Last week: 10-2 Overall: 23-2
East Carolina vs. Virginia Tech
After one of the biggest wins in recent memory, Virginia Tech needs to avoid a letdown game here. East Carolina is sneaky, and just gave South Carolina a good game. The Pirates feature one of the best quarterbacks the Hokies will see all year in Shane Carden, who has completed 70% of his passes in the first two games. He also completed 70% of his passes last season. I can see Carden having a game where he completes 30 passes for about 270 yards, where he dinks and dunks a lot to try and avoid the the Hokies secondary. Meanwhile, the Hokies will control the game with their stable of running backs, and some timely passing by Michael Brewer. While I think the Hokies will be on upset alert this weekend, I think they will win, but it won't be a blowout. Virginia Tech 27, ECU 17
Georgia Southern vs. Georgia Tech
Who likes the running game? Well, you are in luck here. You have the number two team in rushing yards (Georgia Southern) and the 14th ranked team in rushing yards (Georgia Tech). Georgia Southern put up 83 points and 564 rushing yards last week against Savannah State, and nearly beat NC State the week before that. Georgia Tech is 2-0, and has struggled a bit at times in bother of their victories. We know running will be plenty, but whichever team can stop the run better will win. This will not be the blowout the betters think it will be. I think Georgia Southern hangs around all game, but in the end, I think Justin Thomas will be a big factor in this game, and the Yellow Jackets win a shootout. Georgia Tech 34, Georgia Southern 27
Pittsburgh vs. Florida International
If you are looking for your lopsided game of the week, this one is a prime candidate. Pitt has been a dominant force on the ground, led by James Connor, who already has 367 yards in the first two games. FIU has yet to play a FBS team, going 1-1 in those games. I can't see how FIU can stop Connor. No one has through two games, and that trend will continue. I don't think Connor plays the whole game, but he will have a monster day on the ground. Another 200 yard day is in reach for him. This one will be a blowout. Pitt 44, FIU 6
Syracuse vs. Central Michigan
If you're a Syracuse fan, you are really hoping things were fixed during the bye week after an atrocious showing in week one against Villanova. The competition is stiffer, but a bit inconsistent. The Chippewas are 2-0, barely beating Chattanooga, and beating Purdue by three touchdowns. The Chippewas also like to run the ball a lot, and Syracuse's run defense was solid against Villanova. I think the Orange can contain Central Michigan, and Terrel Hunt will be much better this game. Syracuse will win a close. Syracuse 27, Central Michigan 21
Louisville vs. Virginia
This game has a lot of intrigue all of a sudden. Louisville has been really strong in their first two games of the season, and Virginia has played a lot better than expected. Last week's win for Virginia was their first in nearly a year. Surprisingly, Virginia's defense will be one of the best ones the Cardinals will face all year. The Cavaliers will still use the two quarterback system, and I think that could hurt them. I am not a fan of using them, and hopefully one of Greyson Lambert or Matt Johns takes control. While I think Virginia's defense will keep them in the game via turnovers, I don't think the offense will do enough to pull off the upset. Louisville wins close behind their running game. Louisville 23, Virginia 19
Arkansas State vs. Miami
There are still some concerns at Miami, primarily at the quarterback position. Brad Kaaya has looked less than stellar through two games, completing less than 57% of his passes, and throwing four interceptions. There are no concerns about Duke Johnson, however, as he looks like one of the top running backs in all of college football. He will have another really good game this week. The Red Wolves are 1-1, beating Montana State, and losing to Tennessee by two scores. This should be another game for Kaaya to build confidence going forward. He should have a decent day in the air, the Hurricanes win fairly easily. Miami 38, Arkansas State 21
NC State vs. South Florida
While Louisville-Virginia is the Game of the Week, this game might be the Game of the Eek (or Game of the Weak, take your pick). Both of these teams are trying to rebuild, and have looked pretty sloppy in their first two games. NC State is 2-0, but needed a last minute stop on defense to beat Georgia Southern, and allowed 34 points to Old Dominion. South Florida won a shootout against Western Carolina, and lost to Maryland despite forcing six turnovers. This game will be very sloppy, but I will give NC State the nod because they are the less sloppy team. I think Shadrach Thornton has a nice game here. NC State 20, South Florida 10
Kansas vs. Duke
Another year, another 2-0 start for the Blue Devils. It's becoming a thing now. And they're hosting one of the worst FBS schools over the last few years this week. This would be a fun basketball game to watch, but alas, we are talking football here. There's not a whole lot to worry about here. Anthony Boone will throw the ball to Jamison Crowder a lot, and Kansas won't stop it. Kansas won't do a lot on offense because they're inept, and Duke will roll. Duke 38, Kansas 17
Wake Forest vs. Utah State
Last week was one of the rare weeks you'll see Wake Forest have a shot to win a game this year. And they responded with an impressive win over Gardner-Webb. Utah State is 1-1, losing to Tennessee, and beating Idaho State. They have a really good quarterback, Chuckie Keeton, who has been around for about 15 years. He has struggled to throw the ball this season, so Wake Forest can be in this game if they can force him to have another rough game. But Wake still has a pretty bad offense, and I don't know how they can manufacture many points in a hostile environment such as this. The Aggies will win. Utah State 24, Wake Forest 10
USC vs. Boston College
The last game of the night in the ACC features a USC coming off of a big win against Stanford, and Boston College looking inept defensively in a loss to Pitt. The best chance for BC to pull off an upset is if USC does have a letdown after the big conference win. The only problem to that is I don't see how the Eagles can stop the Trojans rushing attack led by Javorius Allen, who has rushed for 287 yards in their first two games. I think the Trojans will be able to stop Tyler Murphy and the rest of the BC offense, and win handily. USC 37, Boston College 13
