The three biggest ACC football questions of the week. Here we go for Week 12.
Should SMU run up the score if they have the chance against Boston College?
#14 SMU at 8-1 has a resume that compares favorably to teams in front of them. Do you know how to catch the attention of the committee vs unranked teams? Run up the score…
Years ago I would have said show some class, these are kids. Hey, some of these “kids” are making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and it’s more business than sport these days. If SMU gets the chance to run it up on BC then they need to turn that 30-7 score into a 44-7. Now you can’t guarantee SMU will even have that chance. Boston College will have plenty to say about that, but if they do – SMU has to pour it on. It is what it is.
Can Virginia throw a scare into Notre Dame?
If this game is at Virginia, I might even think the Hoos could steal this game against Notre Dame. It is in South Bend, but I’m not seeing an upset. I think Virginia has a chance to get into the 4th quarter within single digits.
Virginia nearly beat Louisville, they did beat a previously ranked Pitt team, and were only 17-10 to Clemson at the half. Virginia is a pesky team, that plays with a bit of fire. Notre Dame has a ranked Army team the next week plus a game at rival USC. I could see this one being closer than expected.
Is Pittsburgh’s season about to go off the rails?
Georgia Tech’s upset of Miami was more stunning, but you never got the feeling the Canes were just going through the motions. They just played with fire once too often and got burned. The game was on the road too.
I’m not taking anything away from Virginia they were better prepared, better coached, and showed more intensity than Pitt did in knocking off the Panthers. That’s the problem, Pitt was at home with plenty to play for and came out completely flat. It was similar to Clemson the week before when Louisville beat them. Clemson recovered to win at Virginia Tech. Now Pitt hosts that same Clemson team. That’s a tall task. I don’t like that Pitt is coming off two straight losses. The 7-0 start might be ancient history after this one.
