Presto’s Picks: Terps and Hokies are back from byes, plus the scariest sight in the sport
Halloween might technically fall next Tuesday, but this is the weekend many take advantage of dressing up. From the traditional (ghosts and skeletons) to the trendy (Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce), it’s nice to find a costume to disguise one’s true self.
Just like Maryland football was attempting to dress itself up as a Big Ten East contender until they were exposed with consecutive losses earlier this month, and just like Virginia Tech and Navy will still try to pass themselves off as bowl-eligible teams (each team still has a travelable road to six victories).
Virginia needs to go on a run (not implausible by highly challenging) to dress up as a postseason player while James Madison despite doing everything right (starting 8-0) won’t get permission from its parents (the NCAA) to trick or treat (play in a bowl) this year.
If you’re looking for a fright, I suggest you take a peek at the Big Ten West Division. That group of seven schools has played some of the scariest football since the conference moved away from the easily mocked mistake of naming its divisions “Leaders” and “Legends” (sadly not a Halloween prank).
Those seven schools have egged the house of good football over the years, up to and including going 0-9 in the Big Ten Championship Game. And with one final fall of division play before the soon-to-be-expanded conference lumps all 18 schools together, the West can deliver one more parting gift.
Before the ACC got rid of its divisions last offseason, there was an annual hope that the middling seven schools of the decidedly weaker Coastal Division would finish 4-4 in the conference and 3-3 in the division, creating what Patrick Stevens of the Washington Post dubbed “Coastal Chaos.”
The Coastal came close multiple years but never quite delivered. This fall the Big Ten West has a chance to deliver a scary seven-way tie (at 4-5, no less) if things work out (see below). So follow along … if you dare. But don’t blame me if watching these teams play gives you nightmares.
What if we told you there’s a way to get a 7 way tie at the top of the B1G West standings?
Committee member @JustTMill came up with this plan.
Green = win over that team, red = loss. pic.twitter.com/O0b0IuNWFa
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) October 25, 2023
Thursday’s Game:
Virginia Tech (3-4, 2-1 ACC) vs Syracuse (4-3, 0-3), 7:30 p.m., ESPN
The Hokies used to dominate Thursday Night Football in Blacksburg, but are just 1-4 at Lane Stadium on Thursday nights since 2011 (a 2016 win over Miami).
The former Big East foes meet for just the third time since the Orange joined the conference a decade ago. The Hokies have won two of three while SU has dropped three straight by an average score of 37-8.
Both teams feature quarterbacks who can run, but while Kyron Drones is the top rushing threat (after accounting for sacks, he has a team-high 412 yards on the ground), Garrett Shrader (448 yards rushing on 7.3 per carry) has a legit running mate in running back LeQuint Allen (511 yards, 4.8 per carry, seven touchdowns).
Can a Hokies defense that ranks 12th in the ACC against the run build off an outstanding effort against Wake Forest? Both teams like to get after the passer with each ranking in the top five in the ACC in sacks, but that hasn’t translated to pass defense for Syracuse as they allow the most yards per game in the league. Can Drones take advantage?
Presto’s Pick: Halloween weekend means the Orange reign, 31-28.
Saturday’s Games:
Maryland (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) at Northwestern (3-4, 1-3), noon, BTN.
The Terps clinched Bowl eligibility a year ago against this very foe before taking their bye week; this year Terps return from a week off with the bad feeling of the loss to Illinois hopefully out of their system.
They face a Wildcats team still recovering from losing longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald to a hazing scandal in the offseason. And this is after the program went 4-20 over the last two years. The 2023 edition isn’t exactly off to a stellar start, and the problems begin up front: the offense allows 30 sacks (second-most in the Big Ten), while the pass rush has a league-low 10 sacks. But if one remembers, Illinois didn’t come to College Park looking great on paper, and they took advantage of multiple Terrapin lapses.
Northwestern players to watch on both sides of the field are coincidentally both named Bryce: Bryce Kirtz leads the team with 27 catches and 423 receiving yards while Bryce Gallagher paces the defense with 42 tackles. Taulia Tagovailoa made his first career start as a Terp against the Wildcats in 2020, and the raw talent that threw three interceptions that night has matured into a record-setting senior. His final five regular season games begins where it all began.
Presto’s Pick: Terrapins triumph, 34-18.
Virginia (2-5, 1-2 ACC) at Miami (5-2, 1-2), 3:30 p.m., ACCN.
How much of the Cavaliers’ upset of previously-unbeaten North Carolina was a mirage (their first ACC win in 364 days) and how much was market correction (three of their previous four losses were one-possession games)? The Hurricanes bounced back from a 10-point loss to the Tar Heels the previous Saturday by outlasting Clemson in double overtime this past weekend and rank second in the ACC in passing and total yards as well as scoring. They also possess a potent pass rush (21 sacks has them fourth in the league), while UVA has had issues keeping Tony Muskett and Anthony Colandrea standing (24 sacks allowed, second most in the conference).
Kippy & Buffy know that a good tailgate wine has to stand up to the fare served, and with the Cuban sandwiches brought to the tailgate by Hurricanes fans Gregory & Autumn (they usually go with Sazeracs & sushi) a Cabernet Franc is the call here. Paradise Springs Valley 2019 Cabernet Franc is not only used in red blends but is an important varietal wine in Virginia. This lighter bodied wine “has black tea and black cherry notes followed by a white pepper component and earthiness,” the winery website reads. “The silky texture of the tannins on the palate lead to flavors of sour cherry and red plum as the wine finishes long and dry.”
Presto’s Pick: Cavaliers come up high and dry on South Beach, 34-17.
James Madison (7-0, 4-0 Sun Belt) vs Old Dominion (4-3, 3-1), 8 p.m., ESPNU.
The Monarchs won both meetings between the two schools when they both competed at the FCS level, but the Dukes took last year’s matchup in Norfolk 37-3. JMU is doing it with a defense that allows the second fewest points in the Sun Belt Conference, thanks to a pass rush that’s posted a league-high 34 sacks. Pick your poison, because if Jalen Green (13 sacks) doesn’t get there it’s likely Jamree Kromah (5.5) will.
ODU’s pass protection? Not a great track record as they’ve been sacked a league-high 38 times. Arlington, Virginia, native and Fordham-transfer Grant Wilson threw for 233 yards in a near-upset of Wake Forest but has thrown just one touchdown pass since that Sept. 16 game. Expect to see him pressured early and often.
Presto’s Pick: Dukes deliver a drubbing, 40-14.
Howard defeats Delaware State, Georgetown loses to Lafayette, William & Mary beats Monmouth, Morgan State slips at Norfolk State, Richmond tops Campbell, Towson falls to Delaware.
Last Week: 5-3.
Season: 48-16.
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