PINSTRIPE: NO. 23 PITTSBURGH (8-4) vs. NORTHWESTERN (6-6)
at New York, 2 p.m. EST, ESPN
If you enjoyed the home runs delivered at Yankee Stadium during the baseball season, just wait until these football offenses start going at these defenses. There's a reason Louisiana State chose Pittsburgh's Matt Canada as its new offensive coordinator. His Panthers lit up the scoreboard. Pitt put 76 on Syracuse in its regular-season finale. And the Panthers have scored against quality too _ 42 and 43 in wins over Penn State and Clemson, respectively. The problem is, Pitt doesn't stop anybody on defense _ particularly teams that can throw the ball. The Panthers ranked next to last among major college football's 128 teams against the pass. Can Northwestern produce enough big plays on offense to keep pace? Probably not, but the Wildcats have enough firepower in running back Justin Jackson and wide receiver Austin Carr to make it interesting. The pick: Pittsburgh, 38-34.
