ACC Coming Attractions: Hokies, rest of conference aim to avoid letdown
This is the weekend for the ACC, after it went 11-0 out of conference last weekend, to avoid getting too full of itself. Don't let hubris get in the way of what was a pretty good weekend, but not all that impressive, considering the competition. And there are plenty of games on the horizon for the league that range from risky to downright dangerous.
But that just makes for a great movie, right? Will the hero overcome his tragic flaws, or will he succumb to his own arrogance?
Only time will tell.
Yeah, Virginia Tech. You're big-time now. You're ranked. You beat No. 8 Ohio State at The Horseshoe. Everyone is telling you that you are BACK. Maybe you even bought a fancy watch or a leather jacket with a tiger on the back. I get it.
But if you get too big-time for your own good, a very good East Carolina team is going to waltz into Blacksburg and give you a dose of pain.
Get your popcorn: Rocky III. Yes, I will work in a Rocky reference whenever possible. But whether this is the first Mr. T fight or the second one depends on the Hokies and their preparation. Rocky's gone big-time, gone Hollywood, and he's not focused on his upcoming fight against Clubber Lang (in spite of Mickey's nagging) and he loses. But he wins the second while staying focused on his opponent. Just saying, Virginia Tech.
Virginia just seems destined to have a quarterback controversy under Mike London. It's almost expected at this point. As Louisville comes to town this weekend, the Cavaliers will rotate the two quarterbacks. Again. And so Matt Johns and Greyson Lambert have to find a way to make it work, since neither has really stood out as the guy to this point. But will their friendship be able to last? Or will they simply embrace their newfound partnership for the greater good?
Get your popcorn: Blades of Glory. Will Ferrell and Jon Heder play two figure-skaters who have to put aside their personal rivalry to work together in the pairs competition. Seems obvious.
Paul Johnson has brought his offense to a lot of different schools and found success over the years, but Georgia Southern was his first love. He was hired there in 1983 and until he left in 1986, the Eagles won consecutive FCS national titles. Then after stints elsewhere, he returned to take over as head coach from 1997-01, during which Georgia Southern won two more national championships.
Now, the embattled head man faces his old team for the first time as the head coach at Georgia Tech. How tough will it be to look into the eyes of his old flame and say goodbye?
Get your popcorn: Casablanca. Look, Rick and Ilsa had a good run. So did Paul Johnson and Georgia Southern. But those two separating at the end was what was best, and it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Paul Johnson and Navy. And then Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech.
NC State has not played well on the road as of late. But as the Wolfpack travel to South Florida for their first road game of 2014, at 2-0, they certainly hope to reverse that trend. It won't be easy, though. Since Russell Wilson left town after 2010 (a season where the Wolfpack went 3-3 on the road), NC State is just 3-11 away from home.
In the last two seasons, NC State is 2-7 with its only wins being ugly ones over UConn (10-7) and Maryland (20-18). NC State has been held to 21 points or fewer in nine of its past 14 road games. So, yeah. This won't likely be a pretty game, and a lot of things will go wrong, but it will be beautiful nonetheless for the Wolfpack if they can get a win.
Get your popcorn: Summer Rental. It was filmed in St. Petersburg, so that's close enough to Tampa. Besides, in the end, John Candy manages to win even though he has had almost everything imaginable go wrong for his entire vacation. NC State had better hope its movie ends the same way.
And by that, I mean enjoy your plane ride to Logan, Utah, and when you get there, take in the lovely vista from the stadium. It really is beautiful, the mountains rising up in the background. Maybe buy a postcard or two. Because once you get there, it could be pretty ugly. Utah State is a good team, and a rebuilding Wake Forest team under Dave Clawson is ... not. Not yet, anyway. And so Wake had better just have a nice flight, see the sights and hope to get out of town with its dignity.
Get your popcorn: Thelma and Louise. Bet you didn't know the Grand Canyon scene was filmed in Utah. It was filmed about five hours away from Logan, but, details. And in a journey that was always destined to end badly, at least the two fun-loving women on the run from the law would finish it on their terms, flying over the cliff gracefully in that beautiful Ford Thunderbird. It feels like a metaphor, somehow.
