October is college football’s “Moving Month,” with teams like U.Va. and Maryland hoping to get in position for a run to the postseason.<\/p>\n
October is college football\u2019s \u201cMoving Month.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve had a chance to see who\u2019s good (Ohio State is No. 1 again), who\u2019s bad (Clemson is an uncharacteristic 1-3) and who\u2019s ugly (0-4 UCLA). Over the next four Saturdays, we will see separation, as the contenders move past the pretenders and get into position for November runs to glory \u2014 and potentially playoff berths.<\/p>\n
Maryland and Navy enter October with 4-0 marks, while Virginia and James Madison \u2014 along with, believe it or not, Virginia Tech \u2014 are also unbeaten in conference play. The ability to sustain a strong September is no easy feat: see the Terps, who, since the COVID season, are 19-2 in games through Sept. 30 and 12-22 on Oct. 1 and beyond.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s most intriguing national games are No. 3 Miami visiting No. 18 Florida State and No. 10 Alabama hosting No. 16 Vanderbilt. For fans of a certain age, Hurricanes-Seminoles was one of the signature games of the season, even though these two rivals weren\u2019t technically conference foes until 2004 (even though as independents they met regularly).<\/p>\n
FSU\u2019s upset loss at Virginia robbed this year\u2019s showdown from being a top 10 battle, but this still carries ACC and playoff ramifications. Meanwhile, we get what has been a mismatch for years in Tuscaloosa as the blue-blooded Crimson Tide meets the nouveau-riche Commodores, long a laughingstock in the league (they\u2019ve had four winless SEC seasons since their last winning conference mark in 2012).<\/p>\n
But Vandy has one dandy of a quarterback in Diego Pavia, who\u2019s hitting 75% of his passes for 13 touchdowns this fall while also leading the team in rushing. And Pavia threw for 252 yards and two scores last October in an upset over then-No. 1 Alabama.<\/p>\n
Can he lead the Commodores to a win once again against the Tide?<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s games<\/p>\n
Navy (4-0) vs. Air Force (1-3), noon, CBS<\/strong><\/p>\n I have always maintained this is a sneaky-good matchup, with the two service academies squaring off at a campus site instead of an NFL stadium. The Midshipmen won last year\u2019s meeting to snap a four-game losing streak to the Falcons and are looking for their first winning streak in the series since 2013.<\/p>\n Air Force ended September with three straight losses, allowing an average of 47 points to Mountain West Conference foes Utah State, Boise State and Hawaii. They do have sophomore quarterback Liam Szarka, who in his first season as a starter is completing 67% of his passes while rushing for 74 yards per game. He\u2019s kind of like a Blake Horvath in the making, while the Mids have the finished product who\u2019s fresh from tallying 282 total yards against Rice.<\/p>\n Presto\u2019s pick:<\/strong> Mids finish the Falcons early, prevailing 34-12.<\/p>\n Virginia Tech (2-3, 1-0 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (2-2, 0-2), 1 p.m., CW<\/strong><\/p>\n Both teams are coming off nail-biters, as the Hokies enjoyed the thrill of a 23-21 victory at NC State while the Demon Deacons dealt with the agony of defeat in a 30-29 overtime loss at home to No. 16 Georgia Tech.<\/p>\n This will be Wake\u2019s first road game of the season, but the Demon Deacons went 3-2 away from Winston-Salem last year. The question facing the Hokies: will Kyron Drones repeat the turnover-free outing he delivered in Raleigh?<\/p>\n Both offenses rely on the run, with Wake\u2019s Demond Claiborne and his 8 yards per carry warranting the attention of a Hokies defense that held the ACC\u2019s top ballcarrier Hollywood Smothers in check last week (67 yards on 16 attempts).<\/p>\n The home team has won the last four meetings dating back to 2014, which was the infamous 6-3 double-overtime Demon Deacons win, during which neither team scored in regulation. That\u2019s a game that gives me indigestion to this day.<\/p>\n Presto\u2019s pick:<\/strong> Hokies enjoy a little home cooking in a 27-14 win.<\/p>\n Maryland (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) vs. Washington (3-1, 0-1), 3:30 p.m., BTN<\/strong><\/p>\n The first number we see this week is that the Terps are 0-9 coming off their bye week under head coach Mike Locksley. Since the COVID season of 2020, the Terps are 0-5 with four of those losses coming on the road (including last November\u2019s defeat at No. 1 Oregon).<\/p>\n The second number we see is the two sacks allowed by the Terps, one of the lowest totals in the FBS. Credit an offensive line revamped in the offseason as well as a freshman quarterback in Malik Washington who\u2019s made minimal mistakes and hasn\u2019t held the ball too long.<\/p>\n The Huskies fell to No. 1 Ohio State last Saturday but still lead the Big Ten, and are fifth nationally, in converting third downs. The Terps defense will have its hands full with running back Jonah Coleman, who has already scored 10 touchdowns this fall and averages 6.5 yards per carry while netting 16 yards per catch.<\/p>\n Presto\u2019s pick:<\/strong> Terrapins triumph, 31-24.<\/p>\n No. 24 Virginia (4-1, 2-0 ACC) at Louisville (4-0, 1-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPN2<\/strong><\/p>\n They\u2019re still cleaning up at Scott Stadium after the Cavaliers shocked then-No. 8 Florida State last Friday, and Presto\u2019s Picks wishes a smooth recovery for the 19 people needing medical attention after the field was stormed in a postgame celebration.<\/p>\n The Cardinals almost suffered their first loss last weekend, before rallying from 17 points down to squeak past Pitt. Chandler Morris and the high-flying offense (fifth in the nation in total yards and second in the ACC in scoring) faces its biggest challenge of the season, as Louisville leads the conference in stopping the pass.<\/p>\n Morris will want to keep an eye out for linebackers Antonio Watts and TJ Quinn, who each have a pair of interceptions in the young season. Virginia has lost the last three games in this series, but is getting closer with a four-point loss in 2024 after slipping by seven two years ago.<\/p>\n Kippy and Buffy are getting closer to having to pack sweaters for their tailgates, and they reach the halfway point of the season by pouring a 2023 Turley Estate Petite Syrah.<\/p>\n \u201cThis deep, concentrated version opens with notes of black tea and Mission fig, revealing a well-defined and structured core of blackberry and roasted plum,\u201d writes Wine Spectator. \u201cBaking spice details folding in around firm tannins.\u201d<\/p>\n Break out the pizza rolls and marinated olives.<\/p>\n Presto\u2019s pick:<\/strong> Cavaliers come up short, 34-20.<\/p>\n James Madison (3-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) at Georgia State (1-3), 3:30 p.m., ESPN+<\/strong><\/p>\n The Panthers had a necessary week off after allowing 70 points to Vanderbilt, the most points posted by the Commodores since the final days of World War I (two days before the Armistice).<\/p>\n The Dukes have dominated this series since the move to FBS, averaging 41 points per game in their meetings. And while they return a starter in quarterback Alonza Barnett III, it\u2019s JMU\u2019s defense that has set the tone this fall by allowing the third fewest yards per game in FBS while ranking fourth nationally in stopping the pass.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll focus on limiting the Panthers top threat Ted Hurst, who averages over six catches per game.<\/p>\n Presto\u2019s pick:<\/strong> Dukes dominate defensively, 31-6.<\/p>\n Richmond<\/strong> falls at Bucknell, Georgetown<\/strong> beats Morgan State, Towson<\/strong> tumbles to Elon, William & Mary<\/strong> tops NC A&T.<\/p>\n