(Photo courtesy of Heidelberg athletics) It’s a pretty safe bet that not many of the readers at Crystal Ball Run have heard of Cartel Brooks. Heck, you’ve probably never heard of the school he plays for in Ohio — Heidelberg University. The preseason Division III All-American broke the all-division record for rushing yards in game […]

If you have ever heard Tony Caridi call a West Virginia game, you’ve probably heard him say, “It’s a great day to be a Mountaineer.” On Saturday, Caridi should have said, “It’s an embarrassing day to be a Mountaineer.” WVU football, once the pride of the Big East and a tough opponent in BCS Bowl […]

No. 12 Oklahoma State (8-1, 5-1) at No. 24 Texas (7-2, 6-0) Saturday, Nov. 16, 3:30 PM EST,  FOX Line: Oklahoma State by 1 The race for the Big 12 title will get a little clearer after Saturday’s game between two of the top three teams. Both teams control their destiny — keep winning and […]

Boise State (5-2) at BYU (5-2) Friday, 8:00 PM, ESPN Line: BYU -7 This is not one of Boise State’s best teams in recent memory, but at 5-2 the Broncos are still a tough game. It’s hard to imagine we’ll get a repeat of last year’s 7-6 win by Boise. BYU is ranked 14th nationally […]

No. 10 Miami (5-0, 1-0) at North Carolina (1-4, 0-2) Thursday, 7:30 PM EST, ESPN Line: Miami by 10 Miami is ranked in the Top 10 for the first time since 2009 and that lofty perch could be in trouble this week. The Hurricanes travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on the Tar Heels […]

No. 12 Oklahoma (5-0) vs. Texas (3-2) at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas Saturday, 12:00 p.m. EST, ABC Line: Oklahoma -13.0 Oklahoma and Texas are coming out in new uniforms in the 108th meeting of the Red River Rivalry, but this is still an old-school game of two proud programs. Of course, Texas is actually lucky […]

West Virginia (2-1) vs. Maryland (3-0) at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Md. Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EST, ESPNU Line: Maryland -4.5 With all of the conference flipping and lack of loyalty to regional rivalries, West Virginia and Maryland have found a way to keep playing each other on a regular basis. The Mountaineers lead the all-time […]

No. 7 Louisville (2-0) at Kentucky (1-1) Saturday, 12:00 p.m. EST, ESPN Line: Louisville -13.5 After back-to-back impressive wins at home over Ohio (49-7) and Eastern Kentucky (44-7), Louisville is going on the road for the first time. It’s not too far, though as the Cardinals are heading to Lexington, Ky. In those wins, Louisville’s […]

West Virginia (1-0) at No. 16 Oklahoma (1-0) Saturday, 7:00 p.m. EST, FOX Line: Oklahoma -20.0 The meeting between these two was one of the more exciting games of the 2012 season as Oklahoma scored last and won 50-49 in Morgantown. Now the Mountaineers are returning to Norman, Okla., for the first time since a […]

No. 15 Texas (1-0) at Brigham Young (0-1) Saturday, 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2 Line: Texas -7.0 After a tough 19-16 loss at Virginia, Brigham Young can’t sit around moping about what could have been. Up next is a visit from No. 15 Texas, which looked solid in a 56-7 thumping of an overmatched North Mexico […]