Wake Forest at Virginia
The Demon Deacons are undefeated coming off a big win against Florida State going into Charlottesville on Friday night. Virginia is trying to bounce back from a 20 point loss to North Carolina, a game the Cavaliers had a lead at halftime. Brennan Armstrong will try and keep the Virginia offense going after averaging 41 points a game. Wake Forest is looking to build off the Florida State win. Sam Harton returns to Wake Forest as their leader under center. Look for him to connect with A.T. Perry for the Demon Deacons.
Verdict: (UVA -4) Wake Forest has a short week after having a big win over Florida State. Virginia is going to be more efficient on offense, and Wake will have a bit of the “big win hangover”. This will be a close game. The key is Virginia’s trying to take away WR A.T. Perry and make Hartman make throws on the run. This is the perfect recipe to stall the Demon Deacon offense.
Virginia 31- Wake Forest 27
Liberty at Syracuse
The Liberty Flames under Hugh Freeze has been a pleasant surprise in the College Football world the past few years. They have a high-powered offense and have given power 5 teams fits. Syracuse seems like a team that showed promise a few years ago under Dino Babers but they have taken a huge step back the last two years. They are 2-1 suffering a loss to Rutgers but they did beat Ohio by 20. Liberty is 3-0 with a 7 point victory of Sun Belt power Troy. Quarterback Malik Willis is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the group of 5. He makes the offense go and is not afraid to take off when he sees an opening. Syracuse’s defense is going to try to limit Willis by keeping him in the pocket. Linebacker Mikel Jones will be the leader this Friday for the Orange defense, and look for him to play the “spy” on Willis.
Verdict: (Liberty -6) Syracuse’s defense is going to keep them in the game to start, but Liberty’s offense is going to be too much. The difference in this game is Syracuse’s one-dimensional offense. Liberty has athletes all over their defense that will be able to stop the Orange once they are settled in. This one will be close, Syracuse might actually be winning at halftime. The Flames will make adjustments and leave Syracuse with a loss in the Carrier Dome.
Liberty 38- Syracuse 24