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29 Oct 2012

ACC Football Rankings: October 29, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC football teams as of October 29, 2012:

1.  Florida State (8-1)–The Seminoles left no doubt that Duke still has a ways to go before joining the football elite.  Florida State gets some extra time off before traveling to the Hokies.

2. Clemson (7-1)–Clemson took care of the Demon Deacons on Thursday night, winning comfortably.  And now it is their turn to beat up on Duke.  In theory.

3. Duke (6-3)–The Blue Devils have been handled easily in their three losses.  Still, with a win over North Carolina, Duke holds on to the #3 slot.

4. North Carolina (6-3)–The Tar Heels move up into 4th place with a win over North Carolina State.  If only the Tar Heels were bowl eligible…

5. North Carolina State (5-3)–NC State missed a golden opportunity to get to bowl eligibility over rival North Carolina.  With Virginia, Wake Forest, and Boston College still on the schedule, they should get it done though.

6. Virginia Tech (4-4)–With six 4-4 teams to rank, it gets difficult to split hairs.  But Virginia Tech has the best win of the six teams–surprisingly it is Duke.

7. Miami (4-4)–The Hurricanes had the week off before entering the final third of the season.  Miami gets to prove it is worthy of leapfrogging the Hokies when they play this week.

8. Wake Forest (4-4)–The Demon Deacons win over North Carolina gets them the spot ahead of Syracuse.  North Carolina is a 6-3 team, while Syracuse has yet to beat a team above .500.

9. Syracuse (4-4)—The Orange rallied from 20 down to beat a desperate South Florida team that played well.  Syracuse’s head-to-head win over Pittsburgh justifies the move up to 9th place.

10. Pittsburgh (4-4)–Syracuse’s win over Pitt forces the Panthers down to #2.  However, given that they lost to Youngstown State, one must be impressed with how the season has turned around.

11. Maryland(4-4)—The loss to B.C. hurts the Terrapins.  A win to get to 5-3 would have the fan base thinking bowl game.  4-8 seems like a distinct possibility now.

12. Georgia Tech (3-5)–Georgia Tech just lost to Brigham Young, which is bad enough.  Getting blown out must have the Yellow Jackets a bit worried about the Paul Johnson era.

13. Boston College (2-6)–At 1-6, it did not look like Boston College would ever win again.  But they beat a surprising Maryland team to get that first win over a FBS program.  Nicely done.

14. Virginia (2-6)–Along with Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, Virginia is a huge disappointment for the A.C.C.  They deserve the basement this week.

Do you agree with these rankings?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
25 Oct 2012
1 Comment

ACC Football Predictions for Week 9

The Confidential’s football predictions for this week’s games featuring ACC teams.  The Confidential surged to a 6-2 record, elevating the overall record to a respectable 58-20.  On to the week 9 predictions:

Thursday October 25, 2012

#14 Clemson (6-1) @ Wake Forest (4-3), 7:30 p.m.  Clemson needs to avoid a late season slump.  This is exactly the type of game that could easily lead to a loss and subsequent November swoon.  With the whole nation watching, Clemson needs to rise to the occasion.  Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons are still looking for a signature win this year.  It aint coming this week.  Prediction: Clemson 27, Wake Forest 17.

Saturday October 27, 2012

Temple (3-3) @ Pittsburgh (3-4), noon.  Temple has 2 Big East wins, while Pittsburgh has zero.  In the battle for Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh has the home field advantage though.  We’ll see how much pride the Panthers can display.  One has to figure that Pittsburgh will rise to the occasion.  Prediction: Pittsburgh 21, Temple 10.

North Carolina State (5-2) @ North Carolina (5-3), 12:30 p.m.  This is sort of the battle for North Carolina–at least with respect to the public Universities.  Both teams have been decent and the winner will get to 6 wins.  While there is no bowl eligibility for the Tar Heels, N.C. State has eyes on a bowl.  This is a tough one to call.  Prediction: North Carolina 28, North Carolina State 20.

Maryland (4-3) @ Boston College (1-6), 1:00 p.m.  At the beginning of the year, this would have seemed like a key game for Boston College to get a conference win.  Now, it is hard to envision Boston College defeating the surprising Terrapins.  With Maryland starting to smell a bowl game, and Boston College floundering, look for the visiting team to pull out a win.  Prediction: Maryland 21, Boston College 14.

Brigham Young (4-4) @ Georgia Tech (3-4), 3:00 p.m.  Brigham Young has had trouble scoring, which is usually not a problem for Georgia Tech.  But BYU looked great against Notre Dame.  Still, the Yellow Jackets have too much pride to let a team come into Atlanta and steal a win.  Prediction: Georgia Tech 28, Brigham Young 9.

Duke (6-2) @ #11 Florida State (7-1), 3:30 p.m.  The ACC game of the week.  Duke is bowl eligible, which may mean that they will have a let down.  And Florida State is at home.  This game will be the true test of just how far the Blue Devils have come.  After losing to Virginia Tech and Stanford on the road, the Confidential has to go with the Seminoles.   Prediction: Florida State 44, Duke 9.

Syracuse (3-4) @ South Florida (2-5), 7:00 p.m.  Florida State struggled to beat South Florida on the road.  Syracuse is a 3-4 team with no wins on the road.  If Syracuse wants to get to a bowl game, they will need to win this game.  If South Florida wants to go to a bowl, losing here would be catastrophic.  Syracuse wants to win, but the Bulls must win.  Prediction: South Florida 28, Syracuse 20.

The Confidential apologizes in advance for not picking your team.  A lot of close games here.  Feel free to share why we are wrong. 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
22 Oct 2012

ACC Football Rankings: October 22, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC football teams as of October 22, 2012:

1.  Florida State (7-1)–With a win over Miami, the Seminoles stay comfortably ahead of Clemson for the best overall record in the ACC.  Florida State cannot look ahead to the Florida game and MUST continue to take care of business.

2. Clemson (6-1)–Clemson defeated Virginia Tech, maintaining its safe spot at #2 in the conference.  The Tigers did what they needed to do against a struggling Hokies team.

3. Duke (6-2)–The Blue Devils rebounded from a loss at Virginia Tech to defeat North Carolina at home.  The Blue Devils are bowl-eligible for the first time in nearly 20 years.  Congratulations!

4. North Carolina State (5-2)–The Wolfpack moved to 5-2 by defeating Maryland in College Park.  NC State is now one win away from bowl eligibility with 5 games left.

5. North Carolina (5-3)–The Tar Heels had a chance to get to bowl-eligibility, but lost to rival Duke.  One wonders if the sanctions take some of the juice out of the thrill of getting that 6th win.

6. Miami (4-4)–The Hurricanes have lost to some pretty good teams this year.  They have lost ugly though.

7. Virginia Tech (4-4)–This is just not the Hokies’ year.  Really, Virginia Tech could be a few slots lower too.

8. Maryland (4-3)–The Terps get the nod over Wake Forest here as they won the head-to-head matchup.  What great character this team has shown in being above .500 this late in the season.

9. Wake Forest (4-3)—The Demon Deacons took care of Virginia–a nice road win.  A bowl is still readily in sight.

10. Syracuse (3-4)–Syracuse salvaged its chances for a bowl game by defeating UConn handily over the weekend.  They’ll need to win 3 out of the 5 remaining, but all opponents look somewhat vulnerable.

11. Pittsburgh (3-4)—Pitt gets the edge over Georgia Tech by virtue of beating Virginia Tech.  Pitt’s wins over Buffalo and Gardner-Webb are not all that impressive otherwise.

12. Georgia Tech (3-4)–Georgia Tech is half-way to bowl eligibility with a convincing win over Boston College.  The Yellow Jackets are still searching for a good win though.

13. Virginia (2-6)–At 2-6, Virginia really needs a bye week.  Fortunately, they’ll get one this week. 

14. Boston College (1-6)–After losing yet again, the Eagles don’t need a bye week–they might STILL lose.  Gotta figure a coaching change is an inevitability.

Do you agree with these rankings?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
19 Oct 2012

ACC Football Predictions for Week 8

The Confidential’s football predictions for this week’s games featuring ACC teams.  The Confidential struggled to a 3-3 record–the worst week of the season.   Still, the Confidential is at a respectable 52-18 so far.  On to the week 8 predictions:

Friday October 19, 2012

Connecticut (3-3) @ Syracuse (2-4), 8:00 p.m.  The Orange simply cannot lose this game.  If the Doug Marrone era is not going to fall completely off the tracks, Syracuse needs to win this much of a winnable game.  UConn is struggling and coached by the guy Syracuse fired.  Just a must win.  Prediction: Syracuse 24, UConn 17.

Saturday October 20, 2012

Virginia Tech (4-3) @ #14 Clemson (5-1), noon.  This is a rematch of last year’s conference title game, but the teams are headed in different directions right now.  Virginia Tech had to rally to beat Duke, while Clemson has only lost to Florida State.  Given that Clemson is at home, as well as Virginia Tech’s defensive mortality, it is difficult to pick Virginia Tech to pull the upset.  Prediction: Clemson 35-Virginia Tech 24.

Wake Forest (3-3) @ Virginia (2-5), 12:30 p.m.  The Demon Deacons have been absolutely, positively mediocre.  Virginia is jealous of that right now.  Again, however, Virginia is the home team, which has to count for something.  The Confidential just does not see Wake Forest taking the win here.  Prediction: Virginia 21, Wake Forest 20.

Boston College (1-5) @ Georgia Tech (2-4), 3:00 p.m.  Boston College has been downright awful this year, with no wins over FBS teams.  Georgia Tech has been equally bad lately.  This two teams are at and/or near the basement in the ACC right now.  Like Syracuse, Georgia Tech simply MUST win this game.  Prediction: Georgia Tech 38-Boston College 13.

Pittsburgh (2-4) @ Buffalo (1-5), 3:30 p.m.  The Steelers and Bills face off in a clash of old industrial towns.  Wait, what?  Pittsburgh lost its momentum after the Virginia Tech win.  Buffalo has never really had any momentum yet.  One has to think the Bulls will be fired up for this rare visit from a BCS-level team.  Still, Pitt has to win this one, right?  Prediction: Pittsburgh 36, Buffalo 10.

North Carolina State (4-2) @ Maryland (4-2), 3:30 p.m.  While North Carolina State is not too much of a surprise, Maryland certainly is.  Good thing that Terrapins fans did not run Randy Edsall out of town.  Most likely.  Maryland does have to play a bunch of good teams down the stretch.  Reality sets in this week.  Prediction: North Carolina State 27, Maryland 14.

North Carolina (5-2) @ Duke (5-2), 7:00 p.m.  Obviously, a great basketball matchup, this is a pretty darn good football game this year.  For Duke, the season-ending slate is simply brutal.  This may be their last, best chance to get to bowl-eligibility.  Who better than the Tar Heels to stop them?  Prediction: North Carolina 24, Duke 20.

#12 Florida State (6-1) @ Miami (4-3), 8:00 p.m.  Miami has been tough to figure out.  There is really nothing in their performance to suggest that they can win this game.  Then again, there is everything out there to suggest that Florida State could simply lose it.  Typically, however, Florida State stumbles most egregiously in North Carolina.  Prediction: Florida State 45-Miami 20.

The Confidential apologizes in advance for not picking your team.  A lot of close games here.  Feel free to share why we are wrong. 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
16 Oct 2012

ACC Football Rankings: October 15, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC football teams as of October 15, 2012:

1.  Florida State (6-1)–A week after doing what it normally does (losing to teams from Tobacco Road for no reason), Florida State did what it was supposed to do–annihilate Boston College.  Halfway to a BCS bowl for the Seminoles.

2. Clemson (5-1)–Clemson was idle, but nobody below it did anything worthy to leapfrog them.  Sitting nicely in the #2 slot.

3. North Carolina (5-2)–The Tar Heels defeated a tough Miami team on the road.  This team looks like it might be ready to take the next step.

4. North Carolina State (4-2)–The Wolfpack was idle this week, but will look to have a strong second half en route to another bowl appearance.

5. Virginia Tech (4-3)–The Hokies finally put something together–defeating upstart Duke at home.  Giving up 20 points in the first quarter was a poor start, but the final score was all Hokies.

6. Duke (5-2)–Duke’s second half schedule will be brutal–they need to get that 6th win ASAP.  They had the Hokies on the ropes too.

7. Maryland (4-2)–Without question, Maryland is battling Duke for the surprise team of the year.  The difference is that Maryland very well could end up with a better record due to Duke’s tough schedule.  This is why you do NOT fire head coaches after one year.

8. Miami (4-3)–Miami had a chance to take the next step, but faltered against the Tar Heels.  This is still an OK team, but not ready to be classified as “good.”

9. Wake Forest (3-3)—Wake Forest is sitting at .500, a mediocre record after a mediocre first-half of the season.  Not going to get any easier for the Demon Deacons.

10. Syracuse (2-4)–Syracuse lost to undefeated Rutgers, but the Orange continue to self-destruct.  Looking at the results up and down these rankings, Syracuse fans need to be careful in losing patience with their coach.  That being said, Doug Marrone needs to re-evaluate what he is doing.

11. Pittsburgh (2-4)—Pitt also lost to an undefeated Big East team–Louisville.  Pitt did not keep it quite as close as Syracuse did, but that is not a surprise.

12. Georgia Tech (2-4)–Georgia Tech needed the bye week to regroup and gather its thoughts.  There are still opportunities on the schedule, but becoming bowl eligible will take some work.

13. Virginia (2-5)–All that momentum from last year has stalled.  Maryland and Virginia seemed to have swapped teams somehow.  A bowl seems unlikely.

14. Boston College (1-5)–After losing to the Seminoles by 40+ points, Boston College is squarely in the basement.  A bowl seemed highly unlikely.

Do you agree with these rankings?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
11 Oct 2012
2 Comments

ACC Football Predictions for Week 7

The Confidential’s football predictions for this week’s games featuring ACC teams.  The Confidential struggled to a 4-4 record–the worse week of the season.   Still, the Confidential is at a respectable 49-15 so far.  On to the week 7 predictions:

Saturday October 13, 2012

#18 Louisville (5-0) @ Pittsburgh (2-3), 11:00 a.m.   Pitt has been an enigma.  When you believe in them, they fail.  When you give up on them, they pull the upset.  The Confidential believes that they have the best coaching staff in the Big East.  But Pitt will rise to the occasion and defend its home turf.  Prediction: Pittsburgh 24, Louisville 21.

Syracuse (2-3) @ #20 Rutgers (5-0), Noon.   It is no secret that the Confidential is a “homer” when it comes to Syracuse, but rarely predicts based on that homer nature.  It is a jinx-risk thing.  But Rutgers will have the better season when it is all said and done.  Rutgers schedules smart and develops the confidence of its teams.  Syracuse’s challenging schedule has undermined its team confidence.  Prediction: Rutgers 21, Syracuse 19.

Duke (5-1) @ Virginia Tech (3-3), 12:30 p.m.  In most years, this would be a 30-point spread and an easy selection of the Hokies.  But those records cannot be ignored–they are saying something else.  The Confidential has been burned by the Hokies repeatedly this year, but will give them one more chance to show that they are not imploding.  Prediction: Virginia Tech 33, Duke 21.

North Carolina (4-2) @ Miami (4-2), 2:30 p.m.  The Sanctions Bowl!  Look, North Carolina has had a nice season, and Miami has been blown out by top foes on the road.  But note that Miami is home for this game.  That is a huge edge for the Hurricanes.  Prediction: Miami 30, North Carolina 22.

Maryland (3-2) @ Virginia (2-4), 3:00 p.m.  Who saw this coming?  Maryland with more wins than Virginia?  One of Virginia’s wins being a luck win against Penn State?  It is what it is.  If it is a fluke, this will be the week that puts the teams back on their expected course.  Prediction: Virginia 24, Maryland 14.

Boston College (1-4) @ #12 Florida State (5-1), 5:30 p.m.  The Seminoles could not avoid a letdown last week.  They were their own worst enemy.  Boston College just does not have the horses to play with Florida State.  If the Seminoles lose, they have the wrong coaching staff, plain and simple.  Prediction: Florida State 56, Boston College 10.

The Confidential apologizes in advance for not picking your team.  A lot of close games here.  Feel free to share why we are wrong. 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
08 Oct 2012

ACC Football Rankings: October 8, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC football teams as of October 8, 2012:

1.  Florida State (5-1)–With its win over Clemson, the Confidential simply cannot punish the Seminoles for its road loss to North Carolina State THAT much.  There is plenty more time for Clemson to show it deserves this spot over the team that it lost to.

2. Clemson (5-1)–In beating Georgia Tech, Clemson has itself set up nicely to pounce if/when Florida State disappoints next.  The Tigers need to focus on running the table in the ACC and worry about its conference rival South Carolina only when that game week approaches.

3. Duke (5-1)–Duke keeps winning.  That Stanford loss looks worse now, but who had the Blue Devils playing for bowl-eligibility in mid-October?  Give credit where it is due.

4. North Carolina State (4-2)–Before the weekend, Florida State was in the national title picture.  After this weekend, they are not.  Credit North Carolina State for making that happen.

5. North Carolina (4-2)–The Tar Heels finally beat someone with some talent–the very talented Virginia Tech Hokies.  They’ll have to prove that the deserve to stay in this spot when they visit Miami this week.

6. Miami (4-2)–Miami has yet to lose in conference play, but they have been simply awful against top 10 teams out of conference.  They have been outscored 93-16.  Not a typo.  Wow.

7. Maryland (3-2)–Well, the Terrapins are above .500.  They kept it as close against West Virginia as anyone all year.  The best wins are Temple and Wake Forest though.  Ugh.

8. Wake Forest (3-3)–The Demon Deacons beat North Carolina.  Virginia Tech did not.

9. Virginia Tech(3-3)—Not that Wake Forest has done THAT much to be ahead of Virginia Tech.  But Virginia Tech is struggling in a way that we have not seen under Frank Beamer.

10. Syracuse (2-3)–Syracuse was desperate for a win and got it, defeating Pitt 14-13.  A pretty ugly win though.

11. Pittsburgh (2-3)—At least Pitt has a nice win over Virginia Tech.  They lost a lot of momentum with that Syracuse loss though.

12. Georgia Tech (2-4)–The loss to Clemson was not bad, but the Georgia Tech resume is just not that impressive.  They did beat Virginia though.

13. Virginia (2-4)–That lucky win over Penn State looks nice.  But otherwise Virginia has been awful.

14. Boston College (1-4)–For a few weeks, the Confidential has been saying that Boston College doesn’t deserve to be #14.  Losing to Army?  There, now they deserve it.

Do you agree with these rankings?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
07 Oct 2012

ACC Weekend Football Recap: October 7, 2012

Well, another week is in the books for the ACC and its national title hopes are in the dumpster.  It is not Florida State’s fault that the ACC is out of the national title picture, but it is Florida State’s fault that the Seminoles are.  The ACC’s other “BCS hopefuls” looked particularly poor also, with Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Miami all losing.  Simply put, the ACC continues to mire itself in football mediocrity.

Here are the current standings:

Atlantic Conference W-L Overall W-L
Maryland 1-0 3-2
Clemson 2-1 5-1
Florida St. 2-1 5-1
N. Carolina St. 1-1 4-2
Wake Forest 1-3 3-3
Boston College 0-2 1-4
Coastal Conference W-L Overall W-L
Miami (Fla.) 3-0 4-2
Duke 2-0 5-1
North Carolina 1-1 4-2
Virginia Tech 1-1 3-3
Georgia Tech 1-3 2-4
Virginia 0-2 2-4

So there you have it.  Maryland, of all teams, is leading the Atlantic division.  And Miami and Duke are pacing the Coastal division.  If you bet $5 in Vegas on a Duke-Maryland championship game, you’d be looking for an island somewhere to purchase.  But that’s a possibility (mathematically).

It was not all bad for the ACC.  Duke rising to the occasion to beat Virginia IS a good story.  Virginia remains a dumpster fire, but Duke has not beaten Wake Forest and Virginia–neither team expected to be as bad as they currently are.  A Duke surge in football will be national news.  Clemson beating Georgia Tech continues the legitimacy of the Tigers.  And if Clemson can run the table and defeat a very hot South Carolina team in the process, they will be a legitimate BCS entry for the conference.  Similarly, Florida State running the table would include a defeat of currently surging Florida, accomplishing the same thing.  North Carolina State deserves some kudos for defeating Florida State too.  And we’ll be generous and call the Syracuse-Pitt pillow fight on Friday night a “defensive struggle,” as both teams have had decent offenses all season that were stifled by good performances on the other side of the ball.  These are all good things.

But it was mostly bad.  The ACC could have used a return to relevance by Virginia Tech, but the Hokies lost to North Carolina.  Not sure what is going on with Frank Beamer’s team, but it is not good.  Georgia Tech looked better in losing to Clemson, but 2-4 really was not expected.  That close loss to Virginia Tech looks worse and worse each week too.  Boston College losing to Army simply confirms that the program is in trouble right now.  And Miami remains an enigma–showing no signs of being able to compete on the national stage with another out-of-conference blowout loss.  That suggests that the ACC is that weak nationally–a 3-0 team in conference cannot stay within 30 points of top 10 teams.

There is little to point to defend ACC football in 2012.  At this point, it will be a battle for respect once again.  It is disappointing that the conference is in “wait ’til next year mode,” but it is what it is.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
06 Oct 2012
1 Comment

NC State Stuns Florida State

I am sure it is the ACC’s fault somehow, but Florida State has once again failed to rise to the occasion.  North Carolina State was able to defend its home field and defeat the Seminoles, 17-16.   With that, the last unbeaten team in the ACC goes down.  Well, unless you want to count Notre Dame.

For Florida State, it was not Clemson or Florida or Miami or Virginia Tech.  It was unranked North Carolina State.  The same team that lost to Tennessee.  The team with wins over an FCS program, a Sun Belt team, and 3-3 UConn.  This is a game that any truly elite program needs to win.  For all the talent in Tallahassee, it just fails to happen again and again.

This is not a situation where Florida State is losing to a wealthy SEC or Big 10 team.  This was equally compensated North Carolina State.  So, Seminole fans, don’t tell us the TV deal has anything to do with it.

And who has the tougher schedule?  Florida State got Clemson and then a struggling USF team before facing NC State.  Meanwhile, NC State had to return from a trip to Miami to host Florida State.  Florida State’s schedule is pretty nicely set up with winnable games alternating against soft games.  Had the Seminoles simply swapped Savannah State and USF on the schedule somehow, the schedule would have been perfect.  Even so, it is not an excuse.

A lot of teams have one loss.  And only one or two teams will end up undefeated, if any.  There is no shame in having a one-loss season.  Just don’t make excuses, Seminole fans.  It is what it is.  Another year of losing to a North Carolina school that should be beaten handily.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , , ,
04 Oct 2012

ACC Football Predictions for Week 6

The Confidential’s football predictions for this week’s games featuring ACC teams.  The Confidential nailed the Miami, Louisiana Tech, and Cincinnati wins last week.  Did not see the Georgia Tech loss (much less the margin of loss) or Duke wins though.  Still, the Confidential is at a robust 45-11 so far.  On to the week 5 predictions:

Friday October 5, 2012

Pittsburgh (2-2) @ Syracuse (1-3), 7:00 p.m.  Pitt started cold, but has been pretty good lately.  Syracuse starts every game cold, but has warmed up considerably in the second half in all games except Minnesota.  All signs point to Pitt being the team headed in the right direction.  And Syracuse has not beaten Pitt since… well, we’d have to look it up.  THAT long.  Prediction: Pitt 28, Syracuse 20.

Saturday October 6, 2012

Boston College (1-3) @ Army (0-4), Noon.   Both teams could use a victory.  Army just lost to FCS stud team Stony Brook, while BC has only beaten FCS New Hampshire.  Army is not going to lose out, but Boston College just needs this game way too much.  A loss could mean a coaching change.  Prediction: Boston College 27, Army 20.

Virginia Tech (3-2) @ North Carolina (3-2), 12:30 p.m.  Virginia Tech is just not its normal self this year.  North Carolina is able to blow out overmatched opponents, but cannot beat the solid ones.  Virginia Tech is not overmatched.  They may even be better than solid.  Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, North Carolina 20.

Virginia (2-3) @ Duke (4-1), 3:00 p.m.  The Blue Devils can smell a bowl game.  Virginia is having an unimpressive year.  This is Duke’s chance to be more than just a basketball school.  You have to win the winnable home games to take the next step.  Prediction: Duke 30, Virginia 21.

Georgia Tech (2-3) @ Clemson (4-1), 3:30 p.m.  The Bees are in trouble.  The Tigers are coasting.  Georgia Tech should be motivated after a humiliating loss.  Clemson must remain focused on a talented, but struggling opponent.  Clemson likely has too many weapons right now.  Prediction: Clemson 42, Georgia Tech 24.

Wake Forest (3-2) @ Maryland (2-2), 3:30 p.m.  Wake Forest could be in Duke’s shoes right now–2/3 the way to a bowl game.  Instead, Wake has to look at a game like Maryland as a game that it needs to win.  Maryland has been much improved this year.  Edge to the home team.  Prediction: Maryland 24, Wake Forest 21.

Miami (4-1) @ Notre Dame (4-0), 7:00 p.m.  The game of the day.  In 2015, this will be a conference game.  For now, it is matchup of two teams that dominated the past, but have struggled in the present.  Anything can happen in this game.  But Brian Kelly has the Fighting Irish defense looking very good.  Prediction: Notre Dame 21, Miami 16.

Florida State (5-0) @ North Carolina State (3-2), 8:00 p.m.  The Seminoles need to avoid a letdown every week.  They are their own worst enemy.  Or best enemy–if they just stay focused, they can beat anyone.  They certainly can defeat NC State–even on the road.  Prediction: Florida State 34, North Caroline State 20.

The Confidential apologizes in advance for not picking your team.  A lot of close games here.  Feel free to share why we are wrong. 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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