THURSDAY
No. 23 South Florida at Rutgers
7:30 p.m. ET,ESPN

John Tamanaha

B.J. Daniels, who had thrown four interceptions and only one touchdown pass during a two-game losing streak last month, bounced back for the Bulls two weeks ago with 336 total yards and three scores in a 30-19 victory over West Virginia.

After a bye week that might mess with his momentum and even though he isn't likely to have his leading receiver Carlton Mitchell (ankle), we're confident Daniels will make a good account of himself against a rugged Rutgers defense.

There's a similar situation on the opposite sideline where Scarlet Knights true freshman QB Tom Savage enjoyed last weekend off after a three-touchdown performance in a 28-24 win at Connecticut on Halloween.

With the quarterback competition looking like a draw, this one's tough to call. But since the Scarlet Knights lead the nation in turnover margin (+2.25), with 25 takeaways and only seven giveaways, we'll side with the home team.

Opening point spread: South Florida by 1

Pick: Rutgers 20-17

FRIDAY
West Virginia at No. 5 Cincinnati
8 p.m. ET,ESPN

The Bearcats defeated the Mountaineers just once in 16 series meetings before winning last season's overtime thriller in Morgantown, 26-23.

In its attempt to get revenge, tallying only 273 yards of total offense, as West Virginia did in last week's 17-9 victory over Louisville, won't cut it at Nippert Stadium while trying to keep pace with a Cincinnati squad that's averaging 40 points per game.

Mountaineers playmakers Jarrett Brown and Noel Devine will need to shake off their ankle injuries during the short week of preparation and come up with big games to pull off the upset. But it won't be easy against a Bearcats defense, which hadn't allowed more than 20 points all season before last week's thrilling 47-45 victory over UConn.

In that shootout with the Huskies, Bearcat sophomore QB Zach Collaros continued his outstanding play, setting a new Big East record with 555 yards of total offense. It's no surprise that Brian Kelly is sticking with Collaros' hot hand and not going back to former starter Tony Pike just yet.

Opening point spread: Cincinnati by 9.5

Pick: Cincinnati 35-20

SATURDAY
No. 2 Texas at Baylor
Noon ET

The Longhorns asked the Big 12 if they could phone in this one since everybody's already got them in the BCS title game.

The verdict was that the game still had to be played, so Texas will make the most of their afternoon in Waco, giving 250-pound tailback Cody Johnson his first starting audition as Mack Brown's quest for a running game continues.

Opening point spread: Texas by 25.5

Pick: Texas 42-10

No. 13 Houston at UCF
Noon ET

Even though Cougars QB Case Keenum threw for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns in the past two games, Houston was only a touchdown better than Southern Miss (50-43) and won at Tulsa by just a point (46-45).

The Knights aren't the best equipped team to take advantage of the Cougars' leaky defense, but they've got enough to make it interesting.

Opening point spread: Houston by 5

Pick: Houston 35-31

Indiana at No. 19 Penn State
Noon ET

The Hoosiers have lost their past three games, but were competitive in each outing, including last Saturday's 31-28 loss to Wisconsin.

However, this trip to Happy Valley will be Indiana's third roadie in four weeks and probably the toughest. The Nittany Lions will be in an ornery mood after getting bounced around by Ohio State last weekend at Beaver Stadium.

The ankle injury Hoosiers freshman RB Darius Willis suffered last week against the Badgers doesn't help, either.

Opening point spread: Penn State by 21

Pick: Penn State 31-14

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