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Georgia Tech (8-3) at Georgia
(9-2),
12:00 EST, CBS
Why to watch: When Paul
Johnson was hired by Georgia
Tech almost a year ago, he knew
that beating Georgia was on the
top of his to-do list. The
Yellow Jackets have lost seven
in-a-row to the Bulldogs, moving
further and further behind their
in-state rival, a gap Johnson in
charge of narrowing. Tech is
coming off an impressive win
over Miami last Thursday, and is
in the ACC Coastal clubhouse
with a 5-3 mark. To win the
division, however, it’ll need
Virginia to upset Virginia Tech
on Saturday afternoon. The
Bulldogs must get to 10 wins in
order to keep their fading
at-large BCS bowl hopes alive.
With Florida and Alabama on
target to gobble up those two
SEC openings, however, a far
more likely scenario has them
playing in the Capital One Bowl
against a Big Ten opponent.
Why Georgia Tech might win:
The Yellow Jackets are going to
enjoy a considerable advantage
at the point of attack when
Georgia has the ball. While the
Dawgs have been scrambling with
injuries on the offensive line,
Tech has been rock solid in the
trenches with ends Michael
Johnson and Derrick Morgan, and
tackles Vance Walker and Darryl
Richard. The team ranks in the
top 20 nationally in sacks,
total defense, and scoring
defense, presenting a major
challenge to the balanced
Georgia offense. Johnson’s
option has begun to purr,
racking up almost 1,100 yards in
the last three games with
Florida State, North Carolina,
and Miami.
Why Georgia might win:
With a much-needed week of rest
behind them, the Dawgs have the
speed and discipline on defense
to slow down the option and
force Tech QB Josh Nesbitt into
more passing situations. Georgia
is No. 15 nationally against the
run, and its problems pressuring
the quarterback and defending
the pass won’t get exposed this
weekend. As tough as the Yellow
Jackets can be on defense,
they’ve yet to face an offense
with as much skill position
talent as Georgia. The
combination of QB Matt Stafford,
RB Knowshon Moreno, and WR A.J.
Green is like nothing they see
on a week-to-week basis in the
ACC.
Who to watch: With
Georgia Tech content to pound it
on the ground 50 or so times,
this is the type of game
designed for Georgia LB Rennie
Curran. In just his second
season of action, he’s having an
All-American-type year, leading
the Dawgs with 98 tackles, nine
tackles for loss, and three
sacks. He’s got the speed and
instinct to be in on a ton of
plays, while keeping Jacket
B-back Jonathan Dwyer from
getting through the hole and
busting past the second line of
defense.
What will happen: Georgia
Tech is fired up for this game.
If Georgia can’t match that
intensity for four quarters, the
winning streak will be over.
While Johnson has narrowed the
gap, as directed, his Yellow
Jackets won’t be quite ready to
win a game in Athens. They’ll
fall in a thriller on a fourth
quarter drive directed by
Stafford and capped by Moreno.
CFN Prediction: Georgia
28 … Georgia Tech 24 ...
Line: Georgia -8.5
Must See Rating: (5
Football while eating
Thanksgiving food – 1
Home movies after dinner) … 4
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North Carolina (7-4) at Duke
(4-7),
3:30 EST, ESPNU
Why to watch: North
Carolina might be headed back to
the postseason in Butch Davis’
second season, but it’ll look
back on November as a month of
lost opportunities. Just a
couple of weeks after taking
control of the Coastal Division,
the Tar Heels blew a late lead
to Maryland and got completely
blown out by NC State to fall
out of contention. They’ll use
this week’s trip to Durham to
try and regain some momentum
before heading off to the
postseason. Duke’s dreams of a
bowl game in David Cutcliffe’s
first season officially
disappeared in Blacksburg last
weekend, its sixth loss in the
last seven games. While the Blue
Devils clearly made some
progress this season, they ran
out of steam in the second half,
and still have a long way to go
before narrowing the talent gap
on the rest of the conference.
Why North Carolina might win:
Duke’s problems scoring points
are going to continue,
especially if QB Thaddeus Lewis
and top rusher Clifford Harris
are out again this week. The
Blue Devils have scored just 10
points in the last two games,
and backup QB Zack Asack was
absolutely miserable last
weekend. The Tar Heels boast a
speedy, attacking defense that
won’t give up much ground
through the air and won’t have
much trouble with Duke’s 102nd-ranked
running game.
Why Duke might win: As
badly as the Blue Devils have
been skidding, it hasn’t been
the fault of a defense that’s
held up well in most games and
only allowed one offensive
touchdown to Virginia Tech a
week ago. Linebackers Michael
Tauiliili and Vincent Rey will
create headaches for a Carolina
offense that’s produced just 25
points in the last two weeks and
has sunk to 99th in
the country in total offense.
The Tar Heels are having issues
at quarterback with Cam Sexton
and T.J. Yates, and aren’t
getting a push from the
offensive linemen.
Who to watch: With the
problems North Carolina is
facing at quarterback, it’ll be
wise to turn the offense over to
RB Shaun Draughn, the most
consistent member of the
backfield. The converted
defensive back was hemmed in by
Maryland and NC State recently,
but should find a little more
running room this weekend at
Duke.
What will happen: Duke
might be primed for an upset in
this spot if it wasn’t facing so
many problems in the backfield.
Without a healthy Lewis, this
simply isn’t the same team. The
Carolina offense will benefit
from short field opportunities,
parlaying turnovers into
touchdowns from Draughn and WR
Hakeem Nicks.
CFN Prediction: North
Carolina 27 … Duke 13 ...
Line: North Carolina -8.5
Must See Rating: (5
Football while eating
Thanksgiving food – 1
Home movies after dinner) …
2.5
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Miami (7-4) at North Carolina
State (5-6),
12:00 EST
Why to watch: North
Carolina State has been out of
the ACC race for more than a
month, but few teams are playing
better as the end of the regular
season approaches. The Pack has
won three straight, including
last weekend’s 41-10 rout of
North Carolina, to pull within a
game of bowl eligibility. That’s
not too shabby for a team that
was 2-6 and on life support not
long ago. State went 4-0 versus
teams from North Carolina, and
would get a huge jolt of
momentum by qualifying for a
postseason game in Tom O’Brien’s
second year on the job. In
losing to Georgia Tech last
Thursday, Miami dropped from
contention in the tight Coastal
Division race. Although an ACC
championship would have put the
young program a year ahead of
its timetable, ‘Cane fans
couldn’t help but get excited
after making a cameo in the Top
25 last week.
Why Miami might win: As
long as the ‘Canes don’t have to
worry about defending the
option, they’ll be fine on
defense. Miami had been moving
in the right direction with its
inexperienced defense before
running into the Georgia Tech
ground game. North Carolina
State won’t present nearly the
same kind of challenge. The
Hurricanes are No. 20 nationally
in total defense, and all of
those young players, such as LB
Sean Spence and DE Marcus
Robinson, have begun to play
like sophomores.
Why NC State might win:
Forget what you saw from the
Wolfpack in September. This is a
completely different team that’s
running the ball much better
with Andre Brown and Jamelle
Eugene, and playing rock-solid
defense. With Nate Irving back
at linebacker and DE Willie
Young creating havoc on the
outside, NC State will toy with
a Miami offense that still
hasn’t found its bearings.
Quarterbacks Robert Marve and
Jacory Harris will wilt in the
face of pressure and make the
kinds of mistakes that change
the tempo of a game.
Who to watch: Although
he’s not getting nearly the
attention he deserves, NC State
QB Russell Wilson has been
nothing short of brilliant as a
redshirt freshman. Quickly
becoming O’Brien’s franchise
quarterback, he leads the ACC in
passing and has thrown 14
touchdown passes without an
interception over the last eight
games. No, he doesn’t have the
best fastball, but he’s mature
beyond on his years and simply
won’t make a mistake to kill a
drive. In Wilson, the Pack has a
winner it can build around for
the next three seasons.
What will happen: Two
programs headed in opposite
directions will continue down
those paths. While NC State is
flourishing and in need of a win
for bowl eligibility, what’s
Miami’s motivation this weekend?
The Pack will swarm on the
Hurricane quarterbacks, forcing
turnovers and providing a boost
for the offense. Wilson will
flip a pair of touchdowns
without a pick for the sixth
game in-a-row.
CFN Prediction: NC State
28 … Miami 17 ... Line:
Miami -1.5
Must See Rating: (5
Football while eating
Thanksgiving food – 1
Home movies after dinner) … 3
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Consultants FREE selections
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ACC Week
14 Predictions, Nov. 29, Part 2
(Mary-BC, Va-VT) |