Last Week: 9-1 Overall: 22-1
Virginia Tech vs. East Carolina
On the surface, you would think this could be a tricky game for the Hokies. East Carolina has a really good quarterback in Shane Carden, who has completed nearly 80% of his passes through two games. And they'll have to deal with wide receiver Justin Hardy, who has caught 20 passes in the first two games. But the problem for ECU is their defense. The Pirates defense has been anything but defensive the past few years, and allowed 38 points to Old Dominion in the season opener. I think ECU could put some points up, but I think Trey Edmunds will easily surpass 100 yards rushing, and he will help lead the Hokies to a nice road win. Virginia Tech 34, ECU 21
Louisiana-Monroe vs. Wake Forest
It has taken three games, but this will be Wake's first Saturday game of the season. This will also be the first time Wake will take on a team from the Sun Belt Conference.The Warhawks are 1-1, beating Grambling State, and losing to Oklahoma. Keep an eye on quarterback Kolton Browning. He's a pretty good passer, and will run when need to, but he has struggled in the first two games, only completing 51% of his passes so far. After last week's effort against Boston College, you would hope Wake Forest will have made adjustments to the offense. Tanner Price looked incompetent running the option, leading to two fumbles and an interception. Wake will need to be much better running the ball. The Deacs averaged 1.4 yards per carry, but those numbers should be better this week. Don't expect a blowout here. Wake should win, but it won't be easy. Wake Forest 23, Louisiana-Monroe 19
New Mexico vs. Pittsburgh
After a bye week, the Panthers open up the non conference portion of the schedule. They face a New Mexico team that is 1-1, and playing their first game against a team not located in the state of Texas. The Lobos lost their season opener to UTSA and beat UTEP. Expect the Lobos to run a lot. In their win last week against UTEP, New Mexico ran the ball 57 times, including 41 from Kasey Carrier, who pulled an Al Bundy by scoring four touchdowns in the game. Pitt has had two weeks to prepare for this, I think they'll be ready. Don't be surprised if Isaac Bennett carries the ball at least 20-25 times in this game, and should top 100 yards, and Pitt will win. Pitt 37, New Mexico 17
Boston College vs. USC
After the pathetic effort USC put up last week against Washington State, I'm sure there are many experts who think BC has a shot in this game. And I agree. Boston College's defense has been really strong this year, although they really haven't faced stiff competition. But USC's offense is nothing compared to previous offenses. This one is pretty sad. The Trojans threw for 54 yards last week, although they were really strong running the ball. Both teams are going to run a lot, and I'm interested to see how Andre Williams fares against this USC defense, which has also been stout. Don't expect a lot of points in this game. As much as I think BC has a shot, I think USC will play better this week, and will squeak out a win. USC 20, Boston College 10
Nevada vs. Florida State
Uh oh, Florida State's facing the Wolf Pack. Fortunately, it's not the same one FSU would normally play. This one comes from the Mountain West Conference, and is off to a 1-1 start on the season, having lost to UCLA , and beating UC-Davis. They have a dual threat quarterback named Cody Fajardo who did rush for over 100 yards against UCLA. He is questionable heading in to this game with a knee injury. But what we really want to know is how Jameis Winston will perform after his sizzling debut. He should have another strong game, and FSU should have no troubles here. FSU 48, Nevada 14
Georgia Tech vs. Duke
The lone conference tilt of the week is a Coastal division matchup featuring a well oiled machine in Georgia Tech, and a Duke team facing questions with their starting quarterback down for a while. Brandon Connette takes over for the Blue Devils. He's more of a dual threat quarterback than other QB's that have come through Duke's campus. He's certainly not as good of a passer as the other QB's, although he has had a strong start to this season. Georgia Tech, on the other, put up 70 points against Elon in their season opener, and had an extra week to prepare of this game. I don't see how Duke's defense will be able to stop Vad Lee and the Yellow Jackets rushing attack. Georgia Tech should win comfortably. Georgia Tech 34, Duke 20
Wagner vs. Syracuse
After a couple of rough outings, the Orange look to get back on track. Wagner is playing a FBS team for just the second time, losing last season to Florida Atlantic 7-3. The Seahawks are 1-1 on the season, losing last week to a Division II school. The Orange are still facing some quarterback issues, as Drew Allen threw four interceptions against Northwestern last week, and has six on the season so far. These issues shouldn't be as much of an issue this week. They need to rely more on Jerome Smith and the running game this week, which they should, and it will propel Syracuse to the win. Syracuse 27, Wagner 10
Maryland vs. Connecticut
While the competition hasn't been the stiffest, the Terps have been one of the more impressive teams in the ACC to me. They have outscored their two opponents 90-20, thanks to C.J. Brown's strong start to the season. And if week one was any indication, the competition won't be all that stiff again. UConn lost by 15 points to Towson in week one, managing just 290 yards of offense in the process. I think Maryland will get the job done with Brown throwing and running, and will cruise to victory. Maryland 31, Connecticut 16
