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Miami (5-3) at Virginia (5-3),
12:00 EST, ESPN GamePlan
Why to watch: Virginia
continues to author the most
improbable story of the ACC
season, upsetting Georgia Tech
for its fourth consecutive win.
Much like last year, there
nothing sexy about the
Cavaliers, who are winning with
a solid defense, a power running
game, and a limited number of
mistakes. Now that the hunter
has become the hunted, Virginia
will try for the first time to
protect its one-game lead in the
Coastal Division. Miami remained
in the hunt for the division
with its 16-10 victory over Wake
Forest last weekend. Although
the Hurricanes have won three
straight, they’ve looked sloppy
at times getting there are
hardly a finished product.
Besides the obvious desire to
move up in the standings, they’d
also like to pay back the Cavs
for last year’s 52-7 loss in the
Orange Bowl swan song.
Why Miami might win:
While this is not a vintage
Hurricane defense, it still
ranks No. 15 in the country and
has enough talent and speed to
shut down the vanilla ‘Hoo
offense. Virginia averages just
17 points a game and as a team
has thrown twice as many
interceptions as touchdown
passes. Marc Verica has been a
nice caretaker since Pete Lalich
transferred, but he’ll hardly
make the Miami secondary quiver.
The Cavalier run defense is
vulnerable, so expect to see a
heavy of Graig Cooper and
Javarris James, who’s working
his way back from an injury.
Why Virginia might win:
Cavalier defensive coordinator
Bob Pruett has quietly done a
terrific job this season. During
the four-game winning streak,
Virginia has allowed just 12
points a game, collected a dozen
sacks, and been burned for just
a single touchdown pass. The
linebackers have been
outstanding, particularly Clint
Sintim, who’s performing at an
All-America level. In comes
Miami with one of the most
inconsistent offenses in the ACC
and sporadic play from freshmen
quarterbacks Robert Marve and
Jacory Harris. The ‘Canes’
troubles with the ball will
continue against a disciplined
defense that makes few mistakes.
Who to watch: Virginia DE
Matt Conrath is just a redshirt
freshman, but his enormous
potential shines through
whenever he breaks from the
huddle. Second behind Sintim in
sacks and tackles for loss, he’s
got the wingspan of a condor and
a non-stop motor, the latter
generating comparisons to former
Cavalier Chris Long. Down the
road, Conrath is going to be a
star. For now, he’ll still be a
nuisance for the Miami tackles.
What will happen: This
has all of the makings of a
low-scoring defensive scrum that
isn’t decided until the final
minutes of the fourth quarter.
In other words, an environment
that Virginia knows well. The
Cavaliers are playing with the
quiet confidence of a team that
now feels it can win every game
as long as it doesn’t have to
mount a big comeback. Miami is
an ordinary football team, which
lacks the offensive execution to
rally late or have much success
early against an underrated UVa
defense.
CFN Prediction: Virginia
22 … Miami 20 ... Line: Miami -1
Must See Rating: (5
RocknRolla – 1 High
School Musical 3: Senior Year)
… 3.5
-
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Clemson (3-4) at Boston College
(5-2),
3:30 EST, ESPNU
Why to watch: Last
November, Clemson and Boston
College battled for a spot in
the ACC championship game. This
November, both schools are
trying to remain relevant on
varying levels. The Eagles fell
from the top of the Atlantic
Division with last week’s 45-24
loss to North Carolina and can
ill-afford another defeat. The
pressure is really beginning to
mount for QB Chris Crane, who’s
been unable to string a couple
of decent game in-a-row. The
Tigers had a bye week to get
better acclimated to life
without head coach Tommy Bowden
and try to get a quarterback
healthy. If Clemson is going to
make a late push for bowl
eligibility, it has to have
either Cullen Harper or Willy
Korn at 100%.
Why Clemson might win:
Say what you will about the
Tigers’ demise, but don’t point
fingers at the defense. Since
the opening day debacle with
Alabama, Clemson has allowed
just 15 points a game, playing
especially well in pass defense.
That means more problems for
Crane and a passing game that
has been ineffective throughout
the year. The inside-outside
push of tackles Dorell Scott and
Jarvis Jenkins and end Ricky
Sapp, respectively, will prevent
the Eagles from getting much
going on the ground either.
Why Boston College might win:
The Eagles had defensive
breakdowns in Chapel Hill, but
that’s not indicative of their
potential as a group. They
remain in the top 10 nationally
in total defense and pass
defense, while doing a nice job
of pressuring the quarterback.
Boston College will get
penetration, especially with Ron
Brace and B.J. Raji on the
inside, against a Clemson
offensive line that’s been an
Achilles’ heel all season. Not
only are Harper and Korn on the
mend, but dangerous RB C.J.
Spiller is laboring with a
hamstring injury.
Who to watch: With Brian
Toal out for the season with a
broken leg, Mark Herzlich is
being counted on to play an even
bigger role for Boston College
at linebacker. Don’t bet against
him. The junior is in the midst
of a breakout year that’s shed
light on his ability to defend
the run and pressure the
quarterback. An All-ACC
candidate, he leads the Eagles
with 62 tackles and has pitched
in 4.5 tackles for loss.
What will happen: Boston
College’s one-week bout with
defensive ineptitude is over.
The Eagles will manhandle the
Tigers up front, hitting James
Davis before he gets up field
and getting in the face of
whichever injured quarterback is
able to go. While Boston College
will stumble on offense, it’ll
get just enough from Crane and
rookie RB Montel Harris to
remain in the Atlantic Division
race.
CFN Prediction: Boston
College 24 … Clemson 17 ...
Line: Boston College -5.5
Must See Rating: (5
RocknRolla – 1 High
School Musical 3: Senior Year)
… 3
-
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Consultants FREE selections
Duke (4-3) at Wake Forest (4-3),
3:30 EST
Why to watch: Wake
Forest, the perennial darling of
the ACC, is laboring to stay in
the hunt for an Atlantic
Division that looked to be its
domain just a few weeks ago. The
Demon Deacons are having a devil
of a time generating much
offense, a product of an
offensive line that’s having a
hard time holding its blocks.
While hope comes in the form of
five straight games in the state
of North Carolina, Wake is one
more loss away from being in
trouble for bowl eligibility.
Duke, on the other hand,
dramatically improved its
chances for its first bowl since
1994 by surprising Vanderbilt,
10-7, in Knoxville. Although it
didn’t go the way David
Cutcliffe drew it up, it still
represented another big step
forward for the program and the
first-year coaching staff.
Why Duke might win: How
bad have things gotten for the
Wake Forest offense? It’s now
gone five consecutive games
without scoring more than 17
points. The Deacons are
determined to finally get backs
Josh Adams and Brandon
Pendergrass unleashed, but don’t
count on it. It hasn’t happened
all season for a team averaging
just 109 yards a game on the
ground. The Blue Devils have
actually played pretty well on
defense this fall, getting solid
production from a front seven
that’s bolstered by veteran
playmakers, like LB Michael
Tauiliili and DE Greg Akinbiyi.
Why Wake Forest might win:
Duke is at its best when
Thaddeus Lewis is getting the
ball in the hands of top
receiver Eron Riley, but that’ll
be no small chore against the
Demon Deacon pass defense. With
Alphonso Smith, Kevin Patterson,
and Chip Vaughn manning the air
waves, Wake Forest is 22nd
nationally in pass efficiency
defense, allowing just three
touchdown passes over the last
five games. If the Blue Devils
can’t get things moving through
the air, it won’t be able to
improvise with a futile running
game getting only 109 yards a
game.
Who to watch: LB Aaron
Curry is back to playing like a
beast again for Wake Forest.
Somewhat quiet this year by his
standards, he erupted against
Miami for three tackles for
loss, a sack, and a pass
deflected. If he’s on again this
week, everyone on the defensive
unit, from the linemen to the
defensive backs is going to
benefit.
What will happen: The
Wake Forest is set to explode.
Okay, they’ll score more than 17
points in a game for the first
time in almost two months,
getting a couple of touchdown
passes from Skinner and a
touchdown run from Adams. The
defense will come up big,
picking off a pair of passes and
giving the offense the short
fields it desperately needs.
CFN Prediction: Wake
Forest 23 … Duke 13 ... Line:
Wake Forest -7
Must See Rating: (5
RocknRolla – 1 High
School Musical 3: Senior Year)
… 2
-
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Consultants FREE selections |