Third week in a row with a ranked ACC vs SEC matchup!
Week 2 was a mixed bag for the ACC. The Miami Hurricanes handled FAMU at home, NC State got stomped by Tennessee in Charlotte, Clemson rebounded by scoring 1,000 points vs App State, Georgia Tech lost on the road to a might-be-better-than-we-thought Syracuse, Cal won at Auburn, SMU lost at home to BYU, and Boston College is now ranked #24 in the AP Top 25 Poll. The 2024 college football season continues to be a wild one.
Let’s do some rooting!
Memphis @ Florida State – 9/14 at 12:00 PM EST, TV – ESPN
You have to think FSU will be extra focused for this game. Starting 0-3 would be an unmitigated disaster. Would it be funny to watch FSU Twitter lose their collective mind if it happened? Incredibly. Memphis is 2-0, but I have no clue how good of a team they actually are. Hopefully they’re good enough to go into Doak Campbell Stadium and pull off the upset. Let’s go Memphis.
Louisiana Tech @ NC State – 9/14 at 12:00 PM EST, TV – ACC Network
The Wolfpack are looking for a “get right” game after the beating they took at the hands of Tennessee last Saturday night. With #22 Clemson and #25 Northern Illinois coming next, they can’t look ahead. Quick aside: thanks to NIU for doing the Lord’s work and beating Notre Dame at Notre Dame. Well done! Anyway, coach Dave Doeren will have NC State locked in and ready to go at noon. Let’s go NC State.
Matchup of the Week
Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
#24 Boston College @ #6 Missouri – 9/14 at 12:45 PM EST, TV – SEC Network
BC looks solid so far. Plus, they are fun to watch, which is always a plus. Traveling to Mizzou is a serious test for Bill O’Brien. Missouri is the best team I know nothing about. Are they really the sixth best team in the country? Or are they ranked there because of how well they finished last season? I do know they haven’t allowed a point yet this season, albeit against Murray State and Buffalo. O’Brien is going to coach up his boys for a big road upset! Let’s go Boston College.
VMI @ Georgia Tech – 9/14 at 3:30 PM EST, TV – ACC Network
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Well, maybe not the mighty. The up and coming? I’ll work on it. The Yellow Jackets looked like an ACC Championship Game dark horse a couple weeks ago. Then they went to Syracuse and faced new quarterback Kyle McCord. McCord shredded GT for 381 yards and 4 TDs. Damn, maybe Syracuse is the ACC Championship Game dark horse this season. Miami has to visit both teams in November, so we’ll see. Let’s go Georgia Tech.
West Virginia @ Pittsburgh – 9/14 at 3:30 PM EST, TV – ESPN2
The Backyard Brawl! It’s such a great name for a rivalry game. WVU bounced back from their whooping at Penn State for a 49-14 win over Albany last week. Pitt is 2-0 with wins over Kent State and Cincinnati, (yawn). The Mountaineers have a brutal October, playing four ranked teams in the month. Yikes. A win at Pitt would be a nice momentum builder. Let’s go West Virginia.
UConn @ Duke – 9/14 at 6:00 PM EST, TV – ACC Network
Remember when UConn football was good and Randy Edsall was a hot coaching name? It feels like a hundred years ago. They are back to being awful, and I think that’s how it should be. Meanwhile, Duke escaped Northwestern with an overtime win last Saturday. Maalik Murphy looked better throwing the ball, but the Blue Devils are going to rely on their defense this season. They shouldn’t have a problem against the Huskies. Let’s go Duke.
NC Central @ UNC – 9/14 at 6:00 PM EST, TV – ACC Extra
NC Central has a pretty cool-looking eagle logo. Sadly, that didn’t matter when they lost to Elon by double-digits last weekend. Mack Brown’s squad followed up their close win at Minnesota with a decisive home victory over Charlotte. The Tar Heels should crush the Eagles. They then play James Madison, Duke, Pitt, and Georgia Tech for their next four gams. They could easily be 7-0 going into their bye week. Let’s go UNC.
Virginia Tech @ Old Dominion – 9/14 at 6:00 PM EST, TV – ESPN+
The Hokies should improve to 2-1 in this matchup. The Monarchs of Old Dominion are 0-2, losing to South Carolina and East Carolina. Virginia Tech better win this game, because their next three are vs Rutgers, at Miami, and at Stanford. Those are three tough games, especially the travel. I will be attending the Miami vs Va Tech contest, my first Canes game at Hard Rock Stadium. It would be nice if the Hokies brought something to the matchup. Let’s go Virginia Tech.
#5 Ole Miss @ Wake Forest – 9/14 at 6:30 PM EST, TV – CW
The Rebels are loaded this season. Former Hurricane Henry Parrish Jr. scored four touchdowns last game. Jaxson Dart is completing 87% of his passes and hasn’t thrown an interception. Their defense has only allowed three points in two games. Oh, who did they play you ask? Furman and Middle Tennessee State. Okay then. Wake Forest suffered a bad home loss to Virginia last week, giving up 14 points in the fourth quarter. I know I should probably root for the ACC team, but I like Lane Kiffin. Let’s go Ole Miss.
Maryland @ Virginia – 9/14 at 8:00 PM EST, TV – ACC Network
A DMV matchup. Virginia is on their first winning streak in a long time. Maryland fell late to Michigan State last Saturday after their 50-7 thrashing of football powerhouse UConn the week before. I still think it’s weird Maryland is in the Big Ten; doesn’t seem like they fit. A 3-0 start for the Cavaliers would be pretty impressive considering their recent history. Let’s go Virginia.
San Diego State @ California – 9/14 at 10:30 PM EST, TV – ESPN
Cal’s win at Auburn was unexpected and they did it with their defense. The Golden Bears forced five turnovers, while not committing any themselves. This comes after forcing three turnovers against UC Davis. Cal QB Fernando Mendoza has a good command of the offense. They are a better team than I thought. Miami’s trip there on October 5th will not be easy. Let’s go Cal.
See you next week!