Russell Athletic Bowl Projections Round-Up, Week 8
Jerry Palm (CBSSports) – Duke vs. Kansas State
Phil Steele (Phil Steele’s College Football Preview) – Virginia Tech vs. Kansas State
Brett McMurphy (ESPN) – Louisville vs. Oklahoma State
Mark Schlabach (ESPN) – Duke vs. Kansas State
Bill Bender (Sporting News) – Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State
David M. Hale (ESPN ACC Blog)/Brandon Chatmon (Big 12 Blog) – Virginia Tech vs. Kansas State
Brant Parsons (Orlando Sentinel) – Virginia vs. TCU
Following a few shakeups in the ACC, Virginia Tech has become the new favorite to earn the ACC’s bid in the Russell Athletic Bowl projections. Despite having a week off, the Hokies moved back into the projections of three media members following Louisville and Georgia Tech losses over the weekend.
David M. Hale and Bill Bender both switched their picks from the Yellow Jackets to Virginia Tech after Duke gave the Ramblin’ Wreck their first loss of the season. Phil Steele changed his pick for the first time this season, moving the Hokies into the matchup in place of Notre Dame. Mark Schlabach joined Jerry Palm, changing his projected matchup to Duke versus Kansas State following the Blue Devils big win on the road.
The Kansas State Wildcats remain the favorite among the media members to travel to
Orlando for the fifth week in a row. The Wildcats were out of action over the weekend but Steele and Brandon Chatmon both have them squaring off against the Hokies in late December.
Bender switched his pick from the Wildcats to Oklahoma State this week following their 27-20 win over Kansas on the road. Brett McMurphy stuck with Oklahoma State while choosing Louisville from the ACC in place of the Clemson Tigers who knocked off the Cardinals over the weekend.
Brant Parsons projected Virginia to face TCU following the Cavaliers bye week and the Horned Frogs last minute loss to Baylor. The Cavaliers sit at the top of the ACC Coastal Division but still have to play Florida State, Duke and Georgia Tech this season.
Despite the loss to Baylor, TCU is still set to face three of the five teams ahead of them in the conference while already having defeated Oklahoma. This would be the first Orlando bowl appearance for the Horned Frogs while the Cavaliers made the trek for the 1990 Florida Citrus Bowl and 1999 MicronPC Bowl (current Russell Athletic Bowl).