ATS Predictions for games tonight through Saturday evening.

[Jim]

Will Ball State get past a rare home game (in 2008 anyway) for the
Chippewa's?; Will BYU muster up enough effort to overcome yet a third road game against a major opponent (at TCU and at Air Force)?; Can Oklahoma's defense stop Texas Tech's onslaught enough to allow them to get and sustain a lead?; How about Vanderbilt's chances to overcome the Volunteers' last game in Nashville with Fulmer in charge?; Can Syracuse at least cover against Notre Dame? ... here is what I think. MInd you, my picking an underdog with points is just that - not necessarily picking an outright winner as far as the scoreboard goes.


Central Michigan (+6.5) over Ball State
Washington (-7.5) over Washington State
Fresno State (-2.5) over San Jose State
Brigham Young (+2.5) over Utah
Air Force (+18.5) overTCU
Northwestern (+3) over Illinois
Oklahoma (-7) over Texas Tech
Tennessee (+3) over Vanderbilt
Arkansas (-1) over Mississippi State
LSU (-3.5) over Mississippi
West Virginia (-7) over Louisville
Boston College (+2) over Wake Forest
N.C. State (+11) overNorth Carolina
Syracuse (+19.5) over Notre Dame
Pittsburgh (+5) over Cincinnati


Potential upseet is Ole Miss over LSU. Yes, lost last night as CMU fell to Ball State, 31-24. But it wasn't a bad pick (lost by 0.5 points).

[Coach 3]

...no sarcasm intended, but the lowest point in ten,. football in recent history i dotn think has been reached yet...vandy just bowl- qualified in a rugged game vs., KY. and tenn has nothing to play for..you recall that utteer collapse vs. badly outmanned wyoming...how a teamnwith that much raw atheltic talent is so awful on offense boggles the mind...remember when tenn. was very respectable just a few years afgo and the offense still stunk under fullmer???...but this year- and i have watched about 6 tenn games- the offense is like waching a la. monroe- or idaho in there...just no ability to sustain drives...now, this may be the first season ever when vandy goes to a bowl ands tenn doesnt...a loss here by UT coupled with a ( less likely ) loss to an injury devatsated kentucky team will make 2008 the worst season tenn has ever sufferred..by a long, long shot...does anyone know just how this program went so bad so fast???..thw qb play is only part of the reason..the abrupt down cycle at michigan is understandable...but i just dont get what went so completely wrong in knoxville with all those blue chip athletes at fullmers disposal....

[Jim]

...no sarcasm intended, but the lowest point in ten,. football in recent history i dotn think has been reached yet...vandy just bowl- qualified in a rugged game vs., KY. and tenn has nothing to play for..you recall that utteer collapse vs. badly outmanned wyoming...how a teamnwith that much raw atheltic talent is so awful on offense boggles the mind...remember when tenn. was very respectable just a few years afgo and the offense still stunk under fullmer???...but this year- and i have watched about 6 tenn games- the offense is like waching a la. monroe- or idaho in there...just no ability to sustain drives...now, this may be the first season ever when vandy goes to a bowl ands tenn doesnt...a loss here by UT coupled with a ( less likely ) loss to an injury devatsated kentucky team will make 2008 the worst season tenn has ever sufferred..by a long, long shot...does anyone know just how this program went so bad so fast???..thw qb play is only part of the reason..the abrupt down cycle at michigan is understandable...but i just dont get what went so completely wrong in knoxville with all those blue chip athletes at fullmers disposal....

I'm confident, even though I want Vandy to win it outright, that the Volunteers will put it together just this one last time against an opponent they've dominated since Genesis was written (and by the Sumerians - not the Hebrews).

[Blue Hen]

Tennessee hasn't nosed dived as badly as Delaware. How do you go from National Runner-up to garbage in 10 months ?

[HellYeahHokie]

Graduate a quarterback that starts in the NFL as a rookie.

[Blue Hen]

One guy made that much difference ? UD had 53 yards of total offense last week at Richmond....about 13 yards per quarter.

[Jim]

try taking it up a notch ... how about some comments on Div-IA rather than Div-iAA. Next thing you know this thing will go down to high schools and maybe even politics. Yeah I know, who am I ...

[Coach 3]

....its that time for the gossip grapevines in CF- and what i have heard is that joe pa may be happy to call it a day with a win tomorrow and then the autromatic rose bowl bid...remember when that perenially grouchy psy fan base was calling for him to step down 4 or 5 yrs ago during a low point in his tenure?...well, its nice to see he is in the drivers seat for this decision..just a rumor atr this point adding soem drama to what should be an excellent game ...with perfect late season big 10 conditions weatherwise at kickoff-- 27 degrees, snow showers, 20 mph winds and wind chills dipping down into single digits by sunset at halftime...

[HellYeahHokie]

When you have one player who is NFL caliber playing against teams that have no NFL-caliber talent, I think it does make a difference.

Look at Stephan Curry at Davidson in basketball. How you think Davidson is going to be next year when Curry is in the NBA?

(I understand one player in basketball is far more influential than one player in football, but when that one football players is the QB, I think it does make a difference)