Sports Reporter

RECOMMENDED

OHIO STATE over *MICHIGAN STATE by 8

ItÕs not so much the emotional pain of blowing a 17-point lead in the final seven minutes and then losing in triple OT that has us going against Michigan State here. ItÕs more the physical pain of losing QB Drew Stanton to a separated shoulder in the second quarter. That injury will sideline him for this game. After he left the Michigan game, the Spartans produced only one TD and itÕs fair to say that he had been in there to at least manage the game in the fourth quarter, the outcome might have been different. The Spartans are 4-1 ATS in games that Stanton has started. So now coach John L. Smith must now turn to either scatter-armed Damon Dowdell, who is more of a runner, or freshman Stephen Reaves, who was a turnover machine in his appearances early this season. Conversely, Ohio State seems to have found something of an answer at QB as Troy Smith has at least done a better job at avoiding game-changing mistakes than the injured and benched Justin Zwick. Ohio State, 27-19.

RECOMMENDED

*WEST VIRGINIA over TEMPLE by 21

The Mountaineers have nothing to gain by going full bore in this game. A loss to Virginia Tech has taken them out of the BCS picture and, with the Owls playing the lame duck in the Big East, Rich Rodriguez will be hard pressed to use this game as a motivational tool. Most likely, the Mountaineers will be thinking about next weekÕs conference showdown with Boston College. The Owls are 13-4 ATS taking double digits the last two plus years because superior teams pay little or no attention to them. That stat complements West VirginiaÕs 3-6 ATS mark at home over the past year plus quite nicely. West Virginia, 34-13.

BEST BET

*ARMY over AIR FORCE by 8

Army hasnÕt beaten Air Force SU since its Independence Bowl season of 1996, but the timing is right for a breakthrough. Air Force has failed to cover three of its last four games this season and coach Fisher DeBerry seems to have lost confidence in freshman QB Shaun Carney, who was pulled last week after producing only six points through three quarters. While FlyboysÕ confidence is at a low point after allowing 559 yards of total offense to wyoming, Army finally has something to feel good about with two straight SU victories before losing last week at East Carolina. Army still rushed for 195 yards at over 6 yards per carry against the Pirates, and certainly wonÕt be physically overmatched here against a fellow academy team. And DeBerry against Bobby Ross isnÕt the coaching mismatch that it was when Todd Berry was patrolling the West Point sidelines. Army, 31-23.

RECOMMENDED

VIRGINIA TECH over *NORTH CAROLINA by 18

Ordinary teams coming off monstrous emotional wins are easy go-against sides. Throw into the mix the fact that the North Carolina Tar Heels likely saved head coach John BuntingÕs job (at least for now) and youÕve got a double whammy when handicapping this ACC game. Hold on: Make it triple whammy based on Virginia TechÕs extra prep time following come-from-behind 34-20 win against Georgia Tech last Thursday night. The Hokies scored a couple of TDs when receivers were ignored on their downfield patterns and QB Bryan Randall (304 yards passing and three scoring strikes) laid it out there for all to see. The Techsters were not sharp in that tilt and still won going away thanks to 25-point fourth quarter and see positive flow of momentum here. Virginia Tech, 34-16.

BEST BET

*UTAH over COLORADO STATE by 37

Which bullet kills Sonny? Will it be the 65% completion rate of Utah QB Alex Smith? His fifth-best national numbers of 9.45 yards per pass attempt and a QB Rating of 170.2? Will it be the Utah running gameÕs penchant for blowing opponents off the ball, at 5.3 yards per pop? Will it be the big-play capabilities of WRs Steve Savoy and Paris Warren, who have caught 13 TD passes combined vs. Colorado StateÕs team total of only nine? CSUÕs 11-year boss Mr. Lubick is no longer the Mountain WestÕs Cappo de tutti capo and UtahÕs second-season cugine, the Urban Legend, is not about to kiss SonnyÕs six conference championship rings before, during or after SonnyÕs first visit to his compound. With a BCS slot still possible, Mr. Meyer may want to put a contract out on LubickÕs Ram family to make a statement to all watching that his team is exponentially better than last seasonÕs last-minute, seven-point winning job in SonnyÕs territory, when LubickÕs triggerman was senior leader Bradlee Van Pelt, not the raw Caleb Hanie. The CSU freshman faces a defensive front twice as tough as the babbos on Wyoming and New Mexico who were being pushed and held around his home field the last two weeks, when CSU was flagged for only three penalties in each of those games (joke!). Utah, 47-10.

BEST BET

*ALABAMA over MISSISSIPPI STATE by 28

ItÕs normally Ã’funÓ handicapping strategy to go with an alumnus against his former team but this is the wrong place and wrong time for Sylvester CroomÕs long-anticipated return to Tuscaloosa. The fact is the boys from Ãâ€