I'm torn between getting all of the crap out of my house and onto a truck and getting this series finished before the second week of football is in the books. Both of which leave little time to comment on games actually played or the big state grudge match this weekend. But boy, things look bad for UVa if even future opponent Middle Tennessee State is giving good teams fits, don't they?
Self-evident: Clemson at Duke.
Florida State at Boston College: No comment.
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech: No comment.
Maryland at North Carolina: Is this the Heels homecoming? I think it is. That's a shame.
N.C. State at Miami: For the life of me, I can't recall why I thought the Pack would win this game. Maybe O'Brien's experience against the Canes? BC went 0-5 during the Coker years though.
Wake Forest at Virginia: I wouldn't pick Virginia to win a high school game at this point.
Self-evident: Georgia Tech at Duke.
Boston College at Maryland: I initially was going to give this game to the home team - the schedule I was working on listed is as an away matchup for both teams, a neat little thing to try and pull off - but I'm fuly on the Eagles' Peaceful, Easy Bandwagon right now.
Wake Forest at Clemson: No comment.
Florida State at Virginia Tech: See my earlier thoughts on Virginia Tech at home. And it's a good thing - the Seminoles have been the bete noire of the Hokies sinced they joined the ACC.
Virginia at Miami: I think the entire planet feels this will be a better game than I do. For entertainment's sake, I hope their right, but as I see it, the Hurricanes will win a poor game of football.
North Carolina at N.C. State: Is the Wolfpack's recent cursed history against the Heels going to continue? Preseason thoughts seem to put State ahead of the Heels on paper, but they've been that way for years, and UNC keeps inning more than their fair share. The coaching has improved on both sides of the ball, and I'm going to keep picking Carolina until the evidence is overwhelmingly against them. And probably for another couple of years after that.
Self-evident: Duke at Notre Dame
Boston College at Clemson: Apparenty, I just jumped off the aforementioned bandwagon. Huh.
Florida State at Maryland: I'm writing this on a plane, with the seatback television tuned to ESPN as they begin their 25 hour college football marathon. And low and behold, Bobby Bowden is giving a pep rally speech as I begin to type this. Your essay assignment for the week - compare and contrast the Bowden of 2007 with Ronald Reagan circa 1987. I don't think coaching changes are going to make nearly as much a difference as the offensive talent does. And Robert Smith (the former Viking, not the Cure front man) seems to agree.
North Carolina at Georgia Tech: UNC only has one win against the Jackets since Mack Brown left, but the last three games have been heartening for the Heels. 2004 was said win, and '05 the season opener the Heels only lost by a touchdown, giving a lot of people (well, me at least) hope that the season wouldn't be a disaster (It was). Even last year's 7-0 loss was a great defensive performance in a year with very few of them. Tech's still far and away the better team though.
Miami at Virginia Tech: Assume I'm wrong. Say the right changes have been made, and we're looking at the Hurricanes of yore. Even the high-riding Davis/Coker Hurricanes had trouble with the Hokies. They will this year as well.
N.C. State at Wake Forest: I've been hard on the Wolfpack, so let's have them win a game. Sure, they'll have to face down that terrifyingly menacing Demon Deacon crowd, but hey, they just might have it in them.
Self-evident:
Miami at Boston College: Back on the bandwagon.
Clemson at South Carolina: It's bad enough I had to pick Spurrier to beat one ACC opponent this year. If I have to do so a second time, I may have to avail myself of the seat-pocket airsickness bag. And it's not completely unthinkable that Baby Bowden could finish strong, is it?
Duke at North Carolina: In recent years, Duke has defined a perfect season as eleven losses followed by a win in Chapel Hill. Well, I think their perfect season will be ruined on the first week of September, but the Heels will re-ruin it here.
Florida State at Florida: Tim Tebow apparently had his arm studied by the university's biomechanics department. I guarantee that annoyed more UF grad students than it improved the Gator passing game, but Florida should still beat out th Bowden in winter. And if Tebow gets coauthorship of a paper in Nature, I'm knocking everything off my shelves.
Georgia at Georgia Tech: I'm going to wait for the Yellow Jackets to beat the Bulldogs before I pick them again. Besides, I need to suck up to Dawg Sports at least a little after my offseason blogging.
Maryland at N.C. State: I've gone from thinking the Terps are hopeless to thinking they're a rising power as this flight continues - possibly it's a function of my distance from the campus. (If it is it' an inverse relationship. I'm flying west.) I think I'm going to be more surrised than anyone when I count up just exactly what record I'v forecasted forthe Fridge's team.
Virginia at Virginia Tech: When was the last time the Wahoos won this game, anyway?
Wake Forest at Vanderbilt: Can this be the Deacon's new rivalry game? Please? It'll be just as exciting when each team has two wins as when one has ten.