Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Two Atlantic Coast Conference games stand
as top plays in Week 11. The first one pits Miami (Fla.) at Virginia, while the
second contest sees North Carolina State hosting Wake Forest.
Virginia, a slight one-point favorite in Charlottesville against Miami, comes
into this game off an easy, 33-6 romp over North Carolina State. The victory
snapped a six-game losing streak, which included home losses to Louisiana Tech,
Maryland and Wake Forest.
Still, the win over the Wolfpack might not be as impressive as one might think.
Coach Tom O'Brien's squad was due for a letdown after the devastating loss to
arch-rival North Carolina the previous Saturday.
Miami is barely above .500 at 5-4, but the Hurricanes are currently
leading the ACC's Coastal Division at 4-2. Not only have they won two
conference road games this season (by nine at Boston College and by six at
Georgia Tech), they also snapped a three-game losing streak with an 18-
point decision over Virginia Tech last Thursday.
Moreover, if one takes away losses to three Top 10 teams (Kansas State, Notre
Dame and Florida State). the Hurricanes are an impressive 5-1. Add in the fact
they get a couple of extra days rest to prepare for a Virginia squad that is
3-6 and Miami (Fla.) has a decided edge.
Take the Hurricanes plus one point in this week's lone five-star play.
I already mentioned how North Carolina State was up against it in its battle
with Virginia, so I personally don't hold the Wolfpack accountable for the
loss. Look for them to rebound versus Wake Forest. They had another brutal
defeat earlier in the year at Miami (Fla.) and bounced back with a home victory
over then-third-ranked Florida State.
Wake Forest lost at home to the Seminoles, 52-0, back in September and was
defeated at Maryland a few weeks later. The Demon Deacons' only road win of the
year came against Virginia after the Cavaliers had dropped five consecutive
games.
North Carolina State blew out Wake Forest, 38-3, the last time these two teams
met at Carter-Finley Stadium. Look for another blowout on Saturday.
Take the Wolfpack minus eight points in the first of three three-star plays.
TWO OTHER THREE-STAR SELECTIONS
Nebraska looks for its fourth straight win when it hosts Penn State. The
Cornhuskers are 4-1 in Big Ten play, but three of the victories came by a
combined eight points. The lone victory by more than four came against a
Michigan team that was forced to play its backup quarterback after Denard
Robinson was injured in the first half.
Penn State has played only one bad conference game and that was against Ohio
State. The Buckeyes rolled to a 35-23 win. However, Nebraska didn't fare too
well against them either as coach Urban Meyer's squad destroyed the
Cornhuskers, 63-38.
Take Penn State plus seven points.
Air Force takes on San Diego State just one week after the Aztecs upset Boise
State in Idaho. Expect the Aztecs to have a letdown at home against the
Falcons, who come to San Diego a very hungry squad.
Air Force was surprised by Army last week even though Cody Getz saw his first
action since the Wyoming game. Look for him to be much healthier in his second
game back from a leg injury and lead the Falcons to the upset win.
Take Air Force plus 9.5 points.
TWO-STAR PLAYS
Go with BYU -38 (Idaho), New Mexico State +22.5 (San Jose State), Kansas +25.5
(Texas Tech), Stanford -4 (Oregon State) and Florida Atlantic +17 (Western
Kentucky).
ONE-STAR SELECTIONS
Take Virginia Tech +14 (Florida State), Army +17 (Rutgers) and UAB +3
(Marshall) and over 60 in the Kansas State-TCU game.
.
AFTER TEN WEEKS
My overall record through Week 10 is now 75-62 after an 8-7 week. The five-star
plays are 10-7, the three-star selections are 17-16, the two-star picks stand
at 29-25 and the one-star plays are 19-14.
As a reminder, the five-star plays are when my personal plays coincide with my
power rating plays (games with at least a five-point differential between my
line and the actual line). The three-star choices are my personal picks, the
two-star plays are the games the power rating system picks and the one-star
plays are my personal secondary selections.
THIS WEEK'S JEFF FRANK "DIRTY DOZEN"
1) Alabama, 108.5; 2) Oregon, 108; 3) Florida State, 104.5; 4) Oklahoma, 101;
5-T) Clemson and Texas A&M, 100.5; 7) Kansas State, 100; 8-T) LSU and Georgia,
99.5; 10) USC, 98; 11) Notre Dame, 97; 12) Florida, 96.5
(The Top 12 is not a reflection of a given team's won-loss record. It is based
on power ratings used to predict spreads for the upcoming week. At the
beginning of the season, all 124 FBS teams are assigned a power number, which
changes on a week-to-week basis depending on the results of the previous week.)
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