Last week: 8-2 Overall: 37-4
Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech
Good job ESPN. You have picked a nice game to feature on Thursday night. While Virginia Tech has won four of the last five meetings between the two, three of those were by seven points or less. While the Hokies are 3-1, they haven't looked that great. Logan Thomas has thrown six interceptions in four games, and the kicking game has been absolutely atrocious. Georgia Tech is coming off of a nice home win against UNC, and getting off to a 2-0 start in conference would be huge for the Yellow Jackets. I do think Virginia Tech's defense will stifle Georgia Tech some, but I think Logan Thomas will give the Georgia Tech's offense enough short fields via turnovers, and they'll eek out a close win. Georgia Tech 24, Virginia Tech 20
Miami vs. South Florida
This is supposed to a good in state rivalry. However, given the current state of the South Florida football program, that's not happening. The Bulls are 0-3, and you could easily argue might be one of the worst teams in FBS. Miami got a light workout in last week against Savannah State, and they will put in a little more intense workout this week, but the backups should be in at some point. The Miami offense should have no problem going up and down the field on the USF defense. This will be a blowout. Miami 41, South Florida 13
Virginia vs. Pittsburgh
How Pitt follows up last week's 58 point barrage will be interesting to watch this week. Virginia is playing their first road game of the year, and themselves scored 49 points last week, albeit against a much inferior opponent. Neither of these teams rank well against the run, but I have a bigger concern about Pitt's rush D. UVA gave up 60% of their rushing yards in the Oregon game, so the number ranking is skewed a little. Pitt is giving up 194 yards per game on the ground. I think Kevin Parks is going to have a monster day on the ground, and UVA will pull off an upset on the road. Virginia 23, Pitt 16
East Carolina vs. North Carolina
For the fifth straight year, these two teams will meet. UNC has won the previous four, averaging 447 yards per game in the process. The Pirates are playing their second consecutive ACC opponent, having faced Virginia Tech two weeks ago. The Heels need a rebound effort after the bad second half they had against Georgia Tech, and I think they will get that. Bryn Renner will get back on track, and his arm will lead the Heels to a win. UNC 34, ECU 20
Troy vs. Duke
We all knew Duke would be able to score, but could they stop anyone? They certainly didn't last week, allowing 58 points, and 17 plays of 25 yards or more to Pitt. They'll certainly be able to score plenty against the Trojans, who are allowing 34 points per game, and rank 114th against the pass. They've allowed over 300 yards passing in three of their four games. Brandon Connette should be able run and throw at will against the Troy defense, and Duke will roll in this one. Duke 41, Troy 17
Florida State vs. Boston College
On paper, this looks like a pretty lopsided affair. Florida State is averaging 52 points per game, while BC is averaging just 18. The Seminoles won the last two meetings by a combined score of 99-14. What will be interesting to see in this game is how Jameis Winston will fare against the best defense he will have faced to this point. If the Eagles want to pull off the upset, they will need to score. Eighteen points is not going to come close to getting it done against the FSU defense, and to be honest, I don't think they can score 18 points on FSU's defense. I think FSU will roll behind the running game. Florida State 38, Boston College 14
Central Michigan vs. NC State
This is just the second meeting between these two. NC State won 38-24 in 2011. A lot has changed in the two years since. Central Michigan is not as good as that team, having won once so far this year, barely beating New Hampshire. NC State is coming off of their first loss of the season last week against Clemson. Dave Doeren has faced the Chippewas in the past at Northern Illinois, so he knows what Central Michigan does. Expect the running game to carry NC State to a blowout win. NC State 34, Central Michigan 13
Wake Forest vs. Clemson
After conquering their first hurdle last week, Clemson's second hurdle in conference play will be more like a bump. Wake did get their second win of the season last week against Army, but the Deacs haven't faced a team on Clemson's level yet this year. Wake's defense is stingy, and could have some success stopping Clemson's offense, but I don't see it being enough, mainly because I don't think Wake's offense can do nearly enough to keep them in the game. Clemson 45, Wake Forest 10
