Campus Confidential

Florida (-5.5) vs. Georgia
Abramson: Why not start out with a bang...I went to this festival of fun a few years ago and it's one of the more spirited events in college football. I suggest you see for yourself. As far as this year's installment, there's two teams still looking for that dominant identity with a lot to lose. With both teams tied for first in east division, the winner of this game has the inside track to the SEC title game with just two more conference games after this weekend. Georgia is riding high with confidence after last weekend's dominant win at LSU. As for Florida, the offense is rolling along with 152 points the last games. That's about 51 a game, or seven touchdowns. And the defense has given up just 32 points in those three matchups. Translation: Florida is dominant right now. And my Florida guy told me there would be "no way" UF loses to the Bulldogs this year. Florida 31, Georgia 24 with a defensive touchdown and two from Percy Harvin.

Rose: Everything about this game points to Florida winning. The Gators' offense is on a roll, there's the memory of last year's full-team celebration by Georgia, and Florida just seems to be going about its business in a dominating fashion. I believe Georgia will get good production from Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, but I'm going to go back to that young and inexperienced offensive line again. I thought the Bulldogs did a good job last week against the LSU front seven, but Florida's defense, led by Brandon Spikes, is better. Plus, Georgia gave up 38 points to LSU's offense, which I don't consider one of the better groups around. I'm going with Florida, 38-30.

Texas (-6) at Texas Tech
Abramson: Deja vu? Texas Tech is one of the hottest teams in the country until it's steamrolled by the Longhorns around this time of the year. So what makes this season any different? Balance. I think Texas Tech can get the first down by running the football if need be -- something that couldn't be said years past. As for Texas, it's all about the defense because that offense will get its points. Texas has shown it is vulnerable on defense, especially against the pass. I know what you're thinking, "Well, teams are always trying to pass their way back into games against UT." Fair, but that still doesn't explain a 110/119 ranking in that dept. If Texas Tech lines up its 11 and plays the same style football it has all year, I'm calling the upset: 43-38. Watch this game -- it'll be the highlight of the weekend.

Rose: Texas has gone through a brutal stretch. First, a win over Oklahoma. Then Missouri. Last week the Longhorns avoided the upset to Oklahoma State. This must be the week, right? Texas must be beat up and worn out from that string of games. Texas Tech's offense shredded Kansas last week. Graham Harrell is the real deal, and Michael Crabtree is the best wide receiver in the country. It's the biggest game in Texas Tech's history. And it's at home in Lubbock. Those expecting Texas to finally fall this week will be disappointed. Colt McCoy, who can solidify his Heisman this week, does look like this stretch of games is taking a toll on him, as last week started to show with his turnovers. But believe it or not, defense will win this game. I like Texas to make the key defensive stop in this game. Texas remains No. 1, 43-40.

Miami at Virginia (-2)
Abramson: Virginia has found its way to a little winning streak and is actually in position to make a run at the ACC title game. Pretty funny if you ask me, considering I left the Cavs for dead about 6 weeks ago. I'm going to take Miami in an upset for one reason: Miami's ability to quick strike on offense. The Canes have eclipsed 35 points in half of their games this season, while Virginia has reached that total just once. Quarterback Marc Verica has found a way to win for Al Groh, but I'm not sure he can do it against Miami's athleticism on defense. Miami 31, Virginia 16.

Rose: It's so easy to pick Virginia this week. The Cavaliers continue to prove people wrong. Virginia has won four straight after a 1-3 start. And Cedric Peerman is really coming on, with three out of four games with at least 100 yards rushing. Virginia has knocked off two straight ranked opponents -- North Carolina and Georgia Tech. And the Cavs are sitting alone in first place in the Coastal Division. A win against Miami and Virginia appears to be in the driver's seat for a spot in the ACC title game. Miami has won three straight, but the defense is not as good as you think. The Hurricanes are giving up 23 points a game. I'm going to stick with Virginia. Cavs win 27-21.

Florida State at Georgia Tech (-1)
Abramson: It doesn't change for Florida State: The Seminoles have to run the football. Last week, Antoine Smith sprung a touchdown run that keyed FSU to a big win and got Tallahassee thinking about the BCS. Georgia Tech picked up its second conference loss last week by dedicating itself to stopping the run, something Florida State is fantastic at -- as in one of the best rush defenses in the country fantastic. Play man coverage and make Josh Nesbitt beat you with his arm, and I like FSU's chances to pull an upset: 24-13.

Rose: The best part about the ACC this season is that you never know what you're getting from week to week. Will we see the Florida State that has won four straight? Will we continue to witness the development of quarterback Christian Ponder? Will Antone Smith be able to carry the rushing load? I'm going to say yes to all of the above. I really like Georgia Tech's defense, but not so much the Yellow Jackets' offense. Florida State's defense is fast and will make a play. Florida State's program is moving in the right direction. Florida State wins, 24-16.

Iowa at Illinois (-1.5)
Abramson: Mike and I had a good discussion about this one in the office, and I don't want to steal all of the good points he brought up about this game. So I'll say that it comes down to who can run the football better. It's strange to think Illinois is 4-4 at this juncture, a game below Iowa. One thing I point to is the strength of schedule to this point: I can see Iowa losing three of its last four, while Illinois goes on to win three of those four. I am going to take the Illini in this game and call it my lock of the week. Illinois can play some dominant offense if its gets rolling, which I believe it will at home: 38-21.

Rose: Iowa is a dangerous team. The Hawkeyes' Shonn Greene is for real, rushing for at least 100 yards in each game this season. And Iowa's defense has been really tough this season, only giving up about 11 points per game. This is a big rivalry between the border states. Ron Zook has never beaten Iowa. Illinois, I believe, will be able to score points. Illinois has a ton of talent, led by quarterback Juice Williams. It's the defense I'm concerned about. Iowa can very easily turn this into a ball control game. And Greene, at 235 pounds, is tough to tackle late in games. I know Zook called out his players again this week, and the game is at Illinois. Both teams really need this win to help their bowl chances. There's just something about Iowa I like in this game. Iowa wins, 27-24.

West Virginia (-4) at Connecticut
Abramson: The Mountaineers have spent 10 days on a high from a big win against Auburn. I think Mike and I agree WVU is the best team in a weak Big East at this point (6-2). With a top 10 rushing offense in WVU and the nation's leading rusher in Donald Brown, this game might last about 62 minutes. With two teams stacked up exactly the same on paper it's tough to make a decision. But if I really do think West Virginia is the best team in the conference, then I have to believe Pat White and Noel Devine will make enough plays for a 24-16 win.

Rose: This is a huge game in the Big East. I have gone on the record as saying West Virginia is still the best team in the conference. But UConn can be dangerous. UConn beat up on a good Cincinnati team last week. I really like Donald Brown and his ability to run the ball. The Mountaineers, however, have two elite runners with Pat White and Noel Devine. Devine was very, very impressive last week against Auburn. And White showed the passing ability last week against Auburn that I anticipated seeing all season. West Virginia is clicking at the right time. I'm going with the Mountaineers, 31-26.

Wisconsin at Michigan State (-4.5)
Abramson: I kind of look at this as a no-brainer, despite Wisconsin's win last week. Michigan State is going to shove it down the throat of a program with a lot of problems. Javon Ringer is fun to watch, and he gets better as games go along -- that's why he's the country's second leading rusher and accounts for 152 of Michigan State's 161 rushing yards per game average. I'll take Michigan State 20-10.

Rose: After the disappointing performance against Ohio State, Michigan State showed me a lot last week. This is usually the time of year that the Spartans begin their nosedive. But the Spartans beat Michigan in The Big House and Javon Ringer looked like very strong. Wisconsin surprised me by beating Illinois last week, but the Badgers still have some problems. Dustin Sherer has improved at quarterback. But Travis Beckum is gone for the season with a broken leg. There's still some questions as to which running back should be featured -- P.J. Hill or John Clay. I think Michigan State is focused. The Spartans win, 23-13.

South Florida (-2.5) at Cincinnati

Well, Mike hit this analysis on the head. The Bulls really let me down last week in their loss to Louisville, and you have to look at Matt Grothe's outing. Two picks and -27 yards rushing will find USF on the losing side of the score in just about any game. The Bearcats are sitting pretty at 5-2, with just one conference loss. Cincy has played some good defense, especially against the run. However, the group is coming off a loss at Connecticut where the country's leading rusher Donald Brown shredded for 150 yards. Bulls RB Mike Ford isn't Donald Brown, but he can be a headache if Jim Leavitt is patient with the running game. Furthermore, the Cincy quarterback position has been in limbo, expect to see Tony Pike tonight, but how effective will he be? I'll take South Florida 34-23.

-Abramson

No. 23 South Florida (-2.5) at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. South Florida has a lot to think about heading into this key Big East matchup. The Bulls were ranked as high as No. 10 in the country before losing two of their last three games. South Florida is sitting near the basement of the Big East standings with a 1-2 record. Cincinnati has won the last two meetings between the teams. Talk about motivation. South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe can be a big key in this game and will need to continue his strong play. When Grothe is on, South Florida is tough. Grothe has passed for nearly 1,900 yards with 14 touchdowns. He's also rushed for 289 yards and three touchdowns. In fact, Grothe is tied with running back Mike Ford as the team's leading rusher. And I think Grothe will have success against Cincinnati. The Bearcats give up an average of 22 points per game. South Florida averages 171 rushing yards per game and 255 passing yards per game. Another key in this game will be the South Florida defense. Cincinnati has had trouble scoring in games this season (17 points against Akron, 13 points against Rutgers, 16 points last week in a 40-16 loss at UConn). The combination of Grothe and the South Florida's defense, which allows 18 points per game, should be enough.

The pick: South Florida 30, Cincinnati 20

-- Rose

BY MIKE ROSE

Three weeks have come and gone. So it's time to reassess the conference power rankings

(All of the rankings mentioned below are BCS rankings, because that ranking matters most):

1. Big 12: Yes, I've slipped the Big 12 above the SEC into the top spot. Why? Texas is No.1, Oklahoma is No. 4 and Texas Tech is No. 7. Oklahoma State, which played very well against Texas, is at No. 9. Plus, Texas and Texas Tech are still unbeaten (at least until Saturday night). Missouri is No. 14. So, the Big 12 has five teams in the BCS standings, including four in the top 10.

2. SEC: In my opinion, the SEC has three elite teams -- No. 2 Alabama, No. 6 Georgia and No. 8 Florida. The only other SEC team in the BCS standings is LSU at No. 19. In LSU's two losses, the Tigers gave up at least 50 points in each game.

3. Big Ten: The Big Ten has the same number of teams ranked in the BCS standings as the SEC -- four. But the Big Ten isn't nearly as good from top to bottom as the SEC. Not nearly as good. Penn State, at No. 3, is the Big Ten's highest ranked team. Ohio State is at No. 12, followed by Minnesota (No. 17) and Michigan State (No. 21).

4. ACC: The ACC has only two teams ranked in the BCS standings (Florida State at No. 15 and North Carolina at No. 22). But 10 of the 12 teams in the conference have winning records. The entire Coastal Division consists of teams with winning records, even Duke at 4-3. The ACC doesn't have any dominant teams, but there are a lot of good teams.

5. Mountain West: The Mountain West has three teams residing in the BCS standings -- Utah is No. 10, followed by TCU at No. 13 and BYU at No. 20. Utah has a shot to make a BCS bowl. TCU's only loss is at Oklahoma (35-10). BYU got crushed by TCU.

6. Pac 10: USC, currently No. 5 in the BCS standings, is carrying the conference this season. Oregon (No. 24 in the BCS) appears to be the next best team. After that, it's California, Arizona, Oregon State, and Stanford. Not a lot of depth.

7. Big East: Much like the ACC, the Big East has no dominant teams. The highest ranked Big East team in the BCS is South Florida at No. 23, while UConn is No. 25. I thought Pittsburgh was on track for a BCS bowl, but not after that horrible performance against Rutgers. I still think West Virginia is the league's best team.

8. WAC: Boise State is No. 11 in the BCS standings. Would an undefeated Boise State team crash the BCS party? Maybe not. The SEC and Big 12 will get two teams into BCS bowls. The Big Ten could have Penn State and Ohio State in BCS bowls. Plus, the Pac-10, ACC and Big East champions get in. That leaves one spot, which could go to the Mountain West if Utah goes unbeaten.

9. Conference USA: Tulsa is No. 18 in the BCS standings and averaging 56 points per game. Plus, East Carolina, Marshall and Rice are decent.

10. Mid-American: Ball State is actually ahead of Tulsa in the BCS, at No. 16. After that, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan are the next best teams, each with 6-2 records.

11. Sun Belt: Troy is 5-2, with the two losses coming to Ohio State and Oklahoma State. Plus, there's still a date with LSU. Give Troy credit for playing the nation's elite teams.

BY MIKE ROSE

It wasn't pretty, but No. 3 Penn State beat No. 9 Ohio State 13-6 tonight in a defensive struggle in Columbus.

It was Penn State's first win at Ohio State since 1978 and the Nittany Lions' first win in Columbus as a member of the Big Ten.

The game was dominated by both defenses. It came down to special teams and turnovers.

Super freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor had the best passing day of his young career (16 of 24 for 226), but made the costly turnover.

On a 3rd-and-1 play near the 50-yard line late in the fourth quarter, Pryor saw some daylight and said he was thinking touchdown. But Penn State hero Mark Rubin quickly closed in on Pryor, hit the ball with his left hand and caused a fumble. After a mad scramble, Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman came up with the ball.

Pat Devlin took over for Daryll Clark, who appeared to sustain a minor concussion, and eventually scored on a 1-yard run. The key play was a pass interference call on Ohio State.

Kevin Kelly, who missed a field goal that would've tied it at 6-6, made a 35-yard field goal to make it 13-6.

Lydell Sargeant made a late interception on a Pryor pass in the end zone to seal the win.

Chris "Beanie" Wells rushed for just 55 yards on 22 carries.

Penn State rushed for 160 yards, including a game-high 77 by Evan Royster.

The win puts Penn State in line to at least take the Big Ten title. If Penn State wins out, the Nittany Lions would likely play for the national title.

No. 2 Alabama, who I predicted would lose tonight, made me look bad by easily beating rival Tennessee 29-9.

The Crimson Tide, which had been playing poorly in the second half lately, played much better tonight.

Also, John Parker Wilson played very well (17 of 24 for 188 yards). Roy Upchurch (14 carries for 86 yards, 1 TD) and Glen Coffee (19 carries for 78, 1 TD) controlled things on the ground. Freshman Julio Jones made six catches for 103 yards.

Alabama still has a trip to LSU remaining.

BY MIKE ROSE

No. 1 Texas held on and beat No. 6 Oklahoma State, 28-24.

The key stats:

Colt McCoy, Texas -- 38 of 45 for 391 yards and a touchdown. Unless he has a huge collapse, McCoy is the Heisman Trophy winner.

Jordan Shipley, Texas -- 15 catches for 168 yards and a touchdown.

Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State -- 18 carries for 161 yards and a touchdown.

The Cowboys hung in there all game, but just couldn't get the big play when they need it. The Longhorns, however, have another tough one next week, heading to No. 8 Texas Tech.

But make no mistake -- Texas is No. 1. The Longhorns have beaten Oklahoma, Missouri and now Oklahoma State in order. But beating Texas Tech on the road will be a tough task.

Georgia, which was the preseason No. 1 team in the country, played like a No. 1 today. The No. 7 Bulldogs went to Death Valley and came away with a 52-38 win over No. 13 LSU.

The key players: Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford was 17 of 26 for 249 yards and two touchdowns, running back Knowshon Moreno rushed for 163 yards and wide receiver A.J. Green had three catches for 89 yards and a big touchdown. AND Darryl Gamble returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

The proud LSU defense has now given up more than 50 points twice this season, the first time being at Florida.

No. 17 Pittsburgh really looked awful today, losing at home to what had been a struggling Rutgers team, 54-34. Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel threw for 361 yards and SIX touchdowns.

The ACC is one again enjoying a wild, wild weekend. No. 25 Florida State took care of business and beat Virginia Tech at home, 30-20. The Seminoles are really starting to play well, especially quarterback Christian Ponder, who completed 11 of 19 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown today.

Virginia went on the road and beat No. 18 Georgia Tech 24-17. The Cavaliers got pasted by USC -- 52-3 -- in the opener. But the Cavaliers are no 5-3 and sitting alone atop the Coastal Division standings at 3-1.

No. 21 BYU avoided another loss, rallying to beat UNLV 42-35.

And Michigan State finally won at The Big House, beating Michigan 35-21.

BY MIKE ROSE

There's no doubt that the Big 12 has exceptional offensive teams. It's playing defense that seems to be the problem.

No. 8 Texas Tech shredded No. 23 Kansas, 63-21. Quarterback Graham Harrell completed 34 of 42 passes for 386 yards and five touchdowns. The Red Raiders can also play defense, picking off Todd Reesing three times.

Next week's home game against No. 1 Texas, providing the Longhorns win today, is going to be huge.

No. 4 Oklahoma put 55 points on the scoreboard by halftime against Kansas State and cruised to a 58-35 win.

But what would have me worried is that this game was tied 28-28 in the second quarter. The Sooners need to start playing better defense. Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman threw for a whopping 478 yards.

No. 20 Ball State remains unbeaten at 8-0 with a 38-16 win over Eastern Michigan.

Bad loss for No. 22 Northwestern, losing 21-19 at Indiana. Meanwhile, No. 24 Minnesota (the same team that finished 1-11 last season) is 7-1 after a 17-6 win over Purdue. The Golden Gophers could end up playing on Jan. 1 in either the Outback or Capital One Bowls.

Some other games ...

North Carolina hammered Boston College 45-24. The ACC just keeps getting more and more interesting each week. Speaking of the ACC, Miami got a nice win, beating Wake Forest 16-10. North Carolina, Boston College, Miami and Wake Forest are all 2-2 in conference play.

Illinois took a hit today, losing 27-17 at Wisconsin.

Nice win by UConn, beating Cincinnati 40-16.

Oklahoma State at Texas (-12.5)
Abramson: I don't see the Longhorns stumbling in this one. Oklahoma State is a team playing with a lot of confidence after shocking most of the country with that Missouri win. But at this point, I just can't see much slowing down what Texas is doing on offense. The Cowboys are outstanding at running the football with Kendall Hunter and keeping teams off balance with Zac Robinson as a dual-threat, but Texas' defense is light years better than Missouri's and will give more fits than OSU can handle. 38-17.

Rose: Texas has looked too good to doubt the Longhorns at this point. There was absolutely no letdown last week against Missouri after the big win over Oklahoma. Offensively, Colt McCoy is clearly the Heisman frontrunner and has a variety of good weapons to score points. The defense is quietly doing a solid job, with a bend but don't break mentality. The Cowboys could cause problems with quarterback Zac Robinson and running back Kendall Hunter. I think Oklahoma State will score, but not enough. Texas rolls on, 44-33.

Alabama (-5) at Tennessee
Abramson: Everyone is waiting for Alabama to stumble in that deep conference, and Tennessee presents a trap road game scenario. The Vols are under .500 large-in-part to an offense that averages less than 300 yards a game, which is sad when you have that kind of depth in the backfield. I see Alabama losing this year, but I see it in Death Valley two weeks from now. Alabama gets Phil Fulmer that much closer to losing his job, 24-10.

Rose: Alabama has been living dangerously. The Crimson Tide only beat Kentucky 17-14, following the big win over Georgia. Then Alabama had a big halftime lead on Mississippi, but had to hold on for a 24-20 win. Alabama hasn't really put together a full game lately. The Crimson Tide seem to play well for a half, and then hang on for the win. The offense has been disappearing at times during games. This will all catch up with Alabama. This is the week. Tennessee has had a nightmare season thus far, but the Vols get Alabama at home. Tennessee pulls the upset, 24-23.

Penn State (-2.5) at Ohio State
Abramson: This game has to strike fear into the hearts of the Penn State faithful. But one group I don't feel is rattled is the bunch that will strap the blue and white pads on this weekend. Ohio State and Terrelle Pryor are whining like Rodney Dangerfield about respect, but PSU won't buy into it. Penn State respects what Ohio State is bringing to the table, and it's quite good, but I feel PSU is mentally tougher than any of the teams in the past -- mostly because of a steady hand at quarterback for the first time since Michael Robinson. Nittany Lions win with tough defense and grinding it out on the ground, 20-13.

Rose: This game is an absolute toss-up. The Big Ten doesn't have a title game. But it gets one this week. Penn State has national title hopes. Ohio State is playing its best football of the season. I know -- Penn State hasn't won in Columbus since 1978. But the game will be decided on these key factors. For Penn State, the game will be won with the lines. If Penn State's offensive line can get to the second level of the Ohio State defense and pick off the linebackers, the Nittany Lions should be able to roll up the yards and points. On defense, the front four must stop the emerging rushing tandem of Chris Wells and Terrelle Pryor. If Pryor is forced to beat Penn State with his arm, expect Tom Bradley to turn up the blitzes. Ohio State -- with Wells leading the way -- must get good chunks of yardage early on. The Buckeyes simply can't put Pryor in 3rd-and-long situations. While Pryor is a phenomenal athlete, he has a tendency (which isn't unusual for a young quarterback) to hold the ball too long and can't afford to do that against Penn State's defense. Ohio State's defensive line must play like it did last week against Michigan State -- shut down the run and pressure Daryll Clark. I think this game will come down to late a turnover and a big field goal. Penn State wins, 23-20.

USC (-15.5) at Arizona
Abramson: I'm liking the favorites so far, because I think Southern California, along with Texas and PSU, is the hottest team in the country. The swagger is back, as the Trojans have scored 97 points and given up ZERO in the last two games. Go back one more week and you're talking 143-10 combined score since the loss. I don't see the loss total going any higher this year, and I think Arizona is about to meet an avalanche of a football team that can hang 600 yards on you in just three hours, 42-15.

Rose: I've had this game circled all season as a potential upset. Arizona's offense is pretty good with quarterback Willie Tuitama, running back Nic Grisgby and wide receiver Mike Thomas. That trio could cause big problems for USC. I was impressed by Arizona's win over Cal last week, but I've got to wonder how the Wildcats lost to New Mexico and Stanford. I think this game may be close for a while, even into the third quarter, but USC looks so focused now. The Trojans are rolling and I think they could be even more focused if one of the top three teams in the polls stumbles early in the day. USC gets a big win, 41-27.

Georgia at LSU (-2)
Abramson: Tough call...Always is...But I don't know if it is as tough as years past. LSU's offense is a far cry from last year and it can't keep up with a punishing Georgia team. Sure, LSU can leave some black-and-blue marks on defense, but you're talking about Knowshon Moreno, who is a superior talent to guys like Mike Davis, Anthony Dixon, Jeffrey Demps and Ben Tate. A well-crafted offensive gameplan by Georgia, setting up the run by throwing A.J. Green and Mohamed Massaquoi early on will translate into a 18-13 win on the road.

Rose: Really a tough game to pick. LSU's defensive line can cause all sorts of problems for Georgia's young offensive line. But the key matchup is Georgia's wide receivers against LSU's secondary. The Tigers' secondary is not as formidable as in seasons past. If Matthew Stafford can get some time, A.J. Green and Mohamed Massaquoi could be open for big plays. I think Georgia's speed on defense can be big trouble for LSU. I know this game is in Death Valley, but Georgia is a good road team. The Bulldogs prevail, 24-21.

Texas Tech at Kansas (-1)
Abramson: Can Kansas stop Texas Tech? Not gonna happen. But what can happen is the Jayhawks keep up with Texas Tech and create some opportunities late if the Red Raiders start to press. These two teams combine for about 80 points per game, so watch this one if you need a fire lit under you Saturday afternoon (at noon). Las Vegas thinks Kansas will win this game, especially considering the line has moved in KU's favor. In what will be the game of the week, I will take Texas Tech, 48-43. 91 points should do.

Rose: They better make sure the scoreboard is working before this game because there will undoubtedly be a ton of points scored. Kansas, with quarterback Todd Reesing, can score with the best around. I'm more curious how Kansas plans to slow down Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech. Texas Tech's defense hasn't looked good, giving up 21 points per game this season. In fact, Texas A&M was able to score 25 points against the Red Raiders. I really think Texas Tech could be looking ahead to No. 1 Texas the following week. The Jayhawks pull the upset, 50-47.

Rutgers at Pittsburgh (-10.5)
Abramson: Pittsburgh is putting a good football team on the field this season ever since getting socked in the mouth by Bowling Green during Week 1. LeSean McCoy's 115 yards per game give the Panthers a chance every time they take the field. Rutgers' defense isn't what it has been in years past, and I don't know that they can keep McCoy from hitting a home run if he gets the ball 25 times, which he should. Remember how the Scarlet Knights used to beat up on everyone with Ray Rice...taste of your own medicine time. Pittsburgh 31-14.

Rose: Pittsburgh has turned it around and running back LeSean McCoy has become a star. Rutgers hasn't been able to find any offense, but the defense has played well in spots this season. McCoy, however, is the best running back the Rutgers defense has faced. I think McCoy carries the ball at least 30 times and Pittsburgh's defense forces a few turnovers. The Panthers win this one, 27-6.

Virginia at Georgia Tech (-14)
Abramson: Not many are talking about it, but Virginia is hot right now. They're definitely on a high after beating North Carolina in overtime. Can they carry that mo' on the road to Atlanta? It's really all about turnovers for Georgia Tech. If they don't make it easy for the Cavs, then a pedestrian football team cannot beat the Yellow Jackets. However, like I said, the Cavaliers are anything but pedestrian. I don't know that this team can win on the road, though. I'll take the Yellow Jackets 17-13.

Rose: The spread for this game is definitely way too big. Virginia is playing really good football and is coming off a nice win over North Carolina. For a team that looked horrible early in the season, the Cavs have made a complete turnaround. But it has to end, doesn't it? Virginia will keep this game close throughout, but I really like Georgia Tech's defense. The Yellow Jackets wins a tight one, 16-14.

Virginia Tech at Florida State (-5.5)
Abramson: I really hate how I have to pick Virginia Tech games. The team is far too young to have any business competing in this football game, but there is talent there that will likely put them in a position to win. The problem is, I don't know how the Hokies will respond to FSU's speed. The Noles have done a good job of outcoaching Tech over the years, and I see it happening again Saturday. 24-13.

Rose: I have always thought that Florida State would be a factor in the ACC race this season. OK, the 12-3 loss to Wake Forest wasn't good, but the Seminoles are really looking good now. Christian Ponder is starting to look comfortable at quarterback and running back Antone Smith has played well since the Wake Forest game. Florida State can score. Virginia Tech, however, is still having some problems on offense. The Hokies are running the ball fine, but Florida State's defense is very fast. Tyrod Taylor is going to need to complete some big passes. I don't see it happening. Florida State wins its fourth straight, 24-16.