We rebounded nicely last week with a 3-1-1 record, but unfortunately had to kiss our sister with the Florida-LSU game. While the West Virginia crowd might get excited about the sounds of that, there’s nothing more annoying than pushing on a big game. Sitting at 14-5-1, I’m ready to beat the book up hard this week. There’s still room on the bandwagon fellas. Hop on! Here we go…. – Fireman Mike

South Carolina +17.5 @ Alabama

The Gamecocks come into this game considered an overrated team by some media members. The truth is this team is still slightly underrated in terms of their rankings and the amount of respect Vegas is giving them.

The most telling statistic for the Gamecocks is 3rd quarter score differential. They have outscored their opponents 64-13 so far this season which mean they make adjustments at halftime and finish the game strong. I fully expect South Carolina to keep this game close in the first half with a mix a tough run defense and a few trick plays that will work because of their effective ground game.

South Carolina’s defense has been one of the most underrated units in college football for the past five years. Steve Spurrier gets the recognition as an offensive guru yet the Gamecocks defense has been their calling card since his arrival in Columbia. Alabama’s offense plays into South Carolina’s defensive gameplan because they base everything off their run game.

Greg McElroy struggled last weekend against Mississippi and gave South Carolina a ton of game film on how to limit his success. SC’s defense is more aggressive than the one McElroy faltered against last weekend and he will struggle again. The Gamecocks will stack eight in the box against to stop Mark Ingram and freshman Trent Richardson, keeping this game close throughout.

Alabama gets their first legit scare of the season but still come out of this game with a win 22-17 but South Carolina pads of wallet.

Virginia Tech -3 @ Georgia Tech

Some will look at this and think it’s a trap game for Virginia Tech. When you look deeper into this game though, it is much more likely that VA Tech with prove their ACC dominance instead of putting doubt into the minds of voters.

Georgia Tech’s only loss came against a super fast, athletic Miami defense that stayed discipline and didn’t let the Ramblin’ Wreck’s misdirection dictate the flow of the game. The second best defense they faced, North Carolina, was stifled because of terrible weather that allowed Georgia Tech’s option game to slow the game down and leveled the playing field. It’s supposed to be sunny and 50 degrees at game time this weekend so weather won’t be an issue.

While Georgia Tech has been able to take advantage of some of the most undisciplined defensive teams in the country, Virginia Tech has faced some of the most powerful and violently aggressive squads college football has to offer. In games against Alabama, Miami and Nebraska, the Hokies went 2-1 with their only loss against arguably the best team in the country, Alabama. Tyrod Taylor has grown up slowly this season but he has finally realized he doesn’t have to win games for the Hokies, he just has to make sure he doesn’t lose them. He limits his turnovers and lets his outstanding running backs do their thing.

Hokies RB Ryan Williams is ready to plant himself in the middle of the Heisman Trophy race this weekend. He already has 734 rushing yards and 9 TDs on the season. I expect the freshman stud to have his best performance of the year and – get ready for this one – be over 1,000 yards rushing for the season at the end of this game. Big time playas step up when the lights come on and this kid is a playa. Williams will feed off the attention the coaching staff gives GT’s Jonathon Dwyer all season and want to prove that he’s the ACC’s premier running back. He’ll get spelled by Josh Oglesby from time to time as well as David Wilson, guys that for the W.O.W backfield that rivals Southern Cal’s.

Virginia Tech wins this game 37-20 and cements itself as one of the best teams in the nation.

Texans +4.5 @ Cincinnati

The Bengals are for real. They have a very aggressive defense that knows how to stick with their assignments and do what they’re coached to do. They also have enough offense to score with opponents that break their defense down. That said, they are due for a letdown and this is the weekend they come back down to earth.

The Texans have not been able to implement their running game yet this season because they have always played from behind. If you take away the Raiders game, a franchise that should be taken away from the NFL, Houston has given up an average of 18 points in the first half this season. I expect the Texans to keep the momentum going from their hot start in the second half last weekend against Arizona. A lot was made out of Cedric Benson breaking the 100-yard mark against the Ravens and it hid the problems the Bengals have against the rush themselves.

Big time receivers also give the Bengals big time trouble. Andre Johnson fits that mold. Matt Schaub will take advantage of the Bengals secondary and give the Bengals issues.

The Texans will win this game straight up 29-26 but take the points because they’re giving them to you.

Vikings -3 vs. Ravens

Don’t get me wrong, the Ravens are still my pick to go to the Super Bowl out of the AFC but they are hitting a rough patch that every team hits during a season. The good teams fight through these streaks, using them to become better. Baltimore will do exactly that but we’re going to take advantage of it while it lasts.

Allowing a 100-yard rusher isn’t the end of world for the Raves but it does show that they are somewhat susceptible against a good running game. The Vikings have the best running back in the NFL with Adrian Peterson who takes advantage of holes that are created by a great offensive line. They also have the balance now that Brett Favre is taking snaps for them.

The Vikings will pull this game out to remain undefeated thanks to a great home crowd and the brilliant plan of avoiding Ed Reed in the pass game. Minnesota wins 23-16 to give Baltimore their third straight loss but it will be the last one for a while as the Ravens will regroup after their bye week to rattle off 10 straight wins heading into the post season.

Giants +3 @ Saints

There is no reason to abandon the Giants road prowess just because they are facing a hot team this week. New York has gone on the road and beaten better opponents in more hostile environments than they are going into this weekend during their amazing streak over the past three seasons.

Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combine to form one of the most lethal run games in the league and they will take advantage of the Saints defensive line that has yet to be tested this season. The Saints have had two weeks to prepare for this game but the Giants might as well have had last weekend off themselves. The pounded Oakland 44-7 and rested their offensive and defensive starters that were banged up.

The Giants defense is the best group the Saints will have faced up to this point in the season and they have struggled against lesser units. The last two weeks against the Jets and Bills, the Saints were contained. Expect the same thing to happen this weekend in the Dome, which will play directly in New York’s hands.

Eli Manning hits a few big plays after the Giants establish their running game and the Giants pull of a huge 27-23 victory over New Orleans.