posted November 29, 2007 at 17:38 in NCAA F Articles

Many wrote off the eighth-ranked USC Trojans as the Oregon Ducks looked to be taking off with the Pac-10 title. But then Dennis Dixon went down, and now the title is up for grabs. UCLA is 6-3 against Pac-10 opponents and won in a tremendous upset last year 13-9 against USC.

This year will be much different. The Trojans were caught looking down the road, instead of downfield and were stunned by a Bruins team that threw the kitchen sink at them as many times as possible. USC averages 235.0 passing yards, and will be virtually unstoppable against a flawed secondary that gives up 235.5 yards per game.

The UCLA defense has ample speed and can move around the field effectively, but this Trojans team will not be caught getting ahead of themselves like last year’s squad. This is the weakest Trojans team we have seen in a while, and they will play cautiously within their limits. USC averages 31.9 points per game and UCLA gives up 22.6 points on average.

The Trojans betting faithful can rest assured that catastrophe will not repeat itself this year as Southern Cal thunders towards a Pac-10 title in a decisive victory over the lowly Bruins.

UCLA Bruins (6-5) s. #8 Southern California Trojans (9-2)

Saturday, December 1st --- Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles --- 4:30pm EST

Opening NCAA Football Lines: USC -16 (46.5)

NCAA Football Free Pick: UCLA 13 USC 31

Shocking the nation is Pat White and the startling West Virginia Mountaineers, who are staring at an opportunity to step on the field and compete for the BCS Championship. But they can’t get caught looking past the Pittsburgh Panthers or they will suffer a similar fate to the 2006 USC Trojans.

Pittsburgh boasts a strong stable of wide receivers, but Pat Bostick is a horrible quarterback. The Panthers only manage 175.3 passing yards per game, and Bostick is just terrible to watch. The West Virginia pass defense allows 195.0 passing yards, but scheming against the completely predictable Bostick will make life much easier for the Mountaineers and their betting faithful.

Pat White needs a huge game to catapult his Heisman chances, which will take a serious rise if he finds himself in the championship game and the Sooners beat Chase Daniel and the Missouri Tigers. Pittsburgh allows 132.8 rushing yards and 175.3 passing yards per game. While White is an efficient passer, he is absolutely deadly with his legs. Bet on the Panthers attempting to contain White by smothering the edges, which will only tear huge holes open for Steve Slaton to rip through. Slaton is averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

The Mountaineers need a convincing win here to claim a decisive and unmitigated berth in the BCS national title game. Pittsburgh is 2-4 against Big East opponents, while going 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games against West Virginia. Look for Pat White and Steve Slaton to blow apart the front-seven of Pittsburgh as they burn down the scoreboard en route to a previously unthinkable national title game appearance.

Pittsburgh Panthers (4-7) vs. #2 West Virginia Mountaineers (10-1)

Saturday, December 1st --- Mountaineer Field, Morgantown --- 7:45pm EST

Opening NCAA Football Lines: West Virginia -26.5 (56)

NCAA Football Free Pick: Pittsburgh 16 WVU 44

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