By Tom Suiter
Last week, I went three up and three down in my first week of picks. What possessed me to take Duke, I do not know. I mean who would go with a team that’s lost a zillion in a row.? An idiot I guess.
I remember back in 1981, Jim Valvano’s first season as basketball coach at State. The Wolfpack had just lost a game they could have won against heavily favored Carolina as guard Kenny Matthews shot a woeful four for 17.
With the game on the line, Matthews took one more ill-advised shot, and an exasperated Valvano, as only he could do, looked at Matthews and asked, “Why, Kenny, why?” And Matthews answered, “Coach, I was due.”
Well, that’s my excuse. I thought the Devils were due, too. But so help me, no more Duke picks. They may not ever win again (only kidding!), but I’m including them this week so I can get one right.
Speaking of State, they’ve been messing me up the last three years, and they did it again last week. Meanwhile, it doesn’t appear that Florida State is going back to their dominating ways of the past anytime soon. New coaching staff or not, against Clemson they looked a lot like that bumbling 7-6 team of 2006.
On the bright side, I am proud of the Georgia Tech pick to win at Notre Dame. That somewhat salvaged the week.
So here we go for Week No. 2 in the ACC. I hope to do better.
UNC at East Carolina
The Tar Heels got the Butch Davis era off to a good start against a team they were supposed to beat, James Madison. East Carolina played nationally ranked Virginia Tech as tough as nails in Blacksburg before losing by 10.
East Carolina would rather beat the Heels than walk on water. Virginia Tech may have taken something out of the Pirates, but the game had to give them confidence. It will be crazy in Dowdy-Ficklen. This is an early season bowl game for ECU. A 6 p.m. start will have a purple and gold crowd even more pumped.
My pick is East Carolina to win in Greenville.
N.C. State at Boston College
Tom O’Brien, who led B.C. to much success and left behind quite a lot of talent, brings his first State team back to his old stomping grounds. I expect it won’t be a pleasant homecoming. He’s probably thinking, “Man, why did I bring in so many smart guys who know how to play?”
I’m there at Carter-Finley last Saturday, watching Central Florida jump to a 25-3 lead and saying, “This is just like last year. The Pack can’t run the ball, and oh those costly penalties.” They hurt last year and they hurt last week.
State did rally behind quarterback Harrison Beck, who came off the bench and played well. But what can be expected of him this week? Obviously, he didn’t show enough in the pre-season to beat out Daniel Evans, and does one good half against a Central Florida mean he’s a savior?
Losing Toney Baker for the season hurts big time. O’Brien’s old team would love to put it to him. The only hope State has is that the Eagles want so badly to hand it to O’Brien that they try too hard.
I think B.C. is the best in the Atlantic Division. State will play hard, but the Pack is just not good enough to beat Boston College.
Virginia Tech at LSU
Virginia Tech’s offense sputtered against ECU. Unless they figured out something magical in practice this week, I don’t see them doing much against LSU. Tech will need big plays from its defense to win this one, and they are capable of that.
Huge early season game for Tech and the ACC. The Hokies are supposed to be the conference’s best, but winning at LSU is never easy. Virginia Tech will soon find how true that is.
Hard to go against the Tigers in Baton Rouge. LSU is the pick here.
Nebraska at Wake Forest
First, it’s hard to believe that Nebraska is even coming to Winston-Salem. That in itself is a victory for the Deacons. That would have never happened years ago. Brett Hodges, a redshirt sophomore, will start at quarterback in place of the injured Riley Skinner. Coach Jim Grobe says he expects him to play well, and Grobe usually knows what he’s talking about.
Nebraska is the favorite coming in, but something tells me to take the Deacons. Nebraska is not the Nebraska of Tom Osborne, and Wake is not the Wake Forest that Osborne’s old teams would have creamed. The Deacons do not just believe they can win, they believe they will win.
I’m going with Wake Forest.
Duke at Virginia
Both teams looked awful last week in losing their respective openers. Virginia fans are restless, and it’s a good thing that Al Groh paces the sideline, because his seat is getting hotter.
Last year, I watched a bad Virginia team dismantle a winless Duke team 37-0. Both teams have basically the same players back this season. Why should this game be any different?
I expect it will be Virginia that pulls to even on the season, while Duke will continue with the nation’s longest losing streak.
South Carolina at Georgia
I really would like to pick the Gamecocks, but do they ever beat these guys? Between the hedges, it’s hard to go against the Bulldogs. I do like watching Spurrier-coached teams, but as much as Gamecock fans wish it, Spurrier will never bring the Florida magic to South Carolina.
I was thinking this might be an upset special, but several people here in the office said, “Don’t be stupid.” OK, I won’t.
I will play it safe and go with Georgia.
By the way, in the WRAL picks on Jeff Gravley’s Friday show, I’m tied for last. So I’m really not very good at this – but I do have fun doing it.
Here’s to a better second week.
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