ACC & Big 12 Weekend Preview: Top-25 ACC Battles and Red River Showdown Highlight Week 6
In the sixth 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 Russell Athletic Bowl on December 28.
Texas vs. #20 Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas – 12:00 p.m. on FS1
After early struggles, the Texas Longhorns (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) and Oklahoma Sooners (2-2, 1-0 Big 12) each look to turn things around at the 111th edition of the Red River Showdown. Texas opened 2016 with two straight victories, including a double-overtime thriller against Notre Dame in Week 1, but suffered back-to-back road losses to unranked squads. Oklahoma is coming off of a 52-46 shootout victory over #21 TCU, opening conference play with a victory after a pair of non-conference losses to teams ranked in the current AP Top 10 (No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Houston). Texas holds the overall edge in the series, 61-44-5, but the Sooners have won four of the past six meetings. Last year, Texas upset Oklahoma, giving the Sooners their only loss of the regular season.
#25 Virginia Tech at #17 North Carolina – 3:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN2
After a thrilling road win over Florida State, North Carolina (4-1, 2-0 ACC) returns to Chapel Hill to host Virginia Tech (3-1, 1-0 ACC) in an important divisional matchup. For the second straight year, North Carolina has rallied from a season-opening loss at a neutral site with at least four straight victories. After a Week 1 loss to Georgia in Atlanta, the Tar Heels topped Power 5 foe Illinois and Coastal division challenger Pittsburgh before shocking the Seminoles with a 54-yard field goal as time expired. Like UNC, Virginia Tech’s only loss of the season came at a neutral site, to Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway in a game they led early. The Hokies have also bounced back, defeating their last two opponents by a combined score of 103-17. Both offenses are led by dangerous quarterbacks who have combined to throw 26 touchdown passes and only one interception. Last season, the Tar Heels earned a 30-27 win on the road in Blacksburg to remain unbeaten in conference play. Virginia Tech leads the all-time series 20-11-6 including wins in nine of the last 11.
#23 Florida State at #10 Miami – 8:00 p.m. on ABC
Florida State (3-2, 0-2 ACC) travels to Miami (4-0, 1-0 ACC) in the wake of Hurricane Matthew for a cross-divisional matchup between in-state rivals. After losses to Louisville and North Carolina, Florida State matched its worst start in conference play under Jimbo Fisher. The Seminoles also dropped their first two conference games in 2011, but rattled off five straight wins before capping their season with a bowl victory against Notre Dame in Orlando. Miami is off to its best start since 2013 when they brought a 7-0 record into this matchup; the Hurricanes finished that season with a bowl appearance in Orlando. The Hurricanes hold a slight edge in the all-time series 31-29, but the Seminoles have had their number of recent, winning the previous six meetings.
Here are the rest of the ACC and Big 12 games:
Friday
#3 Clemson (5-0, 2-0 ACC) at Boston College (3-2, 0-2 ACC) – 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday
Notre Dame (2-3) at NC State (3-1, 0-0 ACC) – 12:00 p.m. on ABC
TCU (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) at Kansas (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) – 12:00 p.m. on ESPNU
Georgia Tech (3-2, 1-2 ACC) at Pittsburgh (3-2, 0-1 ACC) – 12:30 p.m. on ACC
Army (3-1) at Duke (2-3, 0-0 ACC) – 3:30 p.m. on ESPN3
Iowa State (1-4, 0-2 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) – 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU
Syracuse (2-3, 0-1 ACC) at Wake Forest (4-1, 1-1 ACC) – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN3
Texas Tech (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) at Kansas State (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) – 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU
All times listed are Eastern Time Zone (ET)