PITTSBURGH vs. SOUTH FLORIDA ? December 4th, 10:00 am
With a win, Pittsburgh will be playing in a BCS Bowl game. This hardly seemed possible when Pitt needed frantic rallies to overcome Division I-AA Furman or Big East cellar dweller Temple or when the Panthers could barely move the ball against Ohio - not Ohio State, but Ohio U. To make the situation even harder to swallow, the Panthers can possibly even get the BCS berth with a loss which would provide the best evidence yet that the current system is nothing short of laughable. If this team actually goes to the Fiesta Bowl to play Utah while Texas goes cotton picking, I cannot promise that I will be able to refrain from violent behavior.
These two teams are very evenly matched and their strengths of schedule are also very comparable. There is a good reason that South Florida was favored in this game before Hurricanes Charley and Frances caused it to be rescheduled. The Bulls are 40-9 SU at home over the last five seasons and after a disappointing season this game gives the Bulls a chance to show they belong in their future Big East home.
The Verdict: South Florida (+7.5)
LOUISVILLE vs. TULANE ? December 4th, 2:30 pm
The 7th ranked Louisville Cardinals are now averaging 61.5 points per game in their last four contests. Their offense is absolutely explosive have been covering huge numbers all year, seemingly at will. The Cards are extremely well balanced on offense and carry the No. 1 national ranking in that category. Their last game against Cincinnati was played in the driving rain and that did not even begin to slow down the Cardinals and QB Stefan LeFors as they dropped a 70 spot on the Bearcats. This game will be played in the comfy confines of New Orleans? Superdome where weather will not be in issue. Louisville has scored a mind boggling 246 points in their last four games and there is no reason to believe that the pointfest will come to an end here. Louisville still has an outside shot at a BCS berth and they will score as many points as they are able to.
The Tulane Green Wave has also been rolling on offense and in their last three home games, has scored at least 42 points. The Greenies are a horrible 1-15 ATS in their last 16 home losses and although freshman backup QB Richard Irvin has played well lately, it is next to impossible that he will be able to lead his team to a victory against the Louisville juggernauts. He should however be able to put at least 21 points which should be plenty to take this game over the huge number.
The Verdict: Louisville/Tulane Over (73.5)
TENNESSEE vs. AUBURN ? December 4th, 6:00 pm
If the old adage that ?defense wins championships? is true, this one is a no-brainer. Auburn has allowed only Arkansas to score more than two touchdowns this season and they held the Razorbacks to 20 points. The Tigers have also held seven of their eleven opponents to 10 points or less including this Tennessee team. They are averaging exactly 33 points per game while giving up only 9.6 points.
The Tennessee Volunteers prepared for this game by giving up 33 and 31 points to Vanderbilt and Kentucky. No, that is not a joke but their defense is. For the record, the Commodores and the Wildcats have four wins between them and one of those was in the game they played against each other. While it is true that the Vols have only two losses this season, one of them was against a poor Notre Dame team and the other was the 34-10 beating they took from Auburn on October 2nd which was before they lost quarterbacks Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer to injuries. Third string junior QB Rick Clausen will make his third consecutive start since taking over midway through the Notre Dame game. Good luck kid.
It should be noted that six of Tennessee?s games have been decided by six or fewer points. Don?t expect that to happen against No. 3 ranked Auburn who will be looking for one last chance to impress the pollsters. By the way, Tennessee has NEVER covered in a game in which they have lost since Phil Fulmer took over as head coach, going 0-30-1 ATS.
The Verdict: Auburn (-15)
With a win, Pittsburgh will be playing in a BCS Bowl game. This hardly seemed possible when Pitt needed frantic rallies to overcome Division I-AA Furman or Big East cellar dweller Temple or when the Panthers could barely move the ball against Ohio - not Ohio State, but Ohio U. To make the situation even harder to swallow, the Panthers can possibly even get the BCS berth with a loss which would provide the best evidence yet that the current system is nothing short of laughable. If this team actually goes to the Fiesta Bowl to play Utah while Texas goes cotton picking, I cannot promise that I will be able to refrain from violent behavior.
These two teams are very evenly matched and their strengths of schedule are also very comparable. There is a good reason that South Florida was favored in this game before Hurricanes Charley and Frances caused it to be rescheduled. The Bulls are 40-9 SU at home over the last five seasons and after a disappointing season this game gives the Bulls a chance to show they belong in their future Big East home.
The Verdict: South Florida (+7.5)
LOUISVILLE vs. TULANE ? December 4th, 2:30 pm
The 7th ranked Louisville Cardinals are now averaging 61.5 points per game in their last four contests. Their offense is absolutely explosive have been covering huge numbers all year, seemingly at will. The Cards are extremely well balanced on offense and carry the No. 1 national ranking in that category. Their last game against Cincinnati was played in the driving rain and that did not even begin to slow down the Cardinals and QB Stefan LeFors as they dropped a 70 spot on the Bearcats. This game will be played in the comfy confines of New Orleans? Superdome where weather will not be in issue. Louisville has scored a mind boggling 246 points in their last four games and there is no reason to believe that the pointfest will come to an end here. Louisville still has an outside shot at a BCS berth and they will score as many points as they are able to.
The Tulane Green Wave has also been rolling on offense and in their last three home games, has scored at least 42 points. The Greenies are a horrible 1-15 ATS in their last 16 home losses and although freshman backup QB Richard Irvin has played well lately, it is next to impossible that he will be able to lead his team to a victory against the Louisville juggernauts. He should however be able to put at least 21 points which should be plenty to take this game over the huge number.
The Verdict: Louisville/Tulane Over (73.5)
TENNESSEE vs. AUBURN ? December 4th, 6:00 pm
If the old adage that ?defense wins championships? is true, this one is a no-brainer. Auburn has allowed only Arkansas to score more than two touchdowns this season and they held the Razorbacks to 20 points. The Tigers have also held seven of their eleven opponents to 10 points or less including this Tennessee team. They are averaging exactly 33 points per game while giving up only 9.6 points.
The Tennessee Volunteers prepared for this game by giving up 33 and 31 points to Vanderbilt and Kentucky. No, that is not a joke but their defense is. For the record, the Commodores and the Wildcats have four wins between them and one of those was in the game they played against each other. While it is true that the Vols have only two losses this season, one of them was against a poor Notre Dame team and the other was the 34-10 beating they took from Auburn on October 2nd which was before they lost quarterbacks Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer to injuries. Third string junior QB Rick Clausen will make his third consecutive start since taking over midway through the Notre Dame game. Good luck kid.
It should be noted that six of Tennessee?s games have been decided by six or fewer points. Don?t expect that to happen against No. 3 ranked Auburn who will be looking for one last chance to impress the pollsters. By the way, Tennessee has NEVER covered in a game in which they have lost since Phil Fulmer took over as head coach, going 0-30-1 ATS.
The Verdict: Auburn (-15)
