5* Blue Chip Bet on Ohio -3

You could easily argue that Marshall doesn't belong in a Bowl game at all, but I'll gladly play against them in this afternoon's Little Caesars Bowl.

The Thundering Herd come into this game after going just 6-6 on the season with only 2 of their wins coming away from their home field. Marshall only scored 21.8 ppg in the regular season, this coming against opponents that allowed over 27 points per game. On the road their numbers were even worse as the Herd managed just 19.3 points and 322 yards of total offense per game.

Ohio comes in at 9-4 on the regular season, having lost a tight game to Central Michigan in the MAC Championship game. The Bobcats scored 25 points per game in the regular season, but their defense held steady, allowing just 21 points per game, giving them enough of a boost to win the MAC East.

I also have to mention that Marshall will be playing without their head coach, Mark Snyder, who resigned after the season before the Herd were invited to the Little Caesars Bowl. Of course reports are that the Herd are still excited to be there and that their interim coach, Rick Minter has really stepped up and they are still excited to play. Say what you want to, replacing your head coach before your bowl game is rarely a positive thing. I'll ride Ohio hard Saturday afternoon.

5* Blue Chip Bet on Houston -2.5

We'll ride Houston again this week, this time to take the Conference USA Championship game over East Carolina.

The Cougars strength continues to be their offense, which is posting just under 45 points per game on 583 yards of total offense per game. They do have plenty of gaps on defense, allowing 28 ppg but there are very few teams that can come close to keeping up with or containing this offense.

East Carolina has had a nice season to this point, but they don't have an offense that can keep up with the Cougars and their defense is not equipped to handle Houston's passing attack. The Pirates are scoring just under 27 points per game on 364 yards of total offense, both numbers right about at their opponents average defense. Carolina has played well defensively, allowing just 21.2 points per game against opponents averaging 26 ppg, but their weakness has been their secondary, which allows opposing QBs to throw for better than 60% and 240 yards per game. Houston QB Case Keenum throws for better than 70% per game against defenses that have posted similar numbers to East Carolina this season.

Houston's offense continues to pick up any slack that their defense has and the Cougars enjoy a sizable victory in this year's Conference USA Championship. Houston should win this game by at least a touchdown but you'll be able to get a much better line than that.

5* Blue Chip Bet on USC -13

USC has had a week off to think about one of their worst seasons in recent memory and something tells me they are going to come out fired up against UCLA this week.

The Trojans don't have the dominating numbers they once did but their offense is still very tough to stop. At home this season they are averaging 36.5 points per game on 446 yards of total offense, averaging 7.6 yards per play.

Defensively is where the Trojans have really fallen off domination-wise, but they are still allowing just 21.7 points per game against opponents averaging 26.8 points per game, which is still much better than your average defense.

UCLA has had little success finding the endzone this season, scoring just 22.6 points per game against defenses allowing 25.8 points per game and 341 yards against defenses allowing 367.

Defense has been the Bruin's strength this season, allowing just 20.6 points per game against opponents averaging 27.7 points per game but this is also an offense that gave up 45 points to Cal, so they are not without their weaknesses.

At 7-3 USC isn't likely to make a major bowl game but they still have some of the best talent in the nation and with an extra week to prepare for this game they should come out and dominate from start to finish.

5* Blue Chip Bet on Rutgers -3

There is great value on Rutgers this week as most will see their surprising loss to Syracuse last week as a sign they won't finish out the season. After all, Louisville is a team that just beat Syracuse 10-9 two weeks ago.

The problem with that mode of thinking is that performances in previous weeks has less to do with a team's actual value as it has to do with the perception of that team and consequently the point spread.

Both teams return 15 of their 22 starters from last season. Rutgers won 63-14 at home in this series last season.

For a better look at the actual value of these teams, raw numbers tell a better story. Rutgers has an offense that pretty much takes what the defense gives them. The Knights average 27.5 points per game against teams allowing 28.9 points per game.

Looking at Louisville, they have played some sturdy defenses this season, but haven't done much in terms of finding the endzone, scoring just 18.5 points per game against teams allowing 22.2 points per game.

Defensively Rutgers also holds the edge based on the numbers, allowing just 17.1 points per game versus teams that average 21.9 ppg, while Louisville has given up 25.5 points per game against offensive opponents that have averaged 27.4 ppg to this point in the season.

Rutgers is fighting to try to improve their 7-3 record and earn their way into a better bowl game. At 4-7, and with this being their final game of the season, Louisville is out of the bowl picture. Give the motivational edge to Rutgers as well, and lay the points with them early Friday.

5* Blue Chip Bet on UTEP -6.5

Rice pulled off their first win of the 2009 season last week, while UTEP has lost three in a row, including a game to a Tulane team that Rice just beat. So why take UTEP in this game?

Rice has one of the worst offense-defense combinations in the country. On the year the Owls are posting just 17.5 points per game against opponents that allow 25.5 points per game, on 305 yards of total offense per game against opponents allowing 377 per contest.

Their defense allows over 41 points per game on 449 yards of total offense, meaning the average Rice game this year has been a final of about 17-41 in favor of the opposing team.

Admittedly, UTEP's defense is not a whole lot better, allowing their opposition to score 35 points per game on 464 yards of total offense.

UTEP's offense is what sets them apart from Rice here. The Miners put up 414 total yards of offense per game, leading to just under 28 points per game.

Rice's terrible defense will allow this UTEP team to rack up a lot of points, while the Owl's offense won't be able to keep up.

Rice has won the last two meeting, but this is a very different Rice team than they have been in the last few years. UTEP gets the job done by double digits.

5* Blue Chip Best Bet on Houston -4.5

Houston needed a miracle to pull out a win last week at Tulsa. They got their miracle, but the game should never had been as close as it was. The Cougars out-gained Tulsa by 161 yards of offense, racking up 695 total yards by the day's end. A fumble in the redzone and a muffed punt inside their own 10 yard line made the game at least 14 points closer than it should have been. The point being that this is still a very good Houston team, who escaped a huge potential letdown last week. I expect them to be more careful with the ball and not leave anything to chance this time around.

Houston comes into this game averaging 42.1 points per game on 578 yards of total offense. 430 of those yards come through the air. UCF's defense allows 268 passing yards per game, which isn't bad until you consider their average opponents only throw for 230 yards per game. When a team with a prolific passer faces this defense, they are in trouble. Look at how Texas racked up 470 passing yards against them last week. UCF is already allowing opponents that complete an average of 60% of their passes to complete 65% against them. How are they going to handle a QB that completes nearly 71% of his passes coming into this game?

I also do not see how this UCF offense can come close to keeping up. They put up just 21.8 points per game against opponents allowing 26 points per game, meaning they under-perform offensively. They also average just 316 total yards per game, very nearly half of the total yards that Houston is averaging and these two have exactly the same strength of schedule up to this point in the season.

The Bottom line is that Houston will do what Houston does, which is score a ton of points and rack up a ton of yardage. The problem for UCF is that they can't keep up on either side of the ball. The Knights should find the endzone against a soft Houston "D", but the name of the game is offense, where the Cougars will run away with this one. I would take this line all the way up to 10, but you will be able to get a much better number than that before game time.

5* Blue Chip Bet on BYU -13

It's hard to see how this Wyoming offense can come close to keeping up with BYU's. This is a Cougar team that averages 34.6 points per game on 448 yards of total offense, this coming against teams that allow just 26.7 ppg and 372 ypg. Translation - They out-perform their opponents' defense. Looking at Wyoming for the season, they are scoring just 18 points per game on 313 yards per game against opponents allowing 25.4 points per game and 356 ypg. Translation - they under-perform offensively. The Wyoming defense allows only 23.4 points per game, but this is the 2nd best offense they've faced this year, the first being Texas, who beat them 41-10 as 32 point favorites. BYU is just a 13 point favorite as of today, however I can see it climbing sharply by game day. I would still highly recommend the Cougs at -17 or more.

5* Blue Chip Bet on North Texas -11

Western Kentucky might be the worst team in college football this season. They are 0-7 this year and have lost their average game by 26 points (16-42). They are giving up over 500 yards of total offense per game, including nearly 600 yards and 54 points per game in their 3 road games this year. North Texas doesn't have great defensive numbers either, though they are notably better than Western Kentucky's. What's impressed me the most in watching North Texas this season has been their offense, which scores over 30 points and racks up nearly 430 total yards of offense per game at home. Obviously neither of these two teams is great with just one win between the two of them, but North Texas has played the tougher schedule here and they very clearly have a better offense. Last year's game was an 11 point win for North Texas at W. Kentucky and I expect this game, at North Texas, to be a 14+ point victory for the Mean Green.

5* Blue Chip Bet on West Virginia -7.5

This is a West Virginia team that is really hitting their stride. As long as they continue to hold on to the football they will dominate Connecticut this Saturday. The Mountaineers had a 3 game stretch where they turned the ball over a ridiculous 14 times, but have given up just 3 turnovers in their last 2 games, while creating 6 of their own, giving me the impression that they've worked past that problem. WVU has been able to carve up just about every defense they've faced, working their way up to about 32 points per game on 426 yards of total offense. That may be slowed somewhat by starting QB, Jarrett Brown possibly being out, but as long as Noel Devine is going for WVU, this offense will continue to roll. What you don't hear much about is their defense, which is allowing 21 points per game, but only on 293 yards of offense, which goes back to their turnover problems, which gave their opponents short fields to work with. UConn has some solid defensive numbers, but a quick look at their schedule shows that the best offense they've faced Pittsburgh, who threw up 221 rushing yards and 268 passing yards on them. The only question I see is whether the UConn offense can keep up with West Virginia. My conclusion is that no, they cannot, based on the fact that they are only slightly out-performing the defenses they have played against this year. I can't see them putting up more than 20 points in this game, and I seriously doubt that will be enough to cover the spread. I also realize that UConn has been hit with the tragedy of losing defensive back, Jasper Howard, who was killed on campus this week. Emotion does play a part in football, but something like this can motivate a team or zap the energy out of them. I'm not sure it will matter either way, but everything else here points toward a WVU victory. Take the Mountaineers up to 9 point favorites.

5* Blue Chip Bet on Mississippi State -4.5

Our first indicator here is conference strength, where we have the SEC versus the Sun Belt Conference. While Mississippi State's 2-4 record looks worse than Middle Tennessee State's 3-2 record, don't let those numbers fool you. Mississippi State has played Auburn, Vanderbilt, LSU, Georgia Tech, and Houston in consecutive weeks, and while they only walked away with 1 victory (Vanderbilt) they played well against every difficult opponent, other than at Auburn. They almost upset LSU as 12 point dogs, and while they may be struggling within the conference, this is a team that is hungry to get a win. Middle Tennessee State has beaten 3 teams, Memphis, Maryland, and North Texas, teams with a combined 5-12 record. Mississippi State has been plagued by turnovers so far this season, but that is the only thing standing in the way of a big win.

5* Friday Night Blue Chip Best Bet on Pitt -6

There is just no way that this line should be as close as it is. Pittsburgh is clearly the better team, even considering that they are on the road. First, let's look at the schedule. Rutgers lost their first game of the year at home to Cincinnati 15-47, which wasn't surprising considering how well Cincy has been this year, but it's the rest of their schedule that's embarrassing. Yes, they have won four games in a row, but they've also played the likes of Howard, Florida International, Maryland, and Texas Southern. They double digit favorites in every game other than at Maryland, where they were one point dogs. Maryland out-gained the Knights in most major statistics, but turned the ball over 5 times, allowing Rutgers to cruise to a 31-13 victory. Meanwhile, Pitt has played a significantly tougher schedule, hitting the road against Buffalo, NC State, and Louisville so far (2-1) and facing Navy and UConn at home (2-0). Add in their easy win over Youngstown State in their first game of the year, and Pitt is 5-1 against some slid competition. What's been their key to success? Offensively the Panthers are as efficient as they come, posting 389 yards per game against opponents allowing just 322 yards per game. The Pitt running game puts up 166 yards per game on 5 yards per carry, while their passing has also been sharp with the team completing 66.9% of their passes so far this year. Rutgers has been opportunistic against weaker opponents, averaging 3.2 turnovers created per game, but they'll find it harder to pick up those kinds of bonus possessions against a Pitt team that has only turned the ball over 5 times in 6 games. Rutgers doesn't have terrible numbers on offense, that is, until you consider their opponents. On average, the teams Rutgers have faced give up 438 yards per game to their foes, however, Rutgers has gained just 364 yards per game against these suspect defenses. Their defense has been more on par with their opponents, but that doesn't bode well considering that Pitt is the second best offense they've faced this season (save Cincinnati) by a long shot. Rutgers beat the Panthers 54-34 at Pitt last year, so there is something of a revenge-factor to consider in this match up. Pitt should win this game by 2 touchdowns, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them pull away in the second half and put the Scarlet Knights away in a blow out.

5* Blue Chip Best Bet on Cincinnati -1.5

While South Florida has been impressive so far this season, they haven't face an opponent as strong as Cincinnati. The Bearcats have already picked up big wins at Rutgers and at Oregon State, proving they aren't a team that can only win on their home turf. The bottom line for me is that Cincy is the best team I've seen out of the Big East this year. South Florida has one big win versus a Florida State team that has been completely unstable this year. Don't buy into the South Florida hype, it's Cincinnati's time to shine.

5* Blue Chip Bet on Navy -11

Rice might be the worst team in the nation right now. They are 0-5 at this point in the season and have lost their average game by a final score of 17-41, including losing their previous two home games by an average of 17 points. Rice has played some decent competition this season and they are again out-matched in in this game. Navy comes into this game rushing for 230 yards per game on 4.1 yards per carry (56 attemps per game). Take this into consideration against a Rice team that already gives up 4.6 yards per carry defensively and you see how this could quickly get out of hand. Rice stopping Navy's running game just isn't going to happen, but if that wasn't enough, Rice also has a terrible defense, one that is allowing over 40 points per game on nearly 460 yards of total offense per game. They've allowed over 200 yards rushing twice this season (295 against UAB) and only one team has rushed for less than 124 yards against them, Texas Tech, who happened to throw for over 500 yards against them. Navy excels at running the ball against just about everyone with their option-style attack, while Rice simply hasn't shown that they can stop a good running team. I don't usually like laying double-digits on the road, but there's no reason not to here. Midshipmen by 3+ TDs.

5* Blue Chip Best Bet on Toledo -4

This is a great revenge spot for Toledo against a Ball State team that really has nothing going their way right now. Toledo comes into this game at 2-2, losing at Purdue 31-52 and at Ohio State 0-38. Ball State enters the game at 0-4, having lost to some very poor opponents including North Texas, New Hampshire, and Army. The loss of the majority of Ball State's offense seems to be the primary reason for their sudden downfall (only 4 returning starters). They've managed just 18.2 points per game this season on 268 yards of total offense. By comparison, Toledo is averaging 31.5 points per game and throwing up over 470 yards of total offense. Now, the Rockets are terrible on defense, however, given the state of this Ball State offense, there's little danger of getting into a shoot out. One team will be putting a lot of points on the board, however, and that is Toledo against a defense allowing 30 points and 415 yards per game. I'm quite sure the Rockets remember the 0-31 loss that Ball State handed them last year, but now they are in position to be the team on the winning end of a blowout.

5* Blue Chip Best Bet on Pitt +1

Other than their first game of the year, a loss against South Carolina, the NC State Wolfpack have played no one. They've racked up impressive numbers against Murray State and Gardner Webb, but those numbers mean nothing as they host the 3-0 Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday. Pitt hasn't exactly played a lot of stiff competition either, but their games against Buffalo in week 2 and Navy last week are notably more significant wins than NC State's. Expect the Panthers to come out and run the ball effectively against NC State, just as they have all season, averaging 5.3 yards per carry all season. When the run is going well for Pitt, it opens up the pass, which is why they've completed 70% of their pass attempts so far this year. We saw how this NC State offense reacted against a good defense in week 1 when they managed just 3 points against South Carolina. Pitt should win this game outright.

5* Blue Chip Best Bet on Missouri -7

Missouri has proved to me over their first 3 games of the season that their spread offense can be successful, even though they are missing some of their best producers from last season. They've averaged 38.7 points per game and 440 yards of total offense so far this season, and they are playing a Nevada team that does not match up well against the spread, a team the Tigers beat 69-17 last year. The bad news for Nevada is that they aren't the offensive powerhouse they were last season. They were one of the most prolific rushing teams in the nation last year, but have been limited to just 161 yards per game this season (comparatively Missouri averages 165 rushing yards per game). The problem for the Wolfpack is their inability to stop anybody on defense. They are already allowing 439 yards and 35 points per game, and while giving up 35 points in their opener to Notre Dame might have been a fluke, following that game up with a 20-35 loss to Colorado State spells nothing but disaster for Nevada with a very effective Missouri offense coming to town. The Tigers probably won't post another 69-17 win, but they will dominate offensively from start to finish.

5* Blue Chip Best Bet on Cincinnati -1

Still not a lot of respect for this Cincinnati team, which I feel will emerge as the Big East Conference Champs again this year. I know that they have to travel across almost the entire nation to face Oregon State, but I still like what the Bearcats have working for them in this match up. Cincinnati impressed with a 47-15 victory over Rutgers in week one, as a 5-point underdog no less, followed by a 70-3 old-fashioned whipping of SE Missouri St. Let's just say that this Cincinnati offense is hitting on every cylinder possible and after Oregon State's performance at UNLV last week, I can't say I see them doing much to stop the Bearcats.

5* Blue Chip Bet on Boise State -7

There just isn't much not to like about Boise State in their match up at Fresno Friday night. Boise is off to a 2-0 start. They will be playing their first road game of the season, but all indications are they they will still be a dominant force. Over their first two games, the Broncos are averaging 33.5 points per game on 401 yards of total offense. Now, looking at Fresno state's numbers, you'll notice that they are better on offense than Boise's, but don't let that fool you. You have to take Frenso's number with a grain of salt because of their 51-0 win over UC Davis in week one. Yes, they had a solid showing against Wisconsin, but they did end up losing that game, and I'm not convinced that team is going to have a very good season. There is a revenge factor to take note of as the Broncos won 61-10 last year in Boise, but the gap between these two teams hasn't closed THAT much since last season. Lay the points and take the Broncos.

5* Blue Chip Blowout on Notre Dame Fighting Irish -3

You have to like the performance that Notre Dame put on in week 1 against Nevada. They shut out what is honestly a solid rushing offense and they ran up 510 yards of total offense. Michigan also got a win, but against a much weaker opponent. Both teams return 15 starters from a year ago, but the difference here is that Notre Dame has been building to this year, while Michigan still has a few years before they will be able to work into Rich Rodriguez's system. Rodriguez runs the spread offense, which is dangerous if you have the right personnel. The problem is that most of the players on the field aren't Rodriguez recruits and were not brought in to run this system. They may have learned it by now, but they still don't have the ideal type of players at key positions, most notably quarterback, to run the spread effectively against experienced defenses. Michigan gets some respect from odds makers for playing at home, and for putting up good numbers in their first game of the season, but from what I've seen of both teams, Notre Dame has the superior squad. Lay the points on the Irish.

5* Blue Chip Bet on Cincinnati +5

The Bearcats are coming off of an impressive 11-3 campaign in 2008, not to mention a Big East Championship. Cincy's offense ranked 26th in the nation in passing last year behind an impressive season from quarterback Tony Pick, who tossed 19 TDs and 2,407 yards, despite starting the season on the bench. The Bearcats also have a great group of wide receivers returning for the 2009 season, most notably Mardy Gilyard, coming off of a 81 catch, 11 TD performance a year ago. Defense will be the biggest obstacle for Cincinnati to overcome as the Bearcats need to replace 10 of their 11 starters from last year, but their offense will be a fun one to follow this season. Rutgers ended last season 8-5, and with good offensive numbers, but they have some huge gaps to fill this season. They'll have to replace quarterback Mike Teel and wideout Kenny Britt, two of the most productive players in school history. Domenic Natale and Jabu Lovelace could both see playing time behind center in the opener, but neither has much experience, and neither is a clear-cut replacement for Teel. The Knights should be tough defensively again in 2009, but I give the edge in this match up to the Cincinnati offense. The Bearcats are on the road to open the season, but Pike and the offense kick off 2009 with a victory over Rutgers.

5* Blue Chip BLOWOUT on Ole Miss Rebels -17.5

Mississippi looks extremely tough this season, returning a total of 16 starters (8 on offense, 8 on defense) to a team that surprised a lot of people by going 9-3 last season. The Rebels are led offensively by their QB, Jevan Snead, who, about mid-season last year, began to develop into one of the most dangerous arms in the SEC. Ole Miss ended their season on a six-game winning streak and averaged over 37 points per game over those games. Not to be outdone, the Rebels defense also got stronger as the year went on last year, finishing up by allowing only 19 points per game all season. Memphis had a dangerous offense a year ago, but they are missing 7 starters from that team, including 4 crucial members of their offensive line. On defense the Tigers were mediocre at best, allowing 27 points per game, and while they do return 7 starters to this side of the ball, they don't have the skill in the secondary, or on the defensive line to keep Snead and this Ole Miss offensive machine off balance. Rebels roll in their season opener against a Memphis program that has too many holes to fill this early on.

5* Blue Chip Blowout on LSU -17.5

It was a disappointing year for LSU last year, finishing at 8-5 as defending BCS National Champs. That fact alone makes me like the Tigers to come out in their opener and lay the wood to their opponents. LSU returns 14 starters (7 offense, 7 defense) to a team that has more talent, particularly defensively, than their numbers show from a year ago. The Tigers should still thrive on offense after averaging 31 points per game last season, and may even improve on that number with some of the best skill players in the nation, including wide receiver Brandon LaFell. After going 0-12 last season (1-11 ATS), things can only get better for the Washington Huskies. In theory at least. They return 10 of 11 starters to a defense that allowed 39 points per game last season, including relinquishing 36 points per game on their home field. The Huskies also get 8 players back on offense, but, again, I'm not so sure that's a good thing. Washington managed just 13 points per game last season, posting merely 264 yards of total offense per game (keep in mind that their defense allowed better than 451 yards of offense per game). I expect this to be a more motivated LSU team in 2009. The Huskies have a long road back from hitting rock-bottom last season. The Tigers come out and exercise last year's demons at Washington on Saturday.

(note: this is a 5* play, 20* was a typo in the original e-mail I sent out!)

5* Blue Chip Bet on Tulsa -14

Tulsa was the nation's second-best offense last season in terms of total yardage, averaging 569.9 per game. They will miss two key components to their success, quarterback David Johnson (4,000+ yards last year and 46 TDs) as well as running back Tarrion Adams (1,523 yards, 14 TDs), but this will still be the best offense in Conference USA, and could emerge again as one of the tops in the nation. The Golden Hurricane open their season up at Tulane, who is coming off of a 2-10 showing a year ago. The Green Wave do return 7 players on offense and 6 on defense, but considering how awful they were last season, maybe that's not such a good thing. Tulane's offense managed just 16.7 points per game last season (compared to Tulsa's mind-boggling 47.2 ppg in 08) and their defense allowed over 34 points per game. Even with significant improvements, which I do not see, this team is still outmatched everywhere on the field. These two squads met last year in Tulsa, with the Golden Hurricane administering a 56-7 beating. Tulane went just 2-4 straight up and against the spread at home this seaosn, and those difficulties at home are likely to continue with the team they are putting on the field. 56-7 might be a stretch, but a 4-5 touchdown victory from Tulsa should not come as any surprise.

5* Blue Chip Bet on Boise State Broncos -3

There are a lot of people high on this Oregon team in 2009, and while the Ducks do look strong, the Boise State Broncos are the better bet Thursday night. Boise's offense is every bit as dangerous as Oregon's, averaging 40.7 points per game at home last year. There are two things that set the Broncos apart. First, they are playing this game in Boise. The fabled Smurf Turf has been incredibly good to the Broncos in recent years, with Boise's home record sitting at an incredible 44-1 over the last 5 years, including a 6-0 showing last season. The second things that sets this team apart is their defense. I know that the Broncos only return 5 starters defensively, but I do believe they can be nearly as good as they were last season, which is saying a lot considering they allowed just 12.6 points per game all year and only 8 points per game at home! Those numbers mean that the Broncos won their 6 home games last season by an average of 41-8. Oregon is no doubt a stronger opponent than Boise is used to playing this early in the season, but I still believe strongly that they will beat the Ducks for the 2nd straight season after upsetting them in Eugene last year 37-32.

Look, you've been hearing about this match up for weeks. Florida wins tonight because they have the better running game. The Gators average about 30 more yards per game on the ground than the Sooners, with less carries per game. The Gators also have more returning starters and more returning letterwinners than Oklahoma does this year. Experience in big games matters. Oklahoma's defense has looked very vulnerable against strong offenses all season, they've just been able to out-score them. Unfortunately for them, I think Florida will do what Texas did to Oklahoma, and that is to rush the hell out of Sam Bradford. That's the only thing that is going to keep them off-balance, and they have the talent to do it. The Florida Gators are your BCS National Champions this year.

This is a home game for Rice as this year's Texas Bowl will be held at Rice's Reliant Stadium. Rice finished the year at 9-3 and put together an impressive offensive season. The Owls averaged 472.2 total yards per game in the regular season and over 41 points per game. Their defense has not played well this season, but it obviously hasn't mattered much as their offense has almost always put up enough points to cover whatever the defense surrenders. The Owls' opponent, Western Michigan, also put together a 9-3 season. They had fairly impressive numbers on offense, 29.8 points per game on 422.7 total yards per game, but, much like Rice, their defense was abused for the majority of the season. This will be a shootout to be sure, but Rice has the more explosive offense and should rack up enough points to cover the number.

There's been so much press about TCU's defense this year that it's easy to forget that Boise State also had a phenominal year defensively. TCU gave up 10.9 points per game, while the Bronco's gave up just 12.2. Offensively, Boise has a slight edge in total yards (457 to 417) and points per game (39.4 to 35.0), but, on paper, these teams are pretty evenly matched. I'm sure Boise is a little disappointed to miss out on a BCS Bowl (you can't blame them), but this isn't the kind of team that rolls over, they come out and play their best to prove that they deserved nothing less. I will say that TCU had a tougher schedule than Boise, the Horned Frogs lost to only Oklahoma and Utah, but, all things considered, I think the Broncos could have faired at least as well as TCU in either of those games, and could have beaten any of TCU's other opponents this year. I don't know where the idea came from that this is a down year for the Broncos, but that seems to be the sentiment from many experts. I will take them tonight, you just can't picks against Boise State, period.

Predicted Score: Boise State 31, TCU 24

NC State has one of the worst offensive units in the entire country. North Carolina will score often and create turnovers on defense. This game should be a complete domination by the Tar Heels.

Defense wins games in which the main sources of offense for both teams is the running game, and the Northern Illinois Huskies have the better defense, by a long shot. They've allowed only 18.7 points per game, which is more than enough for their offense, which is averaging over 26 points per game, to take advantage of. The Huskies get a bad rap for losing on the road, but if you look at the team's they've played, that label isn't warranted. They lost a close game at Tennessee, got beat up by #16 in the nation, Ball State (who has beaten up on everyone in the MAC this year) and lost two early games at Minnesota and Western Michigan, but they were in both games until the final whistle. Kent State is only 2-2 at home this year and they've lost 6 of their last 7 games overall, so don't tell me that Northern Illinois is vulnerable on the road this week. Kent has a nice player in quarterback Julian Edelman, but he's not the kind of player that is going to take over a game, in fact, he might be the Golden Flashes' biggest asset AND their biggest liability as he's thrown 11 interceptions to just 12 TDs. Kent State also has one of the worst defenses in the conference, giving up over 31 points per game and nearly 400 yards of total offense.

Predicted Score: Northern Illinois 42, Kent State 14

TCU's rushing offense will have a field day against this UNLV defense. TCU barely passes the ball, yet they are racking up nearly 36 points per game. You also have to love TCU's rushing defense, the tops in the nation, allowing only 31.2 rushing yards per game. UNLV put up a nice showing against BYU last week, which is probably why this line is as low as it is. Unfortunately, they just don't have the defense to keep TCU in check, and their offense hasn't faced this strong of a defense all season long.

Predicted Score: TCU 42, UNLV 7

Boise State comes out and makes a statement on Friday night. They are the best mid-major team in the country and they are going to make a run at a BCS Bowl. What Boise State continues to do is destroy lesser opponents. Even though San Jose State is improved this season, that doesn't put them on the Broncos' level, even at home. Boise State brings their 32.5 points per game to town and blows the Spartans out of the water. There's no way that San Jose keeps up with Boise, they simply do not have the offensive firepower.

Predicted Score: Boise State 35, San Jose State 17

COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME OF THE YEAR -- The Cyclones have home field going for them on Saturday, but the advantages end there. Iowa State has given up a ton of points and a ton of yards to teams with offenses that don't compare to Kansas'. The Jayhawks and their QB, Todd Reesing can move the ball at will against a team with as many holes on defense as Iowa State. I'm not sure where this line is coming from. Kansas has put up over 40 points per game in their last two meetings with Iowa State and this is a more experienced Kansas team and a worse Iowa State team overall. There's not much to worry about from the Cyclones on offense either. They scored easily against South Dakota State, Kent State, and UNLV, but make no mistake that this Kansas defense is one of the toughest they've faced, besides maybe Iowa, who totally shut them down. Expect the same type of low offensive output this Saturday, even against their home squad. You are going to be hard pressed to find a game with this big of a gap in talent with such a low spread. This Kansas offense is going to put up huge numbers this weekend, Iowa State simply isn't equipped to keep up or to stop it.

Predicted Score: Kansas 42, Iowa State 15

It's pretty obvious that the Arkansas Razorbacks aren't nearly the team they were last year. They have opened up with a pair of wins, but winning just 28-24 against Western Illinois, and barely pulling out a 28-27 victory against Louisiana-Monroe don't exactly register as impressive wins. Alabama on the other hand has racked up 31.7 points per game and 382.7 yards of total offense per game in their first three contests of the season, and against better competition than the Razorbacks have faced. There's no doubt it's hard to win on the road in the SEC, but let's face it, the Crimson Tide are a much, much better team.

Predicted Score: Alabama 38, Arkansas 10

Both of these teams have very good passing offenses. Kansas with Todd Ressing and South Florida with Matt Grothe. Both teams were great stories last season, each coming from virtually nowhere to have great seasons. I think the biggest difference between these two teams comes on the defensive side of the ball. The Kansas defense has been impressive so far this year, while the South Florida Bulls gave up 24 points to an unimpressive UCF team, nearly losing in overtime. Playing on their homefield, the Bulls obviously have a boost, but that boost won't be enough to get past Kansas, who have the ability to win a game on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Predicted score: Kansas 35, South Florida 21

Neither team was overly impressive in their season opener, though North Carolina was able to pull out the victory. Rutgers is the better team overall and they should be able to easily exploit this UNC defense. The Tarheels gave up 391 total yards against McNeese State last week and Rutgers has a much better offense attack. There were some holes in the Rutgers defense in their opener, but Fresno State is a better offensive team than UNC, so look for a significant improvement tonight.

Predicted Score: Rugers 28, North Carolina 10

Saturday night expect a shootout in Reno as the Nevada Wolf Pack host the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The biggest question is in this game is whether or not the Nevada offense can keep up with Texas Tech's. You know Tech is going to throw the ball a ridiculous number of times. You know they are going to rack up yardage and you know they are going to score against this defense. I don't think Nevada has the explosiveness to run and gun with a team like the Red Raiders. Home underdogs get a lot of attention in the sports-betting world, but this game ends with a lop-sided Texas Tech victory.

Louisville gets a lot of respect with this line based almost purely on name-recongnition. The Cardinals have been an offensive powerhouse for the last several seasons, and oddsmakers are banking on the fact that most people think this is the same Lousiville team that played last season. This couldn't be further from the truth. Louisville loses it's record-settting QB, Brian Brohm, as well as their starting running back, and their two best receivers from a year ago. Louisville's defense was never very good and without the offense to keep up with the defense's inability to make stops it's going to be a difficult year for this team. Kentucky is also replacing a star QB with Andre Woodson graduating, but they have more pieces of the puzzle intact from last season than do the Cardinals. This team has also struggled on defense, but their superior offense will be the differnce in Sunday's game against Louisville.