OU-Miami Looks Like Top Game of the Week

It's kind of a quiet weekend in the Top 25. Florida, Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska all are idle, and five games featuring ranked teams are not scheduled to be televised.

But the Oklahoma–Miami game should be interesting. Based on the rankings, USC–Cal should be as well. As should LSU–Georgia.

But I can't help wondering what could possibly entice anyone in El Paso to go to the Sun Bowl to watch UTEP, which was hammered by Texas last week, play the Houston Cougars. I anticipate another massacre. Thank God the game isn't being televised.

• #3 Alabama at Kentucky, 11:21 a.m. (Central) on SEC — Kentucky lost pretty handily to Florida last week. Even though the Wildcats are playing at home again, I don't expect them to be able to put up much of a fight against the Crimson Tide.


• #4 LSU at #14 Georgia, 2:30 p.m. (Central) on CBS — I guess this qualifies as an upset, but I'll take Georgia at home.


• UC–Davis at #5 Boise State — This is another game that should be a foregone conclusion. Boise State by a wide margin.


• #6 Virginia Tech at Duke — The rankings suggest Tech should roll over Duke. In spite of the weak opponent, I think this week will say a lot about the Hokies. I'll take Tech, but I don't think the margin will be as wide as many do.


• #7 USC at #19 California, 7 p.m. (Central) on ABC — This is a big Pac–10 showdown. I think it may be close, and I'll take USC. Even though the Trojans lost to Washington, I still think they are the top team in the Pac–10.


• #8 Oklahoma at #21 Miami (Fla.), 7 p.m. (Central) on ABC — OU coach Bob Stoops says Heisman Trophy–winning quarterback Sam Bradford won't start. Instead, a freshman will play. I will take Miami.


• #9 Ohio State at Indiana, 6 p.m. (Central) on Big Ten — Ohio State should win. But the Hoosiers may be dangerous. They narrowly lost to Michigan in their last game.


• SMU at #10 TCU, 7 p.m. (Central) on The MTN — SMU has never recovered from the "death penalty" in the late 1980s. I don't think the Mustangs will win this game.


• #11 Cincinnati at Miami (Ohio) — Cincinnati ought to cruise against Miami (Ohio).


• #13 Penn State at Illinois — I expect Penn State to win, but it might be close.


• #15 Houston at UTEP — Will UTEP do better against Houston than it did against Texas? You'd think the Miners would almost have to do better than they did against the Longhorns. And UTEP is at home. When the Miners went to Houston last year, they only lost by five points. But that was a different Cougar team. This year, I expect Houston to win by a wider margin.


• Arkansas State at #17 Iowa, 11 a.m. (Central) on ESPN2 — Both teams will get what they want. Arkansas State will get the financial windfall from playing in a 70,000–seat stadium on TV, and Iowa will get an easy win.


• #18 Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. (Central) on ESPNU — Ole Miss has had more than a week to lick its wounds after losing to South Carolina. Vanderbilt shouldn't be a threat to the Rebels, unless they've become absorbed in self–pity. I pick Ole Miss.


• #20 Michigan at Michigan State, 11 a.m. (Central) on Big Ten — It's a rivalry. And it's a road game. But I think Michigan should be too much for Michigan State.


• Utah State at #21 BYU, tonight at 8 p.m. (Central) on The MTN — I think BYU should win with no trouble.


• Washington State at #25 Oregon, 9:30 p.m. (Central) on ESPNU — Oregon was dealt a setback in its opener against Boise State, but the Ducks have won three in a row, including two wins over ranked opponents. I'll take Oregon in this one.

Last week, I was 16–7. There were quite a few surprises last week &mdash South Carolina's win over Ole Miss, unbeaten USF's triumph over Florida State, Georgia Tech's victory over North Carolina, Virginia Tech's rout of Miami, Oregon's win over Cal and Iowa's triumph over Penn State. I'm not sure if #17 Houston's victory over unranked Texas Tech qualifies as an upset, but it certainly surprised me.

So far, my record is 56–11.