Nov 02, 2018

ACC & Big 12 Week 10 Preview: West Virginia, Texas face off for top spot in Big 12


In the 10th week of the college football season, members of the Florida Citrus Sports Team Selection Committee are making visits throughout ACC and Big 12 country, meeting with fans across both conferences in advance of the Camping World Bowl on December 28.

Here’s a quick look at some of the top games on the schedule this weekend:

No. 22 Boston College (6-2, 3-1 ACC) at Virginia Tech (4-3, 3-1 ACC) – 3:45 p.m. on ACC Network

Saturday will mark the 27th game between Boston College and Virginia Tech, with the Hokies leading the all-time series 18-8. The old Big East rivals first met as conference foes in 1993, when Boston College beat the then-No. 25 Hokies 48-34. However, Virginia Tech has won seven of the past nine games between the team, including each of the past three.

Boston College remained undefeated at Alumni Stadium last Friday as it beat No. 25 Miami 27-14. Running back AJ Dillon rushed for over 100 yards (32 carries, 149 yards) for the fourth time this season in the victory against the Hurricanes. Dillon ranks fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game with 133.5 and has seven rushing touchdowns on the season so far.

Virginia Tech is looking to bounce back from a home loss against Georgia Tech (49-28) as it hosts the Hokies in its homecoming game. Quarterback Josh Jackson completed 14 of 26 passes for 153 yards while Eric Kumah caught six receptions for 82 yards. Linebacker Rayshard Ashby leads the defense with 62 total tackles (including 30 solo) on the season.

Duke (5-3, 1-3 ACC) at Miami (5-3, 2-2 ACC) – 7 p.m. on ESPN2

Miami returns home this weekend to host the Duke Blue Devils at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes hold a dominant 13-2 lead in the all-time series and enter the game on a four-game win streak. Miami has not lost to Duke at home since the very first matchup between the teams, in 1976.

Both teams are entering this week’s contest coming off back-to-back losses. Duke fell to Pitt 54-45 last weekend at Heinz Field, as quarterback Daniel Jones completed 27 of 42 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Deon Jackson accounted for 162 yards and 10 carries on the ground, while wide receiver Johnathan Lloyd recorded seven receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown through the air.

On defense, linebacker Joe Giles-Harris leads the Blue Devils with 301 career tackles in 33 games, making him just the 20th player in program history to reach the 300-tackle plateau.

Despite a loss to Boston College in Chestnut Hill last weekend, Miami still boasts the second-best defense in the nation, allowing an average of 261.5 yards per game. Defensive back Sheldrick Redwine had 14 total tackles against BC, while defensive back Jaquan Johnson and linebacker Michael Pinckney had 10 tackles each against the Eagles. Quarterback Malik Rosier accounted for 150 yards through the air (19-of-36 passing) and 71 yards on the ground (14 carries).

No. 13 West Virginia (6-1, 4-1 Big 12) at No. 17 Texas (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) – 3:30 p.m. on FOX

West Virginia and Texas will battle it out for the top spot in the Big 12 this weekend as the Mountaineers head to Austin. The schools are meeting for the eighth time overall, and West Virginia holds a 4-3 advantage over the Longhorns. West Virginia and Texas first met in 1956, a 7-6 Mountaineer victory, and resumed the series in 2012, when West Virginia joined the Big 12.

The Mountaineers are entering Saturday’s contest after a 58-14 rout of Baylor in Morgantown last week. Heisman hopeful Will Grier recorded his 25th touchdown pass of the season in the game, which moved him past Geno Smith (2010) to No. 7 in West Virginia’s single-season program history. Grier ranks fifth in the FBS in passing yards per game (324.6) and owns the third-best passing efficiency (188.7).

Overall, the Mountaineers rank 15th nationally in total offense (479.1 yards per game) and No. 9 in passing offense (331.3 yards per game).

Texas will be looking to rebound after its first Big 12 loss of the season last week against Oklahoma State. The Longhorns are unbeaten at home this season thanks in large part to quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who leads the offense with 1,817 yards and 13 touchdowns through the air this season. The Texas offense also features wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who has been averaging 5.75 receptions and 80.62 yards per game.

Here are a few additional games our representatives will be taking in this week:

Pittsburgh (4-4, 3-1 ACC) at No. 25 Virginia (6-2, 4-1 ACC) – 7:30 p.m. (Friday) on ESPN2
Louisville (2-6, 0-5 ACC) at No. 2 Clemson (8-0, 5-0 ACC) – 12 p.m. on ABC
No. 19 Syracuse (6-2, 3-2 ACC) at Wake Forest (4-4, 1-3 ACC) – 12 p.m. on ACC Network
No. 24 Iowa State (4-3, 3-2 Big 12) at Kansas (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) – 12 p.m. on FSN
Oklahoma State (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) at Baylor (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) – 12 p.m. on FS1
Florida State (4-4, 2-4 ACC) at No. 21 NC State (5-2, 2-2 ACC) – 3:30 p.m. on ABC
Kansas State (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) at TCU (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) – 3:30 p.m. on FS1
No. 7 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) at Texas Tech (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) – 8 p.m. on ABC

Sign Up
for Alerts

Keep up to date with all of the news from the Pop-Tarts Bowl including event information, presale opportunities and more.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.