The Confidential

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21 Nov 2011

ACC Football Rankings: November 21, 2011

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Here is how we view the ACC football schools as of November 21, 2011:

1.  Virginia Tech–At 10-1, Virginia Tech has to slide ahead of 9-2 Clemson, despite the head-to-head result.  The Hokies have simply played better since that game.

2. Clemson–Had the Tigers lost in overtime, maybe they would have stuck at #1.  But Clemson had played with fire for too long to allow the head-to-head result keep them at #1.

3. Virginia--London has done a great job with this team.  Given that Virginia has beaten Georgia Tech, the nod goes to Virginia.  Huge game this week against rival Va Tech.

4. Georgia Tech–At 8-3, the Yellow Jackets have the advantage over 7-4 Florida State.  However, this may not last beyond the upcoming game against Georgia.

5. Florida State–Inexplicable collapse against Virginia.  Florida State certainly plays a tough schedule, but a few too many losses to get the benefit of the doubt.

6. Miami–the Florida tour continued with a win–albeit not entirely impressive offensively–over South Florida.  The Hurricanes are skipping a bowl this year, making this week’s game against Boston College the finale.

7 (tie). Wake Forest, North Carolina, North Carolina State– At 6-5, these teams are simply not distinguishable.  Perhaps this week will help clarify things.

10.  Pittsburgh–did not play this week, but gets the edge over reeling Syracuse.  Huge game this week against West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl.

11.  Syracuse–did not play this week, but managed to lose its starting free safety to suspension.  The Orange get injured Cincy this week, before Pitt next week.

12.  Duke—Played Georgia Tech tough.  Duke is far from an easy win for anyone. The Blue Devils still get the edge over Boston College based on the head-to-head.

13. Boston College–played Notre Dame very tough before falling.  Despite the record, Boston College finished pretty strong.

14. Maryland–has this team quit on its coach?  Does anyone even care?  Poor Maryland.


Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
20 Nov 2011
1 Comment

Hurricanes Not Bowling This Year

In a very non-shocking announcement, the Miami Hurricanes have stated that they will not participate in a bowl game this year.  In self-imposing a ban, Miami gets a head start on the NCAA, which is likely to impose some sort of restrictions based on the Nevin Shapiro scandal.

This move is logical.  With 5 losses, Miami was likely headed to one of those break-even bowl games–where you just hope to break even as an institution by attending.  While Al Golden could certainly use the extra practices, it would be unsavory for Miami to gain this benefit when it is quite certain that there will be penalties coming.  Miami is improving, but is not likely to be BCS bound anytime soon.  Unfortunately, the school is looking at several seasons where they will not be atop the standings.

It will be interesting to see if other schools follow suit.  Ohio State is likely to face NCAA sanctions.  And, of course, Penn State has had some issues that call into question whether a bowl will even want the Nittany Lions.  Add in the fact that many conference are going to meet or exceed their bowl allotments this year and there is little need for these programs to go bowling.  Each conference will still be able to meet its obligations.  In fact, if Purdue beats Indiana, they will get 10 teams eligible–enough to have two teams in BCS bowls.

The ACC is similarly not concerned with filling its bowl allotment.  With Clemson’s loss, the odds of getting two BCS teams diminished significantly.  The ACC will be fine.

This move is certainly disappointing to the Hurricane players and fans.  But they need to understand that self-imposed penalties go a long way towards demonstrating institutional control.  As it is fairly clear that Miami lost that along the way, now is the time to start proving to the NCAA that it is regaining it.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , ,
20 Nov 2011
2 Comments

Post-Games Review of the ACC Football Predictions for this Past Week

ANYONE can make predictions… few are willing to face the music afterwards.  The Confidential turns directly towards the orchestra… and faces the fact that picking chalk in November is a dangerous game.  A woeful performance.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 20, North Carolina 10.

The Confidential started the week strong.  Sure, the margin was off significantly as Va Tech’s 24-7 lead was narrowed to a final of 24-21.  But the Hokies took care of business, as they were supposed to.  The Hokies control their own destiny now–they are two wins away from a BCS game.

Prediction: Clemson 35, North Carolina State 13.

The Hokies took care of business, but Clemson did not show up.  The score was actually close, but it was a Wolfpack blowout instead, as NC State defeated Clemson 37-13.  Any lingering shred of Clemson making it to the title game against LSU evaporated in less than 24 hours.  Losing narrowly, as several top 10 teams did, would have been bad enough. 

Prediction: Georgia Tech 27, Duke 17

Georgia Tech also took care of business.  More surprising, however, is that Duke’s offense was able to put up 31 points on Georgia Tech.  But, again, at one point the score was 31-17.  Ultimately, the Blue Devils rallied but came up short in a 38-31 loss.  With the win, Georgia Tech moved to 8-3.

Prediction: Wake Forest 30, Maryland 12.

When The Confidential is on, the Confidential is on.  Prediction the win over collapsing Maryland was not hard.  But Wake Forest beat Maryland 31-10, making this an almost perfect prediction.

Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Boston College 14.

While Maryland is busy collapsing, Boston College is busy showing that it has life.  The Eagles’ defense came to play against Notre Dame, holding them to 16 points.  Unfortunately, the offense did about what was expected–only putting up 14 points.  In the end, that makes this a Notre Dame win, 16-14.

Prediction: South Florida 27, Miami 13.  

The Confidential had expected these teams to play football.  Instead, they played international football–what we know as soccer.  How else to explain a 6-3 final score in a 60 minute college football game?  Kudos to Miami for being the Florida team to win and become bowl eligible.  Al Golden is doing good things in Miami.

Prediction: Florida State 24, Virginia 14.

Wow.  One of the most amazing finishes to a football game that anyone will ever see.  And not because of good things.  First, Florida State throws an ill-advised pass to the sideline–but not out-of-bounds–that allows time to run out before a FG can be attempted.  Second, after review determines that the pass was incomplete (a correct ruling, by the way), Florida State gets to try that field goal.  Third, as they are lining up for the field goal, the offensive line moves.  Fourth, the referees rule that the Virginia defensive line caused them to move–meaning the kick moves five yards closer.  At that point, it was as if both teams were trying to lose.  Fifth, and finally, Florida State “won” the battle of the quest to lose by missing the field goal.  Final score–Virginia 14, Florida State 13.

Final tally: The Confidential missed 3 games (NC State, Virginia, Miami).  That’s a 4-3 result.  Not nearly good enough.


Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
19 Nov 2011
1 Comment

Clemson Wastes Opportunity, Falls to North Carolina State

Earlier today, The Confidential noted that the Oklahoma State loss could be a boon for the ACC, including the potential–however slim–in playing LSU for the national title.  Sure, several things would have to go the ACC’s way, but that all became moot when Clemson decided not to show up at North Carolina State, losing 37-13.  Well, so much for that.

I suppose it is possible for Virginia Tech to once again carry the banner for the ACC.  If Virginia Tech can beat Virginia and then win its rematch against Clemson, then it would represent the ACC in a BCS bowl with a 12-1 record.  In fact, Va Tech would probably be ranked in the top 5 in the BCS standings at that point.  But Virginia Tech just doesn’t have the same opportunity as Clemson to put together an elite body of work.  Clemson was the ACC’s best hope for a national title opportunity.  Very disappointing.

Of course, the way Clemson played today, there is little reason to suspect that Clemson would have acquitted itself well against LSU.  It is one thing to lose on a missed field goal (Boise State, Oklahoma State) or in overtime (Alabama, Oklahoma State).  It is another to get drubbed by 24 against a team that just lost to Boston College.  The Georgia Tech loss was bad enough.

The question that begs is when–nay, whether–the ACC is going to start being merely “better than the Big East” in football.  The Confidential remains persuaded that only Florida State and Miami have the program dynamics to allow an ACC team to compete with the big boys, such as Alabama and LSU.  Of course, the big boys just a few years ago were Ohio State and Texas.  They have fallen on hard times recently.  And before that, Tennessee, Michigan and USC were big boys.  It appears that college football has become a sport of mini-dynasties with cycles.  Perhaps an ACC team break through and rise to that level.

For now, it remains more of the same.  The ACC rarely embarrasses itself on the football field.  However, it just isn’t doing enough to get anyone to notice, much less care.  Clemson could have changed that this year.  That chance ended today.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Game Review and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
16 Nov 2011
2 Comments

ACC Still Undefeated in Basketball!

After five full days of college basketball, the Atlantic Coast Conference remains undefeated.  2011-2012 is off to an outstanding start.

The Confidential readily acknowledges that this trend is not going to continue.  In fact, no single team has gone undefeated in nearly 35 years.  So the idea of multiple teams going undefeated is unlikely, much less anyone from the same conference. In fact, it is impossible for two teams in the same conference to go undefeated–they all play each other at least once.  At least until the Big East expands to 90 teams.

However worthless this trend might be, it nevertheless gives ACC some early bragging rights over the rest of the basketball landscape.  Consider that the ACC is currently 22-0.  If you include Pittsburgh and Syracuse, that surges to 27-0.

How do the other conferences compare to the ACC this year?  Nobody else is undefeated.  Nobody else even has one loss.  Check it out:

  • The Big East claims to have the best basketball in the land.  Off to a 31-2 start (including Syracuse and Pitt).  Sure, they can blame one of those losses on West Virginia, who is more interested in suing the Big East than representing it.  But Rutgers lost to Miami.  Game.  Set.  Match.
  • The Big XII?  With Kansas, some claim that this is the best basketball in the land.  17-2.  Kansas lost to Kentucky.  And Iowa State lost to someone.  Feel free to look up who.  Doesn’t matter to The Confidential.
  • The Mountain West was sitting pretty heading into yesterday undefeated, but has now dropped to 14-2.  A fade back into irrelevance is now in order.  Also, keep an eye on the back door, the Big East is hunting in your backyard.
  • The Big 10?  20-2.  No, that’s not the halftime score of a Wisconsin game.  That’s the Big 10’s overall record.  And Michigan State’s losses both came to ACC schools.
  • Pac-12?  Not sure why the Pac-12 is credited with having elite anything.  Every year they fail to place enough teams in bowl games.  Every March, the bracketologists wonder whether they will get 4 teams in.  18-6 to start the season.  Ugh.  Stupid West Coast bias.
  • The SEC?  Stick to football.  19-5.

So, there it is.  After five days, the ACC is rather plainly dominating college basketball.

As it should be.  Right?

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , ,
16 Nov 2011
2 Comments

ACC Football Predictions for November 19, 2011

After a 5-1  week last week, here are The Confidential’s football predictions for this week’s games featuring ACC teams:

Virginia Tech (9-1) hosting North Carolina (6-4)

The easy pick here is Virginia Tech.  Look at where the game is being played.  Look at the records.  Look at the general directions the teams are headed.  Ignore the fact that North Carolina beat Virginia Tech the last time the teams met in Blacksburg.  That last one is bit scary.  But this is game that Virginia Tech needs to control its destiny.  And the Confidential does not see this North Carolina team pulling off the upset.  Virginia Tech 20, North Carolina 10.

North Carolina State (5-5) hosting Clemson (9-1)

Clemson has been making it interesting lately.  And they are surely riding high with their berth in the ACC Championship game now assured.  There is certainly a risk of Clemson looking past the team that just lost to Boston College.  And then there is “any given Saturday.”  But the visitors just have too much talent.  Clemson 35, North Carolina State 13.

Duke (3-7) hosting Georgia Tech (7-3)

Georgia Tech is a hard team to figure out.  They have lost 3 of 4 games.  But that is sandwiched around giving Clemson its only loss.  Georgia Tech is only 2-2 on the road.  Meanwhile, in Duke’s last two home games, they lost to Wake Forest and Virginia Tech by a combined 5 points.  Of course, Florida State and Stanford had their way in that same location.  This is a game where nobody should be shocked if Duke pulls the upset, but The Confidential does not see it.  Georgia Tech 27, Duke 17.

Wake Forest (5-5) hosting Maryland (2-8)

Wake Forest is a team that is two bounces away from being 7-3.  And they have struggled at home against superior foes, such as Virginia Tech and Notre Dame.  Maryland, of course, is not a superior foe.  In fact, Maryland’s season seems to be spiraling out of control.  While nothing is impossible, a Maryland win here would be simply shocking.  Wake Forest 30, Maryland 12.

Notre Dame (7-3) hosting Boston College (3-7)

The Notre Dame ACC tour continues.  So far, Notre Dame has beaten Wake Forest and Maryland in ACC country.  For this one, Notre Dame gets to host it.  While Boston College has won 2 out of 3, this one still looks like a game that Notre Dame will have to lose for itself.  While it has certainly shown the ability to lose games by untimely turnovers in great quantity, it seems unlikely here.  Notre Dame 38, Boston College 14.

South Florida (5-4) hosting Miami (5-5)

This is a battle for bowl eligibility.  Miami does have the benefit of hosting Boston College next week, while South Florida has two conference games remaining.  Miami is likely to be down after a tough loss on the road at Florida State.  Meanwhile, South Florida has some momentum back after righting the ship at Syracuse.  BJ Daniels has not been the problem this year.  This is bigger than a bowl game for the Bulls.   South Florida 27, Miami 13.  

GAME OF THE WEEK

Florida State (7-3) hosting Virginia (7-3).  Virginia has already won at Miami.  But if you look a little deeper, you’ll see that Virginia’s wins are not overly impressive.  Sure, the win over Georgia Tech was impressive.  But this game is, by far, Virginia’s toughest challenge.  At least until next week.  Meanwhile, Florida State seems to have righted the ship.  These are the games that will dictate whether Florida State returns to being football elite or will continue to be mired in mediocrity.  The old Florida State would see 10-3 as the only possible way to salvage the season and prepare for a 14-0 run next year.  Florida State 24, Virginia 14.

The Confidential apologizes in advance for not picking your team.  There is also a lot of chalk here.  However, predictions are made to be accurate, not controversial.  Feel free to share why we are wrong. 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
15 Nov 2011
1 Comment

ACC is One of Three Conferences Without a Loss in 2011-2012

So far during this early basketball season, the Atlantic Coast Conference is undefeated!  While it obviously is just a matter of time before this streak ends, it is notable and pride evoking that the current ACC schools are an impressive 18-0.  Add in the undefeated starts by Syracuse and Pittsburgh, and the league record swells to 22-0!

With more than 30 basketball conferences, you might think that a lot of conferences are in the ACC’s position this early in the season.  You would be wrong. With the first few days of the season completed, the ACC is one of just three conferences whose teams have yet to lose.

The Big 12 is undefeated at 14-0.  However, new member West Virginia has suffered a loss.  So, if we are looking at future membership, the Big 12 would be eliminated.  #2 Kentucky plays #12 Kansas tonight, so this is a streak that may end very soon.  The Midwestern Conference is the only other conference that is undefeated.  It’s 8 teams are a combined 13-0. San Diego State plays #11 today, so this is another streak that may be over very soon.

To be fair, if we are not counting West Virginia as a Big East school, that means the Big East would be undefeated at 23-0 (excluding West Virginia, Syracuse, and Pitt).  Given that most observers believe that the Big East and the ACC volley back and forth as the best basketball conference, none of this is surprising.

As for keeping that streak going, there are several important games today:

  • Duke hosts Michigan State.  As you already know, Mike Krzyzewski is searching for win #903 tonight.  As is always the case, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo likes to beat up his team in November.  Following the Carrier Classic with a game at Duke is certainly a great way to do that.  Unlike most seasons, however, Michigan State follows this game up with a series of games against directional schools.  In any event, the big picture is Coach K and his pursuit of the all-time record for wins.  Should be an outstanding environment and a great game.
  • Miami hosts Rutgers in a game between 1-0 schools.  With Jim Larranaga looking to put Miami on the map, and Rutgers’ Mike Rice looking to do for basketball what Greg Schiano has done for football, do not overlook this game.  These two teams could be March participants soon, even if not this year.
  • Virginia Tech’s annual effort to be a bubble team can take a step in the right direction by holding off Isaiah Thomas and Florida International.
  • Syracuse hosts Albany as Jim Boeheim tries to keep within 50 of Coach K on the win front.

While it is of no lasting consequence, it would be a nice feather in the cap for the ACC to be that last undefeated conference.

 

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , , , , ,
15 Nov 2011
2 Comments

ACC Bowl Projections

With the 2011 football season coming to a close, the time is ripe to predict where the various ACC teams are headed for bowl purposes.  Here are The Confidential’s projections as of November 15, 2011:

ACC #1 goes to the Orange Bowl (BCS)-Miami, Florida to face another BCS team on January 4, 2012.

Last Year’s Matchup: Stanford 40, Virginia Tech 12

Projected 2011-2012 Matchup: Clemson vs. West Virginia. 

Explanation: Clemson has already defeated Virginia Tech once.  At Virginia Tech.  While the knee-jerk reaction is to think that Virginia Tech gets the better of Clemson a second-time around, The Confidential does not believe that Virginia Tech has the offense to keep up with Clemson.  As for the Big East Champion, Cincinnati without Zach Collaros is a lot different than Cincinnati with him.  They may not lose out, but they will lose one or two.  West Virginia is primed to step in–and they have the head-to-head edge over Rutgers.

 

ACC #2 goes to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl-Atlanta, Georgia to face the SEC #5 on December 31, 2011.

Last Year’s Matchup: Florida State 26, South Carolina 17

Projected 2011-2012 Matchup: Virginia Tech vs. Georgia.   

 

ACC #3 goes to the Champ Sports Bowl-Orlando, Florida to face Big East #2 on December 29, 2011.

Last Year’s Matchup: North Carolina State 23, West Virginia 7

Projected 2011-2012 Matchup: Florida State v Notre Dame (eligible to take Big East spot here once every four years)

 

ACC #4 goes to the Sun Bowl- El Paso, Texas to face Pac-12 #4 on December 31, 2011.

Last Year’s Matchup: Notre Dame 33, Miami 17

Projected 2011-2012 Matchup: Georgia Tech v Arizona State.

ACC #5 goes to the Belk Bowl-Charlotte, North Carolina to face Big East #3 on December 27, 2011.

Last Year’s Matchup: South Florida 31, Clemson 26

Projected 2011-2012 Matchup: Virginia v Louisville.

 

ACC #6 goes to the Music City Bowl-Nashville, Tennessee to face SEC #7 on December 30, 2011.

Last Year’s Matchup: North Carolina 30, Tennessee 27

Projected 2011-2012 Matchup: Wake Forest v Vanderbilt

 

ACC #7 goes to the Independence Bowl-Shreveport, Louisiana to face MWC #3 on December 26, 2011.

Last Year’s Matchup: Air Force 14, Georgia Tech 7

Projected 2011-2012 Matchup: North Carolina v San Diego State

 

ACC #8 goes to the Military Bowl-Washington, DC, to face Navy on December 28, 2011.

Last Year’s Matchup: Maryland 51, East Carolina 20

Projected 2011-2012 Matchup: Miami v Cincinnati (Navy fails to qualify)

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
14 Nov 2011

ACC Football Rankings: November 14, 2011

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Here is how we view the ACC football schools as of November 14, 2011:

1.  Clemson–At 9-1 with a victory over Wake Forest, Clemson guaranteed itself a spot in the conference championship game.  From here, Clemson needs to win out to show that it deserves the top 10 ranking.  The conference NEEDS Clemson at 11-1.

2. Virginia Tech–In beating Georgia Tech, Va Tech has solidified itself of #2.  With games remaining against talented North Carolina and rival/rolling Virginia, it will not be easy for the Hokies to finish 11-1.  The dream matchup of 11-1 Clemson vs. 11-1 Va Tech is still alive though.  While a rematch, this would capture attention.

3. Georgia Tech–Of the three 7-3 teams, The Confidential will give Georgia Tech the nod here.  It beat Clemson… giving it the best win of the bunch.  While Virginia has the head-to-head advantage, Virginia also has the head scratching losses to NC State and Southern Mississippi.

4. Florida State–This young team is rolling now.  With the 3-game losing streak a mere blip in the rear-view mirror, these kids appear to be coming together at the right time.  Head-to-head matchup with Virginia will tell us a lot.

5. Virginia–At 7-3, Virginia could fairly be ranked #3 or #4 here.  But The Confidential will require Virginia to prove it on the field first.  As noted above, the win over Georgia Tech is offset by some poor losses.  A win over Florida State would vault them to #3.

6. Miami–held their own against a hot Florida State team.  On the road.  While an argument could be made for North Carolina here, Miami showed that it belonged here by beating North Carolina on the road.

7. North Carolina– At 6-4, North Carolina gets a huge test against Virginia Tech this week.  Winning at the Hokies is rarely expected, but the Tarheels need to show that they can compete to maintain this slot.

8.  Wake Forest– So many close games for Wake Forest.  Playing Clemson to the wire is just another example of same.

9.  Syracuse–after three losses in a row, it is tempting to drop Syracuse to double-digits.  However, they still have wins over West Virginia and Wake Forest.  The latter is something that North Carolina State could not do.  A week off before taking on Cincinnati.

10.  North Carolina State– Losing to Boston College pretty much sums up this enigma of a team.  With Maryland coming up after the Clemson game, NC State can still get bowl eligible.

11. Pittsburgh— Beating Louisville to get to 5-5 made it tempting to slide Pittsburgh up a few notches.  With games @ West Virginia and hosting Syracuse to finish the regular season, this will be resolved on the field.

12.  Duke—Played Virginia tough before fading.  The Blue Devils get the edge over Boston College based on the head-to-head.

13. Boston College–the win over NC State provided some good news for the fan base.  Upcoming games against Notre Dame and Miami may not make continued good news a safe bet.

14. Maryland- as if it couldn’t get worse, the drubbing by Notre Dame also featured a season-ending injury to Danny O’Brien.  At 2-8, it is difficult to see this team winning either of its two remaining games–both of which are on the road.

What do you think?  Do we have it right?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
13 Nov 2011
1 Comment

ACC Football Predictions (Post-Games Review)

ANYONE can make predictions… few are willing to face the music afterwards.  The Confidential turns directly towards the orchestra…

Florida St. (6-3) hosting Miami (5-4)

With all the history, it is hard to believe that this is an afterthought game this week.   In any event, who has any idea what Miami is?  They lost to terrible Maryland, but their others losses are to 3 teams with a combined record of 21-6.  Meanwhile, the wins over Ohio State and Georgia Tech are certainly decent.  Florida State is a bit easier to figure out, with losses to Oklahoma, Clemson, and Wake Forest.  However, Florida State’s wins are over a sorry lot of teams.  While Florida State is at home, The Confidential meekly predicts a Miami upset.   Miami 27-Florida St. 20.

Actual score… Florida State 23-Miami 19.  Kudos to Florida State for keeping the momentum going.  With the youth on the Seminoles, it is not difficult to envision them returning to the top 10 next season.  Great recruiting classes will not hurt either.  Meanwhile, a nice comeback by Miami, but too little too late.  Had they converted the 2-point conversion after the second touchdown, who knows what happens?   Confidential Record: 0-1.

Clemson (8-1) hosting Wake Forest (5-4)

Clemson’s home victories include Auburn, Florida State, and North Carolina.  Wake Forest’s road wins were against Duke and Boston College.  We like what Wake has done this year, but just do not see Clemson losing two in a row.  Clemson 35-Wake Forest 21.

Actual score… Clemson 31-Wake Forest 28.  Clemson put up over 500 yards of offense, but it was only barely enough as they won by a field goal.  With the win, Clemson clinches the division title and will play in the conference championship game.  Poor Wake Forest.  This team played well enough to win, but just fell short.  Confidential Record: 1-1.

Georgia Tech (7-2)  hosting Virginia Tech (8-1)

Fresh off a win over Clemson, hosting Virginia Tech is Georgia Tech’s opportunity to start chasing Clemson in the standings.  Before Clemson, Georgia Tech did not have a very impressive win.  The most impressive was likely North Carolina.  Virginia Tech took care of Wake Forest on the road and Miami at home.  In this instance, there is something about giving Frank Beamer all this time to prepare for Georgia Tech.  The unique offenses are vulnerable with extra time to prepare.  Virginia Tech 24- Georgia Tech 21.

Actual score: Virginia Tech 37-Georgia Tech 26.   Things are setting up quite nicely for a rematch between Clemson and Virginia Tech.  Va Tech has rallied quite well since losing to Clemson.  It would be ideal for both teams to keep the momentum and be 11-1 heading into the conference championship game.  The ACC could use the PR boost by having two top-10 teams square off.  Georgia Tech continues to be a tough team to figure out.  Confidential Record: 2-1.

Maryland (2-7) “hosting” Notre Dame (6-3)

Notre Dame has lost to Tulsa in recent years.  Nothing is off the table.  But Maryland has shown absolutely no sign of life recently.  The team peaked in Week 1 against Miami.  Not a good sign.  Meanwhile, Notre Dame has caused itself to lose in each of its three losses.  If they can protect the football, they win going away.  They likely will.  Notre Dame 35-Maryland 16.

Actual Score: Notre Dame 45-Maryland 21.  Hey, let’s hope that this is a conference game someday.   Let me clarify… an ACC conference game.  In any event, Maryland’s disaster season continues.  Notre Dame, in turn, is setting itself up for a nice bowl.  Confidential Record: 3-1.

Virginia (6-3) hosting Duke (3-6)

Duke has some mojo.  They have looked very good at times this year.  Of course, they also lost to Richmond.  Virginia’s head coach Mike London knows all about Richmond, going 24-5 there in two seasons.  If he can win this game, he will have his FBS record up to .500.  Virginia is looking good and at home.  They should win.  Virginia 33-Duke 21.

Actual Score: Virginia 31-Duke 21.  The Confidential NAILED this one.  Yeah, it was not the work of Nostradamus to pick Virginia over Duke here.  But how about that score?  Trying to figure out how Virginia did not pick up a safety.  Ah well.  Confidential Record: 4-1.

Boston College (2-7) hosting North Carolina St. (5-4)

The Tom O’Brien Bowl.  This one has the feel of an upset.  Boston College cannot be THIS bad.  North Carolina State is coming off a huge win over its rival.  If we have seen one thing this year, it is that momentum is fleeting.  The Eagles get the upset.  Boston College 21-North Carolina State 20.

Actual Score: Boston College 14–NC State 10.  The Confidential does not like to say “We told you so.”  No, the Confidential LOVES to say it.  People underestimate how hard it is to win on the road.  With the vultures circling the Eagles, they pulled the upset.  Don’t look now, but BC has more conference wins that 13 of its AQ conference brethren.  Meanwhile, NC State falls back to 5-5.  As is the case with a lot of programs, making the leap requires a team to win the games that it is “supposed to win.”  Confidential Record: 5-1.

 

 

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

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