Arizona vs. Toledo
Kara Bauman sports writer
I think it’s fair to say that Arizona has the upper hand before even touching the field. The Wildcats will have the momentum right off the bat – thanks to Saturday’s slaughter – whereas Toledo gets to play its first game 2,000 miles away from home. The Wildcats have depth at all of the skill positions, while the Rockets have little depth and a lot of inexperienced players starting. Arizona won’t do what it did to Idaho, but tomorrow’s winner will be a no-brainer.
Arizona 48, Toledo 17
Bobby Stover sports writer
Wildcats running back Nic Grigsby said this week that Arizona is “”gonna do the same thing we did the week before every week.”” That’s great news for Wildcat fans because this means that Arizona will effectively finish the season with a point total over 800 while pitching shutouts all along the way. Hello BCS Championship.
Arizona 70, Toledo 0
Kate Harris sports writer
It’s time for the Wildcats to stop reveling in their success. Last weekend’s 70-0 win over Idaho was ridiculous and exactly what they wanted. It was the opening game of the season and Arizona didn’t want to disappoint fans right away, so of course the first team it played finished its 2007 season 1-11 and hasn’t won more than four games in the last eight years. Let’s face it: Toledo is good.
Toledo 68, Arizona 6
No. 8 West Virginia at East Carolina
Kara Bauman sports writer
East Carolina unexpectedly earned a W last week, but I don’t think the word ‘upset’ is in this game’s forecast. From a mental aspect, West Virginia has beaten the Pirates in the last seven encounters. Because the teams’ defenses are pretty similar, I think Pat Pinkney and Pat White will end up turning the game into a battle of the quarterbacks. White had his game face on last week when he threw for five touchdowns and was 25-for-33. Enough said.
West Virginia 37, East Carolina 21
Bobby Stover sports writer
East Carolina has already shown its upset potential, so this could be interesting. But more interesting is the discussion of who would win in a battle between a mountaineer and a pirate. I give the edge to a pirate, who has the use of cannons, swords and possibly a pistol. Meanwhile, a mountaineer is basically just a hairy hobo living in a cabin with perhaps a slow-loading rifle and a pocket knife. WVU better start loading its rifles now.
East Carolina 35, West Virginia 32
Kate Harris sports writer
Both East Carolina and No. 8 West Virginia opened the 2008 season with wins, with ECU continuing its history of surprising upsets by defeating Virginia Tech 27-22 while West Virginia upheld its reputation for opening-season wins by dominating Villanova 48-21. It will be a battle of the Patricks: quarterbacks Patrick Pinkney (ECU) and Patrick White (WV), but while ECU just seems to get lucky, sometimes it’s obvious West Virginia is the better team and will come out on top.
West Virginia 45, East Carolina 14
Miami (Fla.) at No. 5 Florida
Kara Bauman sports writer
When push comes to shove, I think this game is going to come down to Miami’s lackluster offense against No. 5 Florida. Redshirt freshman Robert Marve will eventually be a solid quarterback for the Hurricanes, but his first time on the playing field won’t be easy – especially for a nationally-televised game at “”The Swamp.”” I say he chokes under pressure, but anything’s possible. This game could be close, but it’d probably be because the Gators get distracted by Erin Andrews.
Florida 38, Miami 14
Bobby Stover sports writer
I don’t believe anyone would disagree that the Southeastern Conference has the edge over the Atlantic Coast Conference in anything related to football. The fact that this game takes place in Gainsville and that Tim Tebow is already on a roll this season with 137 yards passing and a touchdown in a 56-10 beatdown of Hawaii last week only hurts Miami’s already bleak chances. Oh, and the Hurricanes still suck, which won’t help either.
Florida 52, Miami 17
Kate Harris sports writer
It’s going to be an inner-state showdown this Saturday when Florida fans will gather to watch the Miami Florida Hurricanes play the No. 5 Florida Gators. Miami has beaten the Gators six straight times since 1985 but the Gators have Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. But the Hurricanes have Robert Marve, who was unable to play the 2007 season due to his violent actions against a car mirror and resisting arrest.
Florida 38, Miami 17
