Last week: 7-2 Friday: 2-0 Season: 49-20
On Friday night, BYU crushed Boise State, but Miami barely survived against N.C. State, moving me to 2-0 on this weekend thus far.
As I mentioned in Friday night's post, Virginia's game against Louisville was postponed this week until Nov. 14. While I was eager to see the 'Hoos on the field coming off of a win over North Carolina to see if they could keep their momentum going, the team has a chance to get healthy now with the week off. Safeties Joey Blount and Brenton Nelson, CB Darrius Bratton, and WR Lavel Davis were all out with injuries against the Tar Heels.
However, we know now after coach Bronco Mendenhall's news conference this week that DE Richard Burney, who also missed the UNC tilt, is out for the rest of the season with an unspecified medical condition. I feel bad for the sixth-year big man, because, though we don't know specifics, a similar issue knocked him out of the 2018 season after only a few games. He's always done whatever he can to help the program. Early in his career, Burney was a little-used tight end. He switched to defense out of necessity at the end of the 2017 season. In 2019, he recorded 21 tackles, 2.5 for losses, and a sack. This year, he was a captain and was on pace for his best season with 16 tackles, 4.5 for losses, and two sacks. Since this season does not count against eligibility, technically Burney could come back for an incredible seventh year in 2021. Mendenhall indicated he hasn't discussed next season with any player and that it takes all of his brainpower to just get through this strange season, but it remains a possibility.
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| Notre Dame RB C'Bo Flemister (left) and Clemson RB Travis Etienne. (Associated Press) |
Now to get to a few predictions for today's games. All of the noon game winners were chosen without knowledge of what was happening in the game, since I am late getting to this post. :)
No. 23 Michigan (1-1) at No. 13 Indiana (2-0), Noon, FS1
The Wolverines have defeated the Hoosiers in an incredible 25 straight games. It will be tough to make it 26. Indiana has the big win over Penn State and a victory over Rutgers. Rutgers defeated Michigan State to open the season, then the Spartans turned around and beat the Wolverines 27-24 last week. I think Indiana is probably a little overrated after it took down a Nittany Lions team probably looking ahead to Ohio State. The Wolverines are 3.5-point favorites over the Hoosiers. I’m not sure what all this means, but I’ll take Michigan to keep its streak alive against Indiana, narrowly.
Michigan 30, Indiana 27
No. 25 Liberty (6-0) at Virginia Tech (4-2), Noon, ACC Network
The Flames might be having their best season in program history, but the teams they've beaten have a combined three victories. The Hokies are easily the Flames' best opponent. Tech's defense has been subpar, so I think Liberty will score some points, but I'll take the Hokies to win.
Virginia Tech 45, Liberty 31
North Carolina (4-2) at Duke (2-5), Noon, ESPN2
I like the Tar Heels' chances to bounce back from the loss to Virginia and take down the rival Blue Devils.
North Carolina 38, Duke 28
Boston College (4-3) at Syracuse (1-6), 2 p.m. ESPN3
The Eagles could be sluggish coming off of their near-upset of Clemson, but the Orange are bad, so I think BC should still pull away for a win.
Boston College 38, Syracuse 20
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No. 8 Florida (3-1) vs. No. 5 Georgia (4-1) in Jacksonville, 3:30 p.m. CBS
The Bulldogs' lone loss is to Alabama, and the Gators' one setback came against Texas A&M. Georgia has won this game three straight seasons, and only one was decided by single digits. I think it will make it four in a row.
Georgia 27, Florida 23
Pittsburgh (3-4) at Florida State (2-4), 4 p.m. ACC Network
The Panthers started 3-0 and have lost four straight. The Seminoles have had an uneven start in coach Mike Norvell's first season. Kenny Pickett returns at QB for Pitt after being injured, so I think that will be enough to get the Panthers back on the winning track.
Pittsburgh 30, Florida State 24
No. 1 Clemson (7-0) at No. 4 Notre Dame (6-0), 7:30 p.m. NBC
The marquee matchup of the week finds the Trevor Lawrence-less Tigers facing off against the perfect Fighting Irish. This is by far the best team Notre Dame has faced. The Irish have had some issues this season, as they struggled to put away Duke in the season opener, only beat Louisville 12-7, and allowed FSU to score 26 points. It took awhile for Clemson to get ahead of BC last week, but Tigers backup QB D.J. Uiagalelei performed well, completing 30 of 41 passes for 342 yards, two TDs, and no picks. He also rushed for a TD. I think Notre Dame is good, but Clemson just has more talent and is more proven in these big games over the past several seasons. And the five-star recruit Uiagalelei is no scrub, and now that he has one game of experience, he should be less nervous. But I do think this one will be close, unlike the last time these teams met in the Cotton Bowl two years ago, when the Tigers won 30-3.
Clemson 31, Notre Dame 27
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