Prediction Outcomes, Week 9

Boston College (+3.5) @ Virginia Tech: Boston College 14-10 As far as Thursday night games go, this one's huge. I admit, I'm still not sold on the Hokies. Sure they're 6-1, but the only decent team they've beaten is Clemson. Though the same can be said of the Eagles, who've basically just played Georgia Tech. Both teams schedules are pretty tough from here on out, and this game will tell a lot about which is capable of running the gauntlet.
Virginia Tech by 7 = Phenominal comeback by Boston College - you gotta feel for Beamer & the Hokies.

Boise State (-3) @ Fresno State: Boise State 34-21 The Bulldogs have beaten the teams they're supposed to, as have the Broncos. You know Pat Hill wants this one bad, and the boys in blue won't have the smurf turf to break their fall.
Fresno State by 6 = Solid win for the Broncos, and they're looking good after a rough start to the season.

South Florida (-4.5) @ Connecticut: Connecticut 22-15 Few casual fans are going to be rooting for the Huskies this week after that fair catch debacle. The Bulls are itching to re-prove themselves and should open up a can.
South Florida by 17 = Wow, I'm really off this week.

Duke (+17.5) @ Florida State: Florida State 25-6 The Seminoles are losing games they're supposed to win but they have a couple good victories. This is their last truly easy game of the year, but 17.5 is a lot of points. At the same time, it's Duke - I wouldn't really have been all that surprised at 28.5.
Florida State by 24 = Ah, that's better. Thanks Duke.

Iowa State (+28.5) @ Missouri: Missouri 42-28 Speaking of 28.5... This is a tricky call, much more so than an almost-30 point spread usually is. The Cyclones could play a solid game and keep it close, as they did against the Sooners last week. Or they could tank like they did against Northern Iowa. Missouri is looking tough, but they're not getting a lot of press...
Missouri wins, but Iowa State (barely) covers the spread = Missouri is just rolling.

Kansas (-3) @ Texas A&M: Kansas 19-11 The Aggies are up and down this year - some good wins, some bad losses. Kansas is still flying high - what's their secret? They've gotta fall sometime. (I keep saying that, don't I?)
Kansas by 7 = Great win for the Jayhwaks. I'm turning things around a bit here...

Arizona (+4) @ Washington: Arizona 48-41 The Huskies have played a brutal schedule this year, and things aren't going to get much easier than Arizona. The Wildcats are a tossup - I'm smelling a blowout, one way or another.
Washington by 17 = Maybe I shouldn't speak so soon. Ouch.

Florida (-8.5) v Georgia: Georgia 42-30 It's rather appropriate that the week before Halloween I include Georgia, since picking a Dawgs game usually scares the hell out of me. And I'm going with the cocktail party, nonetheless. I'm feeling good about the Gators here though - the Fightin' Tebows are rebounding nicely from those two losses.
Florida by 10 = I'm seriously considering never picking another Dawgs game. Ever.

Virginia (-3) @ NC State: NC State 29-24 I don't know which is more shocking, that the Cavaliers are 7-1 or that they're only giving up 3 points to the inept Wolfpack. Three points? Really?
Virginia by 17 = Wow. As bad of a pick as this was for me, it's an awful loss for the Cavaliers.

South Carolina (+3) @ Tennessee: Tennessee 27-24 The Old Ball Coach needs this one to avert a major slide down the rankings after being as high as #6. The Great Pumpkin needs this one to avert falling to .500. As I said, it's Halloween week.
Tennessee by 7 = Who would've thought that Tennessee would be in the SEC East driver's seat after this one? I'll take the push this week - I need it.

West Virginia (-6) @ Rutgers: West Virginia 31-3 I'm guessing some people wrote off the Mountaineers when they wrote off White & Slatons' Heisman hopes. But they're still one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a big win over South Florida, but I'm seeing a letdown at home.
West Virginia by 10 = Nice job, Mountaineers. Tough break, Rutgers.

Ohio State (-4) @ Penn State: Ohio State 37-17 And finally the big one of the week. JoePa is just one career win behind Bobby Bowden now, as much as he says it doesn't mean anything to him. And this would be a huge win for the Nittany Lions. I picked them to lose to Wisconsin, and they blew the Badgers out. This will be the Buckeye's first true test of the season, and I have a feeling they'll perform well. They always have the backing of the whole state of Ohio, but they'll be getting all the attention since the Indians blew it against the Red Sox.
Ohio State by 7 = In a way, I kinda feel bad for the Buckeyes. They're fantastic, yet their National Championship game implosion has really affected their credibility this year. Add to that the fact that the Big 10 is really down this year and you've got a whole lot of hesitant voters and a skeptical public. The only way that will change is if they win the whole thing this year.

Yet another rough week. After starting the season strong, I've fallen pretty flat for the past month. Sigh.
Straight Wins I was 6 of 12 (50%), and
Against the Spread I was 5.5 (with the push) of 12 (45.83%).
Season Totals = 76 of 108 (70.37%) Straight Wins, 56 of 108 (51.85%) Against the Spread.