ACC & Big 12 Week 10 Preview
Throughout the college football season, members of the Florida Citrus Sports Team Selection Committee are out on the road to meet with fans of our partner schools (including new Big 12 partners) to spread the word about the Russell Athletic Bowl’s new matchup and our brand-new home field opening for the 2014 bowl season.
Here are seven of the notable games across our partner conferences where we will be in attendance this weekend:
Both Florida State (7-0, 4-0 ACC) and Louisville (6-2, 4-2 ACC) had a bye in week nine and the Cardinals remain home this Thursday to host the Seminoles, who are currently in the midst of a 23-game winning streak The Florida State offense, led by quarterback Jameis Winston, ranks 19th in the nation in passing yards per game with an average of 316.7. However, this week the Seminoles will be facing a tough Cardinal defense that allows an average of just 177 yards per game and has 15 interceptions in 2014, ranking them second in the nation. Louisville and Florida State last played in 2002 and the matchup resulted in a 26-20 Cardinal win – one of only two wins they have against the Seminoles in the 14-game series.
TCU (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) quarterback Trevone Boykin threw for a school-record seven touchdown passes in its week nine win over Texas Tech and the Horned Frogs travel to Milan Puskar Stadium Saturday to take on West Virginia (6-2, 4-1 Big 12). The Mountaineers have continued to build off their big win over then-undefeated Baylor in week eight and defeated Oklahoma State at Boone Pickens Stadium in week nine. West Virginia is second in the Big 12 standings and TCU stands directly behind at third. Both teams face the current Big 12 leader Kansas State before the season’s end, making this an important win for both teams. Both schools rank in the top ten in the nation in passing yards per game, averaging over 300 and, after last week’s match up, TCU now holds the No. 1 spot in points scored per game with an average of 50.4. When the Horned Frogs hosted the Mountaineers last season, the game went into overtime and resulted in a 30-27 win for West Virginia.
North Carolina (4-4, 2-2 ACC) travels to Miami (5-3, 2-2 ACC) on Saturday after snapping a four-game losing streak in week eight with two conference wins. The most recent victory for the Tar Heels came against Virginia – the matchup was decided by just a point when North Carolina scored a touchdown with just over four minutes left to play. The Hurricanes faced Virginia Tech last Thursday, defeating the Hokies 30-6. When the Tar Heels hosted the Hurricanes in 2013, Miami ran for the game-winning touchdown with just 16 seconds remaining and earned its sixth victory in what would be a seven-game winning streak to kick off the season.
Oklahoma State (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) suffered its second loss in a row to West Virginia in week nine and will host current Big 12 leader Kansas State (6-1, 4-0 Big 12) on Saturday. The Wildcats hosted Texas in week nine and shut out the Longhorns – the first time Texas was shut out since 2004. Last year’s matchup came down to a late fourth quarter drive by Oklahoma State that resulted in the game-winning touchdown. The schools have met 60 times and the Cowboys lead the series 37-23.
After losing its first ACC game of the season to Miami in week five, Duke (6-1, 2-1 ACC) has defeated its last two opponents by seven points or fewer and it leads the ACC Coastal division heading into week ten. The Blue Devils host Pitt (4-4, 2-2 ACC) on Saturday, concluding a three-game home stand. The Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak in week eight against Virginia Tech but were unable to carry the momentum from that win into their game against Georgia Tech. The offense fumbled the ball in the first five drives of the game, tying the NCAA record for the most fumbles in a quarter. The defense allowed a season-high 56 points and 612 total yards. When the Panthers and Blue Devils met in 2013, Pitt earned a 58-55 victory.
After snapping a two-game skid with a win against Pitt in week nine, Georgia Tech (6-2, 3-2 ACC) returns home to host Virginia (4-4, 2-2 ACC) on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets outscored the Panthers by 28 points in the victory. Georgia Tech is second in the ACC Coastal standings behind Duke. The Cavaliers have fallen to their last two opponents by a touchdown or less and are one of four teams in the ACC Coastal with a 2-2 conference record. When Virginia hosted Georgia Tech in 2013, the Yellow Jackets handed the Cavaliers their fifth loss in a row, winning 35-25.
Kansas (2-5, 0-4 Big 12) travels to Texas Saturday to face Baylor (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) a bye in week nine. The Jayhawks have yet to win a conference game in 2014 (they have won just one Big 12 game since 2009) and face a tough Big 12 schedule the remainder of the season. The Bears, who also had a bye this past week, suffered their first loss to West Virginia. The loss took the Bears from the top of the Big 12 to a tie for third place with TCU. Baylor is still in the hunt for a Big 12 title as it will face the No. 1 team in the conference, Kansas State, in the final week of the regular season. The Bear offense (no. 2 in the nation for average points scored per game with 47) should have little trouble scoring against the Kansas defense that ranks 77th in the FBS. When the schools played in 2013, the Bears defeated the Jayhawks 59-14 for their seventh win in a row that season.