Last week: 5-2 Overall: 30-17
N.C. State at No. 3 Clemson, Noon ABC
Trap game. Clemson got the huge win at home over then-No. 5 Louisville two weeks ago, took care of hapless Boston College on the road last week, and then goes back on the road to No. 14 Florida State next week. I can see State getting overlooked in this scenario. The Wolfpack are 4-1 coming off a win over Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish don't look great, but a win over that program can still give you a pep in your step. State scored 41 points on Clemson last year but lost 56-41. The Tigers, riding high off the win over Louisville, getting back in front of their fans for the first time since that victory, and with a road date at FSU looming next week, need to be careful and ready for a capable State squad.
Clemson 38, N.C. State 28
Wake Forest at No. 14 Florida State, 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Similarly, this is FSU's trap game coming off a road victory over rival Miami with the contest coming up against Clemson. Wake Forest hasn't been particularly challenged this season but is 5-1 in its third year under Dave Clawson. The Demon Deacons lost at N.C. State two weeks ago by a decisive 33-16 score but rebounded last week by defeating Syracuse at home, 28-9. Keep in mind that Wake, which went 3-9 last season, only lost by eight, 24-16, in this matchup a year ago. Seminoles, be aware.
Florida State 34, Wake Forest 20
No. 1 Alabama at No. 9 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. CBS
Alabama is extremely scary now that it has paired a great offense -- coordinated by Lane Kiffin -- with an already-great defense. The Tide has yet to score fewer than 34 points this season. The Vols have been solid and are one of the most exciting teams in the nation, coming from behind in victories over Appalachian State, Virginia Tech, Florida, and Georgia. Their luck finally ran out last week in a 45-38 double overtime road loss to Texas A&M, which is now ranked No. 6 and visits Alabama next week. I like the Tide, but it needs to be careful like the teams above about looking ahead. Tennessee will be fired up and is capable of pulling the upset, almost doing so last year in Tuscaloosa but losing 19-14.
Alabama 38, Tennessee 28
North Carolina at No. 16 Miami, 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2
Miami suffered a very tough home loss last week against Florida State, 20-19, when, after mounting a possible game-tying drive, FSU blocked the extra point, preserving the victory. North Carolina looked awful in losing, 34-3, at home -- in terrible weather, mind you -- to Virginia Tech. Still, the Tar Heels looked ill-prepared as the Hokies took control of the ACC Coastal division. UNC is 4-2 but has two very close wins over that FSU team and also Pitt. I like Miami to bounce back at home.
Miami 27, North Carolina 24
No. 17 Virginia Tech at Syracuse, 3:45 p.m. ESPNU
Seeing a theme this week? Trap game. Tech is coming off a big road win over North Carolina and has a huge home game coming up Thursday vs. Miami. But first, the Hokies have to travel to face the Orange. Syracuse is just 2-4 but had at least been scoring a lot of points under first-year coach Dino Babers. But last week, Syracuse was unable to score in the double digits in a 28-9 loss at Wake Forest. If the Hokies are focused, this should be a fairly easy win. But Syracuse might be able to hang around for awhile.
Virginia Tech 41, Syracuse 24
No. 12 Ole Miss at No. 22 Arkansas, 7 p.m. ESPN
The Razorbacks get their second consecutive crack at a big SEC West win at home this week after getting humbled, 49-30, by Alabama last week. They are 0-2 in the conference, having also lost to Texas A&M, 45-24, in Arlington, Texas, three weeks ago. Ole Miss also lost at home to Alabama earlier in the season, but the Rebels held a 24-3 lead before losing, 48-43. Ole Miss has been more tested at this point and has better wins and losses than Arkansas.
Ole Miss 40, Arkansas 34
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 8 Wisconsin, 8 p.m. ABC
The trap-game theme extends nationally as well. Most pundits seem to think Ohio State and Michigan, both undefeated, will still be unblemished when they have their possibly epic showdown in Columbus on Nov. 26. But this is probably the Buckeyes' toughest test until then, and I think they are too much of a favorite at 11 points. Camp Randall Stadium is known as one of the toughest venues in which to play college football. Wisconsin is coming off a bye and two weeks ago acquitted itself well in only losing 14-7 at Michigan. OSU hasn't really been tested yet, with wins over Bowling Green, Tulsa, Rutgers, Indiana and a ranked Oklahoma team that wasn't up to the challenge. That win was on the road, though. The Badgers' best performance probably came in a 30-6 road victory at Michigan State, but the Spartans appear to be having a down year and are now 2-3. At this point, though, I think the Badgers are a quality team, perhaps the third best in the Big Ten, but I don't have enough reasons to pick them over the Buckeyes. But like most favorites appearing in this post this week, the Buckeyes need to be wary.
Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 24
Pittsburgh at Virginia, 12:30 p.m. NBC29 (ACC Network)
Hope Virginia is ready for a smash-mouth, probably high-scoring game. Panthers quarterback Nathan Peterman has completed 89 of 137 passes for 1,115 yards, nine touchdowns, and just two picks. One-hundred thirty-seven passes in six games -- Pitt is 4-2, 1-1 in the ACC -- works out to almost 23 passes per game, not too many in these days of modern college football. Meanwhile, Pitt has rushed 282 times for 1,465 yards (that's 5.2 yards per carry) for 17 touchdowns. That works out to exactly 47 rushes per game. I think it is safe to say Pitt is going to try to run the ball up Virginia's gut, and UVa, in turn, will have to have at least some success in stopping the run if it hopes to pull off the upset (Panthers are 3.5-point favorites). Leading the way for the Panthers' backfield is James Conner, the 2014 conference player of the year who missed last season with a knee injury and was subsequently diagnosed with cancer, which he beat. He seems to have picked up where he left off, and this probably seems easy after what he went through. The senior has carried the ball 104 times for 441 yards and five TDs. Quadree Henderson, though, may be Pitt's most dangerous offensive player. He has 1,046 all-purpose yards, which ranks second nationally. He returns kickoffs an average of 33 yards, fifth nationally. He's carried the ball for 343 yards at an astonishing 11.1 yards per carry. So if Pitt isn't trying to run it up the gut, the Cavaliers will need to be keeping their eyes on the 5-foot-8 sophomore, who probably has the ball looking for open field. He's also tied for the team lead in catches with 17, sharing that honor with Jester Weah, who's recorded the most receiving TDs for the Panthers at three.
Pitt has scored a lot of points this season: 28 against Villanova, 42 against Penn State, 38 against Oklahoma State, 36 against North Carolina, 43 against Marshall, and 37 against Georgia Tech last week in a 37-34 win. Pitt's losses are by seven to Oklahoma State and one to the Tar Heels. The Panthers, as you can probably already tell, have given up lots of points this year as well: seven, 39,
45, 37, 27, and 34, an average of 31.5. This is somewhat perplexing since their coach, Pat Narduzzi, now in his second year, built one of the most fearsome defenses in the country during his time at Michigan State as its coordinator. Pitt has concentrated on stopping the run ever since giving up 44 points to Navy, which runs the triple option, in their bowl game last year. The work appears to have paid off, with Pitt ranking 10th in the nation in terms of yards given up per game on the ground. Through the air, though, has been where teams have attacked Pitt, which ranks 124th (out of 128) in that category. That's good news for Virginia, which has been getting more and more production out of its passing game and actually sits in the top 30 in the nation in passing yards per game. The key for Virginia will probably be for QB Kurt Benkert to get some of the Wahoos' playmakers, such as Taquan Mizzell, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Doni Dowling, the ball in space and let them do their thing. Despite the lack of success for the entire unit, Pitt does have an outstanding defensive player in lineman Ejuan Price, who leads the country in both sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (12.5), and has forced three fumbles, so getting the ball out of Benkert's hands quickly and into spaces would be a smart way to keep him at bay. Pitt is tied for the ACC lead with Clemson at 21 sacks. Benkert's scrambling ability and downfield vision could be a factor.
Coming off two wins and a bye heading into this Homecomings contest, Virginia should be full of confidence. I'm very interested to see what Virginia's attacking defense from the win against Duke -- six turnovers forced -- does to follow up that performance, this time against probably the first team this season that really just wants to punch it in the mouth. Hopefully, the 'D' answers the call. Pitt is a solid team that is only a play away from being 5-1 and a handful of plays away from 6-0. But the Panthers are also a few plays away from having a worse record and are susceptible through the air, and the 'Hoos can win this game with a sharp, Central Michigan game-like offensive outing. The offense only scored 27 of the 34 points at Duke, not a great number when considering the number of possessions. UVa will have to be crisper than that and take better care of offensive opportunities, which could be in short supply if Pitt gets its ground game going and eats up the clock. A quick start to get the hopeful yet guarded crowd into it would be a huge lift.
Virginia 36, Pittsburgh 34
N.C. State at No. 3 Clemson, Noon ABC
Trap game. Clemson got the huge win at home over then-No. 5 Louisville two weeks ago, took care of hapless Boston College on the road last week, and then goes back on the road to No. 14 Florida State next week. I can see State getting overlooked in this scenario. The Wolfpack are 4-1 coming off a win over Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish don't look great, but a win over that program can still give you a pep in your step. State scored 41 points on Clemson last year but lost 56-41. The Tigers, riding high off the win over Louisville, getting back in front of their fans for the first time since that victory, and with a road date at FSU looming next week, need to be careful and ready for a capable State squad.
Clemson 38, N.C. State 28
Wake Forest at No. 14 Florida State, 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Similarly, this is FSU's trap game coming off a road victory over rival Miami with the contest coming up against Clemson. Wake Forest hasn't been particularly challenged this season but is 5-1 in its third year under Dave Clawson. The Demon Deacons lost at N.C. State two weeks ago by a decisive 33-16 score but rebounded last week by defeating Syracuse at home, 28-9. Keep in mind that Wake, which went 3-9 last season, only lost by eight, 24-16, in this matchup a year ago. Seminoles, be aware.
Florida State 34, Wake Forest 20
No. 1 Alabama at No. 9 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. CBS
Alabama is extremely scary now that it has paired a great offense -- coordinated by Lane Kiffin -- with an already-great defense. The Tide has yet to score fewer than 34 points this season. The Vols have been solid and are one of the most exciting teams in the nation, coming from behind in victories over Appalachian State, Virginia Tech, Florida, and Georgia. Their luck finally ran out last week in a 45-38 double overtime road loss to Texas A&M, which is now ranked No. 6 and visits Alabama next week. I like the Tide, but it needs to be careful like the teams above about looking ahead. Tennessee will be fired up and is capable of pulling the upset, almost doing so last year in Tuscaloosa but losing 19-14.
Alabama 38, Tennessee 28
North Carolina at No. 16 Miami, 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2
Miami suffered a very tough home loss last week against Florida State, 20-19, when, after mounting a possible game-tying drive, FSU blocked the extra point, preserving the victory. North Carolina looked awful in losing, 34-3, at home -- in terrible weather, mind you -- to Virginia Tech. Still, the Tar Heels looked ill-prepared as the Hokies took control of the ACC Coastal division. UNC is 4-2 but has two very close wins over that FSU team and also Pitt. I like Miami to bounce back at home.
Miami 27, North Carolina 24
No. 17 Virginia Tech at Syracuse, 3:45 p.m. ESPNU
Seeing a theme this week? Trap game. Tech is coming off a big road win over North Carolina and has a huge home game coming up Thursday vs. Miami. But first, the Hokies have to travel to face the Orange. Syracuse is just 2-4 but had at least been scoring a lot of points under first-year coach Dino Babers. But last week, Syracuse was unable to score in the double digits in a 28-9 loss at Wake Forest. If the Hokies are focused, this should be a fairly easy win. But Syracuse might be able to hang around for awhile.
Virginia Tech 41, Syracuse 24
No. 12 Ole Miss at No. 22 Arkansas, 7 p.m. ESPN
The Razorbacks get their second consecutive crack at a big SEC West win at home this week after getting humbled, 49-30, by Alabama last week. They are 0-2 in the conference, having also lost to Texas A&M, 45-24, in Arlington, Texas, three weeks ago. Ole Miss also lost at home to Alabama earlier in the season, but the Rebels held a 24-3 lead before losing, 48-43. Ole Miss has been more tested at this point and has better wins and losses than Arkansas.
Ole Miss 40, Arkansas 34
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 8 Wisconsin, 8 p.m. ABC
The trap-game theme extends nationally as well. Most pundits seem to think Ohio State and Michigan, both undefeated, will still be unblemished when they have their possibly epic showdown in Columbus on Nov. 26. But this is probably the Buckeyes' toughest test until then, and I think they are too much of a favorite at 11 points. Camp Randall Stadium is known as one of the toughest venues in which to play college football. Wisconsin is coming off a bye and two weeks ago acquitted itself well in only losing 14-7 at Michigan. OSU hasn't really been tested yet, with wins over Bowling Green, Tulsa, Rutgers, Indiana and a ranked Oklahoma team that wasn't up to the challenge. That win was on the road, though. The Badgers' best performance probably came in a 30-6 road victory at Michigan State, but the Spartans appear to be having a down year and are now 2-3. At this point, though, I think the Badgers are a quality team, perhaps the third best in the Big Ten, but I don't have enough reasons to pick them over the Buckeyes. But like most favorites appearing in this post this week, the Buckeyes need to be wary.
Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 24
Pittsburgh at Virginia, 12:30 p.m. NBC29 (ACC Network)
Hope Virginia is ready for a smash-mouth, probably high-scoring game. Panthers quarterback Nathan Peterman has completed 89 of 137 passes for 1,115 yards, nine touchdowns, and just two picks. One-hundred thirty-seven passes in six games -- Pitt is 4-2, 1-1 in the ACC -- works out to almost 23 passes per game, not too many in these days of modern college football. Meanwhile, Pitt has rushed 282 times for 1,465 yards (that's 5.2 yards per carry) for 17 touchdowns. That works out to exactly 47 rushes per game. I think it is safe to say Pitt is going to try to run the ball up Virginia's gut, and UVa, in turn, will have to have at least some success in stopping the run if it hopes to pull off the upset (Panthers are 3.5-point favorites). Leading the way for the Panthers' backfield is James Conner, the 2014 conference player of the year who missed last season with a knee injury and was subsequently diagnosed with cancer, which he beat. He seems to have picked up where he left off, and this probably seems easy after what he went through. The senior has carried the ball 104 times for 441 yards and five TDs. Quadree Henderson, though, may be Pitt's most dangerous offensive player. He has 1,046 all-purpose yards, which ranks second nationally. He returns kickoffs an average of 33 yards, fifth nationally. He's carried the ball for 343 yards at an astonishing 11.1 yards per carry. So if Pitt isn't trying to run it up the gut, the Cavaliers will need to be keeping their eyes on the 5-foot-8 sophomore, who probably has the ball looking for open field. He's also tied for the team lead in catches with 17, sharing that honor with Jester Weah, who's recorded the most receiving TDs for the Panthers at three.
Pitt has scored a lot of points this season: 28 against Villanova, 42 against Penn State, 38 against Oklahoma State, 36 against North Carolina, 43 against Marshall, and 37 against Georgia Tech last week in a 37-34 win. Pitt's losses are by seven to Oklahoma State and one to the Tar Heels. The Panthers, as you can probably already tell, have given up lots of points this year as well: seven, 39,
Coming off two wins and a bye heading into this Homecomings contest, Virginia should be full of confidence. I'm very interested to see what Virginia's attacking defense from the win against Duke -- six turnovers forced -- does to follow up that performance, this time against probably the first team this season that really just wants to punch it in the mouth. Hopefully, the 'D' answers the call. Pitt is a solid team that is only a play away from being 5-1 and a handful of plays away from 6-0. But the Panthers are also a few plays away from having a worse record and are susceptible through the air, and the 'Hoos can win this game with a sharp, Central Michigan game-like offensive outing. The offense only scored 27 of the 34 points at Duke, not a great number when considering the number of possessions. UVa will have to be crisper than that and take better care of offensive opportunities, which could be in short supply if Pitt gets its ground game going and eats up the clock. A quick start to get the hopeful yet guarded crowd into it would be a huge lift.
Virginia 36, Pittsburgh 34
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