Florida State (5-3) at Boston College
(8-0),
8:00 EST ABC Why to Watch: For much of last
Thursday night’s game at Virginia Tech,
Boston College appeared headed for the
scrap heap of unworthy national
championship contenders alongside Cal,
South Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, USC,
and several others. And then lightning
struck during a persistent Blacksburg
rainstorm. Within a span of a couple of
frenzied minutes, the Eagles got an
onside kick and a pair of Matt Ryan
touchdown passes to erase a 10-point
deficit and remain unbeaten. Now with
four regular season games left, the
second ranked team in America has a
chance to play for a national
championship, provided it can soldier on
with a massive target on its chest.
With each win, Ryan will also take a
step closer to a possible Heisman
Trophy. That Florida State will be
playing the role of spoiler this week
says plenty about how far the program
has descended over the last few years.
No longer a sure thing in league play,
the Seminoles have yet to solve their
offensive woes, and with three tough
games remaining, may need to pull an
upset just to land a second-rate bowl
game. This week’s trip north affords
the program a chance to do something
special in an otherwise forgettable
season. Why Florida State might win: The
Seminole coaching staff saw the same
thing that you did last Thursday
night—Ryan and the Boston College
offense can be pretty ordinary when the
quarterback is faced with non-stop
pressure. Florida State boasts a
defense that can apply that degree of
heat with a front seven that’s as nasty
as any in the ACC. The ‘Noles still
have great athletes on defense, such as
LBs Geno Hayes and Derek Nicholson, who
close quickly on the ball and can
deliver the payload when they reach
their target. As much hype as the
Eagles are getting, this is the same
team that only scored 24 points on
Massachusetts and 27 points on Notre
Dame earlier in the year, and should
have problems scoring consistently
against an FSU team that hasn’t been all
that bad on the road. Why Boston College might win:
Unless the defense plays its game of the
year, Florida State simply won’t score
enough points to even put a scare in the
Eagles. The Seminoles have been
horribly inefficient on offense,
averaging only 23 points a game, while
regularly flopping in enemy territory.
RB Antone Smith will find no running
room against the nation’s No. 2 run
defense, putting the fate of the unit on
the inconsistent right arm of Drew
Weatherford. For as good as Florida
State has been on defense, it does allow
a lot of yards, which Ryan will expose
by locating steady receivers Brandon
Robinson, Kevin Challenger, and Rich
Gunnell. Who to watch: The
underappreciated star for Boston College
in 2007 has been a bedrock defense that
hasn’t flinched all year. The emotional
leader of that group is S Jamie Silva,
an intimidator out of the secondary that
leads the team in solo tackles and has a
league-high five interceptions. A force
from his position, he’ll have to support
an undersized secondary that must
contain 6-6 WR Greg Carr, a mismatch for
most of Florida State’s opponents. What Will Happen: Emboldened by
the home crowd and last week’s stunning
comeback win, Boston College will
steamroll a Florida State team that just
won’t have enough in the offensive bag
to pull off the upset. A couple of Ryan
touchdown passes and Dejuan Tribble
picks will help carry the Eagles to a
comfortable ninth straight
win. CFN Prediction:
Boston College
31 …
Florida State 17 ... Line: Boston
College -6.5 Must See Rating: (5 Heidi Klum on
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -
1 Heidi Klum on Oprah) ...
4
ACC Thursday, November 1st
Virginia Tech (6-2) at Georgia
Tech (5-3)
7:30 ESPN Why to Watch: Just how
does Virginia Tech recover from
last Thursday’s nationally
televised collapse to Boston
College, losing a pivotal ACC
game that appeared to be well in
hand late in the fourth
quarter? With the Coastal
division still there for the
taking, the Hokies have to
bounce back in a big hurry and
not let the Eagles beat them
twice. Tech hopes to get back
Tyrod Taylor, who hasn’t shown
off much as a passer quite yet,
but has the wheels to escape a
Georgia Tech defense that can be
extremely unfriendly to opposing
quarterbacks. While most teams
get healthy during their bye
weeks, the Yellow Jackets
learned that they’ll be without
top runner, Tashard Choice, and
his backup, Rashaun Grant, both
of whom were in injured in last
week’s win over Army. Although
Grant is done for the year,
there’s a slight chance Choice
could see limited action on
Thursday after undergoing
arthroscopic knee surgery. In
an up-and-down year in Atlanta,
Georgia Tech will be looking to
extend its two-game winning
streak while improving its
postseason destination. Why Virginia Tech might win:
As bad as QB Taylor Bennett and
the Georgia Tech passing game
have been this season, the
Jackets have to establish the
run to have any chance. It
won’t be easy with true freshman
Jonathan Dwyer getting the bulk
of the carries against a
Virginia Tech defense that’s No.
10 nationally stopping the run
with an active defensive line
that’s been fantastic at
stopping things before they get
a chance to develop. Since
getting run out of Baton Rouge
in Week 2, the Hokies have been
air-tight defensively, and could
get a boost from the return of
star LB Vince Hall, the team’s
leading tackler before breaking
his wrist in the Oct. 6 win over
Clemson. Why Georgia Tech might win:
The Yellow Jacket offensive line
has been so good this season,
you might not know that Choice
is in street clothes Thursday
night. Okay, that’s a reach,
but Dwyer and Jamaal Evans will
still enjoy daylight running
behind a line that’s allowed
just six sacks all year and has
paved the way for the ACC’s top
rushing offense. No matter
who’s behind center for the
Hokies, it’ll matter little
against an attacking Georgia
Tech defense that leads the
league total defense, scoring
defense, and sacks. Even the
usually reliable Virginia Tech
running game has been AWOL in
2007, averaging just 119 yards a
game. The Hokies don’t have the
pieces to get involved in any
type of a shootout.
Who to watch: A staple in
most years, the Virginia Tech
offensive line has been
uncharacteristically bad,
allowing more sacks than all but
one ACC team and failing to
create holes for RB Branden
Ore. A long season for the unit
gets longer this week with a
trip to face a Georgia Tech
defense that’ll bring the heat
from every angle. With DE
Darrell Robertson zooming off
the edge, DT Vance Walker
getting a push up the middle,
and LBs Philip Wheeler and Gary
Guyton coming on the blitz,
Taylor and Sean Glennon will be
running for cover all night at
Bobby Dodd Stadium. What Will Happen: For a
change, Virginia Tech will not
be able to count on having an
edge on special teams to offset
issues on offense. Georgia Tech
is better, which will provide
the difference in a tight,
low-scoring game. P Durant
Brooks will pin the Hokies deep
all night, and K Travis Bell
will boot four field goals,
including the game-winner. CFN Prediction:
Georgia Tech 19 …
Virginia Tech 18
... Line: Virginia Tech
-2.5 Must See Rating: (5 Heidi
Klum on Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show - 1 Heidi Klum
on Oprah) ... 4
ACC Saturday, November 3rd
Maryland (4-4) at North Carolina
(2-6) 3:45 EST, ESPNU Why to Watch: Early
season hopes of a bowl
invitation have begun to fade
for both teams, but the Terps
can quickly get back in the hunt
for a 13th game with
a win. Both schools are coming
off awful losses that indicated
they’re regressing more than
progressing. The Terrapins, who
earlier in the month raised
expectations with wins over
Rutgers and Georgia Tech, have
lost consecutive games to
Virginia and Clemson, the latter
in ugly fashion. They’ll need
to split the final four games to
even have a shot at the
postseason, no small chore
considering Boston College and
Florida State are still on the
docket. The Tar Heels went in
reverse in last Saturday’s 37-10
loss to Wake Forest, squandering
the momentum gained from an
upset of Miami and close calls
with Virginia Tech and South
Carolina. Still, North Carolina
is worth watching over the next
four games because by next
season the up-and-coming program
might be a bona fide player in
the ACC Coastal division under
head coach Butch Davis. Why Maryland might win:
Save for the Miami game a few
weeks ago, the North Carolina
offense has been non-existent
for much of the season,
averaging just 16 points over
the last six games. Rookie QB
T.J. Yates has only thrown two
touchdown passes over the last
five games, and the running game
ranks tenth in the ACC. The
presence of DT Dre Moore and LB
Erin Henderson on the Maryland
will keep the Tar Heel offense
in a rut Saturday afternoon. On
defense, Carolina is starting
five freshmen, and is beginning
to face a crisis of depth,
particularly in the secondary. Why North Carolina might win:
Maryland hasn’t played a
complete football game in almost
a month, sputtering on offense,
and coming apart at the seams
defensively. The Terps have
yielded at least 175 yards on
the ground in each of the last
three games, giving hope to
Anthony Elzy, Johnny White, and
a suspect Tar Heel running
game. North Carolina has been a
decidedly better team in Chapel
Hill, and is still playing with
the passion and emotion of a
young team that’s building
toward a brighter future in
2008. Who to watch: Special
talents, especially linemen,
have a way of getting lost on
teams that aren’t competing for
championships. North Carolina
DT Kentwan Balmer is one such
player, a top run-stuffer that
has caught the attention of NFL
scouts that project him as a
possible first-day selection
next April. An underrated
player all season, the senior
will again play an integral role
this week trying to stop the
talented Terp tandem of Lance
Ball and Keon Lattimore, who’ve
combined for 19 touchdowns on
the ground this fall. What Will Happen:
Maryland has played the last two
weeks as if it already has one
foot in the off-season. North
Carolina, on the other hand, has
shown no signs of quitting on
the season. Playing at home,
the Heels will outhustle the
Terps en route to a one-score
victory. CFN Prediction:
North
Carolina 26 … Maryland 23...
Line: North Carolina -2.5 Must See Rating: (5 Heidi
Klum on Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show - 1 Heidi Klum
on Oprah) ... 2
