•Virginia (2-6) at N.C. State (5-3), Saturday 12:30
It’ll be interesting to check the pulse of all things Wuf _ fans, players, coaches, administration _ in Carter-Finley.
At UNC last week, Tom O’Brien asked his team “Are you finished?” The same question indirectly will be put to the fans.
Mike London and his staff have had an extra week to get ready and it should show, but it’s difficult to imagine that Virginia’s offense has been fixed so fast. State, 28-20.
•Houston (4-4) at ECU (5-4), Saturday noon
It’s not surprising that the Pirates are an underdog to a team that started the season 0-3, but ECU coach Ruffin McNeill might consider staying in the locker room if his team loses its second straight in Greenville.
Pirates, 37-28.
•Clemson (7-1) at Duke (6-3), Saturday 7
A problem for Duke might be N.C. State. It was in November of last year that the Tigers arrived in the Triangle on a hot streak and overlooked the Wolfpack.
Clem&kid, 42-27.
•Virginia Tech (4-4) at Miami (4-4), Thursday 7:30
It’s the Bummer Bowl for the Beamers, who are nose to nose to nose with Michigan and Arkansas as the most disappointing team of the season to date.
With Florida State up next, VT is looking at 6-6 with a loss to the Tropical Depressions. No way. Hokies, 27-24.
•Boston College (2-6) at Wake Forest (4-4), Saturday 3:30
If the Deacons can’t stop the nosedive in this one, they probably won’t win again this season. Wake, 24-14.
•Alabama (8-0) at LSU (7-1), Saturday, 8
Bama’s offense gets more dangerous by the week, primarily because AJ McCarron (high on my Heisman list) has not thrown an interception all season. Meanwhile, it’s hard to forget that 10-6 loss that the Tigers suffered at Florida.
Tide, 24-21.
•Oregon (8-0) at Southern Cal (6-2), Saturday 7
Southern Cal’s defense simply has to be better than it played last week (39-36 loss at Arizona), which Oregon shut out (49-0) on Sept. 22.
It makes sense to pick the Trojans, but I’m just not sold on Lane Kiffin. Quack Quack, 28-27.
•Last week: 6 up, 2 down. Season 40-14.
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