My pick: UC, RU roll (Picks Contest Wk 9)

Posted Oct 23, 2006 by Brett McMurphy

Updated Oct 29, 2006 at 05:28 PM

Just because USF is off this week, doesn’t mean we are. This week we’ll delve into the two Big East games: Syracuse at Cincinnati and UConn at Rutgers. Entries are due by noon Saturday. Next week we’ll be back to picking USF games. Only five weeks left in the contest. Good luck!

The fine print: To enter respond to the “comments” link below and answer the questions. First and last names (no initials), hometown and a valid E-mail address are required. Your E-mail address will NOT be published and only will be used to contact the winners. The deadline for entries is Noon Saturday. Remember when posting your comment/picks it won’t post immediately and may take an hour or so, so be patient. Only one entry per person per week is allowed. The top three finishers at the end of the season will win gift certificates to Bulls Heaven worth $100, $50 and $25. For a 5-point bonus pick the winner and exact score. Good Luck.

1-Will Cincinnati beat Syracuse Saturday by more than 7½ points?
2-USF gained 219 yards at Cincy. Will Syracuse have more or less than 219 yards at UC?
3-Will Rutgers beat UConn Sunday by more than 21½ points?
4-Who will score more points: the loser of the Cincinnati-Syracuse game or UConn against Rutgers?
5-Will Rutgers RB Ray Rice rush for more than 200 yards against UConn?
Bonus: Pick Rutgers-UConn winner and exact score (worth 5 points).

Figured I’d get these in early, so you all can pick the opposite and go 5-0. Have a great weekend.
1-Cincinnati beats Syracuse by more than 7½ points. The win against USF was the third in four games for UC, which is now pushing to get bowl eligible. The Orange have never won a Big East game under Greg Robinson (good news for USF fans in two weeks) so the Bearcats should win this one by double figures.
2-Syracuse will have more than 219 yards. The Orange is averaging 282 yards in Big East play in three games against Pitt, West Virginia and Louisville so SU should be able to exceed the 219-yard mark.
3-Rutgers will beat UConn by more than 21½ points. With Louisville up next for Rutgers, this could be a classic lookahead game for the Scarlet Knights. However, RU is on a serious roll and UConn is team turmoil, with players being suspended or dismissed nearly every week. Rutgers runs it up on national TV, 27-0.
4-Syracuse-Cincy loser will score more than UConn. I don’t see UConn topping two TDs, while the Syracuse-Cincinnati loser should at least get 17.
5-Rice will not rush for 200. Since I’m expecting Rutgers to roll, look for Rice to leave the game early in the fourth quarter (at least that’s what I’m hoping for) around the 150 mark.