In what was supposed to be a tough game in a tough environment for Cincinnati, the No. 8 Bearcats easily disposed of No. 19 South Florida 34-17 at Raymond James Stadium on Thursday night. And they did it with their starting quarterback missing the entire second half.

Tony Pike suffered an injury right before halftime and was replaced by backup Zach Collaros, who supplied a touchdown run of 75 yards midway through the third quarter. He then hooked up with Ben Guidugli on a 43-yard pass completion to set up his second touchdown of the game, this time from three yards out with 13 minutes remaining in the game.

This was an impressive victory for Cincinnati, especially considering Pike didn’t play the entire second half. To beat a good South Florida team on the road with their backup quarterback should give the Bearcats leverage when the BCS standings are released for the first time on October 20.

That said, should anyone be surprised by this outcome? The Bulls were undefeated coming into this game, but their only substantial win was against a Florida State team that was obviously overrated from the start. And while freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels is fun to watch, he has a long way to go as a passer. He looked like he was playing in a pick up game tonight with the way he often ran backwards from the snap and never stayed in the pocket.

But allow me to give credit where credit is due – Cincinnati’s defense played well tonight as it suffocated USF’s running game and never allowed Daniels to set his feet and throw (whether he wanted to or not). Everyone takes about the Bearcats offense (and rightfully so), but Brian Kelly’s team has played well defensively this season too.

Kelly told Erin Andrews after the game that it “doesn’t look good” for Pike, who could miss a couple weeks with a wrist injury. While that’s unfortunate, Cincinnati has an easy stretch of games over the next couple weeks and could certainly get by with the shifty Collaros.

Raymond James Stadium is the site of one of the more intriguing matchups in college football this week, as No. 21 South Florida hosts No. 8 Cincinnati tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET. This will be the first meeting in which both teams are ranked.

After Tulsa kept things close last night against No. 5 Boise State, some believe the undefeated Bulls will pull off the week’s first big upset by knocking off the Bearcats, who are also undefeated. Led by Heisman candidate Tony Pike, Cincinnati has the third best scoring offense in the nation, but South Florida has shut down opponents this year, allowing just 9.4 points per game.

The Bearcats have a couple of things to worry about tonight, namely the fact that they’ll be playing in a hostile environment against a defense that knows how to get after the quarterback. Pike hasn’t seen a pass rush this season the likes of what he’ll see tonight and the Bulls could give him fits.

Defensively, Cincinnati must contain the athletic B.J. Daniels, who has filled in nicely since starter Matt Grothe was lost for the year after suffering an ACL injury in Week 3. Daniels gives the USF offense a running threat at quarterback, which is good because running backs Mike Ford and Moise Plancher could have trouble churning out yards against a solid Bearcat run defense.

As previously noted, some college football pundits smell an upset brewing tonight, but I just don’t see it. USF’s big win this year was against a Florida State team that has fallen from grace since being ranked at the start of the season. While Cincinnati hasn’t faced elite competition itself, they demolished Rutgers on the road in Week 1 and beat a decent Oregon State team in Corvallis in Week 3. Bearcat head coach Brian Kelly will have his team ready to play and I think Cincinnati pulls one out in a low-scoring affair.

Prediction: Cincinnati 23, South Florida 17.

Here are previews of some of the big games in Week 7 in college football, as well as the point spread odds for all the top 25 games.

Wednesday, October 14
No. 5 Boise State at Tulsa, 8:00PM ET
Pundits will use this game as a test to see where the Broncos are. The Oregon team that Boise beat in the opening week of the season isn’t the same one that has terrorized opponents of late. Therefore, some are questioning the legitimacy of the Broncos’ ranking with wins over Miami of Ohio, Fresno State, Bowling Green and UC Davis. A convincing win over 4-1 Tulsa should help subdue the criticisms.

Thursday, October 15
No. 8 Cincinnati at No. 21 South Florida, 7:30PM ET
The Bearcats lead the nation in sacks and tackles for loss, while also ranking third in scoring offense. But they’ve been met with plenty of skepticism about whether or not they’re really a top 10 team. The Bulls’ offensive line has been fantastic so far this season and if they can protect quarterback B.J. Daniels, then USF has a great shot at pulling off the upset and shooting up the rankings.

Saturday, October 17
Arkansas at No. 1 Florida, 3:30PM ET
The Razorbacks certainly turned some heads last week in their rout over Auburn, but they’ll face a different challenge altogether this Saturday in the Swamp. Florida has the best defense in the nation, led by an outstanding front four that manhandled LSU last week. It’ll be interesting to see how Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett copes with the immense pressure he’ll face this Saturday, although if the Razorbacks don’t turn the ball over they could have a shot to keep things close considering Florida lacks explosion offensively.

No. 22 South Carolina at No. 2 Alabama, 7:45PM ET
The Crimson Tide have one of the most complete teams in college football, although the offense settled for too many field goals last week against Ole Miss. Greg McElroy and company will get a stiff test against a South Carolina defense that might keep things close this Saturday. That said, nobody should be surprised if ‘Bama produces another blow out win considering the Gamecocks struggled last week with a below average Kentucky team.

No. 20 Oklahoma at No. 3 Texas, 12:00PM ET
The Sooners are too good to be ranked No. 20, especially now that Sam Bradford is back. Bradford didn’t look sharp last week in a win over Baylor, which was his first game back since suffering a shoulder injury in Week 1. But his receivers didn’t do him any favors with the amount of drops they had. OU will face a Texas team that will attack the middle of the field with Colt McCoy and the passing game, as well as try and generate a fierce pass rush against Bradford. The Longhorns are playing incredibly well defensively and could give the OU quarterback fits.

No. Virginia Tech at No. 19 Georgia Tech, 6:00PM ET
VA Tech’s offense is clicking on all cylinders right now and nobody outside of Alabama is playing better football than the Hokies. The VA Tech defense will get a unique challenge this week from a Yellow Jackets’ offense that is seemingly unstoppable at the moment. A win over the Hokies and nobody will be questioning the legitimacy of Georgia Tech. But if they get stomped, then it’ll be hard for the Jackets to move up in the rankings the rest of the season.

No. 6 USC at No. 25 Notre Dame, 3:30PM ET
USC still lacks that explosive firepower on offense, which is a bit concerning because Notre Dame has proven that it can score at will. What happens if this game turns into a shootout? Can Matt Barkley and company keep up? On the flip side, the Trojans’ defense has been outstanding and have held opponents to only nine points the past two games. It will be highly entertaining watching Jimmy Clausen and ND’s high-powered offense take on USC’s stingy defense. If this game is close in the end, Charlie Weis’ team has proven countless times this season that it can mount a fourth quarter comeback.

Read the rest of this entry »