In a battle for first place in the Big East, the 7-2 Pitt Panthers travel to Cincinnati to take on the 8-2 Bearcats. Pittsburgh will rely on its strong ground game, led by RB LeSean McCoy who has over 1000 yards rushing while averaging 5 yards per carry. When the Panthers need to throw it QB Bill Stull and WRs Derek Kinder and Jonathon Baldwin. Kinder works underneath while Baldwin is the deep threat.
On offense the Bearcats are led by QB Tony Pike who has 12 TDs passing and the running back combination of Jacob Ramsey and John Goebel who have 568 and 436 yards rushing respectively. If there is one area where Cincinnati has a decided edge in this game it is defense. The Bearcat defense has held it’s opponents to 20 points or less 7 times, while Pitt has accomplished it only 3 times.
Pitt leads the series 7 -0. While the Bearcats may have an edge on defense I believe overall the Panthers are the better team. The Panthers have also shown the ability to win on the road with victories at Notre Dame and South Florida. Take Pittsburgh +5 over Cincinnati.
By Nevada Sharpshooter
The Bears travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers. The 5-4 Bears may are currently tied with the Vikings atop the NFC North with the Pack one game back at 4-5. Both teams have some injury issues. At the time I am writing this it is unclear if QB Kyle Orton will be able to play for the Bears and the Packers LB Nick Barnett is out for the season do to injury. Statiscally both of these teams appear to be average. The Bears can stop the run but struggle against the pass. Two weeks ago Chicago barely got by a horrible Lions team by a score of 27-23, before losing to a strong Tennessee team at home 21-14 last week. The Packers have lost their last two games both on the road, to Tennessee, 16-19 in OT and the Vikings last week 27-28 when they missed a 52 yard fg in the final minute. The Pack lost both games in the same fashion, they were unable to stop the running game in the 4th quarter.
By Nevada Sharpshooter
The 4-3 Ravens travel to Cleveland to take on the 3-4 Browns. Last week the Ravens brought back the single wing offense using two Quarterbacks on the field at once. One of the plays from this formation resulted in a 43 yard TD pass from QB Smith to QB Flacco vs the Raiders. The reason is clear why the Ravens have resorted to trickery, they have been unable to move the ball consistantly using more convential plays. The Raven offense ranks dead last in the NFL averaging a paltry 239.5 yards per game. The defense which is battling through some key injuries has been mediorce ranking 19th in the league and 23rd vs the rush.
The Georgia Bulldogs travel to LSU to face off against the Tigers. LSU is coming off a hard fought win over South Carolina. This was a game that saw the LSU running game wear out the Gamecocks late leading to a come from behind 24-17 win. Look for running backs Keiland Williams and Charles Scott share the load on the ground. The game plan will be similiar in this matchup vs the Bulldogs. Keep the game close and take control late with the power running game.
Georgia on the other hand will use a much more balanced attack. QB Matthew Stafford will be in charge of the offense with help from WR A. J. Green, while running back Knowshon Moreno will carry the load on the ground. The Bulldogs have been dominating in the stats but not on the scoreboard. They had over 400 yards of offense vs both Tennessee and Vanderbilt. While they won both games they couldn’t get to 30 points in either.
I like Georgia’s balanced attack and a defense that gave up only 1 yard rushing to Tennessee to come away with a road win. Take Georgia +2 over LSU.
By Nevada Sharpshooter
The Colts travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers. The up and down Colts found their swagger in a 31-3 whipping of Baltimore. Offensively Indy seems to be hitting their stride, scoring 31 points in each of their last 2 games. At QB Peyton Manning has been solid completing 63 percent of his passes and throwing 8 TDs to 5 INTs. The running game has faltered with Joseph Addai averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. Defensively the Colts have struggled until the Baltimore game. They gave up 29 points to Chicago and 27 to Houston.
By Nevada Sharpshooter
The South Carolina Gamecocks travel to Kentucky to square off against the Wildcats. South Carolina will rely on QB Chris Smelley, who had 327 yards passing and 3 TDs at a good Mississippi team last week. The win was the first in conference for the Gamecocks and brings there SEC record to 1-2. The Gamecock defense is also playing well and was ranked #1 in the country going into last weeks game vs Miss.
By Nevada Sharpshooter
The New England Patriots travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. The 2-2 49ers have a new look with QB JT O’Sullivan and OC Mike Martz. In the upcoming game vs. the Patriots the 49ers need to take some lessons from the Dolphins on how to play the Pats. One player to watch will be Frank Gore and how many touches he is given by the pass happy Martz.
By Nevada Sharpshooter
The 23rd ranked Horned Frogs of TCU travel to Norman to square off against the 2nd ranked Sooners of Oklahoma. TCU will rely on a strong defense and powerful running game. The rushing attack is led by RB Ryan Christian and QB Andy Dalton who each are averaging about 4.5 yards per carry. When Dalton does throw the ball the target usually is WR Jimmy Young who has 20 catches for 237 yards. Defensively the Horned Frogs have been holding opponents to about 8 points a game.
By Nevada Sharpshooter
The 0-2 Bengals go on the road to face the 2-0 Giants. Cincinnati has looked horrible in its first two games. The offense has only scored 1 touchdown as QB Carson Palmer has compiled a QB rating of 37.1, the lowest in the league. The Bengal troubles cannot completely be laid at the feet of Palmer. The offensive line play has been very poor, providing no pass protection, while the play of WRs Chad Johnson and T J Houshmandzadeh has been subpar as well. Defensively the Bengals have also struggled giving up 213 yards per game rushing.
By Nevada Sharpshooter
The Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech travel to Blacksburg to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. Georgia Tech is coming off of a good win on the road over Boston College. While G Tech is a young team they are off to a strong 2-0 start led by a stellar defense and on offense by sophomore QB Josh Nesbitt and RB Jonathon Dwyer. While Nesbitt is not much of a threat to throw the ball, he is adept at running the option offense.
By Nevada Sharpshooter
The Dallas Cowboys travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns. Cleveland just missed the playoffs last season and are looking to take the next step. Offensively the Browns are very good. Leading them is QB Derek Anderson who has developed into one of the more exciting players in the league. His main targets will be WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow. Leading the ground game is Jamal Lewis. While many of the Browns have been injured in the preseason, they should all be ready for game 1 of the regular season.
Kentucky at Louisville, August 31, 2008
The Wildcats of Kentucky and Cardinals of Louisville open up their seasons in the Governors’ Cup. While Kentucky is returning 15 starters, they will rely on a new QB in sophomore Mike Hartline who has thrown a total of 6 passes in his collegiate career. Hartline has four strong RBs to help carry the load in Tony Dixon, Alfonso Smith, Derrick Locke and Moncell Allen.
Louisville has had more than it’s share of problems over the last year. After limping through a 6-6 campaign last year it is yet to be seen if the Cardinals have the talent to return to elite status. While QB Hunter Cantwell is a NFL prospect, he will be throwing to a pair of sophomore receivers in Troy Pascley and Doug Beaumont, who do not have a career reception between them. On defense Louisville will start 3 LBs who have not played a down for the Cardinals.
With all of the new faces in Louisville, I do not believe they will be able to get off to a good start. I look for Kentucky to get the outright win. Take Kentucky +3.5 over Louisville.
The Nevada Sharpshooter provides free sports picks every day on his page at FreePlays.com.
1. Arizona, 1st round pick CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie is a fantastic athlete that will need some coaching. 2nd rounder DL Calais Campbell is versatile enough to play DT or DE, but was better in 2006 than 2007. Grade B+
2. Atlanta, 1st rd picks QB Matt Ryan and OT Sam Baker were both reaches based on need, the Falcons did get value later with LB Curtis Lofton and DB Chevis Jackson. Grade C-
3. Baltimore, Blew 1st rd pick on Joe Flacco, Flacco put up big numbers at Delaware but is too immobile for NFL. The Ravens did bounce back some with RB Ray Rice. Grade D