Four week forecast part 2
Yesterday I re-iterated that Clemson should beat hapless Temple by 40, even though I expected a closer game. Well I was eating the words of my prediciton by the end of the first half. But the events of last night have added to my clarity of the quality of our future opponents.
On to Georgia Tech:
It’s homecoming. Gameday will be there. Both teams will be in the top-15. I honestly have no idea what to expect. Both teams have strong rushing offenses and strong rushing defenses. Statistically Clemson is a little stronger in most categories. But GT took it to Virginia Tech on special teams (before almost getting it taken to them by Maryland) and that has been a bit of a weakness this season. Throw in a couple of the injuries the Tigers have endured and I’m just not sure what to think. I’ll re-evaluate this game in a week, but the Tigers should win by 10.
And then there’s Virginia Tech, to be played in Blacksburg on a Thursday night. VT looked pretty bad against GT and even worse against Boston College. Two weeks ago I expected a really tough game. Now VT’s Thursday night record is marred and they have two losses exposing them as a team that hasn’t played brilliantly all season. Next week they play a Southern Miss team that embarrassed NC State earlier this season. The Hokies will probably still come out with a win. Still Clemson should win by 15.
After the two Techs, Clemson faces Maryland back in Death Valley. We won’t learn much about the Terps after they destroy Virginia this weekend. But their subsequent games against NC State and FSU should serve as better barometers. They have been finding ways to score, but the offense still seems unsettled. West Virginia beat them by 21 and so should we.
There is an argument on scout.com right now as to who has the worse special teams, GT or Clemson with both teams chipping in on their own being worse. If that is the case, look for an interesting game with short field positions for both teams.