CollegeJersey.com

Friday, October 24, 2008

Week 9 Preview: Your guess is as good as mine

WAKE FOREST (5-2) at MIAMI (4-3)
Saturday, 10/25/08, 12pm ET - Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Series Record: Miami leads 5-3; the Hurricanes won the last meeting 47-17 in 2005
What May or May Not Happen: Was the Maryland debacle rock bottom for the Deacs this season? Nope. The Canes have been improving in fits and starts since the Florida game and methinks this is where they finally come together. Miami 23, Wake Forest 13

BOSTON COLLEGE (5-1) at NORTH CAROLINA (5-2)
Saturday, 10/25/08, 12pm ET - Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
Series Record: tied 2-2; the Tar Heels won the last meeting 16-14 in 2005
What May or May Not Happen: The Tar Heels have been victorious this season through clutch play from backup skill players and out-of-nowhere individual heroics, but as we saw last week against Virginia, such gallantry has a shelf-life. Unfortunately for the Eagles, winning week after week with a turnover-prone quarterback also has an expiration date. North Carolina 21, Boston College 17

DUKE (3-3) at VANDERBILT (5-2)
Saturday, 10/25/08, 3:30pm ET - Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN
Series Record: Vanderbilt leads 7-3; the Commodores won the last meeting 45-28 in 2006
What May or May Not Happen: The Commodores have been a cute story and all, but reality hits and hits hard eventually; Mississippi State exposed Vandy a few weeks ago and the Blue Devils are plenty talented and smart enough to do the same. Duke 21, Vanderbilt 17

N.C. STATE (2-5) at MARYLAND (5-2)
Saturday, 10/25/08, 3:30pm ET - Byrd Stadium, College Park, MD
Series Record: tied 30-30-4; the Terrapins won last year's meeting 37-0
What May or May Not Happen: After Hulk-smashing Wake last week, Bruce Banner-Maryland will undoubtedly show up this Saturday and manage to not get angry. And sheer probability indicates that the Wolfpack have to knock off someone this year in the parity-infested ACC. N.C. State 28, Maryland 20

VIRGINIA (4-3) at GEORGIA TECH (6-1)
Saturday, 10/25/08, 3:30pm ET - Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Series Record: Virginia leads 15-14-1; the Cavaliers won last year's meeting 28-23
What May or May Not Happen: The burly Tech defensive line locks up Cedric Peerman which leads to a few Marc Verica picks. And the refreshed Josh Nesbitt/Jaybo Shaw combo jukes the Cavalier defense out of their jocks a few times. Georgia Tech 31, Virginia 16

VIRGINIA TECH (5-2) at FLORIDA STATE (5-1)
Saturday, 10/25/08, 3:30pm ET - Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL
Series Record: Florida State leads 21-11-1; the Hokies won last year's meeting 40-21
What May or May Not Happen: It'll take a turnover pandemic on par with last month's Wake meltdown for the Seminoles to blow this one. I'm not saying it can't happen, just that it likely won't. But count on a Hokie defensive or special teams score sometime Saturday afternoon. Florida State 27, Virginia Tech 19

For what it's worth, I won't be surprised if I go 0-6 with these picks. Such is life in the ACC these days.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

4-2 including a correct call on the Duke game? Not bad marcus

Marcus said...

Strangely enough, the game I was most sure about was Duke-Vandy.