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Virginia (5-4) at Wake Forest
(5-3),
3:30 EST
Why to watch: It’s
do-or-die time for Virginia and
Wake Forest, who are trying to
become bowl-eligible while
staying afloat in the Coastal
and Atlantic Divisions,
respectively. The Cavaliers fell
from their perch in a most
painful way Saturday,
squandering a lead and losing in
overtime to Miami. If Virginia
can’t turn things around
immediately, it could go from
division-leader to completely
out of the bowl picture in a
hurry. The Demon Deacons kept
their hopes for the division
alive with a 33-30 overtime win
against Duke. While this is not
the same team that started the
season 3-0, it can still be a
factor in the race with improved
play from the offensive line and
the running game. Wake is a
half-game behind Maryland, which
it lost to on Oct. 18.
Why Virginia might win:
When Wake Forest has the ball,
the Cavaliers will enjoy the
edge in the trenches. While the
Deacons have struggled all year
with their line play, the
Virginia front seven has
blossomed, getting steady
production from linemen Alex
Field and Matt Conrath, and LB
Clint Sintim. The Wake offense
ranks No. 10 in the ACC, a
situation that isn’t being
helped by the absence of top RB
Josh Adams. Since being
carpet-bombed by Duke more than
a month ago, Virginia has been
giving up just 15 points a game.
Why Wake Forest might win:
As bad as the Deacon offense has
been this season, Virginia has
been a notch lower, occupying
the ACC basement in scoring.
Yeah, Marc Verica has been an
upgrade at quarterback, but
that’ll change against a Wake
Forest back seven that’s
bolstered by LB Aaron Curry, CB
Alphonso Smith, and S Chip
Vaughn. Smith will neutralize
top WR Kevin Ogletree, leaving
Verica without a reliable set of
hands on the outside to target.
The one constant for the Deacons
during this turbulent season has
been its ability to make big
plays, leading the league in
turnover margin.
Who to watch: Over the
spring and summer, RB Brandon
Pendergrass wowed the Wake
Forest coaching staff with his
quickness and power in a compact
frame. With Adams on the mend
from an injured left ankle,
Pendergrass is getting more
chances to show that he can
shine in the fall as well. He
ran for a career-high 64 yards
and a touchdown against Duke,
and will be the focal point of
the offense if Adams remains
hampered by the injury.
What will happen: Based
on the recent trend of these two
schools, you can bank on a
low-scoring defensive scrum that
won’t be decided until late in
the fourth quarter. In fact,
don’t rule out an extra session,
which both have played in recent
weeks. Wake will survive a close
call for a second straight week,
putting an end to Virginia’s
comeback bid with an
interception from Smith.
CFN Prediction: Wake
Forest 23 … Virginia 16 ...
Line: Wake Forest -3.5
Must See Rating: (5 The
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– 1 The Non-Stop Election
Analysis) … 3
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North Carolina State (2-6) at
Duke (4-4),
3:30 EST
Why to watch: After
failing to close the deal
against Wake Forest last
weekend, Duke needs to get back
on the winning track in order to
have a shot at bowl eligibility.
That the Blue Devils have made
progress under David Cutcliffe
is a given, but they’ve been
unable to sustain a high level
of play for any length of time.
Such is life with a program that
isn’t used to winning many games
or competing for a bowl berth.
North Carolina State will spend
the final month of the season
trying to disprove the notion
that it’s this year’s worst
program in the ACC. It’s not
going to be easy. Although it
has played substantially better
over the last three games, State
has still lost four straight and
is the only team in the league
below the .500 mark.
Why North Carolina State
might win: The Pack’s recent
surge has been spurred by the
offense, which is getting
improved play from QB Russell
Wilson and backs Jamelle Eugene
and Andre Brown. While its
overall numbers still don’t look
good, the NC State attack has
turned the corner over the past
few weeks. Wilson leads the ACC
in passing efficiency, and the
ground game produced more than
150 yards versus pretty good
defenses from Florida State and
Maryland. Duke is 10th
against the run in the league,
lacking consistency on defense.
Why Duke might win: While
quality defenses have given the
Blue Devils, the pedestrian ones
have been navigated nicely by QB
Thaddeus Lewis and his favorite
receiver Eron Riley. Lewis will
have success through the air on
a North Carolina State pass
defense that occupies the ACC
cellar. The Pack has produced
just six sacks in the last six
games, and made Chris Crane look
like Matt Ryan in early October.
Duke has scored at least 30
points five times this season,
an indication of the impact
Cutcliffe is having in Durham.
Who to watch: The Blue
Devils hope that their
season-long search for a feature
back has finally been settled.
True freshman Jay Hollingsworth
is coming off the best day of
his brief career with the
school, rushing for 67 yards and
a touchdown on 15 carries last
week. If he can provide any
support out of the backfield,
the passing game will be that
much harder to contain.
What will happen: Duke
will ride the right arm of Lewis
to within a game of bowl
eligibility, a ridiculous
suggestion back in August. While
NC State will continue to make
progress on offense, it won’t be
enough to combat a Blue Devil
attack that’s done very well at
capitalizing on vulnerable
defenses.
CFN Prediction: Duke 31 …
NC State 24 ... Line: Duke -4.5
Must See Rating: (5 The
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Notre Dame (5-3) at Boston
College (5-3),
8:00 EST
Why to watch: Notre Dame
and Boston College resume an
underappreciated rivalry between
two of the most prominent
Catholic universities in the
country. Both schools will be
looking to rebound from tough
losses and notch that sixth
victory needed for bowl
eligibility. The Irish let one
slip through its fingertips at
Saturday, blowing a big lead
before losing to Pittsburgh in
four overtimes. It’ll be up to
Charlie Weis to make sure his
young team doesn’t allow that
game to linger and impact its
performance this weekend in
Boston. The Eagles are reeling
from back-to-back losses to
North Carolina and Clemson that
have exposed them as overrated
and sent them spiraling
backwards in the ACC Atlantic.
With games still left with
Florida State, Wake Forest, and
Maryland that’ll decide the
division, Boston College needs
to relocate its rhythm
immediately.
Why Notre Dame might win:
What has happened to the Boston
College D? After beginning the
season like one of the toughest
units in the country, it’s shown
signs of wear and tear lately,
allowing an average of 31 points
over the last four games. North
Carolina’s Cam Sexton burned the
Eagles for three touchdown
passes late last month,
promising news for Jimmy Clausen
and his maturing set of
receivers. The sophomore is
maturing every week along with
talented wideouts Golden Tate
and Michael Floyd. If the Irish
can keep the pressure on, Boston
College lacks the offensive
consistency to go
stride-for-stride.
Why Boston College might win:
The Eagles will render the Irish
one-dimensional with one of the
nation’s best run defenses. With
Ron Brace, B.J. Raji, and Mark
Herzlich clogging up running
lanes, Clausen better be
exceptional because his arm will
be Notre Dame’s only mode of
transportation. The Irish are
just average on the defensive
line, which could help spring
freshmen Josh Haden and Montel
Harris out of the backfield.
When Boston College has rushed
for at least 150 yards this
season, it’s won all four of its
games.
Who to watch: While
Clausen has been the MVP of this
Notre Dame team, Floyd has not
been far behind. Just a
first-year freshman, he’s caught
41 passes for 633 yards and
seven touchdowns, growing with
each week he’s on the field.
Blessed with an enormous upside,
he’ll be going up against a
Boston College secondary that’s
had only one really bad day all
year.
What will happen: Boston
College is picking the worst
possible time to regress. Not
only have the Eagles lost two
straight, but they’ve looked bad
doing it. Even with the loss to
Pitt a week ago, Notre Dame is
headed in the right direction, a
path it’ll remain on behind a
couple of Clausen touchdown
throws and a pair of picks by
the defense.
CFN Prediction: Notre
Dame 28 … Boston College 24 ...
Line: Boston College -3.5
Must See Rating: (5 The
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– 1 The Non-Stop Election
Analysis) … 3.5
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ACC Week
11 Predictions, Nov. 8, Part 1 |