Tremendous week for Fighting Irish in college football

AJ VOELPEL,

IrishCentral.com

Published Thursday, October 15, 2009, 12:56 PM

Updated Friday, October 16, 2009, 9:02 AM

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Football fever: College football fans set for a tremendous weekend

That’s more like it! I got right back on track with a dandy of a week, going 6-1 against the spread, which brings my season total to 26-16. There was the birdie; picking Michigan to keep it real close against Iowa, and the bogey; picking Ohio State to win by two touchdowns (they were giving 15). Let’s keep this baby rolling.

It’s a tremendous week for the Fighting Irish. So of course, we’ll start with them:

USC @ Notre Dame (3:30 p.m. NBC)

Quite possibly the most important game of Charlie Weis’ tenure at ND. The Irish bring in a scorching offense and an ice cold defense. How they’re going to stop USC RB Joe McKnight is beyond me. And what about Matt Barkley? So many skilled players for the USC offense and such a horrible defense for Notre Dame. If the Irish can score in the high 30s, they’ll have a good chance at winning this game. But they won’t. Prediction: USC 30, ND 24

Cincinatti @ South Florida (Thursday night)

Cincy QB Tony Pike is ready for some national exposure, especially after all his recent Heisman rallying cries. Well, he gets his chance against a solid USF defense. Cincy has a bunch of weapons surrounding Pike and a strong defense of their own. And that’s enough to get it done on the road against a sketchy Bulls team. Prediction: Cincy 28, USF 21

Pittsburgh @ Rutgers (Friday night)

Rugters has been off the radar since they were dismantled week one against Cincy. But the spotlight returns to Jersey on Friday night. The Tom Savage era has begun at Rutgers. And with home-field and expected downpours, he’ll have a chance. But who am I kidding; Pitt is the much better team here. Prediction: Pitt 27, Rutgers 17

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