Loyola @ #11 Purdue - 11/18/08

Purdue, 78 - Loyola, 46... and Rambler fans everywhere shed a single tear.

Report Card: Week 8

Okay, so not all the games went according to my plans yesterday. But I think I did pretty well with my predictions.

#7 Texas Tech def. Texas A&M, 43-25
Yes, I said Tech would win big and they did. But A&M led at the half and kept me biting my nails. Tech only put up 561 yards of total offense... I was 239 off.
Grade: 9 out of 10

#19 South Florida def. Syracuse, 45-13
USF covered my meager 7 point spread. 'Cuse let me down by getting crushed.
Grade: 7 out of 10

Northwestern def. Purdue, 48-26
The Wildcats opened up a can with a 24 point second quarter. Big game for Bacher.
Grade: 7 out of 10

#10 Georgia def. #22 Vanderbilt, 24-14
Georgia had this game in the bag the whole way through, but Vandy made it look close. I called a dozen, Georgia won by a dime.
Grade: 9 out of 10

Eastern Illinois def. SE Missouri State, 24-21
Looks like it was a close game. Still, nobody cares.
Grade: 10 out of 10

#6 USC def. Washington State, 69-0
It was disgusting. My prediction that the Cougars would put up a field goal was a bit optimistic.
Grade: 9 out of 10

#12 Ohio State def. #20 Michigan State, 45-7
Holy crap, the Buckeyes unloaded on MSU. Terrelle Pryor and Beanie Wells might be the most dangerous backfield in college football. I was way off.
Grade: 0 out of 10

UCLA def. Stanford, 23-20
UCLA stepped up to keep hope alive for this season. I'm disappointed in Stanford.
Grade: 2 out of 10

#3 Penn State def. Michigan, 46-17
Michigan scored a little more than I thought they would, but apparently decided to just not play the second half. Penn State is another step closer to a national title.
Grade: 9 out of 10

#1 Texas def. #11 Missouri, 56-31
Missouri lost this one in the first half and came up with trash points after halftime to preserve a very thin shred of their dignity. Longhorns look scary good.
Grade: 8 out of 10

Illinois def. Indiana, 55-13
Juice Williams is the most exciting QB in college football. I said he'd score more by himself than Indiana would as a team; he did it in the first quarter.
Grade: 10 out of 10

Boston College def. #17 Virginia Tech, 28-23
The Eagles won this game in the first half. The Hokie offense looked atrocious. Nice effort from the D though.
Grade: 3 out of 10

Final Grade: 69%
D+

What You Should Be Watching Tomorrow

Here are my recommendations for which college football games you should be watching tomorrow. (All game times are Eastern time. And, yes, I realize that not all these games are going to be broadcast in your region. Sack up and get a decent football package.)

#7 Texas Tech at Texas A&M - Noon
Why: Because you're curious as to whether or not Tech will put up 800 yards of total offense.
The Call: Tech. By a lot.

Syracuse at #19 South Florida - Noon
Why: Syracuse is better than their record shows (and, no, I'm not being sarcastic this year). It'll be closer than people think, but...
The Call: I'm giving it to USF. They play harder than most of the guys getting paid for playing on Sundays. South Florida by 7.

Purdue at Northwestern - Noon
Why: It's time to find out if the geeky kids in Evanston are for real. Yeah, they're bowl-bound, but can they finally hang in the BigTen again?
The Call: Northwestern by 10. And the field will be littered with shoes after the game. Because Tyrell Sutton will have juked every Boilermaker out of them.

#22 Vanderbilt at #10 Georgia - 12:30 pm
Why: Are you serious? "Why?" Because Vandy is 3-1 in the SEC and is licking its chops at the prospect of an SEC East title. It'll be interesting to see if Georgia can cut up Vandy's soft secondary. Count on Knowshon Moreno to keep the Commodore linebackers honest.
The Call: Georgia by a dozen. As much as I'd like to see Vanderbilt do it, I'm fairly certain they won't.

SE Missouri State at Eastern Illinois - 2:30 pm
Why: I've got nothing. You don't want to see this game. And I doubt it'll be televised anyway (even around Charleston).
The Call: Everyone loses.

#6 USC at Washington State - 3:30 pm
Why: Because the Cougars are young, banged up, awful, and begging to get stomped on. Count on USC to put up at least 50. And stay tuned after the game for when Rey Maualuga gets arrested after decapitating everyone WSU throws in at QB.
The Call: WSU hits one field goal. USC scores 8 touchdowns. It's going to be disgusting.

#12 Ohio State at #20 Michigan State - 3:30 pm
Why: This game could very well determine who gets the #2 spot in the BigTen behind Penn State. It'll be interesting to see if MSU can contain double threat Terrelle Pryor.
The Call: MSU earns the win late in the 4th quarter.

Stanford at UCLA - 4:00 pm
Why: Can the Cardinal improve to 4-1 in the Pac-10? Can UCLA salvage some dignity by not losing to the conference nerds?
The Call: Stanford by 14.

Michigan at #3 Penn State - 4:30 pm
Why: Penn State has lost their last 8 to Michigan. And they know it. Look for the Nittany Lions to show off why they're the best in the BigTen.
The Call: Penn State is going to put up basketball numbers. Michigan is going to put up baseball numbers.

#11 Missouri at #1 Texas - 8:00 pm
Why: Colt McCoy looks as good (if not better) than any QB out there right now. On the other side is star QB Chase Daniel. We might have a shootout down in Austin.
The Call: Texas by double figures, but don't be surprised to see Mizzou keep it close in the first half.

Indiana at Illinois - 8:00 pm
Why: Juice Williams is making a mockery of defenses everywhere. Illinois needs to prove last season wasn't a fluke and the Hoosiers are just the team to help them do it.
The Call: Juice Williams puts up twice as many points as the Hoosiers on his own. Illini win big.

#17 Virginia Tech at Boston College - 8:00 pm
Why: The Eagles are favored. You better believe the Hokies aren't happy about that. This is a make-or-break game for VTech. They're out to prove they deserve to play in January.
The Call: The Eagles keep it close, but it's the Hokies by a beak.

I'm sure I'm going to be eating my words on more than a few of these predictions come Monday, but until then, I stand by my picks.