2008 - Week 9 Shootout Predictions

As we looked at this week's match-ups, we found some games that jumped out at us. The ones that always jump off the page are the games with playoff seeding implications or teams fighting for survival. You will see a couple of those in our selections, but this week we dug deep to find an intriguing game with none of that. Here are our picks for Week 9 games to watch (the rankings below are the Hootens.com Rankings for Week 9):

• #4 Har-Ber at #9 Fayetteville. The Wildcats will attempt to correct some of the special team problems that led to the loss to FS Southside last week. The defending 7A state champion Purple Bulldogs of Fayetteville are looking to get on a roll before the playoffs start in 2 weeks. We expect to see a lot of points in Fayetteville this Halloween.

• #8 Central Arkansas Christian at #4 Greenwood. This is the time of year when Greenwood starts priming for its playoff run. The three-time defending 5A state champion is trying to shore up its playoff seed. The CAC Mustangs are looking to redeem themselves after falling short in the last big time match-up with Siloam Springs (Week 7). We think those in the Arkansas River Valley are in for an intriguing game tonight.

• Waldron at Mena. Why this game? Well, this match-up features 2 teams that have shown a complete inability to stop any offense that they have seen. In addition, both teams have put up quite a few points each week. So, this game is likely to be a high scoring affair between 2 mediocre teams. No one in the stands will mention playoffs and Waldron or Mena in the same sentence, but the offenses on the field will likely make this an entertaining game.
  

We'll end this week a little different. HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Be sure to take plenty of candy for the trick-or-treaters that you will meet on the way to a high school football game.