction: Bearcats 27 Huskies 17

12:00 pm Boston College at North Carolina (-3, 43) - The Tar Heels hit a serious speed bump last week at Virginia, losing in overtime to the Cavaliers, 16-13. That accounted for their second loss in the ACC, making this a must-win situation if they are to have any chance of winning the Coastal Division.

Boston College has availed themselves much opportunity, with a 2-1 record in the ACC, losing only to Georgia Tech, and a 5-1 record overall. Their defense ranks 4th nationally in yards allowed, at 251 per game. Mistakes, turnovers and special teams will likely determine the winner of this key game. The Tar Heels have 14 interceptions, tied for the best in the country. BC got a 65-yard punt return for a TD in last week's critical win over Virginia Tech, and they Eagles can capitalize on that win with a road conquest here as the Heels have shown a propensity for late-game letdowns.

Prediction: Eagles 20 Tar Heels 17

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12:00 pm Texas Tech at Kansas (-1, 66 1/2) - Two of the top scoring teams in the nation face off here as Kansas seeks redemption after being handled by Oklahoma last week, and the Red Raiders hope to get to 8-0 and move up in the polls. The Jayhawks are putting up 33.9 ppg, but Texas Tech is averaging 45.9. They are the gold standard for the spread offense, second in the nation (behind Tulsa) at 557 yards per outing. Led by Graham Harrell, a legitimate Heisman candidate with 23 TD passes and 5 INTs, the Red Raiders stretch the field every time they set foot on one.

Kansas can score often against the matador defense of Texas Tech, but their own defense isn't any better. Nobody has held the Red Raiders under 35 points all season, and the Jayhawks certainly don't look like the team to do so. This offensive fireworks display will go the way of the Red Raiders and Kansas will drop to 0-3 against ranked opponents. Easiest OVER game of the week.

Prediction: Red Raiders 48 Jayhawks 37

3:30 pm Rutgers at Pittsburgh (-9 1/2, 42 1/2) - The Scarlet Knights improved to 2-5 with a win over UConn, and they look to improve on their season with an upset of the Panthers. Rutgers was blown out of their first two games - 24-7 vs. Fresno St. and 44-12 vs. North Carolina - but since then are 2-3 and haven't lost by more than 7 points. They're playing strictly for pride, though a win here would actually make them 2-2 in the conference and in the hunt for the Big East crown. The trouble for Rutgers is on offense, where they are near the bottom of the national rankings at a paltry 15.7 ppg.

They may get a bit of a break against the Panthers, who allow 21 per outing on average, and with Rutgers only giving up 19.7, this one could be a close call. While Pitt is on a 5-game win streak, they haven't really run up the score until last week's 42-21 win at Navy. They now return home after three straight on the road and should be feeling good, but the Scarlet Knights should not be taken lightly.

Prediction: Panthers 27 Scarlet Knights 21

3:30 pm Oklahoma St. at Texas (-12 1/2, 71) - Surely, this is the most anticipated game of the week. Both teams are undefeated, Texas is ranked #1 and the winner could very well be playing in the national championship game in January. Texas has simply mauled quality opponents the past two weeks, first stopping Oklahoma, 45-35 on a neutral site, then pounding Missouri 56-31 at home. That makes this trip to Memorial Stadium a real challenge for the Cowboys. Whether they'll be able to corral the Longhorns is an open question, one which should be answered by their high-octane offense (46.4 ppg) and an improved defense, which is allowing 20.6 ppg.

One would be well-advised to take the points in this game, as the Cowboys are no slouches, having already won at Missouri (28-23 on Oct. 11) and have put up 55 or more points 4 times this season. In the stats game, Texas isn't that much better, scoring at a 48/1 ppg clip, while allowing 17.6. The Cowboys are every bit as speedy and physical as the Longhorns. This has all the makings for a memorable game.

Prediction: Cowboys 38 Longhorns 35

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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