ACC Football Week Four Predictions

It was a better week for me for predictions. I went 6-2 last week, which puts me at 12-6 for the year. Unfortunately, it didn’t help the ACC last week, as it lost pretty much every big game it could have got some recognition in. This week, we start to see more conference games, and there are a couple of good ones, as well as a couple of non conference games that have some appeal to them.

 

A Thursday night tilt on ESPN kicks off the week of college football. These two have a couple of things in common. They’re both 1-1, and they both beat FCS teams for their lone win. Both teams also were off last week, and had extra time to prepare for this game. And they both need. Both have been a little underwhelming so far. Jacory Harris seemed to revert to his old form and threw four interceptions against Ohio State, and Pitt’s running back Dion Lewis, who was a sleeper candidate for the Heisman, is averaging less than 3.0 yards per carry. And Greg Romeus, who is arguably Pitt’s best defensive player, is out after having surgery. And I think this will help the road team to a win. Miami 27, Pitt 20

Most people would probably say that if you were to predict which of these teams would be undefeated at this point that you would probably say Georgia Tech. However, that’s not the case. NC State impressively defeated Cincinnati last week, although the score was not as close as it may have dictated, as Cincinnati scored 12 points in the last 6:26 of that game to make it 30-19, and improve the Wolfpack’s record to 3-0. Russell Wilson threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns. Georgia Tech improved to 2-1 last week after winning at North Carolina, rushing for 372 yards in the process. Josh Nesbitt and Anthony Allen both ran for over 100 yards in that game. I think Georgia Tech will be able to control the ball with their running game, and it will keep Russell Wilson on the sidelines much more than he wants to be. I don’t think Georgia Tech will run for 372 yards again this week, but they will run for quite a few yards. And it will make the difference in this game. Georgia Tech 24, NC State 19

To me, of the conference games, this is the best one of the week. Virginia Tech’s defense woke up in the third quarter of the East Carolina game, outscoring ECU 28-3 in the second half en route to a 49-27 win. The question is if the second half performance of the Hokies defense was a trend or a mirage. On the down side, Ryan Williams was injured during the week, and may not play. But David Wilson and Darren Evans filled in quite well, rushing for 180 yards and three touchdowns combined. Boston College, on the other hand, continues to fly under the radar at 2-0 behind Montel Harris, and an improved Dave Shinskie, who is completing nearly 60% of his passes in the two games. The defense has been pretty solid too, as expected. I think this will be a low scoring game, and there won’t be a lot of offense, but I give the advantage to the home team. Boston College 17, Virginia Tech 13

You’ve probably heard of Florida International because Isiah Thomas attempts to coach the basketball team. The football team is 0-2, but is a bit feisty. The Golden Panthers have played Rutgers and Texas A&M, and lost both by a combined 12 points. They aren’t very flashy on offense ranking pretty low in most statistical categories, but have been pretty good on defense. Maryland will need to recover from a loss at West Virginia in which Jamarr Robinson was sacked eight times. And a lot of that was due to a nonexistent running game. I do believe Maryland will be able to do that in this game, and should win pretty comfortably. Maryland 30, Florida International 13

These two teams are separated by about 65 miles, but are separated by a lot more in terms of football talent. VMI is 1-1 on the year, beating Lock Haven, and getting blasted by William & Mary. Virginia is 1-1 as well, beating Richmond and losing to USC. Virginia’s offensive line averages about 46 pounds per person more than VMI’s defensive line, and they will be out man each one of them on most plays, so I would expect a big rushing effort from the Cavs. Virginia 38, VMI 7

There are two things Duke could use this game for-a primer for when they face Georgia Tech, as Army runs a similar style of offense and a confidence booster after getting blown in to the Atlantic Ocean by Alabama. Coach David Cutcliffe and the defensive staff have a lot of work to get the defense set straight, and hopefully a game like this will help. I do think Army will be able to run the football a little bit against Duke, but Sean Renfree and the Duke passing game will be too much. Duke 38, Army 17

These two teams had polar opposite weeks. Florida State looked pretty impressive in blowing out BYU, while Wake’s D was replaced with 11 ghosts in Wake Forest jerseys. The offense was able to score 24 points, but the defense gave up 68. In the last two games, Wake Forest’s defense has allowed 116 points, and this week won’t get much easier. It may take a bit of a miracle for Wake’s defense to keep it in the game. But Christian Ponder is a bit banged up, and it would be key for Wake’s D to try and get pressure on him and beat him up a bit. On the other hand, the Seminoles might want to get out ahead early, so they can rest Ponder. The latter is more likely to happen. Florida State 34, Wake Forest 10

 

This is a must win game for the Tar Heels. They’re 0-2 and need a win for a confidence boost. They have played two close games against LSU and Georgia Tech, losing both by a 30-24 score. On the plus side, TJ Yates has helped far more than he has hurt the Heels offense. The defense has not been as good only because of all of the suspensions, and it doesn’t look like any more players will return for this game. Rutgers is 2-0, shutting out Norfolk State, and barely squeaking by Florida International, and had last week off. Their player to watch is Mohamed Sanu. He is an all purpose type of player, but is mostly a receiver. He can run, he can catch, and also threw a touchdown pass in the Florida International game.  This will be a tough game, but I think the road team is just a little better, and will prevail. North Carolina 24, Rutgers 17