Other Games of Note

The ACC somehow manages to have two somewhat notable games this week in the form of a couple of Top 25 matchups that greatly impact the conference race. And Cal-USC is a huge game in itself, but it’s being a little overshadowed by some game being played in Columbus, Ohio this weekend.


#21 Maryland (+7) at #22 Boston College

Don’t look now, but Ralph Friedgen and his Maryland Terrapins may be back. Ever since West Virginia blew them off the field in Morgantown early in the season, the Turtles have played pretty well, winning the tough games they’ve needed to stay in the conference race. This is a tough game to get a read on, because while both teams have had pretty solid seasons, they seem to have won most of their games largely by way of smoke and mirrors. So that said, I like Boston College at home, but very close.
Boston College - 20, Maryland - 18



#19 Virginia Tech (-2) at #14 Wake Forest

The Hokies haven’t really looked like themselves for most of the season, but in a down year for the ACC, it’s allowed them to run up a pretty good record anyway. The Demon Deacons, meanwhile, just keep on winning games they aren’t supposed to in one of the best seasons in school history. Again, I know they have inferior athletes and less depth, but I still have a problem with Wake being tabbed as the underdog in this game. Maybe I’m not picking with my head here, but I like the Deacons to keep the dream alive in a strange year in the ACC.
Wake Forest - 21, Virginia Tech - 20



17 California (+5.5) at #4 Southern California

The Golden Bears are looking a whole lot more vulnerable this week after losing at Arizona, which seems to have a lot of people scrambling to get off of the Tedford bandwagon. At the same time, the Southern Cal train continues to pick up speed since they’ve bounced back from the Oregon State game. I actually think Cal wins this game straight up. Here’s why:

1. Too much stock in the Arizona game. Like it or not, the Pac-10 is a big boy league, and it’s tough to go on the road and win in a big time conference. It burned USC, and it burned Cal. And don’t think Cal wasn’t looking ahead to this game when they looked so out of sorts in Tucson.

2. Cal always plays the Trojans tough. The Golden Bears have been the one team who’ve been able to consistently give USC fits. They took 2004’s “OMG best team ever” to the very last play, lost to the Carson Palmer team by 2, and beat the Trojans in 2003. I know these are different teams, but you’d better believe Cal won’t be scared going into this game.

3. Cal can run the football, and they can score quickly. If the Bears jump on SC in a hurry, they have the ability to control the clock with Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett. Otherwise, the key to playing the Trojans is being able to answer their offense once it starts clicking. With DeSean Jackson and the aforementioned tailbacks, it’s going to be very difficult to put away a team that can score in bunches.

Cal - 30, USC - 28