I've got a long drive to Syracuse staring me in the face. Road trips to upstate New York are nothing new for me. I spent six years covering Yale hockey and football and have been making the 4-7 hour drives to places like Cornell, Colgate, Union, RPI, St. Lawrence and Clarkson for a while. It's about as dull a drive there is, and hardly something to be excited about. But I've loaded up the car with CDs, have the Sirius radio hooked up, and am ready to keep an eye out for the New York State Troopers lurking on I-90. However, this will be my first trip to Syracuse, so I am looking forward to my first visit to the Carrier Dome. I'll hold off on a column for now and getting right to the picks to give eeryone a chance to get them in today.

I went 6-4 last week, beating everyone (and tying someone who didn't leave their name) to even my season record at 54-54-5.

Game 1: Connecticut (+1.5) over SYRACUSE. I was one of the few who predicted an upset for the Huskies over Pitt last week (thanks for noticing, Wayne Norman of WTIC). The Huskies will be the fashionable pick this week, so I'll predict the score. UConn 26, Syracuse 21.

Game 2: South Florida (+17) over LOUISVILLE. Nobody's beating the Bulls by 17 with Matt Grothe at quarterback. He'll keep up with Brian Brohm for three quarters before the Cardinals win in in the fourth.

Game 3: Rutgers (-7) over CINCINNATI. The odds-makers finally figured out the Bearcats are pretty good. Seven points is reasonable, and the Knights will cover. That said, this is a perfect game for Rutgers' dream season to end, especially considering Sports Illustrated ran a big photo and a column on the team this week.

Game 4: OHIO STATE (+7) over Michigan. This game is happening this weekend? Really? Didn't realize. There's hardly been any hype.

Game 5: ALABAMA (+3) over Auburn.

Game 6: WAKE FOREST (-1) over Virginia Tech. I've picked against the Demon Deacons every week and been wrong. I picked them this week, so you know they will lose.

Game 7: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (-6) over Cal. Trojans back in the title hunt, and can smell a date with Ohio State.

Game 8: San Jose State (+25) over HAWAII. Most ridiculous spread of the week. No way Hawaii covers. No way.

Game 9: MINNESOTA (-3) over Iowa. Nothing else to add, so I'll just say Laurence Maroney is killing my fantasy football team. He teased us all by running all over the Bengals a few weeks ago, and hasn't done a thing since.

Game 10: Tennessee (-7.5) over VANDERBILT.

Game 11: HARVARD (+2.5) over Yale. It's been a few years now since I last covered The Game, and I miss it. Always fun, usually a good game, too. Unfortunately, the last time Yale won at Harvard Stadium was in 2000, on a great catch by Bulldogs receiver and current 49ers tight end Eric Johnson (who made the greatest catch in Yale history to beat Harvard at the Bowl the year before). In fact, 2000 was the last time Yale beat its rival. The Crimson end Yale's title hopes on Saturday.

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