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Posted on 11/02/2006 3:06:56 PM PST by MikefromOhio
Weekend Nine brought one of the “Big 3” down. USC went into Corvallis, Oregon with their BCS destiny in their hands. Had they won out, they were assured of playing for the mythical National Championship. Unfortunately for USC, the Oregon State Beavers had other ideas. After getting out to a 33-10 lead, Oregon St. survived a ferocious comeback attempt by John David Booty to hold on. The loss by USC opened the door for yet another unbeaten team to hold destiny in the palm of their hand. West Virginia takes the spotlight this weekend in the Thursday Night Showdown with Louisville.
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This game will easily be the toughest game that either team has experienced this year. West Virginia features a devastating running game headed by RB Steve Slaton. While you may not know the name now, as a sophomore, he still has time to make a name for himself in college. Louisville features a tough dependable Quarterback in Brian Brohm. 5 weeks after having surgery on a ligament in his throwing hand, Brohm is back guiding the Cardinal offense with the efficiency that was predicted early on this year. The winner of this game has the inside track to the BCS National Title game. The loser is still in the BCS hunt, but can’t afford another slip up.
Louisville is a good team, but West Virginia is the class of the Big East. Slaton and QB Pat White will show why their running game is one of the best in the nation. This won’t be a blowout, but I think that by the end of the game, everyone will know exactly who is the top dog in the Big East race.
(1) Ohio State (-24) at Illinois
Ohio State 45 – Illinois 6
Ball St. at (2) Michigan (-33.5)
Michigan 34 – Ball St. 3
Oklahoma St. at (4) Texas (-18)
Texas 38 – Oklahoma St. 27
Arkansas St. at (6) Auburn (-30)
Auburn 37 - Arkansas St. 3
(7) Florida (-17) at Vanderbilt
Florida 35 – Vandy 10
(13) LSU (-3.5) at (8) Tennessee 
LSU 21 – Tennessee 17
(9) USC (-28) at Stanford
USC 37 – Stanford 10
UCLA at (10) Cal (-17)
Cal 42 – UCLA 21
North Carolina at (11) Notre Dame (-24.5)
ND 38 – North Carolina 7
(12) Arkansas (-2.5) at South Carolina
Arkansas 24 – South Carolina 17
Fresno St. 21 at (14) Boise State 45 from Wednesday
(15) Rutgers BYE
(16) Boston College (-3.5) at (22) Wake Forest
BC 30 – Wake 24
Penn State at (17) Wisconsin (-7)
Wisconsin 25 – Penn State 22
(18) Oklahoma (-2) at (21) Texas A&M
Oklahoma 45 – Texas A&M 28
Maryland at (19) Clemson (-20)
Clemson 32 – Maryland 24
(20) Georgia Tech (-5) at N.C. State
Georgia Tech 38 – NC State 16
(23) Virginia Tech (-2.5) at Miami
VT 23 – Miami 17
(24) Oregon (-16.5) at Washington
Oregon 32 – Washington 28
Arizona at (25) Washington State (-16)
A&M is entering a tough stretch of their schedule. After putting away Baylor late, they enter a brutal stretch in the Big XII where they will face Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas in consecutive weeks.
Oklahoma 45 – Texas A&M 28
Memphis is one of the worst teams in D-1A this year. Southern Miss tends to play down to its competition, but I think they will win this game easily.
Southern Miss 38 – Memphis 13
Major conferences don’t usually play on Tuesday nights. That said Tuesday night games are great exposure for the MAC. Northern Illinois should be the favorite in this game. Can Garrett Wolfe look like the guy who was on pace for nearly 4000 yards on the ground? That’s the key here.
Northern Illinois 32 – Toledo 28
Let the SEC attacks on the Big East commence!
I may eat crow tommorrow but I think WVa will do to UL tonight what they did to UGa in the Atlanta Sugar Bowl last Jan and cruise to a Ohio State/Michigan v. WVa BCS championship game. The one thing nagging at me is I do not have a feel for how good Rutgers might be.
could you please stop putting those blinking pictures? I have epilepsy and Don't want to end up like a fish out of water.
I hope it doesn't turn into that, at least until tomorrow.....that would kind of dampen the thread...
I think that by the end of this season you will see WVA as the best team in the Big East, followed by Louisville and then Rutgers.
Rutgers is a great story, but I don't really think they are the best team in that conference.
Now in the ACC, they'd be right there, but with Louisville and especially West Virginia in the way, I don't seem them climbing that mountain.
Pig Sooey??
I never thought I'd have to ask this, but...< sigh >...would you please keep FSU on the list as well?
Just for kicks.
Go LSU!!! An Florida win and an LSU win gives the Gators the SEC East crown.
FYI..excellent article in today's NY Times sports section on the Big East conference...how it has resurrected its football fortune...registration required..The really interesting point is that after the three teams left a few years ago, the league actually had a meeting to contemplate DISSOLVING the football structure, and just be a BB conference....They made some really smart decisions, like tinkering with their schedules so that the better teams wouldn't meet until late in the season. That's why there are THREE Big East teams now undefeated...unlike what happened when Miam and FSU opened the season playing each other, and ruined both teams for the BCS..
I've had RU season tickets for about 15 years, and this is the season we've been waiting for all that time.
I think RU has a solid shot at beating Louisville next Thursday, but almost no shot at beating WVU on the road in the final game. They also still have to beat Syracuse at home (no problem) and Cincinnati on the road (a challenge.)
We'll be thrilled with a top flight bowl over the holiday weekend, but are desperate to avoid a January trip to Toronto. Florida? Texas? That'll do.
Incidentally, after years of eating my tickets on days I couldn't bring the wife and kids, I just sold my two extra tickets for Louisville for $260 each. Sweet.
BTW, in case you do not remember I am a UF fan. This is one SEC fan who does not see a particularly good team in the SEC this year. Of course maybe their are no particularly good teams in the country this year.
I do agree about Rutgers. But that is the general consensus when a team has a break out season. You just tend to think the will not sustain it and of course Rutgers has the meat of it schedule coming now.
Exactly, Woo pig sooie. Watch out for them there Hogs.
*spit*
*Cackling laughter from what I'm about to start*
I'm going to begin the SEC moaning right now. Neither of these teams would win against the top several SEC teams. Neither of these teams has played anyone that's any good at all. They only play each other. The BCS championship should be the SEC winner v the Big Ten winner this year.
Nuff said
Sure thing...
I will pick them up next week ok?
Although if they find a way to lose this week to Virginia.....
They should win that game fairly easily.
LOL
LOL
West Virgina, I think, could compete at least in the SEC. They might not beat every single one of the top teams in the SEC, but they'd beat a few at least.
I'm hesistant to predict shutouts, because that means the first pass Chad Henne throws will be picked off for a TD :)
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