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Tigers outscored a bad looking Ole Miss team 23-0 in the 4th quarter last week to score a big upset win over an SEC school. Now they must go on the road for the first time this year and play a defensive minded conference foe. Against the Rebels, Memphis faced a depleted secondary hurt by injuries and suspensions. Against the Golden Eagles they will face a secondary featuring two all-conference performers including Greg Brooks a projected 1st round NFL pick. Tigers' young offensive line will have trouble getting QB Wimprine time to through. This is the home opener for USM and they are 26-16 ATS as a home favorite under head coach Jeff Bower. This will also be the first time new USM offensive coordinator Rip Scherer (Memphis head coach from 1994-2000) will face his former team. WINNER

Week 5 Early Looks Report

Arizona State +9

Sun Devils have not been impressive in first two games vs cupcakes. Make no mistake this is a talented team. ASU coach Koetter is an offensive guru and has 9 returning starters and a returning starting QB for the first time since his arrival. Iowa is 3-0 but has not played any quality opponents. Their offense is still very suspect and defense has a history of playing poorly vs good passing offenses. Hawkeyes may be without go to WR Maurice Brown (more than four times as many catches and receiving yards as any other player despite missing most of last game) and already are playing without stud strong safety Bob Sanders. Barring any unforeseen circumstances this will be at least a 1 UNIT play, possibly 2 UNIT. LOSS

Tulane -16

Army is really bad. They do not do anything well. Army scored 14 points late in the game vs Rutgers after recovering an onside kick for the second straight week. They may want to try kicking onside from the outset. Rutgers struggled offensively at times but Tulane's potent offense should put up big numbers here. Somehow, Army has beaten Tulane three straight years, so revenge will be a factor. WINNER

Miami Ohio +6.5

I was impressed with the Red Hawks in their big win at Northwestern last week. They completely dominated the Wildcats. Junior Ben Roethlisberger is one of the better QB's in the country. He had a poor outing vs Iowa in season opener throwing 4 interceptions but rebounded nicely following BYE week. Most of the time he puts the ball right on the money catching receivers in stride so they can run after the catch. He is very relaxed and composed in the pocket but also can run when needed. The defense looked very active. They return 7 starters on each side from last years 7-5 team. They won at UNC and at Cincinnati last season. Redhawks are now 7-3 ATS vs non-conference opponents and 7-3 ATS as a road dog since 2001. CSU has had some defensive woes as they lost coordinator Larry Kerr to UCLA after 10 seasons here. They also suffered a big blow losing starting center Mark Dreyer prior to Weber State game for 3-4 weeks. Dreyer had started 28 straight games and is an all-conference caliber player. Rams are just 3-9 ATS as a home favorite last three years. This line opened at 5 and went to 6.5. Might find a 7 sometime during the week. WINNER

Temple +14

Owls have had a BYE week to swallow OT loss to Villanova. They committed 13 penalties for 115 yards and went just 1 of 12 on 3rd down conversions. Owls have two years left in Big East play and they brought in a large group of JC transfers to hopefully finish with a bang. They should improve dramatically from game to game (i.e. Kansas) as new players adjust. They gave a decent showing at Penn State in season opener hanging around for most of the game. Temple actually is one of only 8 teams to finish in the top 20 in total defense in the nation for two straight years. They led the Big East in run defense last season. They are pretty stingy on that side of the ball. They will miss RB Fenton (lost for 3-4 weeks) but still have enough firepower to keep this game close. Cinci had a BYE and was ready for WVU last week pulling off a 2 point win. Hard to see them get up for this game. Expect a low scoring closer than expected game. WINNER

LSU -2.5

Georgia has looked impressive but have had a lot of things go their way vs Clemson & South Carolina. They are still battling the injury. Most notably top WR Gibson is expected to miss this game. The injuries are bound to catch up with them sooner or later. LSU has looked great, is very well coached, and playing at home should find a way to win this. WINNER

Oregon +7.5, +8

Michigan sets out on the road for the first time this season following big Notre Dame win. They are only 10-19 ATS as a road favorite under Lloyd Carr and 1-4 straight up, 0-5 ATS in their last five road openers. UM just has to be somewhat flat this week. Oregon top WR Samie Parker injured an ankle in last game but I believe he will be a go for the Ducks. Oregon should get back some of its other injured players this week as well. The Ducks defense has looked much improved from last year. They held Arizona to 12 yards in their first six possessions last week. Mike Belotti has this team so well coached, and Autzen Stadium will be roaring. Wolverines will have to play near perfect to cover this. WINNER

Week 6 Early Looks Report

Nebraska -8 (Thursday Night)

Thursday night showcase game for the Cornhuskers who would love to make a statement in front of national audience. Offense still needs work and is too one dimensional but has shown signs of life. It will be fine off BYE week vs mediocre C-USA opponent. Nebraska's defense has been downright dominant and should have a field day against USM offense that has huge issues of its own. Southern Miss struggled vs Memphis in their last game, despite 6 Tiger turnovers. The game was in question until a long USM punt return for a TD in the 4th quarter. Starting QB Mickey D'Angelo left the game with a concussion and will miss the next month. Backup sophomore Dustin Almond went 3-for-14 in relief duty. He started 3 games last year and completed less than 50% of his passes. He lacks confidence and experience. Nebraska should be able to put up at least 20 points, I do not see Southern Miss surpassing 10, if that. This one I suggest betting early. It will almost certainly be a play. WINNER

Minnesota -3

No doubt the Gophers are for real. They have only played four cupcakes thus far but have annihilated each one in impressive fashion outscoring opponents on average 38-to-5 after three quarters. This team stood at 7-1 last year before a late season collapse but still beat Arkansas soundly 29-14 in bowl game as a +7.5 underdog. Seven offensive starters plus two stars that redshirted and nine defensive starters are back from last season. QB Abdul-Khaliq (completed 67% of his passes, 181.05 pass rating) really blossomed last year despite nagging injuries. He is now a senior and has plenty of skill position talent at his disposal. Top receiver Aaron Hosack is back as is gifted tight end Ben Utecht (2nd team Big 10 two years ago) who was injured last season. In the backfield Terry Jackson, Marion Barber (back after injury last year), and Thomas Tapeh could all be starters at most schools. PSU has not looked good thus far. QB Zack Mills (86 QB rating, 48% completion rate, 3 interceptions, 1 TD) has not been the same player he was last season. One big reason is that he does not have the presence of RB Larry Johnson with him in the backfield. PSU defense has not been anything to write home about either. Gophers are a legitimate Big 10 title contender. WINNER

North Carolina +20

I’ll like this game even more if it climbs to +21 or higher. This is just too many points for an instate rivalry game. Wolfpack had a lot of things go their way (long INT return and punt block for TD's early on) in big Texas Tech win last time out but gave up 681 yards of offense. They were also beaten soundly three weeks ago at Wake Forest and still have heartbreaking triple OT loss at Ohio State fresh in their minds. UNC QB Durant can move the ball on almost anyone and young Tar Heel defense is slowly improving. A lot of pressure on UNC coach Bunting to at least be competitive here. WINNER

Utah +6.5

Would be even more attractive it climbs to +7 or higher. Highly regarded first year coach Urban Meyer doing a fine job so far with the Utes. They were a two point conversion away from taking Texas A&M to overtime on the road three weeks ago and then bounced back to beat a good Cal team on Thursday night without their starting QB. Backup Alex Smith did a fine job and should do well again in his second start of the season with a win under his belt and subsequent practice time. CSU dropped to 3-10 ATS as a home favorite since 2000 with last week’s outright loss to Miami Ohio. Rams are still struggling defensively giving up close to 35 points per outing not counting Weber State game. Many are blaming it on new DC from New Mexico State. Utah will be well prepared for CSU coming off a BYE. WINNER

Cal +13.5

This line will probably move higher as the week goes on. Most power rating gurus have this line higher so it might be a good idea to wait and see. Cal is a completely different team with QB Aaron Rodgers now in charge. Rodgers came in for former starter Robertson when Cal trailed 14-0 at Utah while looking completely lifeless. He brought them all the way back to a 24-21 lead in the fourth quarter. Last week in his first career start he led Cal to a decisive road win at Illinois. This kid has a great arm with NFL size and strength. Most of his balls are zipped right on the money and he should keep getting better. It does not hurt that he is working under one of the better QB coaches in the country in head coach Tedford. The return of WR Makonnen last week adds to the offensive firepower. Cal's defense has been a big surprise as they have consistently held their own all season. Tedford's team played USC to a two point game at the Coliseum last season, the closest anyone came to beating the Trojans once they got hot. It is hard to knock USC they whey they have played so far but I believe this game will be more competitive than people think. WINNER

Week 7 Early Looks Report

Cal -1 over Oregon State

Head coach Jeff Tedford is simply an amazing coach. Comparisons of him to Bill Walsh are not unjustified. After two straight narrow losses to Colorado State and Utah, the Bears have now won two straight games impressively. They first won at Illinois and last week upset #3 USC. That win was no fluke as Cal led USC in almost every statistical category. QB Aaron Rodgers was named starter prior to Illinois game and has been superb. You will not find a better looking college QB with only two career starts. He threw two interceptions (first of season) vs USC and left the game late due to minor injuries. Backup QB Robertson came in and went 9-for-12 to preserve the victory. After the game Tedford was quick to say Rodgers is their starting QB, an indication of how impressive this guy has been. Senior RB Ace Echemandu rumbled for 153 yards vs the vaunted USC defense giving Cal a ground game presence that makes their offense even more potent. The Bear defense that was expected to be a weakness this year has continued to play well. Oregon State comes in off a misleading win over Arizona State. Game was tied 7-7 with 6:00 left in 1st half and OSU punting from deep in their own territory. Roughing the kicker gave OSU a first down and a couple of big plays later they led 24-7 at halftime. Something is really amiss with Arizona State right now as they played horribly (6 turnovers and a number of other miscues) for the second straight week. Oregon State starting QB Derek Anderson has been shaky at best this season. He has completed only 47.4% of his passes and has thrown 10 interceptions in just five games. This is despite some less than stellar competition (Sacramento State, Fresno State, New Mexico State, Boise State, Arizona State). The Beavers have struggled on the road in recent years. They are 28-13 ATS at home since 1996 but just 15-22 ATS away from home, including 1-5 ATS last 6. They lost outright at Fresno State in their only road game this season. OSU starting center Matt Brock left last game with a shoulder injury and is questionable, if he can not go it will be a blow. Cal is the superior team and is playing at home. Expect a convincing win. If this line stays under -3, it will be a 2 UNIT play.

Michigan -2.5 over Iowa

I am willing to dismiss Michigan’s only loss at Oregon. The Ducks have won 19 straight non-conference home games, Big 10 schools are 2-18-1 since 1990 when they visit a Pac-10 school, the game was full of big plays, and Michigan was coming off huge win over Notre Dame. The Wolverines at least fought back in the 2nd half and made a game of it. All systems were again a go last week in easy home win vs Indiana. This is still a very formidable Michigan team that has to be considered the favorite to win the Big 10 title. Iowa was humbled last week at Michigan State losing 20-10. They only managed 265 yards of total offense. Their win over Arizona State two weeks ago was much less impressive than first thought as the Sun Devils showed Saturday that they are not a good football team right now. Iowa is still without top playmaker Mo Brown (ankle) and all conference strong safety Bob Sanders (foot) has not returned from foot surgery three weeks ago. Iowa won big (34-9) at Michigan last season and payback is in order. I do not foresee this line staying below -3 for long.

NC State -6.5 over Georgia Tech

The Wolfpack put UNC away twice last week. They first opened up a 21-3 lead only to see the Tar Heels take a 24-21 lead on a bizarre set of plays in the first half. NCSU immediately scored 23 unanswered points to start the second half and ceased control of the game. The Wolfpack feature a very young defense that has given up a ton of yards (almost literally) the past two weeks but they are learning. Offensively, no one can touch Phillip Rivers right now. He finished 23-of-30 for 423 yards and also ran for 40 more. Georgia Tech has really gone in the wrong direction since heartbreaking loss at Florida State. The Jackets were decimated by suspensions on defense in the off-season and their youth and lack of depth appear to be catching up with them. After being blown out by Clemson 39-3 two weeks ago, Tech was all but beaten at lowly Vanderbilt last week. After scoring no points in the second half, they went on a long TD drive in the closing minutes to force OT. QB Ball's 45 yard run on 3rd & long highlighted the drive. They still had to block a Vanderbilt FG attempt in regulation and finally intercept a pass in overtime to secure a fortunate win. Tech now ranks 112th in the nation in total offense. It is hard to imagine them matching points with Rivers and company. Further bolstering the Wolfpack offense are the expected returns of 3rd leading WR Richard Washington (suspension) & top RB T.A. McClendon (hamstring). Both missed last game. Expect a double digit win. I do not foresee this line staying below -7 for long.

Rice -3 over San Jose State

Four games in to the season and this will be the Owls first game at Rice Stadium. Rice was unprepared and beaten soundly by Houston in their season opener but after a BYE week rebounded to play well at Duke losing by 3 in a squeaker. They have been outmatched in their last two games (vs Texas, at Hawaii) but fit very well in this spot. The Owls have 7 returning offensive starters which is a high number for a school that plays lots of seniors. In the past this has always led to winning seasons. Rice returns its top RB, top two QB's, top WR, and four OL starters. In Hawaii game, Rice lost two turnovers, gave up two long passes, and just missed on two long passes of their own all in the first quarter alone and still only trailed by 3 at halftime. Rice runs a complex option style offense that is difficult to prepare for. They have not faced SJSU since 2000 and the Spartans probably do not see much option. SJSU is winless since opening season win over Division 1-AA Grambling and have not looked good at all. Owls are 27-14 ATS at home under Ken Hatfield, 9-3 ATS in last 12 off a straight up loss, 4-1 ATS at home last year and 8-2 ATS in last ten home games vs conference foes.

USC -11 over Arizona State

I was very high on the Sun Devils to start the season, but they have disappointed badly thus far. ASU head coach Koetter has a big problem with QB Andrew Walter. He was touted in the preseason as a Heisman candidate but has been nothing but a big bust thus far. In last two games vs "real" opponents, Walter is 42-of-86 (48.8%) and only averaging 9.3 yards per completion. He has thrown four interceptions and been sacked six times. What bothers me most is the cocky mannerisms that Walter has exhibited suggesting his woes are the fault of his teammates. ASU scored 10 meaningful points vs Oregon State and only managed a safety vs Iowa. They are just 5-of-32 on 3rd down conversions in last two games. Their running game is decent but not nearly good enough to carry an offense. Iowa & Oregon State are far from dominant teams and neither had a particlarly strong game against the Sun Devils, but neither game was close. USC came off a BYE week and got a much needed wake up call in overtime loss at Cal last week. The Trojans are 5-2 ATS after a straight up loss under Pete Carroll and should rebound with a big win here. Oddsmakers have not adjusted to just how bad Arizona State is right now.

UNLV -3.5 over Nevada

Have to give credit when credit is due and the Rebels deserve some. After win at Wisconsin that was called the biggest win in the history of the Mountain West Conference, UNLV returned home to soundly beat a good Hawaii team and move to 3-1 on the season. They are coming off a BYE week which gave them time to heal some injuries, most notably to starting RB Larry Croom, starting DE Canterburry, and starting OL Gorham. All are expected to return after missing last game. This team has a lot of positive momentum right now. Former Arizona State head coach Bruce Snyder (close friend of Robinson) has been acting more like a head coach than an assistant on the sidelines and it may be negating some of Robinson's incompetence. Nevada was one of the few teams a bad UNLV team beat last season, and the Rebels have won three straight in the series. The Wolfpack are coming off a lackluster 9-6 win over SMU as a 19 point favorite. They just do not have the same type of athletes and playmakers as do the Rebels.