Viewing guide: What to watch for from Pitt's opponents today
Syracuse, Louisville, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech are off this weekend, but the rest of Pitt’s ACC opponents will be in action - and they’ll be staggered around the Panthers’ game at Wake Forest, allowing for a full day of viewing.
Here’s a look at what you should be watching for today.
Noon
Boston College (3-3, 1-2 ACC) at Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-1 ACC)
ACC Network
Nobody is going to build a statue for Boston College beating Virginia and Army, but after opening the season 1-3, winning two in a row is a positive for the Eagles, and they’ve got an interesting matchup in the ACC’s first game of the day. Thomas Castellanos has been one of the breakout playmakers in the conference this season, throwing 10 touchdown passes and rushing for seven more scores, including four rushing touchdowns in the win at Army. Castellanos has super-charged a rushing attack that now ranks No. 2 in the ACC in yards per game. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech has the worst run defense in the ACC, allowing more than 200 yards per game on the ground. The Yellow Jackets are still riding a high from their win over Miami two weeks ago, and this one should be interesting.
6:30 pm
No. 10 North Carolina (6-0, 3-0 ACC) vs. Virginia (1-5, 0-2 ACC)
CW Network
Led by Drake Maye, North Carolina has moved past the point of making a case for itself as one of the top two teams in the ACC; the Tar Heels are now aiming for the national stage, and with No. 7 Penn State playing at No. 3 Ohio State, they’ll have a chance to climb in the top 10 with a sound defeat of Virginia. UNC could be on watch for a trap game here, but if Mack Brown’s group can stay focused, they’ve got Virginia this week, Georgia Tech next week and Campbell the week after before they host Duke on Nov. 11. So the Tar Heels have a very clear path to 9-0, and if they take care of business, they’ll be in the conversation for the College Football Playoffs.
7:30 pm
No. 16 Duke (5-1, 2-0 ACC) at No. 4 Florida State (6-0, 4-0 ACC)
ABC
Florida State is already in that conversation, and the Seminoles will get a chance to bolster their resume tonight when they host Duke in one of the weekend’s four games nationally that feature two ranked teams. One big storyline to watch is the status of Duke quarterback Riley Leonard; he has been out since suffering an injury at the end of the loss to Notre Dame on Oct. 1, but Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that Leonard will be a game-time decision tonight. Leonard’s return is key for Duke. The Blue Devils survived without him in a win over N.C. State last week that saw backup quarterback Henry Belin IV complete just four passes (two of which went for touchdowns). Duke has had a great start to the season, but the second half of the schedule features four road games, starting with tonight’s trip to Tallahassee.