NCAA College Football 2009 Week 14 Picks early games

NCAA College Football 2009 Week 14 Picks

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Fearless Rick's 2009 College Football Week 14 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | December 3-5, 2009

All times Eastern - Click here for late games.

Thursday, December 3

Oregon State Beavers at Oregon Ducks (-10, 52 1/2) 9:00 pm - The annual "Civil War," as this game is known, takes on added meaning as the winner captures the PAC-10 title and receives an automatic invitation to the Rose Bowl and a meeting with Ohio State. Oregon and Jeremy Masoli have gotten most of the press all season, but the Beavers have chewed up a number of quality opponents en route to an 8-3 record (6-2 conf.) and this showdown. The Beavers bludgeoned Stanford, Cal and UCLA, and their only losses were to unbeaten Cincinnati, 28-18, Arizona, 37-32, and USC, 42-36, so the question becomes, "if nobody's beaten these guys by more than 10 points, how does Oregon do it?"

Answer is that they probably won't, and therefore the possibility of an upset looms large. Teams favored by large spreads this season have routinely fallen like giant oaks and the Ducks are obviously not unbeatable. While their only losses have come against quality squads - Boise State and Stanford - they have struggled to put away opponents at times. 3-point wins over Purdue and Arizona and a 7-point victory over Utah are proof. Oregon State compares well to those programs, and, with so much on the line, they will be up to the test. Head-to-head stats don't offer many clues, as the two are 5-5 over the past ten years. The last time Oregon was favored by 10 (2001), they won, 17-14, at home. History, while it may not play the same tune always, does usually rhyme well. Take the points.

PREDICTION: Ducks 30 Beavers 24

Friday December 4

Ohio Bobcats at Central Michigan Chippewas (-10, 61 1/2) 8:00 pm - The Cippewas rolled through the Mid-American conference to an 8-0 record and a 10-2 slate overall, with losses to Boston College and Arizona the only marks against them. After smashing up Northern Illinois last week, 45-31, the Chips seek the MAC championship with a win over the capable, 9-3 Bobcats, whose only conference loss was to Kent State.

While Ohio's record is certainly impressive, a closer look reveals the big difference between them and the Central Michigan powerhouse. Take three games against the same opponents: Akron, Ball State and Buffalo. Ohio beat those, 19-7, 20-17 and 27-24, while Central Michigan won by margins of 48-21, 20-13 and 35-3, respectively. The Chippewas have proven themselves to be the stand-alone class of the conference and the play of QB Dan LeFevour and wideout Antonio Brown will cement their status along with the MAC title.

PREDICTION: Chippewas 41 Bobcats 21

Saturday, December 5

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Houston Cougars (-2 1/2, 70) at East Carolina Pirates 12:00 pm - Yet another conference championship game, this one in Conference-USA. The Pirates earned their spot by knocking off Southern Miss last week, 25-20, and actually have a better conference record than the Cougars (7-1 vs. 6-2). However, the Pirates will have to depend heavily on their defense as they attempt to stop the Houston juggernaut, which just happens to be the highest-scoring offense in the nation, rolling up 44.9 points per game.

Even if East Carolina holds the Cougars below their seasonal average - a tough task - the record shows that every team that has scored more than 28 points on the Pirates has won - West Virginia, North Carolina and SMU. Houston hasn't been held under 29 points all season, and even then, they won (29-28 over Texas Tech).

It's almost impossible to see how East Carolina can keep this game in check for more than the first two quarters.

PREDICTION: Cougars 48 Pirates 34

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West Virginia Mountaineers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (-1 1/2, 44 1/2) 12:00 pm - The Mountaineers scored an emotional win last week, beating Pitt, 19-16, and may suffer somewhat of a setback in a game without much meaning. West Virginia is 9-2 and Rutgers, 8-3, both headed to bowl games, so there really isn't much ridig on this unless you happen to be a Scarlet Knight.

A Rutgers win would tie these two at 4-3 in the conference, which would be something of a moral victory for the home team. The Mountaineers are 1-3 on the road this season, the sole road win coming at Syracuse, which happens to be the same place Rutgers last lost. That Syracuse loss was a real low point for the Knights, who probably took the Orangemen too lightly and were limited to just 130 yards of offense. Don't expect the same kind of effort. Rutgers other conference losses were to Pitt and Cincinnati, so they are likely to put in a solid effort for their home finale.

PREDICTION: Scarlet Kinghts 24 Mountaineers 20

Cincinnati Bearcats (-1, 57 1/2) at Pittsburgh Panthers 12:00 pm - Were the Panthers looking ahead last week when they lost to West Virginia? Maybe so, but it still didn't cost them a chance to win the Big East championship with a win here. Cincy is unbeaten in 6 conference games, and that loss was the first by Pitt in the Big East. Both teams will be put to the test here in a winner-take-all with a BCS bid on the line.

The Bearcats have answered the call every time, but their defense leaves very much to be desired. On Pitt's side of the ball, they have the offensive guns, but have had trouble holding down opponents late in games, which may be a death wish against the opportunistic Bearcats. Home field works for Pitt, but coach Brian Kelly has a history of winning big games and he'll have his troops ready. This could go into overtime, and if it does, Cincinnati has a decided edge.

PREDICTION: Bearcats 37 Panthers 34

All times Eastern - Click here for late games

Copyright 2009, 2010, 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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