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Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
3:30 PM NBC
Why to Watch: There
might be bigger games in week
one with national title
implications and chances to
throw the top 25 into a tizzy,
but this might be the most
intriguing matchup of the
weekend.
Who is Notre Dame? Is it a
program that can simply reload
after losing almost everyone
worthy of note on offense, or is
this a rebuilding year on the
way to bigger and better things
down the road? What will happen
if the Irish have to spend the
first half of the season taking
a few lumps against a brutal,
BRUTAL, schedule? Is Georgia
Tech the real deal? Within an
eyelash, and decent quarterback
play, of a truly special season,
complete with an ACC title and a
trip to the Orange Bowl wiped
away with a loss to an inferior
Wake Forest team. Somewhat
quietly, Chan Gailey has put
together his best team yet in
Atlanta. If Tech really wants to
be a player, and it can be a
national threat this year, it
has to pull off it's first win
in South Bend since 1959. For
the Irish, with road games at
Penn State and Michigan coming
up, a loss will likely mean an
0-3 start.
Why Georgia Tech Might Win:
Georgia Tech's defense should
keep the Irish quarterback on
his back all game long. No
matter who the Irish starter
turns out to be, the Tech
defensive front should be able
to dominate a Notre Dame front
five that almost got Brady Quinn
killed last year and will likely
struggle over the first half of
this year. This is not the
defense to break in new skill
players against, while the Tech
offensive line should dominate
the Irish defensive front. It'll
be a shock if Tashard Choice and
the Tech running game doesn't
control the tempo.
Why Notre Dame Might Win:
Georgia Tech had the better team
last year, including Calvin
Johnson, and Notre Dame still
found a way to win on the road.
Even though everyone has jumped
off the Irish bandwagon, this is
still a team under Charlie Weis
that's only lost to one team
that didn't end up in (or play
in) the BCS, and that was the
shootout against Michigan State
two years ago. This is a
fantastically coached team that
should have plenty of wrinkles,
bells and whistles on both sides
of the ball for a Tech team
that'll lack an explosive pop
and might not have the receiving
corps in place to take advantage
of the mediocre Irish secondary.
Who to Watch: Apparently
a matter of national security,
Weis has refused to name his
starting quarterback between
Evan Sharpley, Jimmy Clausen and
Demetrius Jones. Tech has had to
prepare for an athletic runner
in Jones, a all-around game of
Sharpley, and the prototype
passer in Clausen. On the other
side, Tech's Taylor Bennett is
considered an upgrade over
Reggie Ball, who won plenty of
games but was wildly
inconsistent. Bennett threw for
326 yards and three touchdowns
in the Gator Bowl loss against
West Virginia, and if he gets a
little bit of time and doesn't
force his throws, he should be
able to carve up the Irish
secondary and take the spotlight
away from whoever's under center
for the Irish.
What Will Happen:
Georgia Tech should win this
game in a walk, but the coaching
of Weis, and the surprisingly
steady play of all the new
starters on the Irish offense,
will keep this close. In the
end, the Tech defense will prove
too stout, while Choice and the
running game will control the
fourth quarter.
CFN Prediction:
Georgia
Tech 23 ... Notre Dame
16 Line:
Notre Dame -2
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 4
Final Score:
Wake Forest at Boston College
3:30 PM ABC
Why to Watch:
For Wake Forest, this is a prove
it game. Yeah, last season was
great, but was it fluke? Yes,
these are the defending ACC
champion Demon Deacons, and Jim
Grobe’s squad doesn’t appear to
be a one-hit wonder with a slew
of returning talent. While the
hope is for the same formula to
work two years in a row, the ACC
is much better overall and now,
everyone will be gunning for the
champ. For Boston College, this
is a shot to show that the
program can still roll on
without Tom O’Brien. New head
coach Jeff Jagodzinski will have
to hit the ground running with
team that’s good enough to win
the league championship and get
to the BCS. While the ACC
Atlantic Division won’t be won
on Saturday, the loser will be
fighting an uphill battle all
season long with no margin for
error.
Why Wake Forest Might Win:
The Deacon offense, led by
quarterback Riley Skinner,
confounds defenses with
misdirection and counter-action,
and while there’s plenty of
deception, it’s all in the
execution. With its experience,
there shouldn’t be any lag time
considering it’s the first game
of the year. Skinner and the
attack down turn the ball over
and should keep BC star QB Matt
Ryan and the Eagle offense on
the sidelines throughout the
game; at least that’s the idea.
On defense, the Deacons are a
quick, penetrating unit that
frustrates zone blocking
schemes, like the one that
Boston College runs under
Jagodzinski.
Why Boston College Might Win:
The fact that Ryan is still
taking snaps gives the Eagles a
chance, not to mention the fact
that he’s 100% healthy,
something that he wasn’t
throughout a strong junior
campaign. If Ryan gets a solid
performance from his running
game, the Eagle signal caller
should have plenty of throwing
lanes against a
bend-but-not-break Deacon
defense. BC has the defensive
front, led by future NFL DT B.J.
Raji, to gum up the works even
with all-star center Steve
Justice and guard Chris DeGeare
back on the inside for Wake.
Who to Watch: The
Quarterbacks. The dearth of big
time quarterbacks in the
conference is disconcerting, but
not here. Wake Forest’s Skinner
doesn’t have an arm and is
hardly flashy, but he drives the
Deacon offense and won’t force
anything that isn’t there. He’s
the consummate game manager,
even if he only throws 15 times
a game. On the other hand,
Ryan, who threw for 402 yards in
last year’s loss, is the
preseason ACC player of the year
for a reason. He’s the
unquestioned leader of the new
BC offense and has been given
the autonomy afforded only the
most cerebral of signal
callers. The two stars won’t
line up against one another, but
it’s perhaps the best
tête-à-tête in the ACC this
weekend.
What Will Happen:
The last time these two teed it
up in Chestnut Hill, Ryan led a
last minute comeback to defeat
the Deacons 35-30. It won’t be
that thrilling, but it should be
a third straight good game in
the series with the running
games each trying to take
control. The Eagle backs should
pile up more than 200+ yards,
while Ryan and the BC passing
attack has a big advantage over
Skinner.
CFN Prediction:
Boston
College 24 … Wake Forest
17 Line:
Boston College -6.5
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 3.5
Final Score:
Villanova at Maryland
6:00
PM
Why to Watch:
Maryland head coach Ralph
Friedgen has another solid, if
unspectacular, squad that should
be able to compete for the ACC
Atlantic Division title. The
Wildcats shouldn’t provide much
resistance, but the Terps have
suffered a number of injuries
throughout camp, not to mention
the loss of hulking tackle Jared
Gaither to the NFL. They still
need a sure-thing starting
quarterback to emerge, and this
game needs to go a long way in
finding one. Over the past few
years, Fridge’s Terps have been
lackluster, even in victories,
so this one might not be a high
scoring blowout.
Why Villanova Might Win:
Maryland won’t score enough
points to blow out the Wildcats,
so Villanova is going to be one
big play away from staying in
the game. Quarterback Antwon
Young is an athletic signal
caller who can frustrate the
Terps with his ability to move
in the pocket and make plays
downfield. The Terps are going
to be doing plenty of
experimenting and could be
anything but smooth the first
time out.
Why Maryland Might Win:
Speed. Lots of speed. The
Terps are as fast as any team in
the ACC led by wide receiver
Darrius Heyward-Bey, although
he’s been nursing a foot injury
during camp. Villanova doesn’t
have the offensive playmakers to
keep up in any sort of shootout,
while the defense, which was
abysmal against the pass last
year, has to make a
night-and-day turnaround to keep
the UM QB Jordan Steffy from
looking like Peyton Manning.
Who to Watch: Steffy … or
Josh Portis. It’ll be Steffy to
start, and needs to come out
sharp, or else there might be
more tinkering to be done
against Florida International
next week before the showdown
with West Virginia. He’ll be
under a little bit of pressure
from a Wildcat defense that’ll
take plenty of chances to
disrupt things, but he needs to
make the right reads and the
right decisions in a hurry to
get the ball to his potentially
explosive corps.
What Will Happen:
Steffy will make one key play
blowing open a close game in the
second half after the ground
game has loosened things up.
The running tandem of Lance Ball
and Keon Lattimore should then
control much of the second half.
CFN Prediction: Maryland
31 … Villanova 10 Line:
N/A
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 1
Final Score:
UCF at North Carolina State
6:00
PM
Why to Watch:
These two teams are quickly
looking to bounce back after
subpar 2006 seasons. Every team
is looking to make a statement
in week one, but this game might
speak more to how the respective
seasons will go considering how
close each program appears to be
to coming up with a big year.
The Wolfpack leaves the Chuck
Amato era behind as taskmaster
Tom O’Brien takes over a program
in bad need of discipline,
organization and consistent
wins. A loss to a Conference USA
team would potentially be
devastating with the road trip
to Boston College coming up next
week. UCF’s George O’Leary has
plenty of talent at his doorstep
to make the Wolfpack nervous,
and a win here could jump-start
the program. It might sound
cliché, but the confidence from
a great performance really could
show the Golden Knights could be
a player in the C-USA race.
Why UCF Might Win:
State will face its share of big
time running backs this year,
but it gets a huge test in the
opener against Kevin Smith. The
Knights will be physical at the
point of attack and give the
Wolfpack defensive front, minus
former star DeMarcus “Tank”
Tyler, a headache. If UCF
dominates the ball for 35
minutes, and gets consistent
play on third downs from the
passing game, State could be in
serious trouble. The offense
isn’t explosive enough to take
away the momentum if it’s lost,
but …
Why North Carolina State
Might Win: … State’s
running game may be the best
unit that UCF faces this year
and should control the game.
Toney Baker and Andre Brown form
a punishing 1-2 combination and
will pound out drives against
the mediocre UCF defensive front
seven. As long as they don’t
turn the ball over, State should
pile up 200+ yards rushing and
keep Smith out of the game.
Who to Watch: UCF
receiver Rocky Ross returns
after a solid sophomore season
and is quarterback Kyle Israel’s
go-to guy. If Smith picks up
chunks of yards in the running
game, then Ross is going to get
single coverage downfield.
Advantage Ross. More than
anything else, he has to make
plays on third downs. UCF has to
control the clock from the
start, and there will be plenty
of third and fives.
What Will Happen:
The State defense will keep
eight in the box to halt Smith
and hope that Ross doesn’t do
any damage deep downfield. If
the Wolfpack defense keeps the
UCF passing game in check, Baker
and Brown will run for 275+ and
give O’Brien a win in his first
game. At BC, O’Brien would never
lose a game like this.
CFN Prediction: NC State
24 …
UCF 16 Line:
NC
State -10
Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 2.5
Final Score:
James Madison at North Carolina
6:00
PM
Why to Watch:
Butch Davis back on the sideline
is intrigue enough for this
matchup, but even more so is
what type of team he’ll have in
Chapel Hill. Eventually. His
team has talent, but most of it
is young and inexperienced,
making a game like this vital
for the program’s development,
even if it is the season
opener. James Madison may be an
FCS team, but it won’t play like
one. Head coach Mickey
Matthews’ bunch is one of the
strongest non-top level teams
and has the talent and potential
to ruin Davis’ debut in Kenan
Stadium. This is a sound team
with good playmakers on both
sides of the ball.
Why
James Madison Might Win:
The Dukes’ balance on offense
will present problems for the
North Carolina defense that
doesn’t have a ton of experience
in the front seven. That group
needs to get JMU off the field,
but don’t expect the Dukes to go
three and out throughout the
game. The more confidence
quarterback Rodney Landers and
company get, the more difficult
it’ll be to keep Cinderella from
dancing in the fourth quarter.
Also making things interesting
will be the JMU pass rush. The
last thing the developing UNC
passing game needs is to be
pressured play in and play out.
Why North Carolina Might Win:
The opening game of the
Butch Davis era? Against an FCS
opponent? Davis and his staff
will coach this like it’s the
national championship game to
ensure that the Heels start
1-0. Not to mention the fact
that the Heels can always throw
the ball to receiver Hakeem
Nicks against a JMU secondary
that will give up the long ball.
UNC should get several more big
plays than the Dukes.
Who to Watch: North
Carolina quarterbacks. Redshirt
freshman T.J. Yates snatched the
job away from sophomore Cam
Sexton, but that doesn’t mean
that the quarterback situation
is settled by any means. If
Yates has a few three and outs
early and JMU jumps to an early
lead, will we see Sexton? Yates
has to make a statement early to
maintain his hold on this job.
What Will Happen:
Pesky JMU won’t go away. This
will be a ballgame into the
fourth quarter, but the depth of
Carolina’s defense and talent at
receiver will eventually take
over late in the game. If Yates
is cool under pressure, the
Heels offense will wear out the
Duke secondary. No, not that
Duke.
CFN Prediction: North
Carolina 31 … James Madison 20
Line:
No
Line
Must See Rating:
(5 Hef wants you to take his
place on The Girls Next Door,
but you can’t because you have
to watch this game - 1
Cavemen) ... 1.5
Final Score:
ACC Week One Predictions |
