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Maryland
(2-2) at Rutgers
(3-0) 3:30
PM ABC
Why to watch:
The semi-pro portion of the 2007
schedule now behind it, Rutgers will
finally face an opponent with a near
equivalent amount of talent. Are the
Scarlet Knights worthy of being the No.
10 team in the country? A visit from
the Terrapins will go a long way to
answering what games with Buffalo, Navy,
and Norfolk State could not. And with
Louisville losing two straight and South
Florida hosting West Virginia, a Rutgers
win could elevate it to
second-in-command in the Big East after
the first month of the season. Maryland
will be trying to regroup from a
devastating overtime loss to Wake Forest
in a game it led 24-3 in the second
half. A trip to Piscataway represents
an opportunity for the Terps to either
bounce back with authority or skid to a
crushing third straight loss. These two
schools recruit a lot of the same
players, so the outcome could
reverberate right through to February.
Why Maryland might win: Did you
notice how Penn State played last week
in Ann Arbor, its first game of the year
against a quality opponent? Rutgers is
liable to suffer the same fate as it
attempts to take a sizable step up in
competition. While the Knights were
pounding Buffalo and Norfolk State, the
Terps were grappling with West Virginia
and Wake Forest, and will come in
battle-tested. Maryland also boasts the
ACC’s top-rated pass defense, and a
front seven that’s beefy and quick
enough to slow down Heisman contender
Ray Rice. This is, by far, the most
athletic team the Scarlet Knights have
faced.
Why Rutgers might win: The
Maryland offense is in disarray, a
situation that’s not going to get better
with this week’s visit north to face one
of the Big East’s best defenses. The
Knights are going to feast on QB Jordan
Steffy, who’s getting absolutely no
protection up front and appears to be
losing his confidence. The Rutgers
defense is short on star power, but it’s
extremely well coached, rarely allows
big plays, and will endure few issues
containing this 98th-ranked
Terrapin attack.
Who to watch: Just how far
Rutgers will go in 2007 hinges heavily
on the maturation of junior QB Mike
Teel. So far, so good for the nation’s
passing efficiency leader, but now he
must elevate his game and prove he can
get it done against a Maryland secondary
that’s ninth nationally in pass defense,
and has twice as many picks as
touchdowns allowed.
What will happen: While Rice will
get his yards and at least one
touchdown, this game will be won by a
Rutgers defense that will harass Steffy
from the opening snap, and turn sacks
and turnovers into quick points for the
offense.
CFN Prediction:
Rutgers
33 … Maryland 13
... Line: Rutgers -15
Must See Rating: (5 Ken Burns'
The War - 1 The Big Bang Theory)
... 3
North Carolina
(1-3) at Virginia Tech
(3-1) 12:00
PM GamePlan
Why to Watch:
The Tar Heels may be spiraling downward
after three straight losses, but they’ve
been relatively close, losing toe East
Carolina and Virginia by a combined
total of five points, before getting
thumped by South Florida. Meanwhile,
Virginia Tech has picked things up and
is looking for its third consecutive win
and a decent start to the ACC. Tech
might not be consistent on offense, but
the defense is starting to hum as
expected with dominant performances over
Ohio and William & Mary in back-to-back
weeks. It may still be too early to
anoint the Hokies completely healthy
again, but they appear to be interested
in having a say in the conference race,
with every game proving to be vital in
the development of Tyrod Taylor and the
offense.
Why North Carolina Might Win: The
Tar Heels have one of the conference’s
better passers in T.J. Yates, who’s
playing like an experienced veteran with
efficient play and decent decision
making. He may have struggled against
South Florida last week, throwing for 85
yards and getting picked off four times,
but for the most part, he’s been
consistent. The Heels are averaging
248.8 yards per game through the air and
could stay close that way against a
Hokie secondary that’s not quite playing
up to its usual snuff.
Why Virginia Tech Might Win: The
Tar Heels are a poor running team,
averaging just 80 yards per game, and
plays into the hands of Tech’s strength.
Unable to do much against the South
Florida defense last week, the UNC
offense will likely get shut down for
stretches thanks to an offensive line
that can’t keep defensive fronts out of
the backfield. Although the Hokies are
not yet a juggernaut offensively,
freshman Tyrod Taylor is just starting
to improve his passing, while his
running should be able to keep the
linebackers on their heels just enough
to open things up.
Who to Watch: Virginia Tech’s
Eddie Royal is supposed to be one of the
most explosive players in the ACC, if
not the country, but he hadn’t detonated
yet. Finally, he took off against
William & Mary, taking a punt back 60
yards for a touchdown. He’s averaging
15.0 yards per punt return and 25.5
yards bringing back kickoffs, and needs
to be a difference maker to counteract
UNC’s top return man, Brandon Tate.
What Will Happen: The Hokies will
strangle the UNC offense and use
Taylor’s multiple skills to cruise to a
victory.
CFN Prediction: Virginia Tech 30
… North
Carolina 13
... Line:
Virginia Tech -17.5
Must See Rating: (5 Ken Burns'
The War - 1 The Big Bang Theory)
... 2
Louisville
(2-2) at NC State
(1-3) 3:30
PM ESPNU
Why to watch:
How bad has Louisville been so far this
season? It hasn’t trumped Notre Dame and
Michigan as the most disappointing
program through the first four weeks,
but it’s beginning to enter the
discussion. There were signs of trouble
in a 58-42 defeat of Middle Tennessee,
but no one could have predicted last
weekend’s debacle to 0-3 and 37-point
underdog Syracuse. While the Brian
Brohm-led offense is always worth the
price of admission, the defense has been
utterly abominable ever since the Murray
State opener ended. While it’s only
four games into his tenure, it’s already
a defining moment for Steve Kragthorpe.
If Louisville dogs it this Saturday
after getting embarrassed a week ago,
it’ll speak volumes about the coach’s
inability to get through to his veteran
team. If the Cards want to feel good
about themselves this weekend, they can
look across the sidelines at NC State,
which might compete with Duke as the
ACC’s worst program this season. In Tom
O’Brien’s debut in Raleigh, the Pack has
already lost to UCF, and wasn’t
competitive in league games with Boston
College and Clemson. With hopes of a
post-season game only mathematically
alive, the next two months will be all
about building for the future and
finding a reliable quarterback between
Harrison Beck and Daniel Evans.
Why Louisville might win:
Whatever happens with the Cardinals this
fall, they’re going to score lots of
points with an offense that averages 619
yards a game and has yet to be held
below 34 points in a game. Brohm has
been sensational, throwing 15 touchdown
passes to just three picks, and the
Anthony Allen-led running game gives the
unit an element of balance and
short-yardage toughness. Louisville’s
season averages might actually go up
this week against a toothless NC State
defense that just got manhandled for 608
yards by Clemson.
Why NC State might win: The way
Louisville is tackling and covering
these days, North Carolina A&T might
score 30 on it. The Cardinals’ 90th-ranked
defense hasn’t been able to recover
since the Middle Tennessee scare because
it just isn’t very good. It’s allowed
at least 460 total yards in each of the
last three games, and has been
completely destroyed through the air.
This is exactly the type of game that
could ignite Beck’s career and land WR
Darrell Blackman ACC Player of the Week
honors.
Who to watch: Short of dropping
back into coverage or defending the run,
the Louisville offense has done about
all it could to win games this year.
One of the poster children for that
determination has been Allen, whose run
for 493 yards and five touchdowns in
four games. As the Cards look to extend
drives to keep the defense off the
field, Allen will run wild on a Pack D
that’s yet to hold an opponent under 200
yards rushing.
What will happen: Although
Louisville is far from out of the woods,
it’ll get a chance to regroup this week
against an NC State program that won’t
keep up offensively or do much to slow
down the Cardinal attack.
CFN Prediction:
Louisville
42 … NC State 24
... Line:
Louisville -8.5
Must See Rating: (5 Ken Burns'
The War - 1 The Big Bang Theory)
... 2.5
Pitt
(2-2) at Virginia
(3-1) 7:00
PM ESPNU
Why to watch:
All it took was one costly meltdown in
an inexplicable 34-14 loss to
Connecticut for Dave Wannstedt to decide
that the future is now at Pittsburgh.
The Panther head coach is turning his
bumbling offense over to QB Pat Bostick
and RB LeSean McCoy, a pair of true
freshmen and two of the most celebrated
recruits to ever sign with the program.
Before another season slips away, Pitt
needs some kind of a spark after
producing just three touchdowns in
back-to-back losses to Michigan State
and the Huskies. Although it’s still
way too early to start dreaming about a
Coastal Division crown, Virginia is
carving out a nice little story with its
three-game winning streak that was
capped by Saturday’s upset of Georgia
Tech. The Cavaliers have rebounded from
an opening day loss at Wyoming, and with
Pitt, Middle Tennessee State and
Connecticut up next, the potential for a
6-1 start and a Top 25 appearance is
there for the taking.
Why Pitt might win: The Panthers
remain afloat because of the play of the
defense, which is ranked 11th
nationally, and has allowed just a
single touchdown pass in four games.
They’ll have no problems shutting down
Jameel Sewell and the feeble Virginia
passing game, or containing a Cav
offense that’s averaging just 19 points
a game. Bostick may be green, but he
also has the best physical tools of any
Pitt quarterback, and seemed to spark
the offense in the second half of last
week’s loss.
Why Virginia might win: Pitt’s
defense is very good, but Virginia’s is
on the verge of being better. With
Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald
creating pressure off the edge, the
bend-don’t-break Cavalier defense could
make Bostick’s first career start a
forgettable one Saturday evening. While
the freshman did show promise last
weekend, he also showed his
inexperience, throwing three
interceptions in just two quarters of
work. As if Bostick needs more to worry
about, he may be without RT Jason
Pinkston, forcing the Panthers to
shuffle an already questionable line.
Who to watch: By the third week,
Peerman had already established a
career-high for rushing yards in a
season. A tough, physical workhorse
that fits the personality of the
Virginia offense, he’s bulled his way to
an ACC-high 479 yards on the ground,
giving the Cavs a back that can move the
chains and wear out opposing defenses.
What will happen: In a throwback
game that’ll be dominated by the
defenses, running games, and kickers,
Virginia will force Bostick into a
couple of momentum-changing mistakes
that tip the scales in its favor.
CFN Prediction:
Virginia
27 … Pitt 16
... Line: Virginia -7
Must See Rating: (5 Ken Burns'
The War - 1 The Big Bang Theory)
... 2.5
ACC Week
Five Predictions, Part 1
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