Separation Saturday is upon us, with no less than seven games between ranked opponents. Virginia Tech will be looking to get some separation in the ACC Coastal Division race as well, as the Hokies will be hosting the hapless Duke Blue Devils. However, the Dukies should have beaten Wake Forest on the road last weekend and their defense could provide a good test for Tech’s young offense.

Duke’s attacking defense held the potent Wake Forest rushing attack to 57 yards on 24 carries, and their strategy in this game will be to stop Virginia Tech’s running game and force Sean Glennon to beat them with his arm. The Blue Devils’ defense is led by Rush End Patrick Bailey (#84, 6-4 230, Jr.) who plays a hybrid defensive end/linebacker in the Duke scheme. Duke also has a massive blue-chip defensive tackle in Vince Oghobaase (#3, 6-6 310, r-Fr.) and run-stuffing middle linebacker Michael Tauiliili (#34, 5-11 235, So.). In addition, the secondary is solid, led by first-team All-ACC Cornerback John Talley (#11, 5-11 180, Sr.). Overall, Duke has a very good defense and will provide a challenge for the Hokie offense.

Duke’s offense, on the other hand, has struggled, having been shut out by Richmond and only scoring 13 points against Wake Forest. However, the Blue Devils received a glimmer of hope in the play of true freshman quarterback Thaddeus Lewis (#9, 6-2 190) who passed for over 300 yards in his first collegiate start. But Lewis has never experienced an environment like Lane Stadium on a Saturday and the pressure that Tech’s defensive front will bring. He has been remarkably poised for a true freshman QB, but Saturday will be his true baptism into college football. To help Lewis out, he has a pair of quality receivers in Jomar Wright (#81, 6-1 200, Jr.) and Eron Riley (#15, 6-3 200, So.).

Duke may give the Hokies some trouble with their blitzing defense, but in the end Beamerball will establish field position and the Hokies will make enough big plays to pull away from the Blue Devils. I can’t see the Duke offense moving the ball on the stingy Tech defense, and eventually the Blue Devils will wear down. I see the Hokie wide receivers having a big day, making several big plays, and Brandon Ore will get in the open field and do his thing. Look for Virginia Tech to pull away in the second half and the defense to have another big day as the Hokies play their best game of the season. Virginia Tech wins 37-0.

I went 7-2 in the second week of the ACC season, only missing the Boston College-Clemson overtime thriller and the Akron upset of N.C. State. That puts me at 15-4 for the year in predicting ACC games. Here are the results from last week:

The Bowden Bowl sees Tommy needing a win to stay in the race with his father, Bobby. FSU would take a commanding two-game lead over their strongest competition in the Atlantic Division with a win, so Clemson is basically in a must-win situation. However, the Tigers have been decimated by injuries on defense, with star linebackers Anthony Waters and Tramaine Billie out, as well as safety Michael Hamlin. On top of that, star defensive end Gaines Adams is questionable, so the previously strong Tiger defense may struggle against the Seminoles. Florida State’s offensive line play is questionable, but FSU has enough skill players to put some points on the board on Clemson, and the Seminole defense should slow down the Tigers’ potent running attack. I see Florida State winning a tough, hard-fought battle. Florida State by 6 (20-14)

A huge Big East-ACC match-up sees the #15 Miami Hurricanes traveling to Louisville to face the #12 Cardinals. The storyline in this game will be whether the stout Hurricane defense can stop Brian Brohm and the potent Louisville offense. The Cards lost running back Michael Bush for the season, but they have capable back-ups and Louisville’s passing game will challenge Miami’s cornerbacks. The game may come down to Miami’s ability to put points on the scoreboard behind a shaky offensive line that has not given Kyle Wright time to pass or opened up holes in the running game. I see Louisville winning an exciting game. Louisville by 7 (27-20)

An interesting match-up as the Cougars air attack travels to Boston. Last year BYU threw the ball 60 times in their game with BC, so expect Brigham Young to challenge the Eagles secondary. Matt Ryan should have a good day against BYU, and the Boston College running game should have some success. I predict BC wins an exciting offensive game. Boston College by 6 (34-28)

Chuck Amato desperately needs a win to quiet the rumors and secure his job, but he faces a tough task in traveling to Hattiesburg. Southern Miss is one of the Conference USA favorites, and the Golden Eagles gave State all they could handle last year in Raleigh. The Wolfpack’s ground game emerged in the game last year with Andre Brown taking over as the main running back, so the key to this game will likely be N.C. State’s ability to establish the run again. With all of the pressure on N.C. State right now, I see Marcus Stone forcing some passes and Southern Miss capitalizing. This game should go down to the wire and I like the Golden Eagles in a close game. Southern Miss by 2 (23-21)

Two similar teams square off in Storrs in a critical game for both teams with post-season ambitions. The Huskies have a solid defense and they should be able to slow down the Demon Deacon running game, but will Connecticut be able to put enough points on the board to win? I see a low-scoring game in which turnovers and field position will be critical. All things being even, I’ll go with the home team. Connecticut by 4 (17-13)

Troy gave Florida State a scare last weekend and the Trojans get to play against another strong ACC defense this week. The Yellow Jackets have struggled offensively out of the gate, but their defense looks extremely strong and should slow down Troy. Calvin Johnson will make enough plays to put the Rambling Wreck over the top. Georgia Tech by 18 (21-3)

The Broncos lost their opener to Indiana, but came back last week to soundly whip Toledo 31-10, so the Wahoos will get a good test from Western Michigan. UVA has struggled offensively behind inconsistent quarterback play and no running game. The offensive line play has to improve for Virginia to be effective, and I anticipate improvements running the ball this week. UVA’s defense will slow down the Broncos and the Hoos will get a much needed win. Virginia by 15 (28-13)

The Tar Heels desperately need a win this week against the Paladins, with road games coming up against Clemson and Miami. Furman is a solid 1-AA program, but UNC should be able to overpower them. Look for Ronnie McGill to have a big day, but the game will likely be closer than most Heel fans would like. North Carolina by 11 (21-10)

I had another good week picking the non-ACC ranked games, going 17-1, which makes me 35-2 on the season. The one loss, of course, was the biggest game of the week (and possibly year) with Ohio State knocking off Texas. This week will be much tougher, with the seven games between ranked teams. Here are the results from last week:

The best game of the day may be the SEC West match-up between #4 Auburn and #7 LSU. Last year’s game was an overtime thriller and this game looks to be just as close. If either team can establish a running game, then they would be in a good position to win, but I have my doubts that either ground attack will be effective. The game will likely come down to the play of the two quarterbacks, and I like they heady play of Brandon Cox for Auburn in a close game. Auburn by 3 (20-17) with the same score as last year, but with the winner reversed.

The #3 Fighting Irish travel to the Big House to face #13 Michigan in a huge game for both teams. Brady Quinn and the high-powered Notre Dame offense must face an experienced, but sometimes underachieving Wolverine defense. The key to this game will likely be Chad Henne’s ability to exploit Notre Dame’s questionable secondary, which has played well thus far. I see the Irish pulling this one out, with big plays being the determining factor. Notre Dame by 2 (26-24)

Bill Callahan’s #19 Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to LA to face #2 Southern California in the biggest game of his regime, but Pete Carroll’s squad has too much talent for the outmanned Huskers. Nebraska’s only chance is to win a shoot-out, and I don’t see the Huskers offense putting up enough points to outplay the skilled Trojans. Even without Matt Leinert and Reggie Bush, USC is still one of the most talented teams in the nation and I see Southern California winning this game going away. USC by 36 (49-13)

The other huge SEC battle has the #6 Gators traveling to Knoxville to face the #17 Volunteers. The erratic Vols need a big performance after last week’s let-down against Air Force. Urban Meyer’s spread offense will likely give Tennessee trouble, but the key to the game will likely be Erik Ainge’s ability to make big plays in the passing game. Look for a high-scoring game with both secondaries being tested. I like Florida in a shoot-out. Florida by 2 (37-35)

In a rematch of last year’s Holiday Bowl game in which the Sooners won 17-14, Oklahoma travels to Eugene this year. Two of the best running backs in the nation, Adrian Peterson for Oklahoma and Jonathan Stewart for Oregon, will be featured in this game, and the team that can establish the run will have a big advantage. However, quarterback play, as is the case in most big games, will be a major factor and I have to go with Oregon in this case. Oregon by 5 (21-16)

The last game between ranked teams pits the stout defense of the #20 Horned Frogs against the wide-open offense of the #22 Red Raiders. Texas Tech won a thriller against UTEP last week and now face another top non-BCS team from Texas. TCU needs to keep this game as a defensive battle, but I like Graham Harrell and the Red Raider offense to put up some points. Texas Tech by 1 (27-26)

Ohio State over Cincinnati by 42 (45-3)

Texas over Rice by 45 (45-0)

Georgia over Alabama-Birmingham by 29 (35-6)

Iowa over Iowa State by 20 (34-14)

California over Portland State by 31 (41-10)

Arizona State over Colorado by 5 (19-14)

Alabama over Louisiana-Monroe by 28 (35-7)

1-AA Games Around the State

For the 1-AA schools in the state of Virginia, I was 3-1 in my predictions for last week which makes me 8-2 for the season. The only loss was Appalachian State defeating James Madison in a game between the last two 1-AA champions. Here are the results from last week:

The best 1-AA game in-state this week will have William & Mary hosting the Black Bears from Maine in an Atlantic 10 match-up.

William & Mary over Maine by 13 (34-21)

Richmond over VMI by 32 (35-3)

Hampton over North Carolina A&T by 29 (35-6)

Towson over Liberty by 14 (27-13)

Have fun watching all of the games this weekend and be safe traveling!