11? Wow, I figured we'd be closer to 7 point dogs, but 11? Ouch. Well no one said it would be an easy game.
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The True Blue 'Cue Crew will be in Rocky Mount at the Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown. We got lucky last year and had a weekend without a Duke game, and this year we got lucky with an away game...but we'll be turning in our ribs when the game kicks off with still our pork and brisket waiting on deck for the judges. At least we'll have our satellite dish and TV set up so we can enjoy the game while we wait on the scores. I want our bbq team to do well, but it's gonna be hard to concentrate knowing we are making plays on the field. Hoping both of us come home winners!
Overall standing and rating looks like this:
Home field is worth 2.6 points, so Duke is a0.1 point underdog against Miami -- every other game is worse.Code:TEAM Rank Rating
FSU 13 86.3
UNC 20 82.3
Clem 24 81.3
VT 40 76.1
NCSt 45 75.0
MIA 62 71.7
GT 65 70.7
MD 72 69.4
Duke 75 69.0
BC 77 68.0
UVA 94 64.7
WF 101 62.8
So, by that system, FSU would only be a 6.9 favorite over UNC at home and a mere 1.4 at UNC? Wow. Can't remember if they play this year or not, but even with the loss at NC State I would think this FSU team would be a bigger favorite than that over this UNC team.
Carolina and Florida State do not play this year. Here's the Carolina schedule:http://www.goheels.com/SportSelect.d...2&SPSID=667865
Again, the system likes - often for good reason - using the margin of victory as a way to tell the good teams from the bad, as the truly good teams kill the bad teams on their schedule. Carolina has beaten it's two terrible opponents 62-0 and 66-0 (and has a 21 point victory over ECU), which make it look a lot better in the predictor (the RATING is an average of the two systems essentially). This makes them look really good in the predictor.
The predictor score rewards teams who run up the score, while the ELO does not. All teams put their second-third-fourth strings in when way ahead, so deep teams look better in the predictor. Duke is not deep. If they get a few guys back off the injury list, they will be a bit deeper.
Based on the way Cut has prepared our guys this year so far, we are 0-0 this week and looking to go 1-0. I like this approach.
The vt/Duke game at wallace wade last year was crazy. Duke was in it til the end. If it wasnt for a few missed short fgs...Duke very well would have won that game. Im a student at vatech, and am pumped for this. If you see a Duke shirt in the student section (its homecoming maroon effect game here by the way), 99% chance its me. We have found a pretty reliable running game to go along with the passing attack that was always there. If our defensive line can hold up against a relatively weak running game of tech, I think we'll keep it close. Logan Thomas has been throwing the ball terribly thus far this year. My biggest concern is tackling in the open field, or in general for that matter. Way too many missed tackles this season, especially early on in the UVA game. Lets Go Duke!
Vegas has set the over/under at 54 with VT a 9.5 points favorite. The math works out to a final score of VT 32, Duke 22. I don't think VT can hold us to 22 points, but I think we can hold VT to a field goal less than 30. I'm looking for a score in the neighborhood of Duke 28, VT 27, which equals 55. So that's a longwinded way of saying, I recommend Duke and the over. :D
One thing I have noticed this season was how well Anthony Boone handles himself and his teammates. Expect him to play a lot more as the season progresses. http://bluedevilnation.net/2012/10/b...anthony-boone/ Here is an interview with Anthony from todays presser.
He may well start in Blacksburg and he's splitting practice snaps with Renfree this week. FWIW, motel rooms, one star rooms are going for 150 plus and you still have a thirty minute ride to the stadium. With the noonish start, forget trying to drive up the day of the game unless you leave when it is still quite dark. Go Devils. beat the Hokies.
About 64.5 hours to kick-off, so it is time to bump this thread back to the top. For the third week in a row, Duke plays an extremely important game. Virginia Tech is vulnerable:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports...or-ar-2263626/
And we are overdue for a victory over the Hokies!
Finally watched the video of Cut's Tuesday press conference. How can you not love this guy? Talks about bowls, VT, basketball team, recruiting, etc. But above all, he makes you believe in Fuke and in doing it the right way.
I can see why folks would run through a wall for this guy. Which is what we will need in Blacksburg.
Saturday can't get here fast enough.
Prediction: 31-24 Duke. If I were a betting man, at the very least I'd bet on Duke to beat the spread.
In a related topic, FIU is 1-5 this season, with their lone win coming against Akron, another 1-5 team. I'm getting used to Cutcliffe being very liberal with his praise on upcoming opponents, but that one was apparently way off.
I've read that IF the Hokies win, it will be their 200th in Lane Stadium. Obviously they have plenty of other reasons to pull out the victory, but I hate playing milemarker games like that. Looking forward to us to being the spoilers of their bicentennial party.
Will Monday and Ross Martin had great days kicking the ball against Virginia and it would go a long way toward securing a win in Blacksburg if they repeat their performances this Saturday. Field position is so important. Virginia Tech is #2 in the conference in Punt Return Average and #3 in Kickoff Returns so our coverage teams need to be ready to go.