Last week: 6-1 Season: 29-13
The week has already gotten off to a crazy start with N.C. State's upset win over Louisville in Raleigh on Thursday, though I had picked the Wolfpack in a pick'em league I'm in. I don't think there are any must-see games this weekend, but plenty of intriguing ones that could be potential potholes for higher-ranked teams.
Wake Forest at No. 2 Clemson, Noon ESPN2
Clemson 38, Wake Forest 14
Pittsburgh at Syracuse, 12:30 p.m. ACC Network
Syracuse 31, Pittsburgh 30
No. 23 West Virginia at No. 8 TCU, 3:30 p.m. FS1
TCU 38, West Virginia 27
No. 13 Miami at Florida State, 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Miami 27, Florida State 24
No. 21 Notre Dame at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. ABC
Notre Dame 38, North Carolina 24
No. 1 Alabama at Texas A&M, 7:15 p.m. ESPN
Alabama 42, Texas A&M 17
No. 16 Virginia Tech at Boston College, 7:15 p.m. ESPN2
Virginia Tech 30, Boston College 13
Michigan State at No. 7 Michigan, 7:30 p.m. ABC
Michigan 27, Michigan State 13
No. 11 Washington State at Oregon, 8 p.m. Fox
Washington State 41, Oregon 37
Duke at Virginia, 12:20 p.m. ACC Network
Has Virginia taken a step in the right direction? Certainly. Has it arrived? No. Coach Bronco Mendenhall said as much after the Cavaliers shocked Boise State with a 42-23 upset win two weeks ago.
It's going to take a good effort today for UVa to topple Duke for a third consecutive year (42-34 in 2015 and 34-20 last year). The Blue Devils come in with a strong running game paced by Shaun Wilson, a stout defense, and a running QB in Daniel Jones who now has more experience under his belt. And up until last week, Duke was rolling along at 4-0, having beaten North Carolina Central 60-7 and then Baylor, Northwestern, and UNC by an average score of 34-18. Then in a big home game, the Blue Devils fell flat and were blown out by Miami, 31-6.
Virginia claims it can handle success better this season than in 2016. Last year, UVa won two straight
games -- over Central Michigan and Duke -- and then went on bye followed by losing seven straight to close the season. This year's Wahoos have won two straight and are coming off a bye and obviously hope to take a different path than last year's team. Virginia won by 14 in Durham last year, but Jones turned the ball over six times (five INTs, one fumble that was recovered in the end zone by the Cavaliers for a TD), so it can't count on that to happen again. That was a nice victory last season, but a more dominant performance would've won that game by much more than 14, given how lopsided the turnover battle was.
There are a couple factors going into this game that favor Virginia. Duke has been susceptible to the long ball, and UVa has thrown that superbly the past two games with Kurt Benkert, and Duke hasn't been great at protecting Jones. This game will test UVa's improved-looking offensive line, as Duke rates highly in the ACC in sacks and stopping the run. I really want to fully believe in this UVa team being good, but I'm not quite there yet. A win over Duke would be one more sign that this is a real team to contend with this year (as in, get to a bowl game, not defeat Clemson or Alabama, come on now). But right now, I'm expecting a bit of a letdown today and possibly a tough-to-take close loss. But as long as UVa looks competitive, that can still bode well for this season. Duke has looked good in every game except one and still has a chance to do damage in the ACC Coastal.
Duke 29, Virginia 24
The week has already gotten off to a crazy start with N.C. State's upset win over Louisville in Raleigh on Thursday, though I had picked the Wolfpack in a pick'em league I'm in. I don't think there are any must-see games this weekend, but plenty of intriguing ones that could be potential potholes for higher-ranked teams.
Wake Forest at No. 2 Clemson, Noon ESPN2
Clemson 38, Wake Forest 14
Pittsburgh at Syracuse, 12:30 p.m. ACC Network
Syracuse 31, Pittsburgh 30
No. 23 West Virginia at No. 8 TCU, 3:30 p.m. FS1
TCU 38, West Virginia 27
No. 13 Miami at Florida State, 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Miami 27, Florida State 24
No. 21 Notre Dame at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. ABC
Notre Dame 38, North Carolina 24
No. 1 Alabama at Texas A&M, 7:15 p.m. ESPN
Alabama 42, Texas A&M 17
No. 16 Virginia Tech at Boston College, 7:15 p.m. ESPN2
Virginia Tech 30, Boston College 13
Michigan State at No. 7 Michigan, 7:30 p.m. ABC
Michigan 27, Michigan State 13
No. 11 Washington State at Oregon, 8 p.m. Fox
Washington State 41, Oregon 37
Duke at Virginia, 12:20 p.m. ACC Network
Has Virginia taken a step in the right direction? Certainly. Has it arrived? No. Coach Bronco Mendenhall said as much after the Cavaliers shocked Boise State with a 42-23 upset win two weeks ago.
It's going to take a good effort today for UVa to topple Duke for a third consecutive year (42-34 in 2015 and 34-20 last year). The Blue Devils come in with a strong running game paced by Shaun Wilson, a stout defense, and a running QB in Daniel Jones who now has more experience under his belt. And up until last week, Duke was rolling along at 4-0, having beaten North Carolina Central 60-7 and then Baylor, Northwestern, and UNC by an average score of 34-18. Then in a big home game, the Blue Devils fell flat and were blown out by Miami, 31-6.
Virginia claims it can handle success better this season than in 2016. Last year, UVa won two straight
There are a couple factors going into this game that favor Virginia. Duke has been susceptible to the long ball, and UVa has thrown that superbly the past two games with Kurt Benkert, and Duke hasn't been great at protecting Jones. This game will test UVa's improved-looking offensive line, as Duke rates highly in the ACC in sacks and stopping the run. I really want to fully believe in this UVa team being good, but I'm not quite there yet. A win over Duke would be one more sign that this is a real team to contend with this year (as in, get to a bowl game, not defeat Clemson or Alabama, come on now). But right now, I'm expecting a bit of a letdown today and possibly a tough-to-take close loss. But as long as UVa looks competitive, that can still bode well for this season. Duke has looked good in every game except one and still has a chance to do damage in the ACC Coastal.
Duke 29, Virginia 24
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