Bowl Game Picks

Well, the college football bowl season is upon us.  The ACC has quite a slate to offer during the next several days.  So, without further ado, here are my picks:

• Meineke Car Care – PITTSBURGH vs. North Carolina
• Emerald – USC vs. Boston College
• Music City – Kentucky vs. CLEMSON
• Champs Sports – Wisconsin vs. MIAMI
• Chick-Fil-A – Tennessee vs. VIRGINIA TECH
• Gator – West Virginia vs. FLORIDA STATE
• Orange – Iowa vs. GEORGIA TECH

Worth Noting:

• It’s no secret that the Gator Bowl will indeed serve as Bobby Bowden’s swan song.  He ends an amazing 34-year run with the Seminoles, although it could have continued for another season had that option been made available.  Still, his legacy will continue on campus in an entirely different form.
• You can call the Meineke Car Care Bowl a match between two teams that lost to the Wolfpack.  Pitt suffered a 38-31 defeat back in Week 4, while UNC went down 28-27 in Week 13.   Both contests took place in the friendly confines of Carter-Finley Stadium, which is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Charlotte’s  Bank of America Stadium.  Hopefully neither team will encounter a sea of red in the Queen City.
• Boston College will take on a USC team in unfamiliar territory.  The Emerald Bowl will be the first non-BCS bowl for the Trojans since the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl.  They lost three of their last five games to end up making the trek to San Fran, although the bowl organizers there seem to be thrilled.
• Hopefully the third time will be the charm for Virginia Tech as they make their way back to Atlanta for the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.  They also hope to break a four-game drought against SEC opponents.  Better hope UT coach Lane Kiffin isn’t up to his bag of tricks again.
• The Orange Bowl should be an interesting matchup, given Iowa’s stellar defense and GT’s amazing triple-option.  The outcome will likely depend on which side blinks first and who can capitalize on the most available opportunities down the stretch.

For ACC Football fans everywhere, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

End of Season Review – Atlantic Division

Now that the regular season is in the books, let’s take a look at my own assessment of each team in the ACC’s “black and blue” division.  The results are as varied as the teams themselves.

BOSTON COLLEGE (B+) – The Eagles managed to stay strong in the second half, albeit against weaker competition.  Losses to Notre Dame and North Carolina and close wins against the conference cellar-dwellers have caused their stock to drop off a bit.  Still, BC managed to be bowl-eligible for the 11th year in a row, which matches the total number of bowl trips they’ve been to in the six decades prior to the current streak.

CLEMSON (A) – Coach Dabo Swinney managed to do something that Tommy Bowden couldn’t do.  Despite a rough start with losses against Georgia Tech, TCU, and Maryland (!), the Tigers ran off a six-game winning streak en route to its first ACC Championship game and possibly it’s first conference title since 1991.  Having your best player honored with a full page color ad in USA Today certainly adds to your rep as well.

FLORIDA STATE (C-) – Despite the controversy surrounding their revered head coach all season, the Seminoles managed to pull together some close wins over UNC, NC State, and Maryland to eke in another bowl game.  Even so, it became apparent that whatever bowl they’ll be heading to will be the last for Bobby Bowden as he calls it a career.

MARYLAND (F) – Never did I think doling out this grade would be necessary.  But the Terps earned that distinction by ending the season with a mighty thud, thanks to a seven-game losing streak to end the season.  Ralph Friedgen will remain on board for 2010, despite having to deal with a litany of injuries, inexperience, and just plain bad luck.  Perhaps the only thing keeping him in College Park at this point would be the money, or lack thereof.  For what it’s worth, there needs to be significant improvement next season if Coach Friedgen doesn’t want to end up on the hot seat again.

N.C. STATE (D) – The Pack wasn’t able to put together another impressive late-season run this time around.  Injuries and a weak defense doomed their bowl chances, although a season-ending win over rival UNC did offer a sense of redemption.  Probably the biggest question during the offseason would be whether QB Russell Wilson will stick around for another season or take a crack at professional baseball.

WAKE FOREST (D+) – The Deacs fell apart during the backstretch of the season, only to end a five-game losing streak against Duke to cap the season.  While the season was a letdown for the number of seniors on the squad, including their record-breaking QB Riley Skinner, it was quite a learning experience for the defense who helped keep Wake in a number of close contests.

In conclusion, the Atlantic Division had more drama than Jon & Kate without all the screaming and backbiting.  Even so, there is room for improvement as the offseason progresses and wholesale changes are expected across the board.  It’s just a matter of finding the right balance needed to keep the division more sound and competitive.

Week 13 Picks

Okay, now that I’m fully recovered from stuffing myself silly over a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, it’s time for my ACC football picks for theweek.  A number of rivalry games from within the conference and against our SEC brethren highlight this week’s slate of matchups.  Two of those games have implications on the BCS standings as well, although both games might appear to be somewhat lopsided.

So, without further ado, here are my picks for the week:

• Wake Forest @ DUKE
• NORTH CAROLINA @ NC State
• CLEMSON @ South Carolina
• VIRGINIA TECH @ Virginia
• Miami @ SOUTH FLORIDA
• BOSTON COLLEGE @ Maryland
• Georgia @ GEORGIA TECH
• GAME OF THE WEEK – Florida State @ FLORIDA

Worth Noting:

• The NC State family has been hit hard over the weekend with news that two of their own are battling cancer.  The football team will be without the services of OC Dana Bible again this week after being diagnosed with leukemia. He is currently seeking treatment over at UNC Hospital.    In the broadcast booth, play-by-play announcer Gary Hahn was also sidelined due to surgery for prostate cancer over the weekend as well.  The news certainly has to be disheartening with the Wolfpack faithful, especially since longtime women’s basketball coach Kay Yow died earlier this year following a long battle with breast cancer.  My thoughts and prayers go to the families of Dana Bible and Gary Hahn in hopes of a speedy and successful recovery.
• Virginia desperately needs a win over rival Virginia Tech if there’s any hope of Coach Al Groh staying for another year.  He’s currently 1-7 against the Hokies and Frank Beamer, so expectations are huge for the Cavaliers on this one.  Another loss could mean the end of the Groh era in Charlottesville as we know it.
• Miami will be taking on USF in the first of a five-game series with the Bulls.  This will be the first meeting between the two schools since The Canes won 27-7 back in 2005.  The program at USF has taken off since  then, and has even notched a win over  FSU back in Week 4 of this season.
• The FSU-Florida game could be quite an emotional game for a number of reasons.  Not only will this be the final home game for UF’s senior QB Tim Tebow, but perhaps the final opportunity for FSU to win a game for Bobby Bowden at The Swamp.  The opportunity to play the spoiler certainly sounds intriguing for the Seminole faithful that have endured their share of hardship the past few seasons.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is looking at keeping Clemson’s three big playmakers at bay when the two schools renew their annual rivalry.  In addition to C.J. Spiller’s amazing prowess, receiver Jacoby Ford has also put up impressive numbers this season, and QB Kyle Parker has been fairly consistent throughout the season as well.  Gotta wonder what kind of game plan The ‘Ol Ball Coach has cooking up.
• Duke and Wake Forest compete in their final game of the season.  The Blue Devils will be aiming for their first non-losing season in 15 years, which would say a lot about where the program is heading.  As for the Demon Deacons, this is a homecoming of sorts for receiver Marshall Williams, who played high school football at Riverside High in Durham and used to participate in summer workouts on the Duke campus.

Week 10 Picks

We’re already into November, which means the action on the field is really intensifying.  We’ve got quite an array of games to choose from, two Coastal Division matchups, two Atlantic Division contests, an out-of-conference game at East Carolina, and a cross-divisional game with implications on how the Road to Tampa Bay will shape up.  So, without much ado, here are my picks for the week:

• VIRGINIA TECH @ East Carolina (Thursday)
• Virginia @ MIAMI
• Maryland @ NC STATE
• Wake Forest @ GEORGIA TECH
• DUKE @ North Carolina

GAME OF THE WEEK – FLORIDA STATE @ Clemson

Boston College has the week off.

Worth Noting:

• I seriously doubt anyone expected Duke to be this good coming into November.  They are currently second in the Coastal with an outside chance of winning the division outright.  Of course, a number of things would have to happen before that scenario would come to pass.  However, you gotta admit the Blue Devils have made some serious strides this past year.  To offer some perspective, a win over UNC will give the Blue Devils four conference wins, which is the same amount achieved during the last nine seasons.  Not to mention Coach Cutcliffe so far has won more games than either Carl Franks or Ted Roof, and he’s only in his second season!!  A win over the Tarheels would be even more impressive, since UNC has practically dominated the series 18 out of the last 19 seasons.  The last two games, however, have been fairly close, so perhaps this might be the year The Victory Bell makes its way back to Durham.  Then again, I am a Duke fan, so what I’ve said thus far could be mistaken for wishful thinking …
• Both Maryland and N.C. State find themselves in danger of missing the postseason altogether, which makes their game all the more important.  The Terps need to win out, although Coach Ralph Friedgen seems a bit more worried about keeping the pounds off than how the Wolfpack might react following a crushing loss to FSU.  It’s also Homecoming weekend for NCSU, as if they needed any more motivation to finally get their first conference win of the season.
• Speaking of FSU, house cleaning appears to be in order now that defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews is calling it quits at the end of the season.  He’s shown great loyalty to Bobby Bowden by helping shape the Seminoles into a formidable force over the past 26 years.  Family issues, however, have detracted from his focus and desire, leaving him with the difficult decision to walk away.  Coach Bowden will have the final say in his replacement, although he will allow Jimbo Fisher to offer his considerations.
• The Clemson-Florida State game will have implications on the Atlantic Division race, since both teams are still in contention.  The Noles continue to stay strong by putting up really impressive numbers, even with an anemic defense.  That revelation caught Dabo Swinney’s attention, especially since the Tigers have been dominant in this series as of late.

Week 9 Picks

Hello, Boils and Ghouls!  Treats, trickery and lots of tomfoolery await yet another All Hallow’s Eve.  And with that comes plenty of screaming (or shouting) for your favorite team, unless you’re howling at the moon in sorrow like the Wolfpack as of late.  No matter what goes bump on the football field (or in the night), let’s hope this weekend of ACC Football is less frightful and the games indeed turn out to be a true Thriller (Michael Jackson and dancing zombies notwithstanding).  So, let’s spook up some picks right now …

• North Carolina @ VIRGINIA TECH (Thursday)
• NC State @ FLORIDA STATE
• Coastal Carolina @ CLEMSON
• DUKE @ Virginia
• CENTRAL MICHIGAN @ Boston College
• GEORGIA TECH @ Vanderbilt

GAME OF THE WEEK – MIAMI @ Wake Forest

Maryland is off in search of The Great Pumpkin this weekend, or perhaps a way to win a game for once.  Hope they have better luck than Linus did.

Worth Noting:

• Duke’s win over Maryland game them back-to-back ACC wins for the first time in since 1994, which was also the last time they had a winning season.  The Blue Devils are hoping to go for the trifeca against Virginia, a team they beat soundly 38-3 last year.  Should they succeed, it could mean basketball might have to take a back seat for a little while.  Although I’m sure Coach K wouldn’t mind …
• Boston College should have its hands full against a Central Michigan squad that has been dominant in the MAC this season.  The Chippewas upset Michigan State early in the season following a tough loss to Arizona, and are riding a seven-game win streak.  In addition, CMU has benefited greatly from the services of QB Dan LeFevour, who is one of the best in the country.  His overall stats give him a #13 QB rating for all FCS schools.    Expect a potential surprise for this one.
• Florida State did get itself some redemption last Thursday night by overcoming an 18-point deficit at halftime to prevail over the Tarheels in stunning fashion.  Which is amazing considering how Bobby Bowden mentioned that FSU was just plan awful for the first 2 1/2 quarters of the game.  The Seminoles have quite a task ahead of them against an NC State squad with similar issues.  However, the Wolfpack has played its best coming out of a bye week on Tom O’Brien’s watch, so expect this to be an interesting game with both teams jockeying for a bowl bid.  My guess is whoever wins this game has a better chance of making traveling plans during the holidays.
• The last time we’ve had a Football Saturday on Halloween was in 1998.  In case anyone cares to remember what happened then, here were the scores: NC State beat Clemson 46-39, Vanderbilt stopped Duke 36-33, Florida State walloped UNC 39-13, Georgia Tech downed Maryland 31-14, and Virginia turned back Wake Forest 38-17. Lest we forget, Miami, VT, and BC were still in the Big East back then, but their games were still just as important; the Hurricanes topped the Eagles 35-17, and the Hokies wrangled with the West Virginia Mountaineers 27-13.  Thankfully we still had them internets to keep track of this stuff.

Anyway, if your plans this Saturday are to tailgate, go to the game, go trick-or-treating, or attend a Halloween party, let’s be extra careful out there.  No need to let ghosts, gremlins, and hobgoblins ruin your day.  Or anything else that’s evil ….