West Virginia may have to summon the powers of fellow moutaineer Grizzly Adams to trample a pedestrian Orange team.
Don't let the clever post title fool you; this will be the first week we'll be making picks here at TheUConnBlog, which you should be reading with a heavy emphasis on THE, like those zany pros on Monday Night Football when they mock Ohio State.
Anywho, check out my picks for the week (it's a short one) after the jump. And if you'd like, post a comment with your own picks to see how stack up with the Archbishop Don "Magic" Juan of college-football-blog picks.
Friday
Louisville (-6 1/2) over Memphis: Perhaps the only "rivalry game" less exciting than UConn-Buffalo, way back when the Huskies were a ball-control offense running inside draws and playing the field-position angle to get by. Even the Card players need a nudge from the coaching staff to get excited for this one. Still, L-ville's defense has been solid, albeit against inferior competition, and Memphis is, well, Memphis.
Saturday
Syracuse (+23 1/2) over West Virginia: And by "over" we mean to cover. The color orange is unsightly this year, but their rush offense has improved significantly from last season, with 'Cuse (1-4, 0-1 Big East) now running for about 157 yards a game as opposed to 62. The 'Eers, though, are 38th against the run. What does this all mean? Nothing, because West Virginia (3-2, 0-1) will chew up the Orange defense with the rush. Nevertheless, the 'Eers may have grizzly beards, but their recent struggles are enough to think 'Cuse has a chance to keep it within three TDs.
Cincinnati (-7 1/2) over Rutgers: After quarterback Ben Mauk was denied his 57th appeal for another season, the Bearcats (4-1) haven't had much trouble in the pass game, as they lead the conference in pass offense (26th in the nation), although, again, against inferior competition -- which says something when compared to a Big East team. So far, Cincy looks like a darkhorse to take the conference, as the team is generally getting overlooked, but its' only loss came against No. 1 Oklahoma. Rutgers pretty much sucks, except for their pass defense, but their talent is probably superior to Cincy's. The Scarlet Knights (1-4, 0-1) have arguably the best wide-out duo in the conference -- and dare I say, the nation -- in Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood, but noodle arm Mike Teel can't get them the ball. If only Jabu the Hut was here to save the day ... and the galaxy. Regardless, Cincy wins, but I'm going to throw out a score of 35-24, with Cincy needing to do most of its damage on the ground.