Everyone on the upset watch last week was safe -- including the No. 1 team on the list, NC State. Clemson avoided falling to a Virginia Tech team that came out swinging, and Florida State pulled away from a gritty Miami team despite 121 yards in penalties and some controversial calls. The Seminoles couldn’t possibly lose to Duke this week … could they??
No.
Call it the HD Kiss of Death. The official jinx. The blog that will be in Duke's locker room this week.
But No. 12 Florida State will not lose to Duke in Tallahassee on Saturday. Florida State is simply a more talented team. Duke has more momentum now than it has had in almost two decades, but the program hasn’t been able to beat FSU in its past 17 tries. The Seminoles have too much speed and will wear down the Blue Devils’ offensive line. There's no way the Noles "pull a Clemson."
Now Clemson, on the other hand ...
The Tigers are the only team on upset watch this week, and a lot of that has to do with the status of injured receiver Michael Campanaro. If he plays, the Deacs have a much better chance of pulling off the upset. Last year Campanaro had a 50-yard punt return against Clemson and nine catches for 72 yards. Clemson won, 31-28.
As for the rest of the schedule, a BYU win against Georgia Tech would not be an upset. The Cougars gave Notre Dame fits in a 17-14 loss, and lost to Boise State, 7-6. The only other game on the schedule this week with upset potential would be NC State at North Carolina. The Wolfpack has won five straight in the series, but UNC will have home-field advantage and is trying to rebound from a disappointing loss to Duke.
Now that this is officially in black and white, the chances of Duke and Wake Forest winning have increased exponentially. Never say never. Just not this week.
