Virginia Tech begins their ACC season with a potentially dangerous road trip to Chapel Hill. North Carolina has stayed with the Hokies for three of the four halves played in the last two years, and UNC will be fired up after dropping their opener to Rutgers 21-16. However, the Tar Heels have not been able to match Tech’s strength in the trenches in the last two years and, after watching the UNC-Rutgers game, North Carolina still has some concerns on both sides of the line. But Virginia Tech has some of the same concerns after the hit-or-miss performance against Northeastern.

While Rutgers has certainly improved, the Scarlet Knights gaining 217 yards on the ground against UNC has to concern Coach John Bunting. Rutgers only gained over 200 yards rushing against three opponents last year – Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and Cincinnati. Sophomore running back Ray Rice gained 201 yards against UNC on 31 carries, so look for Tech to employ a similar strategy with Brandon Ore, whose running style resembles Rice’s. As expected, Ore saw limited action against Northeastern, only gaining 54 yards on 11 carries, but he had the highest pass receiving yardage total for a VT back since 1990, matching Vaughn Hebron’s 81 yards.

North Carolina also has a quality back in hard-running Ronnie McGill (#25, 5-11 220, Sr.). McGill has been injury prone in his career, but he is tough to bring down when he is healthy. Against Rutgers, McGill gained 94 yards on 14 carries, so containing him will be a priority for Virginia Tech. UNC also starts Nebraska transfer Joe Dailey (#12, 6-1 205, r-Jr.), a former Tech recruit, at quarterback. Dailey had a solid debut for the Heels, passing for 234 yards (24 for 36) and running for another 38, but his two interceptions proved costly. His problems at Nebraska were because of mistakes (he threw 19 interceptions for the Huskers), so Tech needs to pressure him and force turnovers.

Dailey’s favorite target in the Rutgers game was Brooks Foster (#1, 6-3 200, r-So.) with 11 receptions for 120 yards. True freshman Hakeem Nicks (#88, 6-1 210) caught 7 passes for 63 yards in his first collegiate start. Lynchburg native Jon Hamlett (#86, 6-4 260, Sr.) is a three-year starter at tight end. On defense, North Carolina is led by strong-side linebacker Larry Edwards (#32, 6-3 235, Sr.), who was the leading tackler on last year’s team. The Tar Heels hope to have injured linebackers Durell Mapp (#48, 6-2 225, Jr.) and Victor Worsley (#54, 6-1 235, r-Sr.) back against Tech.

North Carolina will likely give the Hokies some problems, but in the end I see Tech winning the battle in the trenches and pounding out a win. Neither team can afford mistakes, so minimizing turnovers will be critical in this game. Look for Brandon Ore to have a big game and for Virginia Tech to pull away in the second half. Virginia Tech wins 24-9.

I went 8-2 in the first week of the ACC season, only missing the Miami-FSU game (which I seem to miss every year) and the Rutgers upset of UNC. Here are the results from last week:

The best ACC game is a rematch of last year’s overtime thriller which established Matt Ryan as BC’s quarterback of the future. Field position was critical last year and I would expect that the same would hold true this year. The team that can establish the offensive line should win this close match-up, so I am going with the best returning line in the ACC. Clemson by 4 (20-16)

Both teams will be starting rookie quarterbacks in this defensive struggle. The two teams will try to run the ball and that game plan certainly favors Wake Forest, with one of the better running attacks in the ACC. Wake Forest by 15 (21-6)

The Wahoos are in a must-win situation facing the Cowboys, who won impressively last week over Utah State 38-7. Virginia badly needs to rebound after a lackluster performance in their opener against Pitt. I predict that UVA will establish their running game this week and get a much needed victory. Virginia by 15 (35-20)

The Wolfpack will get a test from the defending MAC champions, but N.C. State’s running game will prove to be too much in the end for the Zips. N.C. State by 15 (31-16)

The Seminoles might experience some let down after the big win at Miami, but FSU has too much talent for the Trojans. Florida State by 32 (35-3)

The Raiders invade College Park in hopes of an upset, but the Terps should be too strong in the trenches for their Sun Belt foe. Middle Tennessee has a solid defense which should keep them in the game for a while, but Maryland should pull away late. Maryland by 18 (28-10)

An angry Miami Hurricane squad hosts an overmatched Florida A&M team, which can only mean one result – blow out. Look for this one to be over early. Miami by 59 (59-0)

Another one-sided game pits an overmatched 1-AA team against a strong defense. I see the Yellow Jackets getting the shut out. Georgia Tech by 49 (49-0)

I am off to a fast start in predicting the non-ACC games going 18-1 last week. The only miss was California laying an egg at Tennessee. However, I hit the Iowa – Montana game on the nose, 41-7. This week is headlined by the #1 vs. #2 match-up between Ohio State and Texas with a number of other big games on the slate. Here are the results from last week:

The marquis match-up early in this football season sees the #1 and #2 ranked teams squaring off. Last year Vince Young rallied the Longhorns in the fourth quarter to knock off the Buckeyes 25-22. Young is gone, but Texas still returns most of their down linemen. Ohio State lost 9 defensive starters to the NFL, but without Vince Young the Longhorns offense isn’t as versatile. Look for Texas to try to establish the run behind Jamaal Charles and for their defensive front to slow down Ohio State’s running game. The key for Texas is to minimize big plays in the Buckeyes’ passing game, in particular holding Ted Ginn in check. I see Texas’ line play being the difference in this game with the Horns winning more easily than most expect. Texas by 14 (27-13)

In the second biggest game for the weekend, Joe Paterno takes his Nittany Lions to South Bend in this battle between traditional powers. Penn State is replacing their entire secondary, which has to be a major concern when facing Heisman hopeful Brady Quinn and Charlie Weis’ offense. The Nittany Lions are strong up front on defense, but lack the big pass rushing threat to protect their inexperienced secondary. PSU will need to put some points on the board behind Anthony Morelli’s strong arm and their speedy receivers. Derrick Williams, in particular, needs to have a big game to give Penn State a chance. In the end, I see Notre Dame’s passing game to be too much for the Nittany Lions in one of the more entertaining games for the weekend. Notre Dame by 9 (37-28)

The Gamecocks nearly upset the Bulldogs last year, losing 17-15, and Georgia has to travel to Columbia this year. Mark Richt has a new quarterback, Joe Tereshinski, traveling into a hostile territory, so Steve Spurrier’s crew could be primed for an upset. However, South Carolina’s offense sputtered in their opener against Mississippi State and the Bulldogs have a talented, but young defense, so don’t expect USC to put up a lot of points. The key for this game will be Georgia’s ability to run the ball. I like Georgia in a tough, defensive struggle. Georgia by 10 (20-10)

The Ducks got off to a great start with a resounding 48-10 win over Stanford, and the Bulldogs held off pesky Nevada. The Pac-10 makes a rare visit to Fresno in a game that the Bulldogs have circled since last year’s 37-34 loss. In the game last year in Eugene, the two teams combined for 750 passing yards, but I don’t expect the same level of fireworks this year as both teams have improved secondaries. In the end, I see Jonathan Stewart’s running ability being the difference in one of the better games for this weekend. Oregon by 2 (28-26)

Auburn over Mississippi State by 23 (30-7)

West Virginia over Eastern Washington by 33 (45-12)

Florida over Central Florida by 31 (38-7)

LSU over Arizona by 26 (42-16)

Oklahoma over Washington by 26 (35-9)

Louisville over Temple by 42 (42-0)

Michigan over Central Michigan by 36 (49-13)

Iowa over Syracuse by 17 (24-7)

Tennessee over Air Force by 25 (35-10)

Nebraska over Nicholls State by 35 (42-7)

TCU over Cal-Davis by 34 (41-7)

California over Minnesota by 8 (35-27)

Texas Tech over UTEP by 13 (37-24)

Alabama over Vanderbilt by 18 (28-10)

For the 1-AA schools in the state of Virginia, I was 5-1 in my predictions for last week. The only loss was picking D-II Virginia State over erratic Norfolk State. Here are the results from last week:

This week’s games see a huge match-up between the last two 1-AA champions – Appalachian State and James Madison. I’m going with the Dukes in an upset.

James Madison over Appalachian State by 2

Hampton over Howard by 22

Norfolk State over VMI by 3 in OT

Liberty over Glenville State by 3

Have fun watching the games and be safe if you are traveling to Chapel Hill!