ACC, Big East Need Some Redemption in Week 2

College football began last week, but it seems nobody told the ACC, Big East, or Big Ten. Those three leagues, which represent half of the automatic bids to the Bowl Championship Series, got off to what could charitably be described as a rough start.The ACC is taking the brunt of the criticism in the wake of presumptive favorite Clemson’s destruction by Alabama on national TV. But the Big East might have suffered a worse opening weekend. Its teams were 0-4 against fellow opponents from college football’s bowl subdivision, with three losses coming at home, only one by fewer than 20 points. Things weren’t much better in the Big Ten, which was 0-3 in games against BCS conference schools, in addition to rebuilding Michigan’s home loss to Utah.All three conferences, but particularly the ACC and Big East, will be looking for a measure of redemption in key games tomorrow. Here’s a viewer’s guide.Mississippi (1-0) at no. 20 Wake Forest (1-0)3:30 p.m., ABC/GamePlanMight Wake Forest actually be the best team in the ACC? The Demon Deacons looked like it last week, taking apart Baylor on the road while Clemson was crushed by Alabama. Granted, there is a significant difference between Baylor and Alabama, but Wake was awfully efficient in a 41-13 win in Waco Thursday. Riley Skinner threw three touchdown passes to lead the offense, which should be able to move the ball plenty against an Ole Miss defense that was shredded for 453 yards in a 41-24 win over Memphis.Still, there were positives for Ole Miss to take from the Memphis contest. New coach Houston Nutt and new quarterback Jevan Snead — a transfer from Texas — made an immediate impact on the Rebels offense. Former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron was fired for a lack of on-field success, but he recruited plenty of high-level talent, giving Nutt tools to work with, including Snead.Wake will be looking to improve upon the ACC’s 0-2 showing against the SEC last week, as North Carolina State was shut out by South Carolina in addition to Clemson’s loss.Cincinnati (1-0) at no. 4 Oklahoma (1-0)3:30 p.m., ABC/GamePlanOklahoma, a team with legitimate national-title aspirations, is a three-touchdown favorite against Cincinnati in a game that appears to be a mismatch. The line may be partly reflective of the Big East’s poor showing, but Oklahoma should not overlook the Bearcats — a program that is quietly 12-3 under Brian Kelly.If they need any added motivation, Oklahoma has fresh memories of a humiliation at the hands of the Big East — although it was West Virginia — in January’s Fiesta Bowl.Both starting quarterbacks, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Cincinnati’s Dustin Grutza, put up strong numbers in routs a week ago, but it will be Grutza going against a better defense this time. Cincinnati should be able to score some points and can salvage some Big East prize merely by keeping the game close.No. 8 West Virginia (1-0) at East Carolina (1-0)4:30 p.m., ESPNEast Carolina posted one of opening weekend’s biggest upsets when it knocked off the ACC’s Virginia Tech in a neutral-site game in Charlotte. Saturday the Pirates face another major-conference foe, this time on their home field.East Carolina turned the tables on Virginia Tech — always known for its special-teams prowess under Frank Beamer — by returning a blocked punt for the winning score. But the victory was no fluke. Quarterback Patrick Pinkney was on-target throughout the game, completing 19 of 23 throws as the Pirates gained 369 total yards.Still, it is the other quarterback named Patrick — West Virginia’s White — who will get most of the attention in this game. White lost backfield mate Steve Slaton to the NFL draft this season, but spent the opener proving he could do just fine throwing the ball. He completed 25 of 33 throws as the Villanova defense packed the line of scrimmage to slow White’s scrambling and the running of Slaton’s replacement, sophomore scatback Noel Devine.West Virginia’s defense was leaky at times against at the championship subdivision Wildcats, but the game was never in jeopardy in an eventual 48-21 win. They’ll have to be much tighter against Pinkney and ECU, which would be on a path to a BCS bowl with a second-straight upset.Miami-Fla. (1-0) at no. 5 Florida (1-0)8 p.m., ESPNThere are two reasons this rivalry has never had the importance of Florida-Florida State or Miami-Florida State. First, unlike those other in-state brawls, the Gators and Hurricanes don’t play every year. Second, despite being two of the premiere programs in college football over the last 25 years, they have rarely been elite teams at the same time.That would again appear to be the case this season, as Florida is a heavy favorite to break a six-game losing streak against Miami that dates to 1985. The Gators are coming off a 56-10 destruction of Hawaii and are a trendy national-title pick with a loaded offense and a defense that is expected to be much improved from last season.Miami is a bit of a mystery. Randy Shannon has landed a tremendous recruiting class in his second season, but the Hurricanes are very young and may be a year or two away from returning to college football’s upper echelon.This game is expected to mark the debut of Miami quarterback Robert Marve, a heralded redshirt freshman who was suspended for last week’s win over Charleston Southern. On the other sideline, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is the defending Heisman winner, but he might be happy to post lesser numbers this year as an improved Florida run game takes some of the pressure off him in short-yardage situations.Mr. Levine is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.

ACC, Big East Need Some Redemption in Week 2

ACC, Big East Need Some Redemption in Week 2

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