The Confidential

Week 3 ACC Preview

Welcome to Week #3.  Check out our latest poll, and remember to get your week’s entry in for our fantasy football contest.  It is free… with prizes.   And you can join anytime.  Here are this week’s games:

Saturday

Syracuse (1-0) @ Central Michigan (2-0), 12:00 pm.  Syracuse was a sleeper team for some.  They seemed asleep against Villanova, a game replete with coaching errors, missed assignments, and a QB ejection that nearly cost the Orange the game.  Meanwhile, Central Michigan cannot be taken lightly, especially at home.  This is a danger zone for Syracuse.  It is hard to see a loss here and a bowl game.

East Carolina (1-1) @ #17 Virginia Tech (2-0), 12:00 pm.  The enter ACC stood up and applauded Virginia Tech for taking down Ohio State.  And now the reality sets in that Virginia Tech may be a contender.  If Virginia Tech thumps East Carolina–that is one more proverbial feather in the cap for the Hokies.  The important thing is avoiding the let down that has plagued some of Frank Beamer’s teams in the past.

Georgia Southern (1-1) @ Georgia Tech (2-0), 12:00 pm.  It is hard to tell what to make of Georgie Tech.  And a win against Georgia Southern will not answer many questions either.  What we do know is that Georgia Tech has done what they have needed to do to be 2-0.  And 3-0 is better than all the alternatives.

Pittsburgh (2-0) @ Florida International (1-1), 12:00 pm.  The Panthers are suddenly an interesting team.  They have looked great on defense, but the emergence of James Conner as a Heisman Trophy candidate to compliment Tyler Boyd is really putting Pitt on the map.  Could we see the Panthers enter the top 25 for the first time in quite a while?  Perhaps.  But a win against Florida International must come first.

Arkansas State (1-1) @ Miami (1-1), 3:30 pm.  Miami returned to form with a nice win in Week #2.  A lot of folks are looking at this game as a potential upset.  Arkansas State is battle tested, while Miami remains light years away from its glory days.  Keep an eye out on this one.  The ACC needs its marquee names to avoid upsets, even if they are going to end up mediocre.

NC State (2-0) @ South Florida (1-1), 3:30 pm.  Like Georgia Tech, NC State is undefeated.  Like Syracuse, NC State cannot be too proud of its undefeated status.  But it is what it is.  And a win over the Bulls would get the Wolfpack halfway to a bowl game with 9 games to go.  Not too shabby.  The Bulls will be hungry, having given away a win against Maryland.

Kansas (1-0) @ Duke (2-0), 3:30 pm.  Sure, this one looks better as a hard court matchup than a gridiron one.  But we saw Duke get 10 wins last year, and Kansas is just a few years removed from an Orange Bowl.  Nevertheless, the conference needs every win it can get over a Power 5 school.  Duke cannot let this one get away.

Wake Forest (1-1) @ Utah State (1-1), 7:00 pm.  The Demon Deacons have another tough OOC matchup against a non-Power 5 school.  A win means little fanfare, while a loss can be demoralizing.  Let’s hope the Wake Forest can build off last week’s win and get another one for its new coach.

#9 USC (2-0) @ Boston College (1-1), 8:00 pm.  The Trojans looked OK against Stanford, but it really seemed like Stanford lost opportunities.  Still, USC never lacks for talent.  Boston College disappointed against Pitt.  If Pitt is for real, then BC has a puncher’s chance.  If Pitt is an average team, then this one could get ugly.  But keep in mind that Boston College looked as good against Clemson/Florida State as anyone else last year.  Never say never for Steve Addazio.

Purdue (1-1) @ #11 Notre Dame (2-0), 7:30 pm.  Purdue lost to Central Michigan, while Notre Dame shutout Michigan.  We suspect that Purdue is better than they looked, and Notre Dame is worse than they looked, in Week 2.  With Notre Dame’s difficult schedule, beating the teams that they are supposed to beat is mandatory.  The Fighting Irish need to take care of business here.

ACC GAME OF THE WEEK: #21 Louisville (2-0) @ Virginia (1-1), 12:30 pm.  We think Louisville is good and it sure appears that Virginia is improved.  But this is the Cardinals first road game and obviously the first road game in the ACC.  The ACC could use a Louisville in the top 10, so many fans might root against the upset here.  At the same time, Virginia has had a rough year or two, and it would be nice to see Mike London’s coaching seat cool off.  This one should be interesting.

What do you think?