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NC State travels to Georgia Tech on Thursday night to kickoff a very important ACC football weekend, featuring four matchups that will go a long way to deciding where teams fall in the ACC this year. The highlight of the weekend comes when Virginia travels to Boston College, as the Eagles look to prove themselves in the ACC and the Cavaliers look to avenge an upset from the Terps last week. Should be another interesting weekend in the ACC, let's dive in and see what we can uncover...NC State at Georgia Tech: NC State looks to get their first win the ACC this year, as they travel to Georgia Tech to take on a Yellow Jacket team struggling to find an identity. With quarterback Reggie Ball not at 100%, Tech hasn't looked as good as people thought they would, and they really need a victory to start the upward battle of catching Virginia Tech. The victory will come from whoever's offense elects to show up for this game, as neither has looked very good in the past weeks. The quarterbacks will have to come up big for their respective teams, and I wouldn't look for this to be a very high-scoring affair. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see NC State slip by the Yellow Jackets in this game, look for something near 17-13. Wake Forest at Florida State: Wake looks to build on their home upset of Clemson as they travel down to Florida State to play in one of the most unforgiving environments in the ACC. The Seminoles look to stay unbeaten in the ACC and attempt to distance themselves from the competition in what shouldn't be a very difficult game at home. The Demon Deacons won't find the same success against the Noles as they did last week against the Tigers, and Florida State should come away with an easy victory. It will be interesting to see how the FSU quarterbacks fare in this one and see if one of them can develop enough of a rhythm for Bowden to stay with one over the other. Expect a big win for FSU at home, 36-10. Marshall at Virginia Tech: As the Hokies battle another opponent from the state of West Virginia, Marshall comes to town to provide Vick with even more confidence than he was already building. I wouldn't expect the Thundering Herd to put up too much of a fight in this one, as the Hokie defense should once again be dominant. The third ranked team in the nation should have no trouble at home this week, and look for Virginia Tech to gain even more momentum as Vick runs and throws them to victory in an easy win. The Hokies should stay unbeaten to the tune of 44-6. Virginia at Boston College: In the big game of the weekend, Boston College looks to close ground on Florida State as Virginia looks to avenge a loss to Maryland last week and prove they belong at the top of the ACC. Look for BC's defense to be the difference in this game, but look for the Cavaliers to put up a fight. The game should remain relatively close until about halfway through the third quarter, when the crowd and the offensive line finally break down the Cavalier defense, and BC should run away with it. Look for Virginia's scoring to stop around 17, as the Eagles take the victory at home, 34-17. Maryland at Temple: After a tough battle against Virginia last week, Maryland pretty much gets to take a week off against a Temple team that has looked abysmal all year. The Owls have been whipped by anyone who has cared to schedule them this year, and I wouldn't expect this game to be any different. The Terrapins won't have to try to run up the score in this one, as they'll easily come back from Temple with a victory, 56-6. Duke at Miami: Miami finally gets a break in their ACC schedule as they face traditional free victory Duke at home. The Hurricanes should have no difficulty as they pick up an easy victory to move one step closer to the Hokies at the top. The Blue Devils actually stood a chance last week against Navy, but unfortunately they are just outclassed in this one. Miami will take advantage of an easy home victory as they run away with this one, 55-10. North Carolina at Louisville: In a very interesting matchup, and a game that some experts might look for an upset, North Carolina heads out to Louisville to face a team that is extremely difficult to beat at home. Louisville comes off a big victory against Florida Atlantic, after they were upset the previous week by South Florida. The Cardinals will again look to prove that the South Florida loss was just a fluke as they host a very tough Tar Heel team. Fifth year senior quarterback Matt Baker has been building more and more confidence as this year has progressed, and the Tar Heel offense is really starting to click. Unfortunately, it probably won't be enough as the UNC defense just doesn't have the tools to stop a highly powerful Cardinal offense. Look for North Carolina to put up a fight and make things interesting, but Louisville should pull this one out in the end at home, 42-38. |