By Jim Johnson
SouthernPigskin.com

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Virginia and Duke will be looking to move ahead of the curve in a crucial ACC Coastal Division showdown.

Virginia Tech 16, Pittsburgh 21

Third down conversions often tell the story when it comes to college football. Virginia Techs game at Pittsburgh last night was no exception. Michael Brewer threw the ball all over the field, although a good portion of those balls fell innocently to the ground or sailed out bounds. He piled up a lot of yards, but just couldnt seem to move the chains on critical third downs. Rarely do teams win when thats the case, and so goes these two middle-of-the-road teams seasons.

Syracuse at Wake Forest

Syracuse and Wake Forest face off this week, and one of these teams will walk away with its first conference victory of the year. Syracuse showed spurts of quality football last week against one of the nations best in Florida State. Look for the Orange to build on that and win handily against a meager Wake Forest squad.

Prediction: 31-7 Syracuse

Virginia at Duke

Virginia and Duke are both serious contenders this year to represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game. Duke is coming off of a big time division win against previously undefeated Georgia Tech. Virginia had a bye last week, giving the Cavaliers plenty of time to prepare. The key in this game is whether or not Virginia comes out sluggish, as some teams do after a week off, or if they start fast and execute the game plan that Mike London has had so much time to put in place. This has a lot of potential to be a letdown game for the Blue Devils after last weeks win, but Duke is more desperate to get this conference victory than Virginia. Count on Duke to escape with the win, but by the slimmest of margins.

Prediction: 35-34 Duke

Clemson at Boston College

Clemson has a tough opponent this week in Boston College. The Eagles boast the fifth-best rushing attack in the FBS, as well as a top ten defense. The Tigers will be without their starting quarterback, Deshaun Watson, but expect Cole Stoudt to do well as he reprises his role as the starter. Stoudt began the year as the first-stringer and continued to be the biggest cheerleader even after losing the job when they played FSU. Look for Clemson to get the road win against the inconsistent Eagles.

Prediction: 34-27 Clemson

NC State at Louisville

NC State started off the season undefeated through its first four games, but is currently on a three-game skid. The Wolfpack put on a show against Florida State in the first of the three losses, but have been reeling ever since, and cant seem to buy points. Dont expect that to change this week against Louisvilles stout defense, which happens to be allowing the third-least points per game in all of FBS football.

Prediction: 28-7 Louisville

Georgia Tech at North Carolina

North Carolina has perhaps been the biggest disappointment of this college football season. Georgia Tech, conversely, has been one of the most pleasant surprises. Georgia Tech will be out looking for blood after Duke gave it its first loss last week. Look for the Yellow Jackets and their top ten rushing offense to take the Tar Heels to the woodshed.

Prediction: 42-24 Georgia Tech

Notre Dame at Florida State

Fifth-ranked Notre Dame heads to Tallahassee this week to take on the second-ranked Florida State Seminoles. This matchup pits two of the top dual-threat signal callers in all of college football against one another. One could argue that this years Notre Dame team is actually superior to the one that found itself in the National Championship Game in 2012. The defense may or may not be what it was in 2012, but the offense, and Everett Golson in particular, is head and shoulders above what it was. Meanwhile, the defending champions come into this game amidst swirling rumors and controversy. Although, it seems thats when the x98Noles are at their best. Head coach Jimbo Fisher maintains that the players are not affected by the controversy surrounding the team. Expect Jameis Winston and the rest of the Seminoles to fight through adversity and show a lot of poise in a defining victory against Notre Dame in this weekends most talked about game.

Prediction: 37-28 Florida State