Week 12 Preview

As the ACC schedule rolls into it's second to last week, we have some great match-ups to look forward to:

 Virgina @  Boston College
- Look for Boston College RB Montel Harris to have a big day on the ground. If BC can establish a solid run game, look for them to have the advantage in this match-up.

 Duke @  Georgia Tech
- We all know what GT is going to do on every play, the triple option, but the question is, can you stop it? If Duke can hold GT's rushing attack they may be able to sneak a win out of this weeks road test.

 #16 Virginia Tech @  #24 Miami
- Big time ACC match-up this weekend in South Beach. Miami's starting QB Harris is still out so it's up to Freshman Stephen Morris to step up to the plate. A solid game from him and Miami's got a chance.

 North Carolina State @  North Carolina
- Numbers go out the window when it comes to this rivalry. These two teams always come out strong and fired up for their annual meeting. There's no telling which side will take this game but the QB match-up between TJ Yates and Russell Wilson is vital. Whichever QB plays better should decide the outcome.

 Clemson @  Wake Forest

- Wake is having a very rough season and Clemson is looking to avenge a loss last week to FSU. Clemson QB Kyle Parker should have a field day against Wake's shaky D.

 #25 Florida State @  Maryland
- Important Coastal Division game in College Park Saturday night. Each team must win for their title hopes to remain intact. FSU's defense in key in this game as Maryland has potent passing and rushing attacks.

Click Here to check out Heather Dininch's ESPN ACC BLOG: great, quick preview for this weekend

Week 11 Wrap Up-What We Learned

What we learned:
 Miami: Despite not living up to their early season hype, Miami is making a strong finishing stand to their season. Don't look now but Miami is 7-3 and 5-2 in the ACC and freshman QB Sean Morris might have just won the starting spot over the injured Harris. With a win this weekend at home against #16 Virginia Tech, they could have a shot at the ACC Atlantic Division title.
ESPN wrap-up and highlights

 Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets have now lost their third straight game for the first time since 2006. The defending ACC champions have lost all their momentum and are struggling to become bowl eligible.

 Boston College: BC took home an impressive win this weekend at Duke and have now won three consecutive games. BC RB Harris rushed for 109 yards and despite two lost fumbles, has shown he is an All ACC back.

 Duke: Duke did not score an offensive touchdown on Saturday against BC and gave up 356 yards of total offense to the Eagles. A disappointing season so far for the Blue Devils, the road doesn't get easier with their final two games at GT and home against Carolina.

 Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons have had a tough season and their play at NC State of Saturday exemplified that. After keeping it close until halftime (NC State lead 7-3 at the break), the Deac's defense failed to show up in the second half, allowing the Wolfpack to rattle of 35 unanswered points.

 NC State: The Wolfpack were able to bounce back from a tough lost at Clemson two weeks ago and come out strong in the second half against WF. Junior QB Russell Wilson accounted for three Wolfpack touchdowns in what may have been his final home game at NC State and the Wolfpack are still tied at the top of the Coastal Division.

 Virginia Tech: The Hokies are legit. Virginia Tech won it's eighth straight game Saturday at UNC. Although the VT defense gave up 314 yards, they were able to force six turnovers and allowed only 10 points. With a win Saturday at Miami the Hokies clinch a trip to Charlotte for the ACC championship.

 North Carolina: QB TJ Yates threw four interceptions in their loss to VT and gave up more than 400 yards on defense. They did a good job of keeping pressure on and containing QB Tyrod Taylor's running game, but he was able to beat them with his arm, throwing for two touchdown passes. Carolina has the potential to be a good team but seems to have never recovered from their early season scandal and continuing NCAA investigation.

(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

 Maryland: Maryland kept it interesting this past weekend in Charlottesville by overcoming a 23-21 fourth quarter deficit and putting up an impressive 21 points in the frame, posting a 42-23 win over Virginia.

 Virginia: UVA kept it close most of the game but game up a huge fourth quarter to the Terps. Virginia's having a tough time this season in the ACC, posting just a 1-5 record.

 Clemson: After a big win against NC State a week earlier, the Tigers came close to stealing one from the Seminoles on Saturday. The Tigers' defense, ranked 9th in FBS in points allowed, managed to keep the game close until the final minute.

 Florida State: FSU escaped at home this week with a win and kept their ACC title hopes alive. Clemson had the Seminoles on the ropes but a big time drive by back up QB EJ Manuel helped to lead the Noles on their way to a win. QB EJ Manuel, filling in for the injured Ponder, lead a drive with just 53 seconds remaining and kicker Dustin Hopkins stuck home a 55 yard field goal with just seconds remaining to solidify the win.

Game Winning Field Goal

Week 11 ACC Picks

Here's a quick rundown of today's matches and who I've got:

 Miami (6-3, 4-2 ACC) @  Georgia Tech (5-4, 3-3 ACC)

With Miami's Harris still injured, look for freshman QB Stephen Morris to show the GT defense what he's got. Morris looked sharp last week in a big win against Maryland, so I'm picking him as the game's key player. If Morris fails to produce, Georgia Tech might be able to sneak out a crucial home win. 

• Pick- 27-21 Miami

 Boston College (4-5, 2-4 ACC) @  Duke (3-6, 1-4 ACC)

The Blue Devils' thought this was going to be a breakout year for the program but after a slow start, they've struggled to recover. On paper it looks to be a pretty evenly matched game, but look for Duke to come out with a little aggression and play like they've got something to prove against BC. 

• Pick: 34-24 Duke

 Wake Forest (2-7, 1-5 ACC) @  NC State (6-3, 3-2 ACC)

The Wolfpack will take no hostages in Raleigh this afternoon. Coming off a tough loss to Clemson last Saturday look for ACC passing leader Russell Wilson have a big day against the Deacs' struggling defense (giving up more than 40 points a game in their 7 losses this season).

• Pick: 44-17 NC State

#20 Virginia Tech (7-2, 5-0 ACC) @  North Carolina (6-3, 3-2 ACC)

Virginia Tech has been red hot after opening the season 0-2, ripping off 7 straight wins. I see this streak coming to an end Saturday in Chapel Hill. Carolina has improved steadily since week 1 and looked very strong at Florida State last week. Butch Davis will have his team ready for this match up; if the Tar Heel defense can contain Hokie QB Tyrod Taylor and UNC QB Yates can create on offense, Carolina will be on its way to a big win.

• Pick: 28-27 UNC

 Maryland (6-3, 3-2 ACC) @  Virginia (4-5, 1-4 ACC)

Maryland looks to bounce back after a last minute loss last weekend in Miami. Virginia's defense doesn't look strong enough to hold off QB O'Brien's arm. Look for him to have a big day against the shaky Cavalier secondary.

• Pick: 27-14 Maryland

 Clemson (5-4, 3-3 ACC) @  Florida State (6-3, 4-2 ACC)

Huge Coastal Division match in Tallahassee. With a Clemson win, the Coastal Division would be wide open, with 4 teams having a legitimate shot at taking the title. With a Florida State win, they will move one step closer to a spot in the ACC Championship game in Charlotte. Look for Ponder's leadership to prove the key and for the Seminoles to bounce back from last weeks loss to UNC at home. 

• Pick: 17-7 Florida State

Race For The Coastal Division

With the ACC championship game fast approaching and the top contenders beginning to flex their muscles, the race for the ACC's Coastal Division title could not be tighter. Florida State, NC State and Maryland are all tied at the top of the division with two losses a piece. With a spot in the conference championship game up for grabs, each of these three teams still has a chance to play in Charlotte in mid December.

NC State could very well be an 8-1 team. With an overtime loss to ECU and a 14-13 loss to Clemson last weekend, the Pack has been on the losing end of two games they could have very well have won. The final two games for the Pack will be tough road tests, but they have shown how good they can be when they play to their potential, so an ACC title game trip is not unrealistic. NC State now controls their own destiny. If the Wolfpack wins their final three games, home against Wake Forest tomorrow, @ North Carolina 11/20, and @ Maryland 11/27, they will own the tiebreaker against both Maryland and Florida State no matter how they finish.

Florida State has shown their ability to be an ACC champion, but after a 4-0 start in ACC play the Seminoles have dropped their last two. For Florida State to be able to represent the Coastal Division they not only need to beat Clemson tomorrow and beat Maryland in College Park on the 20th, they need NC State to lose one of its final three games.

Probably the most under-the-radar team of the ACC this year, Maryland has quietly played their way into contention for the Coastal Division title. Although they've played a rather weak ACC schedule so far (11-18 combined opponent ACC record) they have shown the ability to pull out the win. Like NC State, Maryland controls their own fate. If the Terps can pull out wins @ Virginia tomorrow, vs Florida State 11/20 and vs NC State 11/27, they will be representing the Coastal division come December. They have a tough road ahead, but it looks that Maryland may have as good a chance as either FSU or NCSU.

With all that said, the final three weeks of ACC play should be nothing short of exciting.

ACC October Wrap-Up

Boston College (3-5, 1-4 ACC): Dissapointing October for the Eagles, going 1-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play. A tough schedule for BC this month (Notre Dame, @NCSU and @#16 FSU) but not the result the Eagles were looking for.
 - October Grade: C-

Clemson (4-4, 2-3 ACC): Not an impressive month for the Tigers, going 2-3 during October. The Tigers lost two games, #16 Miami and @ UNC to start the month. Sophomore QB Kyle Parker needs to step up in order for Clemson to finish strong.
 - October Grade:  C

Duke (2-6, 0-4 ACC): Duke is the only remaining ACC team without a win. Needless to say, their October performance was not good (1-3).
 - October Grade: D+

#24 Florida State (6-2, 4-1 ACC): Not a bad month for the Seminoles. QB Ponder is playing well and the defense is standing strong, giving up less than 20 points a game. The only loss of the month was a Thursday night game @ NCSU.
 - October Grade: Solid B

Georgia Tech (5-3, 3-2 ACC) : The defending ACC champion Yellow Jackets rebounded nicely in October after a shaky start. A loss to Clemson on the 23rd will bug them but an otherwise soft schedule (@WF, UVA, MTSU) played to their advantage.
 - October Grade: B-

Maryland (6-2, 3-1 ACC): What a surprise out of the ACC Coastal Division. Who had the Terps picked to have one conference loss at the end of October? Maryland is red hot and is in the hunt for a possible ACC title. They would like to have another chance at an Oct 16th loss to Clemson 31-7. Overall, not a bad month.
 - October Grade: B

Miami (5-3, 3-2 ACC): Dissapointment in South Beach. Miami has fallen out of the top 25 rankings and went just 3-2 in ACC play for the month. A blowout loss to #23 Florida State and a 24-19 loss to UVA have put a damper on Miami's high expectations.
 - October Grade: C+

North Carolina (5-3, 2-2 ACC): Good, solid month of football from the Tar Heels. Going 4-1 in October, Carolina has rebounded nicely from early season woes.
 - October Grade: B+

#25 North Carolina State (6-2, 3-1 ACC): Up and down month for the Pack. After leading much of the game vs VT and @ECU, the Pack couldn't finish. A big win against #16 FSU to close out the month helped them to rebound and make it an somewhat successful month.
- October Grade: B-

Virginia (4-4, 1-3 ACC): Terrible start to October, giving up three blowout losses but the Cavaliers were able to rebound and knock off #22 Miami to close the month out.
 - October Grade:C-

#22 Virginia Tech (6-2, 4-0 ACC): The Hokies are on fire. Going 4-0 during October, VT has been able to overcome their early season woes and get back on track.
 - October Grade: A+

Wake Forest (2-6, 1-4 ACC): Dismal month for the Deacs. Wake Forest went 0-4 in October, giving up 52 and 62 points in their last two games. Much improvement is needed to save their season.
 - October Grade: F