College Football Predictions: UNC-Miami Highlight ACC Week 8
With Florida State off this weekend, the focus shifts on Miami. The Hurricanes look to keep their Coastal division hopes alive as the Tar Heels come to town. UNC quarterback T.J. Yates is having an outstanding year, as he holds an 11-1 TD-INT ratio. A win for either team would propel them firmly into the mix of the Coastal division.
Georgia Tech and Clemson will renew their rivalry after an exciting 2009 ACC championship game. The Tigers and Yellow Jackets both possess strong running games that uses multiple backs. Joshua Nesbitt and Anthony lead Tech's rushing attack while Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper are the key guys for Clemson.
Virginia Tech and Duke battle it out in a Coastal division match-up. The Hokies are the favorites in the division while Duke just hopes they can win another game.
Maryland and Boston College face off in a matchup between two middle of the road teams. The Terps and Eagles teams aren't much of a threat to the top teams in the Atlantic, but both teams look to take another step towards a bowl bid.
Virginia goes out of the conference against Eastern Michigan. The Cavaliers will use this game as a confidence booster for the rest of the season.
Florida State, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest are all on byes.
Eastern Michigan at Virginia (6:00 P.M. EST, ESPN3.com)
1 of 5
Eastern Michigan is absolutely atrocious. They finally got a win last week, in OT over Ball State. EMU has given up 50+ points three times so far this year and 70+ once.
The Cavaliers have struggled lately but that is to be expected. Virginia has had issues with games like this in recent years. But with Mike London at the helm, I don’t think it will be a problem in this one. Cavaliers win big at home.
Prediction:
Virginia 45
Eastern Michigan 14
Maryland at Boston College (1:00 P.M. EST, ESPN3.com)
2 of 5
During a weak five game stretch, Maryland went 4-1. We finally saw the real Terps last weekend as Clemson beat Maryland convincingly 31-7. Now, Ralph Friedgen and company will have to regroup as they head to Chestnut Hill for a big game for both team’s bowl hopes.
Boston College has been a disappointment this season at 3-3 overall. A team that was supposed to compete for the Atlantic, the Eagles haven’t found consistency at the quarterback position, and their defense hasn’t been as solid as recent years. However, a very weak schedule still gives BC hope in the second half. ACC championship might be out of the question, but hopes for a 7+ win season still exist.
Even though BC is terrible at the quarterback position, Montel Harris remains one of the best backs in the ACC. Points will be at a premium in this one. I like Boston College at home.
Prediction:
Boston College 20
Maryland 14
Duke at Virginia Tech (12:00 P.M. EST, ACC Network)
3 of 5
The Hokies are apparently back, and a Coastal division title is there for the taking. Duke will be a warm-up game before Virginia Tech hosts Georgia Tech on Thursday November 4th. Tyrod Taylor has been outstanding since the James Madison loss, and Darren Evans is a touchdown machine.
This was the year that Duke was supposed to get to six wins this season, but that obviously isn’t going to happen. There are no automatic wins on the rest of the schedule, and 1-11 is a possibility. The defense is playing a little bit better, but the offense has regressed. Quarterback Sean Renfree has cooled off since the hot start, including 10 interceptions in the last three games. I think Duke might be able to score some points on the Hokie defense but not enough. VT continues to roll.
Prediction:
Virginia Tech 42
Duke 20
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Georgia Tech at Clemson (3:30 P.M. EST, ABC/ESPN)
4 of 5
You can always expect an exciting finish when these two meet. However, Georgia Tech has dominated the series in recent years, including six of the last seven, counting the ACC championship game last season. Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by five points or less, while a combined 12 points have decided the last three meetings. Statistically, the advantage is with Georgia Tech as Paul Johnson is 11-2 in games decided by five points or less as Tech’s head coach.
Clemson has experienced an up and down season thus far. They lost a heart-breaker on the road to Auburn and followed it up by losing to Miami and UNC. The Tigers finally got into the ACC win column with a 31-7 victory over Maryland. Kyle Parker and the Clemson offense will be able to have success against this defense.
Quarterback Joshua Nesbitt is 44 rushing yards away from becoming the ACC’s all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback. What better way to break former Clemson quarterback Woody Dantzler’s record than breaking it in a victory in Death Valley? He will try to do that on Saturday.
Clemson will be extremely motivated going into this game, as their Atlantic Division hopes are gone if they lose. Expect a lot of Ellington and Harper against a bad run defense and another exciting game. I don't think Tech has the horses on defense to stop Clemson nor the playmakers on offense to outscore the Tigers.
Prediction:
Clemson 31
Georgia Tech 27
Game Of The Week: North Carolina at Miami (7:30 P.M. EST, ESPN2)
5 of 5
North Carolina has won four straight and looks to take a big step towards a possible Coastal Division title. After losing players to the NCAA investigations, no one thought the Tar Heels would survive the season. Don't look now, but Butch Davis and North Carolina are right in the thick of things.
Obviously, Miami is very talented and very athletic. But with an interception-prone Jacory Harris and a struggling running game, the offense is having a tough time getting anything going. The defense has been pretty good outside of the FSU game and needs to help the offense this week if they want to beat a surging North Carolina team.
Johnny White and Shaun Draughn are making big contributions in the running game for North Carolina, and T.J. Yates is making his case for ACC Player of the Year. The defense has played well during their four game winning streak and will try to slow down the talented receivers of Miami.
Randy Shannon and the Canes haven't played their best game yet and they hope it comes against the Tar Heels. A loss would put a huge dent in their division title hopes. With Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech coming up later in the schedule, this could be considered a must win game.
On the other hand, a win for North Carolina would put them securely into the Coastal Division race. I'm not sure which Miami team is going to show up this weekend, but I do like the more consistent North Carolina team led by T.J. Yates.
Prediction:
North Carolina 27
Miami 24
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