Emerald Bowl Preview

On December 27^th the 6^th annual Diamond Walnut Emerald Bowl will take place from San Francisco. The game is played at AT&T Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants. The Emerald Bowl is the only NCAA Division I bowl game held at a stadium used exclusively by a professional baseball team. In last year’s match up, the Florida State Seminoles defeated the UCLA Bruins 44-27. This year’s game features the Maryland Terrapins out the ACC, and the Oregon State Beavers out of the PAC 10. This will be the first meeting between Maryland and Oregon State. The Terrapins haven't faced a Pac-10 team since a 21-20 loss to Washington in the 1982 Aloha Bowl. Let’s take a look at both teams, and how they ended up here.

Scouting the Beavers:

Oregon State finished the regular season with an 8-4 record and a 3^rd place finish in the PAC 10 conference. After a two game losing streak early on in the season, the Beavers stormed back, winning 6 out their last 7 games; including a shocker at then number 2 Cal. This is OSU's seventh bowl appearance in the last nine seasons. The Beavers have outscored their opponents, an outstanding 127-16 in the first quarter this season, allowing a first-quarter touchdown only to Oregon in the "Civil War." Quarterback Sean Canfield and running back Yvenson Bernard were both hurt as the regular season ended. It looks like both of them will be good to go for the game.

Scouting the Terrapins:

If you ever needed proof that the tide could shift either way in a split second, Maryland’s 2007 football season would demonstrate it. After two meaningless wins to open the season, the Terps dropped their next two contests including a heartbreaking overtime loss at Wake Forest. UM would responded with two huge victories against then number ten ranked Rutgers, and Georgia Tech. Maryland looked like they were in good shape sitting at 4-2 with 6 more games to go. But then things went south in hurry for Maryland. The Terrapins lost 4 out of their next 5 games, and Terp fans were worried that they would miss out on a bowl game for the third time in the last four seasons. The Maryland players put that fear to rest with a 37-0 thumping of NC State in their final game of the regular season. Head Coach Ralph Friedgen is 3-1 in bowl games in his 7 years at Maryland. The Maryland defense will be key. They have allowed just less than 22 points per game, and Oregon State has scored under 22 points only 3 times this season. Something’s gotta give!

My call: OSU will definitely have the home crowd advantage, and their offensive fire power will be too much for Maryland’s inconsistent defense. The Terps will get good games from both of their senior running backs, but that’s pretty much all they’re going to get.

Final Score: Oregon State 38, Maryland 28.

Humanitarian Bowl Preview

It is a special and fun time of year, college football fans from all over nation waited all year long, and now its finally here, its bowl time! 8 ACC teams made the cut and are ready to spend their Christmas/New Years at a bowl game. On New Years Eve, the 11^th annual Humanitarian Bowl, (formerly known as the MPC Computers Bowl) will take place in Boise Idaho. The ACC representative is Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets finished the season at 7-5, and 4-4 in the ACC. The Jackets are no stranger to the blue turf in Boise. GT defeated Tulsa 52-10 in the Humanitarian Bowl in 2002. Tech’s opponent is Fresno State, out of the WAC conference. The Bulldogs come in with an identical 7-5 record. State closed the season on a hot streak winning 3 out of their last four. The Bulldogs are also no stranger to this game. Back in 2004, they defeated Virginia 37-34 in overtime. The last time these two teams met was back in 2007 in the Silicon Valley Classic. The Bulldogs got the better of that affair, 31-20. These teams know little about each other; not a single player from the ’02 squads remains for either team. Lucky for you, I know plenty about both of them.

Scouting the Bulldogs:

Fresno State battled injuries all season and a 1-2 start to the year to finish third in the Western Athletic Conference and earn its eighth postseason appearance in nine years. Fresno State went 4-8 last year, but turned it around to 8-4 this season with competitive losses to Hawaii, Boise State and Texas A&M (in triple overtime). Head Coach Pat Hill loves playing against teams from BCS conferences, seeing them as a great opportunity to put his program on the map, and earn some respect.

Scouting the Yellow Jackets:

An 11th consecutive bowl berth wasn't enough to satisfy the Georgia Tech fan base, which resulted in the firing of 6 year head coach, Chan Gailey. Gailey led the Yellow Jackets to bowl games in each of his six seasons, but he never beat Georgia and never won more than nine games in any season. While the search for Gailey's replacement continues, defensive coordinator John Tenuta will coach the Yellow Jackets in the bowl game. The Jackets are lead offensively, by running back Tashard Choice. Choice is the first GT player with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He should be at full strength after a month's rest. This year he has averaged an ACC-best 119 yards per game.

My Call:

Georgia Tech is obviously not thrilled to spend their holiday in Boise. No ACC team would be for that matter. The distractions of not having Chan Gaily on the sidelines will come into play, but not enough for Fresno to pull out the win.

Final score, Georgia Tech 24, Fresno State 17.

The Battle for the commonwealth cup and much more

This weekend when Virginia and Virginia Tech clash in Charlottesville a lot more than state bragging rights will be on the line. The winner of this game between these two instate rivals will earn a shot at Boston College in the ACC title game in Jacksonville. These two teams prepare for each individual game each week, but in reality, they are always preparing for this game. Virginia Tech leads the all time series between the two schools 46-37-5. The Hokies have also won the last three meetings by a combined score of 93-24. Virginia is the only team in the ACC to boast a perfect 5-0 record at home thus far this season. But the Hokies have an outstanding road record over the past four seasons, only losing one game. This is only the eight time in the history of this great rivalry that both teams come in nationally ranked. Virginia Tech sits at number 8 in the BCS poll while Virginia is number 16.

Tech is coming off a 44-14 thrashing of Miami last Saturday, while UVA enjoyed a much deserved bye week. Virginia Tech has the longest current winning streak in the ACC at three games. Virginia has won two straight, including a 48-0 thumping of Miami to close out the historic Orange Bowl, two weeks ago.

The last victory for the Cavaliers in this series was four years ago in Tech’s last season in the Big East before joining the ACC. The rivalry intensified when Tech joined the ACC in 2004. Since then, the Hokies have gotten the better of the Cavaliers each year.

And Then There Were Four.

Twelve teams began this season with a similar goal in mind, an ACC Championship. Here we are in mid November, and the two division champions will be decided in the next two weeks. When ACC expansion first got underway, many believed that we would see Florida State vs. Miami showdowns in Jacksonville every year. That has not been the case thus far. Florida State won the title the first year, defeating heavily favored Virginia Tech. Last year, Wake Forest defeated Georgia Tech in an unlikely match up. I still can’t believe that happened by the way. For the second year in a row, a Florida team will not make the trip to Jacksonville. The four teams vying for an ACC title are Boston College, Clemson, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Lets take a look at each team’s path.

Boston College won their first eight games, earning themselves a number 2 ranking, and a potential shot at the national title. Quarterback Matt Ryan was putting together a Heisman campaign putting up 3269 yards, and 29 touchdowns. All during this impressive run, BC was criticized that they haven’t played any real teams. That all changed on Thursday October 25^th, when they traveled to Lane Stadium to take on Virginia Tech. The Eagles trailed the entire game, until the last two minutes. Thanks to two touchdowns by Matt Ryan, and a great special teams play, BC remained undefeated. Since then, things have not gone as well for the men in maroon and gold. The Eagles have lost two straight and are on the verge of being knocked out the ACC title picture. Boston College travels to Clemson this weekend for a primetime showdown. BC has never lost to Clemson since joining the league, but they will be facing a very motivated Tiger squad.

Once again for the Tigers, it has been a season of ups and downs. But unlike previous years, the ups have far outnumbered the downs. Clemson raced out to a 4-0 start on the season, earning a number 15 ranking in the AP poll. On September 29th, the season took a turn for the worse. The Tigers visited Georgia Tech, and lost 13-3. The dynamic rushing duo of James Davis and C.J Spiller were held to just 69 yards on the ground. The next week, the Tigers welcomed in the Virginia Tech Hokies. Despite a late rally, the Tigers could not overcome the defense and special teams of Virginia Tech. The Hokies scored 3 non offensive touchdowns, handing Clemson their second straight loss. This was familiar territory for Tiger fans, who had watched their team, crumble at some point these last few years. Since then, Clemson is one of the hottest teams in the league, winning 4 straight by a combined score of 191-51. The winner of the Clemson/Boston College game this week, will represent the Atlantic Division in the ACC title game.

For Virginia, from the ashes they rose. That statement pretty much sums up their season. After that pathetic 20 point loss at Wyoming, the Cavaliers have turned around their season in a remarkable way. Virginia has been nothing short of exciting this season, winning 5 of their games by 2 points or less. After that Wyoming debacle, the Hoos won seven straight including 3 on the road, something uncommon of a UVA team of recent memory. Virginia failed to reach a school record 8 straight victories with a heartbreaking loss to NC State on October 27th. Virginia responded with two huge wins, a one point victory over Wake Forest, and a historic win at Miami. Senior defensive end Chris Long has played a huge roll in Virginia's sudden rise this season. Long leads the ACC with 12 sacks, and 17 tackles for a loss. The Cavaliers get a much deserved week off this week, before their huge showdown with Virginia Tech next Saturday.

Virginia Tech much like Clemson, has had a season of ups and downs as well. After an emotional win over East Carolina in their first game since the horrific events of April 16th, the Hokies traveled to second ranked LSU. This one was one to forget if you are a VT fan; LSU bulldozed the Hokies 48-7. LSU’s offense dismantled the well-reputed Virginia Tech defense, amassing 598 total yards. Following the loss, Virginia Tech looked less than impressive in their next three wins against Ohio, William and Marry, and North Carolina. The turning point of the season was Virginia Tech’s 41-23 win at number 22 Clemson. Virginia Tech won this game with defense and special teams, registering three non offensive touchdowns. Ever since then, other than the last two minutes of the Boston College game, tech fans have nothing really to complain about, other than several injuries. This senior class would like to end their careers at Virginia Tech just like they started them, as ACC Champions. The Hokies take on Miami this weekend, before travled 157 miles to Charlottesville to take on arch rival Virginia, in a battle for the coastal division title.

ACC Football Weekend Wrap Up

November is here, and guess what folks; the conference race is still wide open. Boston College was the clear cut favorite to represent the ACC in a BCS bowl game, and maybe even the national title game, but thanks to Florida State, they might not even win the division. Eleven out of twelve teams are in contention for post season appearances. Boston College, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Clemson have already assured themselves of a bowl bid. Wake Forest and Florida State are bowl eligible, and Miami, Georgia Tech, Maryland, NC State, and North Carolina are still fighting to make it to a bowl. It was an exciting several days in ACC Football. All twelve teams were in action. The road teams were victorous in 4 out of the 6 games.

Florida State 27- #2 Boston College 17. And you thought this season couldn’t get any crazier. Florida State spoiled BC’s chances of an unbeaten season. Starting in place of the suspended Xavier Lee, Drew Weatherford looked as good as ever, completing 29-of-45 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns. But it was the Seminole defense that got it done for them on Saturday night. The Noles picked off three Matt Ryan passes, one for a touchdown. With the win, Florida State becomes bowl eligible. It doesn’t get any easier for the men in garnet and gold, The Noles still have to travel to Virginia Tech, and defending National Champion, Florida this month. This is just me talking, but if FSU goes 4-0 in the month of November, I believe that Bobby Bowden should be in the discussion for ACC coach of the year. Boston College joins USC, Cal, and South Florida in the ranks of number 2 seeds losing this year. For the second straight week, the Eagles were down 10-0 before mounting a comeback. This time, it was not meant to be. Matt Ryan led BC on a four-play, 70-yard drive culminating with a Brandon Robinson touchdown to move the Eagles within three. Ryan answered an FSU score with a touchdown of his own, a 6 yard strike to Ryan Purvis to make the score 20-17. Ryan had one more chance to lead the Eagles to victory, before he found Geno Hays for a touchdown. The only problem is, Hays plays for Florida State. BC has only lost two games at home since joining the league, both to Florida State. The Eagles will look to rebound this week, when they travel to Maryland.

North Carolina 16- Maryland 13. The Tar Heels kept their post season hopes alive with a 3 point victory over the Terrapins. Connor Barth kicked three field goals, and Hakeem Nicks hauled in a touchdown pass. UNC snapped a two game losing streak to keep their bowl hopes alive, but they have no margin for error. The Heels sit at 3-6 overall and must win all of their remaining games to become bowl eligible. Maryland however, is in trouble. The Terps fell to UNC despite out gaining the Tar Heels 302 to 259. Maryland is now 4-5 overall and have a losing record for the first time this season. What I find ironic is that last year, the Terps win at Virginia is what turned their season around, but this year, their loss to the Cavaliers lead to their downward spiral. Maryland will hope to turn their season around this week, as they welcome in Boston College on Senior Day.

Virginia 17- #21 Wake Forest 16. Virginia was up to its old tricks again. The Cavaliers bounced back from their first conference loss if the season, and recorded their 5^th win of the year by 2 points or less, with a one point upset of 21^st ranked Wake Forest. Mickell Simpson scored a one yard touchdown for the go ahead score, just like he did two weeks ago at Maryland. Maurice Covington had a good game for the Cavs as well. The junior caught his first career touchdown, and converted a key 4^th down play on Virginia’s final scoring drive. One interesting statistic to point out about Virginia is that they haven’t scored a touchdown in the third quarter since October of last year. This year, their only third quarter points came against Maryland, a Chris Long sack resulted in a safety. UVA sits at 8-2, 5-1 in the ACC. For Wake Forest, much like Virginia last week, they found out that all good things must come to an end. The defending ACC champion’s six game winning streak was ended with Saturday’s loss to Virginia. All American kicker, Sam Swank came into this game 13-14 on field goals this season. The junior missed a first half kick, and then with a chance to win it, Swank missed from 47 yards out. The Deacs will look to bounce back this weekend when they travel to division rival Clemson.

#11 Virginia Tech 27- Georgia Tech 3. The Hokies rebounded from their devastating last minute loss to Boston College with a dominating win at Georgia Tech. Sean Glennon returned under center for the second straight week, and looked like a completely different player. Other than the fact that he was wearing a modified Yellow Jacket jersey, the junior threw for 296 yards and two long touchdowns in his most complete performance of the season. The Tech defense looked stout as usual. The Hokies intercepted four passes, and kept the ball on their side of their field for most of the night. Virginia Tech is one of those rare teams that play better on the road, than they do at home. Since joining the league, the Hokies are 14-1 away from Lane Stadium in ACC contests. Georgia Tech is now mathematically eliminated form a possibility of returning to Jacksonville for the ACC title game. A 28 yard field goal by Jud Dunleavy took an early 3-0 lead for Georgia Tech. But that was just about all that Yellow Jacket fans had to cheer about. Following a Virginia Tech score, the Hokies recovered a surprising onside kick, and from there on out, the night belonged to the men in orange and maroon. The Jackets still need one more win to qualify for a bowl game. The good news for them is two of their remaining 3 games are against Duke and North Carolina.

#25 Clemson 47- Duke 10. The Tigers recorded their seventh win of the season on Saturday, with a 37 point win over Duke. Clemson was paced by 23 point second quarter. The thunder and lightening duo of C.J Spiller and James Davis played a big role in the dominating win. C.J Spiller returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, and James Davis rumbled down the field, 70 yards for a score. Cullen Harper also set a school record for touchdown passes. With Boston College falling to Florida State, The Tigers now control their own destiny for a division title. Clemson will host the Eagles in two weeks but this week, they will host the defending ACC Champions, Wake Forest. Duke’s amazing conference losing steak continues. The Blue Devils have now lost 23 straight conference games. Their last conference win came at home in 2004 against Clemson. It was a completely different story last Saturday, as Duke was dominated on both sides of the ball. The Devils are now playing for pride as they are eliminated from bowl contention.

NC State 19- Miami 16, OT.

Just when you thought they were down and out, the Wolf Pack is the hottest team in the ACC, winners of their last three games. Pack quarterback Daniel Evans continued his impressive streak, completing 19-of-40 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Steven Hauschka connected from 31, 35, and 47 yards out in the fourth quarter And again in overtime to give to the Wolf Pack the victory. NC State is now 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the ACC. For Miami, I don’t think there’s a word in the English dictionary to describe quarterback Kirby Freeman’s performance. The junior completed 1 of 14 passes for 84 yards and 3 interceptions. Ouch! Kicker Daren Daly missed two field goals, including a 27-yarder on the first possession of overtime. Miami has now lost 3 more games in their 4 years in the ACC than they did in their entire time in the Big East. Prior to last week’s game, the Canes had outscored their opponents 81-0 in the first half of games at the Orange Bowl this season. Speaking of the Orange Bowl, it should be an emotional day this Saturday as the Orange Bowl will close its doors after 71 years, as the home of the Miami Hurricanes. Miami will host Virginia for a 7:15 kickoff on ESPN 2.

As November Approaches, The ACC Race is Still Wide Open.

The month of October will be a tough act to follow for all of college football. We saw upset after upset after upset in one of the wildest seasons in the history of NCAA football. The ACC has had its fair share of drama including an 8-0 team, a team that wins every game in the last minute, and two former national powers struggle to earn a spot in the middle of the pack. In the month of November, teams get sorted out between contenders and pretenders, and bowl teams or non bowl teams. Boston College and Virginia have secured their spot in a bowl game. Virginia Tech, Wake Forest , and Clemson are Bowl eligible. Miami , Florida State, and Georgia Tech are one win away from Bowl eligibility. And Maryland , NC State, and North Carolina still have a shot at making it to the post season. With that in mind, let’s take a look and see how all these teams did this past week.

#2 Boston College 14- #8 Virginia Tech 10. If you ever needed proof that football is a sixty minute game, this game provided it. Virginia Tech dominated the first 57 minutes of the game. Heisman candidate Matt Ryan completed only 25 of 52 passes, but went 9 of 15 on BC’s final two drives. The Eagles were down 10-0 late in the 4^th quarter, before Matt Ryan drove the ball 91 yards down the field. The drive was capped off with a 16 yard strike to Rich Gunnel to cut the Hokie lead to 3. After recovering the ensuing onside kick, Matt Ryan threw his second touchdown pass of the game, this time a 24 yard hook up to Andre Callender with 11 seconds left. What is ironic about this loss for the Hokies is they pride themselves on good special teams play, and failing to recover an onside kick was a major factor. This was arguably the first “real team” that Boston College has beaten all year. The Eagles are starting to gain more and more national attention. The Hokies on the other hand, still control their own destiny for a Coastal Division Championship and a possible rematch with the Eagles in the ACC title game. Tech sits at 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the ACC. VT was without the services of starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and was forced to go with back up Sean Glennon who has now lost 3 of his last 4 as a starter. Glennon went 15-for-25, for 149 yards. Brandon Ore rushed for 97 yards, the most rushing yards given up by BC’s defense all year. Virginia Tech has a tough November ahead of them, beginning this Thursday at Georgia Tech.

Clemson 30 Maryland 17. I’ve always been firmly against college players guaranteeing victory, but hey, whatever works. James Davis guaranteed victory early last week and his actions spoke louder than his words. The junior rushed for 129 yards, including 40 on one drive. Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper threw two touchdown passes to tie the single-season school record of 21, set by Charlie Whitehurst in 2003. The Tigers are now 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. Clemson is 3^rd place in the Atlantic division behind Wake Forest and Boston College, both of whom will travel to Death Valley this month The Maryland Terrapins were in great shape several weeks ago, sitting at 4-2 and coming off two straight big wins. The tide has turned for the worse if you are a fan of the Terps. Maryland has lost two straight home games and is in danger of missing out on the post season for the 3^rd time in 4 years.

NC State 29, #15 Virginia 24. Daniel Evans has looked like a different player these past few weeks. The senior threw for a career-high 347 yards and three touchdowns, two to Donald Bowens to lead the Wolf Pack to a 5 point win, and Tom O’Brien’s first ACC victory at NC State. The Pack converted two early Jameel Sewell interceptions into 10 points to set the tone for the game. With the win, NC State snapped a 9 game ACC losing streak dating back to last season. The Wolf Pack are 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. They have looked great the last two weeks, but this success is coming a lot later than Wolf Pack fans had hoped for. State must win 3 of their last four games to qualify for a bowl game. For Virginia , all good things must come to an end. The Cavaliers entered this game riding a 7 game winning streak, tied for the longest in school history. Two costly turnovers and bad coverage in the secondary played a large roll in Virginia suffering their first loss since that Wyoming disaster back on September 1^st. The Cavs had become experts at wining close games this year, with 5 of their wins by 5 points or less. Virginia had a 1 point lead in the 4^th quarter but could not hang on for the win. Despite the loss, the Cavilers are still in good shape. They are still atop of the Coastal Division and have two of their last three games at home. Virginia will open the stretch run of their season this Saturday at home against Wake Forest .

Wake Forest 37 North Carolina 10. This year Wake Forest is on mission to prove that last year’s title run was no fluke, and they are still a force to be reckoned with. The Demon Deacons certainly made a statement on Saturday with a dominating win over North Carolina . The Deacs scored on offense, defense, and special teams. Josh Adams rushed for two touchdowns, Aaron Curry returned one of his two interceptions 77 yards for a touchdown. The highlight of the game was when Kevin Marion returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score. Also for Wake, kicker Sam Swank became the school’s all-time leading scorer. The senior connected on two field goals, and three extra points to set the record. After dropping their first two games of the season, Wake Forest has now won six in a row, and is a game behind Boston College in the Atlantic division. For North Carolina , freshmen quarterback, T.J Yates continues to show progress. Yates completed 26 of 33 passes for 236 yards. Once again, despite losing the game, UNC managed to get more yards than their opponents. Carolina out gained Wake 313-269. The Tar Heels are now in a real tight spot. UNC must win out to become bowl eligible.

Florida State 25 Duke 6. After being contained the last few weeks, the Seminole offense exploded racking up a season high 534 yards en route to a victory on blackout night. Junior Drew Weatherford came off the bench to start for the first time in four games. Weatherford went 35 of 47 for 339 yards, despite not having the services of his top target, Greg Carr. Preston Parker scored two timely touchdowns, one through the air and 1 on the ground. The Seminole defense stepped up in a big way as well, holding Duke to 222 yards and 9 first downs. The Noles might be celebrating now, but one look at their November schedule would quickly put out that fire. Their November is somewhat suicidal to say the least. Their month from hell includes trips to undefeated Boston College , 11^th ranked Virginia Tech, and defending national champion, Florida . Duke has now lost their 22^nd straight conference game. Their last ACC win was back on November 13^th 2004 against Clemson. Duke’s lone touchdown of the game came when Thaddeus Lewis connected with Brandon King from three yards out. One bright spot for Duke, is they did force two FSU turnovers. The Blue Devils are now 1-8 and are eliminated from bowl contention.

Another Exciting Weekend in ACC Football

This has been one of the craziest seasons in the history of college football. Nobody is safe, not even at home. Conference titles are wide open all across the country. The ACC is no exception, with the season half over; many teams still have a realistic shot of making it to Jacksonville. This past weekend 9 out of 12 teams were in action. Let’s take a look at what went down.

#4 Boston College 27, Notre Dame 14. Another day, another victory for Boston College. The Eagles are sitting pretty right now, 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the ACC. Heisman candidate, Matt Ryan continued to establish himself as one of the nations elite quarterbacks. The senior threw for 291 yards and 2 touchdowns. Andre Calenderer turned in a solid performance as well. BC might be 7-0 now, but they’re about to run the gauntlet. 3 out of their 5 remaining games are on the road. Road contests include trips to Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Clemson. Yikes! South Florida jumped ahead of Boston College in the rankings this week. The Eagles will have their chance to silence the critics on October 25, when they travel Blacksburg.

Virginia 17 Connecticut 16. For the fourth time this season, the Cavaliers won in thrilling fashion. Chris Gould came through again with a late 4th quarter field goal. Jameel Sewell was inconsistent at times, but in the end he got the job done. Sewell completed 14 of 24 passes for 149 yards, but he also threw 2 costly interceptions. UVA is winning the same way that Wake Forest did last year, close and ugly. But hey, a win is a win. The Cavaliers have been exciting even though some of their fans might go into cardiac arrest if these close games continue. For the first time since 2005, UVA is ranked in a major poll. The Cavaliers are ranked 24^th in the USA Today poll, and 19^th in the all important BCS standings. The Hoos have a huge test this weekend, under the lights at Maryland.

#7 South Carolina 21 North Carolina 16. Despite out gaining the Gamecocks 398 to 285, UNC suffered their 4^th close loss of the season. The Gamecocks raced out to a 21-3 half time lead, and withstood a late Tar Heel rally. Hakeem Nicks had 8 receptions for 144 yards against the nations best pass defense. North Carolina (2-5) is still in the bowl picture, but the margin for error is very slim. UNC has 5 games remaining on their schedule, and I see 4 of them as potential wins. The Tar Heels look to avenge last year’s nail biting loss to Wake Forest, this Saturday in Winston Salem.

Virginia Tech 43 Duke 14. The Status quo. For the first time in awhile, Virginia Tech looked like Virginia Tech, and Duke looked like Duke. The Hokies out gained Duke 445 to 195 en route to an easy win. Back up quarterback, Sean Glennon took the place of injured starter Tyrod Taylor early in the 1^st half. Glennon threw for 248 yards, and two touchdowns. With the win, the Hokies are eligible to compete in a bowl game for the 15^th straight season. I know this was against Duke, but Hokie fans must have been thrilled to witness their team turn in an impressive offensive performance for the first time this season. Duke on the other hand, is not in a very good position. The Blue Devils showed tremendous heart in their previous games; not backing down from anybody. But they are going to have to pick it up, and fast! The Devils are 1-6 and must win every remaining game to become bowl eligible.

Wake Forest 24 Florida State 21. Florida State came into this Thursday night’s contest looking to avenge last years 30-0 embarrassing loss at home to Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons had other plans. In front of a rocking Grove Stadium crowd, quarterback, Reily Skinner, threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Red shirt freshmen, Josh Adams, had a solid a game on the ground as well, racking up 140 yards and two touchdowns. But it was the Wake Forest defense that lead them to victory on that night. The Demon Deacons forced five second-half punts, and intercepted two passes. After dropping their first two contests, Wake has won their last four games and look to be on the right track towards returning to a bowl game. Florida State did not get very long to enjoy their #21 ranking in the AP poll. After the loss to Wake Forest, the Noles are now unranked in every major poll. This was a critical Atlantic Division game, and a chance for Florida State to gain some ground on division leading Boston College. Quarterback, Xaiver Lee, finished 24-of-45 for 283 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort. FSU sits at 4-2 overall, but the rest of their schedule is down right brutal. Their final six games include road trips to Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Florida.

Georgia Tech 17 Miami 14. Georgia Tech may be the most inconsistent team in all of college football. After dropping three out of their last four ACC contests, the Jackets stormed back with a huge conference road win. GT is only the 4^th team since 1978 to beat Miami three straight times. Tashard Choice rushed for a career high 204 yards, and quarterback Taylor Bennit rushed for two touchdowns in the Yellow Jacket Victory. Much like last year, Georgia Tech has stacked several of their weaker opponents toward the end of the season. 3 out their next 5 games are against teams with losing records. Sandwiched between these winnable games are contests with Virginia Tech and Georgia. What is the deal with Miami? The Canes have already lost more games in their 4 seasons in the ACC, than they have in all of their years in the Big East. They had that one impressive win against Texas A&M, but other than that, these guys have given me no reason to believe that they are legitimate. Their other four wins come against 3 teams with a combined 1 win. They got blown to pieces by Okalahoma, and have lost their last two ACC games. The Hurricane defense is also not what used to be. The Canes gave up 244 yards in the second half alone, and were kept on the field for the majority of the game. The Canes return to action this weekend at Florida State, in a rivalry game that used to have a lot more on the line.