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Illinois at Penn State
Dave: Penn State
I'm just not impressed with Illinois. They lost their best player from last year, and struggled to beat Louisiana-Lafayette. They'll head to a hostile Penn State environment, and I'm not convinced that they can go in a win a game there.
Jared: Penn State
Illinois put up a lot of points against a suspect Missouri defense, which is the only reason they are getting any respect. They almost lost to UL-Lafayette at home. And I still don't trust Juice Williams. Penn State hasn't really been tested yet, but are much more talented, and should win easily.
Nick: Penn State
Penn State has rolled through their first four games with their "smallest" margin of victory coming against OSU. Illinois is coming off of close victory two weeks ago against Louisiana-Lafayette in which it took a late FG at home to seal the victory. As much as I like Illinois, Penn State will overwhelm them at home
Alabama at Georgia
Dave: Alabama
Georgia has all the advantages here. They have more talent, the game is in Athens, they're more tested. Plus, I hate Nick Saban with a passion. But I've just got this feeling in my gut that the Crimson Tide are going to surprise us.
Jared: Georgia
This one should be an SEC classic. While neither offense is poor, both defenses are excellent. However, Georgia's offense will be able to move the ball more consistently throughout the game.
Nick: Georgia
UGA looked impressive last week against ASU. I think Alabama will be a much stiffer test, but with the game at Georgia, I have to go with Stafford and the Bulldogs.
Stanford at Washington
Dave: Stanford
How much you want to bet that Ty Willingham would love to swap jobs with Jim Harbaugh. How sad is it that such a move would be a step down--for Harbaugh. Oh yeah, UW still has no talent. Stanford. Big.
Jared: Stanford
I don't like Stanford's offense at all, but Washington can't defend, and Stanford doesn't have a bad defense. The Willingham farewell tour continues.
Nick: Washington
If this game were in Palo Alto, I might be tempted to go with Stanford. However, with the game in Seattle I see UW finally breaking through and getting their first victory. After a brutal first three games in which UW matched up against top 25 teams, they finally reach a more manageable portion of their schedule.
Purdue at Notre Dame
Dave: Purdue
How the hell did Charle Weis get a ten year contract? Purdue is halfway decent, which means ND will fold like Chuck's knee. Ty is the story this year. But next year, Charlie won't be able to schedule enough service academies to save his job.
Jared: Purdue
Has Notre Dame had a good game yet? They got dominated by MSU, barely beat SDSU, and were given a game by Michigan thanks to a bajillion fumbles. I'm not convinced on Purdue either way, but they came back last week and seem to have a running game now.
Nick: Purdue
Notre Dame is not good. They got a fortunate turnover in their game against SDSU that allowed them eke out a victory. Their other victory came at the expense of a Michigan team that is worse shape than they are. As of this writing, the Irish are 3.5 point favorites -- I really like Purdue to cover the spread in this one.
Bowling Green at Wyoming
Dave: Bowling Green
Wyoming is 2-2, which doesn't look bad. Until you realize they needed a late field goal to beat 1-AA North Dakota State, beat Ohio at home by one, and got blown out by Air Force and BYU. I don't know what to make of BGSU, except they played better defense against Boise State than we did. I'll go with the Falcons, in spite of the fact that Wyoming is one of the coolest states in the country.
Jared: Bowling Green
I don't know anything about these teams. I'm picking Bowling Green because Sagarin has them higher.
Nick: Bowling Green
Wyoming resume thus far is not very impressive, as their two victories consist of wins against North Dakota State and Ohio by a combined margine of four points and blowout losses to BYU and Air Force. While Bowling Green's success has been limited to an overrated Pittsburgh team on the road, they have at least shown the ability to go on the road and win. Look for them to pick up road win #2.