Last week: 9-3 Season: 27-10
Top ACC games are lacking this weekend, but there are three good top-25 matchups, with the best being Notre Dame traveling to Georgia, though I don't expect that to be the closest contest. Let's dive in.
No. 11 Michigan (2-0) at No. 13 Wisconsin (2-0), Noon, Fox
These top Big Ten teams could not have had their first two games go any differently. The Wolverines struggled against Middle Tennessee for about a half, and then REALLY struggled against Army, needing overtime to edge the Black Knights. The Badgers, meanwhile, have a pair of shutouts, 49-0 over South Florida, and 61-0 over Central Michigan. Both teams were off last week.
Wisconsin 31, Michigan 17
Western Michigan (2-1) at Syracuse (1-2), Noon, ACC Network
What's happened to the Orange? From ranked to getting blown out by Maryland (surprise) and Clemson (no surprise after getting crushed by the Terps). Syracuse won against WMU a year ago on the road but allowed a lot of points in a 55-42 win. This is definitely not a sure thing for Syracuse at home.
Syracuse 34, Western Michigan 31
Elon (2-1) at Wake Forest (3-0), Noon, ACC Network Extra
Wake Forest 41, Elon 21
Boston College (2-1) at Rutgers (1-1), Noon, Big Ten Network
BC embarrassed itself at home against Kansas last week, losing 48-24, giving the Jayhawks their first road win over a Power Five team in 48 games! That streak went back 11 seasons. I can't explain it and don't care to, other than to say new coach Les Miles is probably helping Kansas get better. But that was a bad, bad loss for the Eagles. The good news for them? Rutgers might be worse than Kansas in 2019.
Boston College 35, Rutgers 17
No. 8 Auburn (3-0) at No. 17 Texas A&M (2-1), 3:30 p.m. CBS
Despite the undefeated record and top-10 ranking of the Tigers, the Aggies have been the more impressive team thus far. Auburn barely beat Oregon -- nothing wrong with that -- but then also struggled against Tulane. To be sure, A&M has not had to play anyone good yet, but it defeated Texas State and Lamar by an average score of 51.5-5, and only lost at Clemson 24-10, not bad with the way the Tigers have been pummeling teams for the better part of a year. I like the Aggies at home.
Texas A&M 27, Auburn 23
No. 15 UCF (3-0) at Pittsburgh (1-2), 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2
The Knights have looked every bit as good as they have the past couple seasons so far, beating Stanford 45-27 last week to cap a perfect start. On the other hand, the Panthers lost by 16 to UVa and then beat Ohio by 10, then gave No. 15 Penn State all it could handle in a 17-10 loss, so it's been kind of a mixed bag for them. But UCF crushed Pitt last season when the Panthers won the ACC Coastal, so I'm not sure how much better this will go for them.
UCF 38, Pitt 20
Louisville (2-1) at Florida State (1-2), 3:30 p.m. ESPN
The Cardinals have not been terrible yet, a year after their 2-10 campaign. They hung with Notre Dame in the opener and have since picked up easy wins over Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky. Florida State blew a big lead against Boise State, edged Louisiana-Monroe in OT, then we know what happened last weekend in Charlottesville. FSU snagged the victory in Louisville last year, 28-24. If FSU can play just a little defense in the fourth quarter, I'll pick the 'Noles in Tallahassee to get a close win.
Florida State 31, Louisville 27
Appalachian State (2-0) at North Carolina (2-1), 3:30 p.m. ACC Network Extra
Amazingly, this is these schools' first meeting. The Tar Heels are almost as close to 0-3 as they are to 3-0. This won't be an easy game for them. The Mountaineers, in their first season under coach Eliah Drinkwitz (former offensive coordinator at N.C. State) after the departure of Scott Satterfield to Louisville, have cruised to a pair of easy wins over East Tennessee State and Charlotte, but they did allow the latter to put up 41 points. They were off last week, so they've had time to prepare. ASU was one of three teams in the sneaky-good Sun Belt to record at least 10 wins in 2018, going 11-2 (the others were in ASU's division, Troy and Georgia Southern). ASU's defense is certainly concerning after giving up 41 points to Charlotte, but it should be better with the week off. But UNC, a two-point favorite, will do enough on offense to win in a thriller.
North Carolina 31, Appalachian State 28
Central Michigan (2-1) at Miami (1-2), 4 p.m. ACC Network
Miami 45, Central Michigan 14
Ball State (1-2) at N.C. State (2-1), 7 p.m. ESPNU
N.C. State 34, Ball State 17
Charlotte (2-1) at No. 1 Clemson (3-0), 7:30 p.m. ACC Network
Clemson 49, Charlotte 10
No. 7 Notre Dame (2-0) at No. 3 Georgia (3-0), 8 p.m. CBS
The weekend's marquee matchup feels like the coronation of one playoff contender and the undressing of a playoff pretender. Sorry, Notre Dame, that's just the way you usually look. The Bulldogs have showed the requisite respect for each of their first three opponents, defeating Vanderbilt, Murray State, and Arkansas State by an average score of 49.3-7.7. Not that those teams can put up much of a fight, but the Bulldogs appear to be very good again. The Fighting Irish didn't beat Louisville as easily as expected in Week 1, 35-17, but then crushed New Mexico, 66-14. Two years ago, Georgia went into South Bend and came away with a 20-19 victory. Since then, Notre Dame seems to be on about the same level nationally, but it still is not among the cream of the crop. Georgia, meanwhile, has just about elevated into the upper echelon of college football and was a fourth-quarter collapse away from beating Alabama in last season's SEC title game, which would've given the Bulldogs a shot at playing in their second straight national championship. Georgia is just the better program right now, and I think it will show that Between the Hedges at Sanford Stadium.
Georgia 35, Notre Dame 20
Old Dominion (1-1) at No. 21 Virginia (3-0), 7 p.m. ESPN2
Two words: Trap. Game. This has all the makings of a classic trap game, and the Cavaliers need to be careful. They are coming off of a big, emotional, draining win over Florida State. They travel to Notre Dame next weekend, and the Fighting Irish will probably be ranked in the top 15 even if they lose to Georgia. Regardless of what happens vs. ODU, that game is a huge opportunity. Smack dab in the middle of the FSU and Notre Dame games is a foe UVa might overlook, but that foe will not overlook the Cavaliers. The Monarchs defeated Virginia Tech last season, and they of course want to take down another in-state opponent this season, and UVa is their final chance after losing to the Hokies, 31-17, two weeks ago. And why not go hard after UVa in the schools' first meeting?
ODU was off last week, so it has also had ample time to prepare for what is its Super Bowl in 2019. In Week 1, ODU struggled in only defeating Norfolk State, 24-21, so there's reason to believe this isn't the same ODU team that defeated Tech last season, and that team only went 4-8. The biggest change from last year for the Monarchs is at QB. In 2018, Blake LaRussa completed 63.4 percent of
his passes for 3,015 yards, 19 TDs, and 10 INTs. But he skipped his senior season to attend divinity school, and the new kid under center is freshman Stone Smartt, a dual-threat QB who has filled LaRussa's shoes fairly well so far: 62.3 percent, 280 yards, zero TDs, one pick. He's added 98 yards and three scores on the ground. The Monarchs' other main threats are running backs Lala Davis (143 yards, 5.3 ypc, one TD) and Kesean Strong (77 yards, 5.5 ypc, one TD). Virginia Tech transfer Eric Kumah leads the receiving corps with seven catches for 89 yards. Old Dominion's defense was very bad last season, and it's too early to tell if it has improved much this year under new offensive coordinator David Blackwell, who led East Carolina's defense last season, which also wasn't very good.
So again, this sets up perfectly for the Monarchs. First game against a big state school, so they'll be motivated. They've upset another big state school before, so they know what it takes. They were off last week, so they are rested and prepared. Virginia had a big game last week and has a big game next week. The recipe to overlook ODU is there. But this is where Bronco Mendenhall comes into play. I just like the way he seems to set the team's mindset each week on each game, so I have confidence the Wahoos won't be overconfident, and instead will be locked in and try to take care of business early. And the Monarchs' victory over the Hokies in 2018 gives Mendenhall and his staff -- and veteran players -- a perfect example to study and make sure that doesn't happen to them. So I like the Wahoos. However, I do think it will be a tougher outing than expected. The 'Hoos win, fairly comfortably, but nowhere close to the line of 28 points.
Virginia 34, Old Dominion 17
Top ACC games are lacking this weekend, but there are three good top-25 matchups, with the best being Notre Dame traveling to Georgia, though I don't expect that to be the closest contest. Let's dive in.
No. 11 Michigan (2-0) at No. 13 Wisconsin (2-0), Noon, Fox
These top Big Ten teams could not have had their first two games go any differently. The Wolverines struggled against Middle Tennessee for about a half, and then REALLY struggled against Army, needing overtime to edge the Black Knights. The Badgers, meanwhile, have a pair of shutouts, 49-0 over South Florida, and 61-0 over Central Michigan. Both teams were off last week.
Wisconsin 31, Michigan 17
Western Michigan (2-1) at Syracuse (1-2), Noon, ACC Network
What's happened to the Orange? From ranked to getting blown out by Maryland (surprise) and Clemson (no surprise after getting crushed by the Terps). Syracuse won against WMU a year ago on the road but allowed a lot of points in a 55-42 win. This is definitely not a sure thing for Syracuse at home.
Syracuse 34, Western Michigan 31
Elon (2-1) at Wake Forest (3-0), Noon, ACC Network Extra
Wake Forest 41, Elon 21
Boston College (2-1) at Rutgers (1-1), Noon, Big Ten Network
BC embarrassed itself at home against Kansas last week, losing 48-24, giving the Jayhawks their first road win over a Power Five team in 48 games! That streak went back 11 seasons. I can't explain it and don't care to, other than to say new coach Les Miles is probably helping Kansas get better. But that was a bad, bad loss for the Eagles. The good news for them? Rutgers might be worse than Kansas in 2019.
Boston College 35, Rutgers 17
No. 8 Auburn (3-0) at No. 17 Texas A&M (2-1), 3:30 p.m. CBS
Despite the undefeated record and top-10 ranking of the Tigers, the Aggies have been the more impressive team thus far. Auburn barely beat Oregon -- nothing wrong with that -- but then also struggled against Tulane. To be sure, A&M has not had to play anyone good yet, but it defeated Texas State and Lamar by an average score of 51.5-5, and only lost at Clemson 24-10, not bad with the way the Tigers have been pummeling teams for the better part of a year. I like the Aggies at home.
Texas A&M 27, Auburn 23
No. 15 UCF (3-0) at Pittsburgh (1-2), 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2
The Knights have looked every bit as good as they have the past couple seasons so far, beating Stanford 45-27 last week to cap a perfect start. On the other hand, the Panthers lost by 16 to UVa and then beat Ohio by 10, then gave No. 15 Penn State all it could handle in a 17-10 loss, so it's been kind of a mixed bag for them. But UCF crushed Pitt last season when the Panthers won the ACC Coastal, so I'm not sure how much better this will go for them.
UCF 38, Pitt 20
Louisville (2-1) at Florida State (1-2), 3:30 p.m. ESPN
The Cardinals have not been terrible yet, a year after their 2-10 campaign. They hung with Notre Dame in the opener and have since picked up easy wins over Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky. Florida State blew a big lead against Boise State, edged Louisiana-Monroe in OT, then we know what happened last weekend in Charlottesville. FSU snagged the victory in Louisville last year, 28-24. If FSU can play just a little defense in the fourth quarter, I'll pick the 'Noles in Tallahassee to get a close win.
Florida State 31, Louisville 27
Appalachian State (2-0) at North Carolina (2-1), 3:30 p.m. ACC Network Extra
Amazingly, this is these schools' first meeting. The Tar Heels are almost as close to 0-3 as they are to 3-0. This won't be an easy game for them. The Mountaineers, in their first season under coach Eliah Drinkwitz (former offensive coordinator at N.C. State) after the departure of Scott Satterfield to Louisville, have cruised to a pair of easy wins over East Tennessee State and Charlotte, but they did allow the latter to put up 41 points. They were off last week, so they've had time to prepare. ASU was one of three teams in the sneaky-good Sun Belt to record at least 10 wins in 2018, going 11-2 (the others were in ASU's division, Troy and Georgia Southern). ASU's defense is certainly concerning after giving up 41 points to Charlotte, but it should be better with the week off. But UNC, a two-point favorite, will do enough on offense to win in a thriller.
North Carolina 31, Appalachian State 28
Central Michigan (2-1) at Miami (1-2), 4 p.m. ACC Network
Miami 45, Central Michigan 14
Ball State (1-2) at N.C. State (2-1), 7 p.m. ESPNU
N.C. State 34, Ball State 17
Charlotte (2-1) at No. 1 Clemson (3-0), 7:30 p.m. ACC Network
Clemson 49, Charlotte 10
No. 7 Notre Dame (2-0) at No. 3 Georgia (3-0), 8 p.m. CBS
The weekend's marquee matchup feels like the coronation of one playoff contender and the undressing of a playoff pretender. Sorry, Notre Dame, that's just the way you usually look. The Bulldogs have showed the requisite respect for each of their first three opponents, defeating Vanderbilt, Murray State, and Arkansas State by an average score of 49.3-7.7. Not that those teams can put up much of a fight, but the Bulldogs appear to be very good again. The Fighting Irish didn't beat Louisville as easily as expected in Week 1, 35-17, but then crushed New Mexico, 66-14. Two years ago, Georgia went into South Bend and came away with a 20-19 victory. Since then, Notre Dame seems to be on about the same level nationally, but it still is not among the cream of the crop. Georgia, meanwhile, has just about elevated into the upper echelon of college football and was a fourth-quarter collapse away from beating Alabama in last season's SEC title game, which would've given the Bulldogs a shot at playing in their second straight national championship. Georgia is just the better program right now, and I think it will show that Between the Hedges at Sanford Stadium.
Georgia 35, Notre Dame 20
Old Dominion (1-1) at No. 21 Virginia (3-0), 7 p.m. ESPN2
Two words: Trap. Game. This has all the makings of a classic trap game, and the Cavaliers need to be careful. They are coming off of a big, emotional, draining win over Florida State. They travel to Notre Dame next weekend, and the Fighting Irish will probably be ranked in the top 15 even if they lose to Georgia. Regardless of what happens vs. ODU, that game is a huge opportunity. Smack dab in the middle of the FSU and Notre Dame games is a foe UVa might overlook, but that foe will not overlook the Cavaliers. The Monarchs defeated Virginia Tech last season, and they of course want to take down another in-state opponent this season, and UVa is their final chance after losing to the Hokies, 31-17, two weeks ago. And why not go hard after UVa in the schools' first meeting?
ODU was off last week, so it has also had ample time to prepare for what is its Super Bowl in 2019. In Week 1, ODU struggled in only defeating Norfolk State, 24-21, so there's reason to believe this isn't the same ODU team that defeated Tech last season, and that team only went 4-8. The biggest change from last year for the Monarchs is at QB. In 2018, Blake LaRussa completed 63.4 percent of
So again, this sets up perfectly for the Monarchs. First game against a big state school, so they'll be motivated. They've upset another big state school before, so they know what it takes. They were off last week, so they are rested and prepared. Virginia had a big game last week and has a big game next week. The recipe to overlook ODU is there. But this is where Bronco Mendenhall comes into play. I just like the way he seems to set the team's mindset each week on each game, so I have confidence the Wahoos won't be overconfident, and instead will be locked in and try to take care of business early. And the Monarchs' victory over the Hokies in 2018 gives Mendenhall and his staff -- and veteran players -- a perfect example to study and make sure that doesn't happen to them. So I like the Wahoos. However, I do think it will be a tougher outing than expected. The 'Hoos win, fairly comfortably, but nowhere close to the line of 28 points.
Virginia 34, Old Dominion 17
Comments
Post a Comment