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Massachusetts
(4-0) at Boston College
(4-0) 1:00
PM
Why to Watch: The Eagles are off to a flying start, showing the potential
to head into the Virginia Tech showdown
next month 7-0, so a game like this is
about tweaking and developing depth. BC
scores plenty of points, is
opportunistic on defense and already is
in the ACC driver’s seat, but it hasn’t
always been smooth, struggling a little
too much with Wake Forest and Army.
UMass might not just be a pushover,
going 4-0 with a strong defense, a nice
pass rush, and balance offense. BC will
actually have to show up.
Why Massachusetts Might Win: QB
Liam Coen is an accurate, reliable
passer who has thrown for 814 yards and
nine touchdowns, and he’s just good
enough to bomb away to keep the
Minutemen in the game. Defensively, the
line has been great against the run, and
should hold up well for at least a half,
and likely won’t give up too many, if
any, big runs. If things get sticky on
offense, and the Minutemen want to play
field position, they can do so with
Brett Arnold, the sixth-best punter in
I-AA, averaging 43.6 yards per boot.
Why Boston College Might Win:
Boston College coasted to victory last
week against Army, 37-17, and continues
to boast one of the nation’s more potent
offenses averaging 483 yards per game.
The production starts on the line,
that’s giving Matt Ryan all the time in
the world to throw, and is doing a great
job getting the running game going. The
UMass lines are fine, but nothing
special, and will have a hard time
dictating the action.
Who to Watch: After putting
together three solid years in the
backfield (637 yards, 708 yards, 633
yards), Andre Callender seems ready to
go over the 1,000-yard mark this year.
He’s already rushed for 348 yards, and
showed how dangerous he can be in the
tweaked offense against Army. He has
good speed and some power, and he’s
providing just enough balance to not
force Ryan to carry the entire load.
What Will Happen: The Minutemen
may hang around for a while, but BC will
win easily with the running game and run
defense.
CFN Prediction Boston College 31
… Massachusetts 10
... Line:
No Line
Must See Rating: (5 Ken Burns'
The War - 1 The Big Bang Theory)
... 1
Duke
(1-3) at Miami
(3-1) 12:00
PM
Why to Watch: The Hurricanes appear to have it cranked up again after
last Thursday’s 34-17 rout of Texas A&M.
Are they ready to be a factor in the ACC
race? Beating up Duke won’t necessarily
show much, but after needing to hang on
last year in a 20-15 win in Durham, a
blowout wouldn’t be taken too lightly.
The passing game made an appearance in a
big way against the Aggies, giving the
strong UM running game a good
counterpart. Now it has to show it
wasn’t a fluke. Duke, meanwhile, is
coming off a brutal, 46-43 last-minute
loss to Navy but is one of the top
statistical offenses in the league, and
might make this more of a battle than
Cane fans might like.
Why Duke Might Win: As long as QB
Thaddeus Lewis is on his feet, the Blue
Devils have a shot. He threw for 428
yards and four scores against the
Midshipmen, and is maturing into a
stronger passer as the season is going
on. He and wideout Eron Riley, who
caught four touchdown passes last week,
are becoming a deadly tandem worthy of
worrying about. Lewis is 45th
in the nation in passing efficiency,
becoming more than just a runner. Look
out for Jabari Mitchell, a dangerous
kickoff return man who could take one
the distance.
Why Miami Might Win: In the win
over A&M, the Hurricanes appeared to
have it all together. The defense
allowed just 38 first-half yards against
the Aggies, Kyle Wright teamed with
backs Javarris James and Graig Cooper to
provide a balanced attack, and for the
first time in a long time, there was an
actual offense. The defense, after the
Oklahoma debacle, appears to be back,
with the secondary picking off seven
passes. The defensive line is way too
quick for the Duke offensive front five.
Who to Watch: Wright set the tone
for the evening against the Aggies on
the first drive, when he led an 18-play,
80-yard march to paydirt, during which
he was five-for-five on third downs. He
finished with 275 yards passing on
21-for-26 passes in, arguably, the best
performance of his career. He even lined
up at receiver a couple times on direct
snaps to James and Cooper, but that was
to get the running backs better involved
in short yardage plays.
What Will Happen: The Duke
offense will stagger some under the
pressure from the ‘Cane D, while Wright
will build on last week and come up with
a second straight strong game.
CFN Prediction: Miami 30 …
Duke 10
... Line:
Miami -24
Must See Rating: (5 Ken Burns'
The War - 1 The Big Bang Theory)
... 2
Florida State
(2-1)
vs. Alabama
(3-1)
(in Jacksonville)
5:00 PM CBS
Why to watch: In 1974, an Alabama
team on its way to an 11-1 season, with
the loss coming in the Orange Bowl to
Notre Dame, and along the way, it got
all it could handle in an 8-7 win over a
Florida State team that would finish the
year 1-10. The two tied 37-37 in 1967.
That's been it for the two storied
programs in what could've been a far,
far different scenario if Alabama powers
that be hadn't screwed up in 1986. It
was all but set that Bobby Bowden would
leave Florida State for the vacant Bama
job, but it ended up going to Bill
Curry, the Seminoles weren't 11-1 the
next year, and the rest is history. Now,
Nick Saban is the superstar on the
sidelines, and he has his team playing
well, despite a 26-23 overtime loss to
Georgia last week. This is the team's
toughest game away from home until the
season ender against Auburn. For Florida
State, a win over a brand name team is a
must after slogging its way through the
early part of the year. This is a team
in desperate need of a major confidence
boost, and it'll get it if it can pull
this off.
Why Florida State might win:
Alabama is going to struggle to pound
the ball on the Seminole defensive
front. Clemson got a tremendous game out
of James Davis in the opener, but FSU
quickly put the clamps down on the Tiger
running game, and has been a brick wall
ever since. The Tide got the passing
game going over the last few weeks, and
QB John Parker Wilson has come into his
own, but in a perfect world, it controls
the game with Terry Grant on the ground.
It might not be able to do that.
Why Alabama might win: Can
Florida State score? The Jimbo FIsher
era hasn't exactly taken off for the
Seminole offense, struggling with its
consistency and having major problems
getting the passing game going. Outside
of a few late drives, the Bama secondary
has been a rock so far, while the run
defense hasn't been all that bad, with
the stats skewed by playing Arkansas. It
won't take more than a few scores to get
FSU panicking and throwing it too often.
Once the Noles abandon the ground game,
it's over.
Who to watch: Off-the-field
issues have suddenly made the FSU
defense an issue. The linebacking corps
can't afford to lead Geno Hayes, one of
the team's top tacklers and best
all-around defensive playmakers, who was
suspended after his involvement in a bar
fight. Losing Hayes speed won't help
against the Alabama running game, if
he's actually not going to play.
Toddrick Verdell will suddenly be
trusted into the spotlight, and he has
to come through with a strong
performance after getting most of the
first team work on the weakside this
week.
What will happen: The offensive
balance of Alabama will be too much for
the Seminoles to overcome. Bama will get
up early, Florida State will start
throwing, Bama will increase the lead,
Florida State will keep throwing, Bama
will pull away in the fourth.
CFN Prediction:
Alabama 23
... Florida State 13 ...
Line: Florida State -2
Must See Rating: (5 Ken Burns'
The War - 1 The Big Bang
Theory) ... 3.5
ACC Week
Five Predictions, Part 2
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