The Virginia Tech Hokies are going to be down a man Thursday night when they visit the Boston College Eagles.

Junior wide receiver Josh Hyman, currently second on the Hokies with 13 receptions, was reportedly suspended by coach Frank Beamer for an undisclosed violation of team rules. That suspension could be the tipping point in what promises to be a close ACC battle. Virginia Tech went into Wednesday as a 2.5-point road favorite with a total of 42. That line held firm after reports of Hyman’s status first hit the wire.

The Hokies and Eagles share 4-1 records straight up, and both teams sit at 2-2 against the spread. But many bettors are looking at Virginia Tech’s amazing 10-1 ATS streak on Thursday night ESPN telecasts. The one loss, however, was to Boston College, and Hyman’s absence might be enough to make it two once the dust has cleared at Chestnut Hill.

Fortunately for Hokies supporters, their team is blessed with a deep and dangerous receiving corps. Supporting top wideout Eddie Royal are three other players with double digits in receptions: David Clowney (18), Justin Harper (11) and Josh Morgan (10). This strength in numbers has been crucial to Virginia Tech’s success in the wake of Marcus Vick’s early departure - sophomore Sean Glennon has taken over at quarterback with reasonably good results.

Matching that success against one of the best pass defenses in the ACC would be a major boost to the Hokies’ conference title hopes. Stud linebacker Brian Toal is expected to be near 100 percent after some issues with a sore shoulder; the extended rest since B.C.’s Sept. 30 win over Div. 1-AA Maine has also helped receiver Brandon Robinson, safety Jamie Silva and offensive lineman Justin Bell round into form in time for Thursday’s matchup.

The Eagles have their own suspension issues to contend with, although this could be a case of addition by subtraction. Kicker Ryan Oligher (11-of-14 on extra points this year) is on the sidelines indefinitely after getting into a fight outside a local bar; his job could be taken for good by sophomore Steve Aponavicius, a walk-on who played soccer and baseball in high school. His presence may prove pivotal in a matchup where the line is under a field goal.

Kick-off from Alumni Stadium is at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Morning showers are expected to taper off well in advance.

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What a weekend we have in store for us over the next couple of days!!! We’ve got college football, pro football, and the MLB Playoffs. It simply doesn’t get much better than this for all the sports enthusiasts littered throughout the world, and I’m proud to say I’m one of them and will be glued to my TV for three straight days.

Saturday is a huge day on the college football gridiron as a number of teams will battle it out to improve their pecking order in each respective conference as well as stay in the hunt for the National Championship.

The morning slate doesn’t boast any top tiered match-ups, but the afternoon session will have us all up in arms until about 6:00 PM ET. The popular Red River Shoot-out kicks off at 3:30 ET on ABC. Bob Stoops Oklahoma Sooners look to get back on track against Mack Brown’s Longhorns who ended their 5-game losing streak a year ago by laying the smack down and tying their largest margin of victory in the process. The 33-point victory certainly won’t sit well with the current OK players, so rest assure this will be a war; a more defensive one hopefully. With both clubs having lost one game already, another will most definitely eliminate one of these clubs form the National Championship picture. This is going to be a war, and I can’t wait!!!

Another huge battle takes place down in “The Swamp” as the 9th ranked LSU Tigers look to lock horns with Urban Meyer’s 5th ranked Florida Gators in what’s sure to be a bit more entertaining than the Tigers last road trip to Auburn (7-3 final). Surprisingly, the Tigers have been installed the favorite here in the Gator’s own backyard; a place where they haven’t lost a game under the tutelage of Mr. Meyer. Things that make you go hmmmmmm. Tune into CBS at 3:30 ET to see if the Gators can keep its home winning streak intact.

The Commander-in-Chief trophy has belonged to the Navy Midshipmen the last couple of years, but HC Fisher DeBerry would love nothing more than to end his losing streak to Paul Johnson and get a leg up on securing the Trophy in the process. These clubs are almost mirror images of one another, so look for the victor to be the one that capitalizes on a poorly timed turnover. Tune into CSTV at 2:00 ET with military bragging right on the line.

The evening slate is loaded with some very interesting games. The Tennessee Vols hit the road to take on the Georgia Bulldogs between the hedges in a crucial SEC East battle. Many are down on the Bulldogs after a pair of back-to-back unimpressive outings, but HC Mark Richt has had the Vols number of late winning 5 of the L/6 SU. This is Tennessee’s first true road test, so be careful if you plan on backing them in this spot. Plat it small, very small!!! Tune in to ESPN at 7:45 ET to see what transpires.

The PAC 10 takes center stage at 8:00 ET on ABC as the 11th ranked Oregon Ducks invade Berkeley to take on the 16th ranked California Bears. This is another student vs. teacher bout as bears HC Tedford used to be the Ducks offensive coordinator under HC Mike Bellotti before he took over at Cal. So far, Bellotti’s gotten the best of him in their three match-ups in some very close games. However, Cal is for real and their Week 1 gaff at Tennessee was a fluke. Look for the Bears to pull away late in what’s sure to be an instant classic with the athletes both these squads possess.

The 1st round of the post-season will be all but wrapped up by the end of Columbus Day, and we will have wrapped up 5 weeks of the 2006 NFL campaign with Monday Night’s battle between the Ravens and Broncos. Man, time flies when you’re having fun!!!

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The Red River Rivalry will be renewed this weekend when the Texas Longhorns invade the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Longhorns finally broke the Sooners’ curse last season with a 45-12 blowout win over Oklahoma as a 14-point favorite. Prior to that win, Texas had not beaten Oklahoma since 1999, posting five straight losses over that span.

Texas has won three straight heading into the weekend and they should be confident coming off a 56-3 drubbing of Sam Houston State. Freshman quarterback Colt McCoy has handled the pressure well so far, completing 71.1 percent of his passes for 846 yards with 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

McCoy has developed a strong report with receiver Limas Sweed, who has caught 19 passes for 340 yards and five touchdowns. The Texas running game has been by committee so far this season, but all three running backs have been strong. Jamaal Charles, Selvin Young and Henry Melton have combined to rush for 747 yards on 132 carries with 11 touchdowns. Young is expected back this week after sitting out versus Sam Houston State with bruised ribs. Charles dressed last week but did not play after feeling sore in pre-grame warmups. He’s also expected to be ready to go on Saturday.

The Sooners boast a pretty good rushing attack as well, led by Heisman candidate Adrian Peterson. Peterson has burned every defense that has tried to stop him this season while rushing for 643 yards and seven touchdowns on 117 carries. Peterson is averaging 160.8 rushing yards per game and if history means anything he will need a big game on Saturday for Oklahoma to win. Peterson only carried the ball three times due to a sprained ankle in Oklahoma’s loss to Texas last season, but back in 2004 he rushed for 225 yards on 32 carries in Oklahoma’s 12-0 win over the Longhorns. Paul Thompson may not have been the Sooners’ first choice at quarterback this season, but so far he’s performed admirably. Thompson has completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 930 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Longhorns are a 4-point home favorite in the rematch, while the total was set at 49.

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The Seminoles and Wolfpack clash Thursday night in an important ACC matchup that could end up being a deciding factor in the Atlantic Division.

Florida State returns to the field for the first time since September 23 when they blasted Rice 55-7. Despite the week of rest, the Seminoles come into this game with a number of injuries. The Seminoles have had problems running the ball this season and it doesn’t look like that will be getting any easier with four offensive lineman bothered by injury. Cory Niblock and David Overmyer both have ankle injuries, Shannon Boatman has a knee injury, while Jacky Claude is bothered by a concussion.

Quarterback Drew Weatherford will need to make do with as much time as the thin line can give him Thursday night. Weatherford has completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 715 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions so far this season. Receivers Gregg Carr and De’Cody Fagg have been Weatherford’s top targets. Carr has caught nine passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns, while Fagg has hauled in 15 balls for 180 yards, but has yet to find the end zone.

The Wolfpack may have saved head coach Chuck Amato’s job with a 17-15 upset win over Boston College back on September 23. N.C. State had lost to lesser teams Akron and Southern Miss in their previous two games. The struggling Wolfpack offense was handed over to backup QB Daniel Evans, and it will be up to him to find a way to score versus a tough Florida State defense. In two games this season, Evans has completed 54.8 percent of his passes for 276 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Andre Brown and Toney Baker have been sharing the rushing duties and have combined for 438 yards and three touchdowns on 81 carries.

The Seminoles and Wolfpack clashed last season when N.C. State shocked Florida State 20-15 as an 11.5-point underdog. Over the past five seasons, N.C. State is 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS against Florida State. The Seminoles are a 10.5-point favorite this time.

Kickoff is at 7:30 pm ET with ESPN handling the coverage.

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The fifth week of the college football season doesn’t have any must see games, but it does boast a number of crucial conference match-ups that should have the avid CFB pigskin fan pumped.

The first of which takes place at 12:30 ET when the Colorado Buffaloes invade Columbia to take on the undefeated Missouri Tigers. The Buffs put forth their best effort of the season in Athens, GA last week and almost upset the #10 ranked Bulldogs in the process. The Tigers have quietly ripped apart each and every one of their opponents on their way to their perfect 4-0 mark. The Buffs made a habit of beating Mizzou in to a bloody pulp during the Barnett era, so it’ll be interesting to see how the new regime fares. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the Tigers won’t be gracious hosts. You’ll be able to see this Big 12 North battle on all FSN affiliates.

The next crucial conference match-up takes place in the MAC East where the Akron Zips pack their bags back up and hit the road once again to take on the surprising Kent State Golden Flashes. This will be QB Luke Getsy’s Zips first conference game of the season, while the Golden Flashes already stand at 2-0 in the division. A win here by Kent would give them some fantastic breathing room the rest of the way, and they would have to be considered the odds on favorite to reach the MAC Championship game if they were to hold serve at home the rest of the way. Expect another solid MAC battle to occur, so tune into FOX Sports Cincinnati to see these two slug it out.

The 3:30 ET time slot is when most of the day’s fun begins. Oregon takes on Arizona State, Georgia Tech invades Blacksburg to take on the Hokies, the Gators seek revenge in “The Swamp” over Alabama, and Texas Tech and Texas A & M will battle it out in what’s become a very fierce rivalry over the years. You can catch the SEC battle on CBS, while all the other big games will be broadcasted on ABC.

Lincoln, Nebraska will be in a frenzied state come 7:00 ET as their Huskers take on the Kansas Jayhawks in what’s certain to be a bloodbath. The Jayhawks snapped a 36-year losing streak to Nebraska last year in Lawrence, and dished out a woodshed beating in the process. Tune into Fox Sport Net to see if HC Bill Callahan decides to return the favor.

A couple of Big 10 powerhouses take the field at 8:00 ET as the Michigan Wolverines visit the Twin Cities to take on the Minnesota Gophers, and the #1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes invade Kinnick Stadium to lock horns with the 13th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. One game looks to be a blowout, while the other should be very competitive. Can you guess which is which? Be sure to tune into ABC and ESPN to find out!!!

Week 4 in the NFL has a couple of decent games, but the rotation for the most part doesn’t really get my blood pumping. Many will be interested to see if the Ravens are for real, and to see how QB Phillip Rivers handles his first true road test as a pro. The TO saga really turned the Dallas camp upside down this week, so it will be interesting to see how they perform at Tennessee. Are the Saints for real, or was their fantastic exhibition on Monday Night just a smoke screen? Tune in at 1:00 ET to find out as they take on a desperate Carolina squad. Mike Martz returns to St. Louis now as the Lions offensive coordinator. Yeah, Not interested!!!

The afternoon slate does peak my interest a bit with New England and Cincy squaring off as well as Jacksonville and the Redskins. Cincy picked up an enormous win at Pittsburgh last week, and might come out a bit flat. NE was embarrassed on Sunday Night in front of the entire world, and should come out with their hair on fire. Jacksonville not only lost to Indy once gain, but they cried about it after saying the Colts were cheating and threw too many cheap shots. Are they really ready to go into Washington and take on a skins club that finally found its offense last week? Tune in at 4:14 ET on CBS or FOX to get answers to all these questions.
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Kinnick Stadium will be jumping on Saturday night when the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes come to town. The Iowa Hawkeyes faithful have been anticipating this game all season and neither team has disappointed with both heading into the game with 4-0 records.

The Buckeyes began the season at No. 1 and so far have done nothing to show they don’t deserve the top spot. Troy Smith has backed up the Heisman talk by completing 66 percent of his passes for 884 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. With a pair of receivers like Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez you would think Smith would have an open man, if not two, every time he drops back to pass.

Iowa quarterback Drew Tate may not have the hype surrounding him that Smith has, but he’s quietly put up some pretty good numbers early in the season. Tate has completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 687 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions so far. Tate has spread the ball around with the bulk of his passes finding either running back Albert Young or wideouts Dominique Douglas and Scott Chandler.

Both teams may be sporting perfect records, but a quick glance at each team’s schedule shows that the Buckeyes have had a much tougher road to 4-0. Ohio State has already had to play two ranked schools in Texas and Penn State. Iowa on the other hand will be facing a ranked opponent for the first time this Saturday and started out the season with a walk in the park versus I-AA Montana.

Despite their tougher schedule Ohio State had been a bettors dream so far this season, while Iowa has been more of a nightmare. The Buckeyes are a perfect 4-0 ATS this season and thanks to their defense, which has allowed only eight points per game, they’re also 0-4 over/under. Iowa, with their easier schedule, has not been kind to bettors with a 0-3 mark ATS. The Hawkeyes have held their opponents to 11 points per game this season and are 0-3 over/under.

One thing that does favor Iowa is the recent history between these two teams. The last three contests between these three schools have all gone to the home team. Ohio State torched Iowa 31-6 as a nine-point favorite last season thanks to a pair of touchdowns passes and two touchdown runs from Smith. A year earlier with Smith backing up Buckeyes’ QB Justin Zwick, the Hawkeyes ripped the Buckeyes 33-7 as a 1.5-point favorite. Smith did come on late in that game to thrown Ohio State’s lone touchdown.

In this season’s rematch the Buckeyes are a 6.5-point road favorite, while the total was set at 43. The game kicks off at 8 pm EDT on Saturday night on ABC.

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Are the South Carolina Gamecocks due for a letdown?

The loyal fans in Columbia must be feeling a little edgy these days. Coach Steve Spurrier has led the Fighting Gamecocks to a 3-1 record this year (2-1 against the spread), but those three wins came against overmatched opposition. The loss was an 18-0 kick in the teeth delivered by the Georgia Bulldogs, and things might be even uglier when So. Carolina meets the No. 3 Auburn Tigers Thursday night at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers are 14-point favorites with a total of 37.5.

The Gamecocks have the unenviable task of trying to stop Auburn running back Kenny Irons. This will be a homecoming of sorts for Irons; he transferred from So. Carolina in 2004 and made a name for himself last year by rushing for 1,293 yards, the highest total for any tailback in the SEC. That performance included a pair of touchdowns against the Gamecocks in last year’s 48-7 shellacking - Auburn was favored at home by 15.5 points in that affair.

Irons was held out at last week’s relatively meaningless 38-7 win over Buffalo with a sprained ankle, although that injury isn’t considered serious. The rest should give Irons that extra bounce in his step to slash through So. Carolina’s highly-suspect run defense. The Gamecocks gave up an embarrassing 290 yards on the ground two weeks ago to Div-1-AA Wofford in a surprisingly close 27-20 So. Carolina win. There was no line on the game, thankfully for Gamecocks’ supporters.

As excellent as the Auburn run attack is, coach Tommy Tuberville has told reporters that the passing game could use a little prep work as the Tigers prepare for the meat of the SEC schedule. “We’ve got a stretch with three very good conference games,” Tuberville said, “and that’s going to force us to throw the ball more.” This could be excellent news for OVER backers. Although Auburn has jumped out to big leads in racking up a 4-0 record (3-1 ATS), the UNDER has gone 3-1 as the Tigers have chewed up the clock running the ball in the second half.

Kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time with ESPN providing national coverage on cable.

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The Texas Longhorns already learned that payback’s a bitch when they faced Ohio State earlier this season. If the Buckeyes have anything to say about it, they’ll be sending the same message to Penn State this weekend.

Ohio State only lost two games last season, to Texas and Penn State. The Buckeyes got their revenge on the Longhorns two weeks ago with a 24-7 victory in Texas. This weekend Ohio State welcomes Penn State to town knowing full well that they haven’t lost since meeting up with the Nittany Lions last season. That loss eliminated any lingering hopes that Ohio State had at a national championship run. This season the Buckeyes can end the Lions’ slim championship hopes with a win.

The Buckeyes are the favorite heading into this game and they rightfully should be considering they are the top-ranked school in the nation and boast one of the most explosive offenses in college football. Quarterback Troy Smith gets another shot at Penn State after a disappointing performance last time out. Smith completed only 13-of-25 passes for 139 yards with no touchdown passes and an interception in Ohio State’s 17-10 loss to Penn State last season.

It’s a different Smith behind center this year though, and the numbers prove it. Smith has a 69.1 passing percentage this season and has thrown for 769 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions in three games. What makes Smith even more dangerous are the weapons at his disposal. Wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. has speed to burn and has used it this season to catch five touchdown passes. Ginn Jr.’s immense talent has opened the door for another talented Buckeyes’ wideout, Anthony Gonzalez. Gonzalez has made the most of Ginn Jr.’s double teams to the tune of a team-leading 340 receiving yards and three touchdowns. When Smith isn’t throwing the ball to Ginn Jr. or Gonzalez, he’s handing the ball off to running back Antonio Pittman who has been rolling over defenses this season. Pittman has rushed for 340 yards and three touchdowns on 51 carries.

The Nittany Lions rebounded from their 41-17 blowout loss to Notre Dame with a 37-3 drubbing of Youngstown State last week, but comparing Youngstown State to Ohio State is like comparing a mouse to a rhinoceros. The Lions once-ferocious defense lost a lot of its bite after losing seven starters from a year ago.

If Penn State hopes to have a chance versus Ohio State they will need quarterback Anthony Morelli and running back Tony Hunt to keep up to the scoring pace set by the Buckeyes. Morelli has put up some pretty good numbers so far this season with 549 passing yards, four touchdowns and an interception, but he had his worst game of the season last week versus Youngstown State with only 154 passing yards and no touchdowns. The exact opposite is true of Hunt, who broke out last week, rushing for 143 yards and a touchdown.

Kickoff is 3:30 pm ET on ABC.

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The No. 5 Florida Gators may have lost some of their defensive bite.

According to reports out of Gainesville, defensive tackle Marcus Thomas has been suspended for the next five games after failing a drug test. Coach Urban Meyer would not confirm the report during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, but if the reports are true, Florida will be without one of its better defenders during the toughest part of the Gators schedule.

There is a chance the suspension will be reduced on appeal. Thomas had already been benched for the season opener against Southern Miss (a 34-7 Florida victory as a 19.5-point home favorite) after a test reportedly came up positive for marijuana. The Orlando Sentinel says the Thomas family believes the second positive result is for the same incident - which apparently took place at a party during the summer.

The line for Saturday’s matchup in Gainesville between Florida and the Kentucky Wildcats was unchanged after reports of the suspension first hit the newswire. The Gators held firm as 24-point faves with a total of 48.5. However, Thomas was the leading sack-getter on the Gators with three, and the senior nose tackle is one of the most dominant pass rushers in the conference.

Fortunately for Gators supporters, whatever deficiencies their defensive line will have minus Thomas will be masked by their tremendous depth, plus the star power of linebacker Brandon Siler. Already heralded as one of the best pass defenders in the SEC, Siler collected seven tackles (two of them for a loss) last week against Tennessee in a 21-20 victory. The Vols managed just minus-11 rushing yards in defeat, although they cashed in as 4.5-point home dogs.

What Florida cannot afford is another player missing on offense. Running back DeShawn Wynn and wide receiver Percy Harvin were both wearing protective boots after suffering sprained ankles against Tennessee. Meyer is confident Wynn will start this Saturday against Kentucky; Harvin, though, remains questionable. The Gators will miss his versatility if he is unable to suit up. Harvin ran for 81 yards against the Vols and added another 145 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Kick-off from Florida Field is 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time, with ESPN on hand for national television coverage.

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They’ve been doing this off and on since 1887, so you’d think they’d know what they’re doing by now.

The No. 13 Michigan Wolverines are heading to South Bend this Saturday to play the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 34th installment of their ancient rivalry. The Wolverines have an 18-14-1 straight-up advantage, but the Irish have won three of the last four, they’re 6-1 ATS in the past decade, and this week they’re 5-point home faves (-225 on the moneyline) with a total of 50.

This should be much more of a toss-up than the lines indicate. Notre Dame, for all the improvements the program has made under Charlie Weis, is still vulnerable to a solid running attack. The Irish coughed up a total of 277 yards on the ground in their first two games, and that was against the fair-to-middling backfields of Georgia Tech and Penn State. Michigan’s Mike Hart is one of the very best running backs in the nation. The Wolverines have an opportunity to grind this one out on the ground and keep the Irish offense on the sidelines.

When Notre Dame does get the ball, the offensive line has to prove it can protect Brady Quinn far better than it did against the Yellow Jackets in Week 1. Running back Darius Walker saved the Irish bacon in that narrow 14-10 victory with 99 yards rushing and the winning TD. It was all systems go for the offense against a questionable Penn State squad in last week’s 41-17 thrashing of the Nittany Lions; however, Michigan’s defense is top-shelf in all aspects, from versatile DE LaMarr Woodley to Thorpe Award candidate Leon Hall on the corner. Quinn vaults right back to the top of the Heisman Trophy list if he can beat this defense.

The Irish are the archetypical public team and are prone to being overvalued in nearly every circumstance. But they also have a very good chance of beating Michigan. The Wolverines have yet to find their passing rhythm, and Notre Dame’s 1-2 safety punch of would-be boxer Tom Zbikowski and Chinedum Ndukwe is downright scary. That might be enough to render Michigan a one-dimensional team on Saturday - still, that’s the Hart Dimension. Enter at your peril.

Kick-off is at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC.

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