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Inside the Numbers: Clemson by 20?

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Tiger roll? Virginia has been more competitive the past couple of weeks, more than you might expect from a team reeling from a five-game losing streak. Even so, Clemson by … 20? That’s the early line on this weekend’s game in Charlottesville.

ACC letters - full-colorThe Tigers are eighth in the latest BCS rankings, but that’s with an arrow pointing downward. Clemson (7-1, 5-1 ACC) held off Maryland last week, 40-27, but the game was even through three quarters until Dabo Swinney’s group pulled away late.

Virginia also played even with Maryland in College Park in a 27-26 loss that came down to a missed UVa. field goal in the final seconds.

Few even among the ‘Hoo fan base expect Virginia to give Clemson any kind of game. Don’t be surprised if it’s not interesting for at least a little while.

 

Tech by six at BC: That’s the early line for the suddenly struggling Hokies, who fell all the way out of the Top 25 after losing at home to Duke on Saturday.

Poor Duke. As if losing to the Blue Devils is such a cardinal sin these days, right? Duke is 2-0 on the road in the Commonwealth this year, and at 6-2 overall is bowl-eligible for the second consecutive season.

Boston College (3-4, 1-3 ACC) is a bit of an enigma. The Eagles played both Florida State (in a 48-34 loss) and Clemson (in a 24-14 loss) tough, but then laid a big egg in a 34-10 loss to North Carolina on Saturday.

Virginia Tech is itself an enigma. If the Hokies just had any offense … that fifth-ranked scoring defense might be able to do some damage. Senior Logan Thomas (the 100th ranked passer according to passer efficiency in FBS, four spots ahead of the much-maligned UVa. QB David Watford) has continued to regress after a sophomore season that had some predicting a first-round nfl future.

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