Predictions: NCAA Football

**UPDATE**

I was really close on the UT/Southern Miss score (Final: UT 39, Southern Miss 19). TCU laid an egg to thwart my upset prediction, losing at Texas 34-13.

The real story is the 598 yards of total offense that LSU laid to Va Tech. Under Les Miles, the Tigers have had a tendency to be fairly conservative, particularly in big games. That certainly wasn't the case Saturday night. Va Tech's defense looked awful, but give the credit to LSU. They have looked dominating in their two games.

**Original Post**

So I missed out on a football prediction post last week. I have to admit that its probably best, because I was sure the Vols would overcome Cal. Here's my shot at three games this week.

UT/Southern Mississippi

UT's talent level is clearly down on defense. However, the coaches have made a few changes and they should help some. What will really help is playing this Southern Miss team. Don't get me wrong, Southern Miss will be tough. They have a talented RB that was overlooked by most recruiters, and they always play tough against the best competition. However, Southern Miss is still not at the talent level of Tennessee.

I look for Tennessee's offense to keep with the "dink and dunk' approach for the most part, but I bet they took a few extra shots downfield. The defense should play better against this team.

Tennessee 34, Southern Miss 17

LSU/Va Tech

The Hokies go into Death Valley #9 in the country and looking to upset the #2 ranked Tigers. I'll keep this one short and sweet. It "ain't gonna happen". The Tigers are tough this year and aren't going to lose to lose to the Hokies with an 8:30 start in Death Valley.

LSU 24, Va Tech 14


Upset Pick of the Week: TCU

Texas comes limping into this weeks game ranked #7, but barely scraped by Arkansas State last week in a less than stellar showing. TCU comes into this game hungry and ranked #19 in the country. The Horned Frogs are always on the cusp of breaking into the big-time ranks. Key stat: The Horned Frogs are on a 5 game winning streak against Big 12 opponents. Look for them to make it six in a row Saturday night in Austin.