Week 7 Preview

Week 7 Preview

    This is about to a fun week in college football. I am not just saying that because Virginia Tech won last week and I am not saying that because UVA lost again. Also, I am not saying this because I have a three day weekend and plenty of beers chilling in the fridge. I am saying that because there is great games this week and plenty of intrigue involving quite a few schools coaching changes. So here is what I will be paying attention to this weekend.

Virginia Tech vs Miami

fun fact: Since both teams joined the ACC in 2004, Virginia Tech has won 4 ACC titles and Miami has a big fat 0 on the board.  (image courtesy of bleacherreport.com)

    Virginia Tech needs this win.  It’s crazy to think with their rough start to the season, but with the Coastal Division is in disarray this year, if Virginia Tech could put together a win streak, they could end up in the ACC championship. Am I saying there is a big chance of this happening? Probably not but it's not impossible. Miami won’t be any easy foe either. They are coming off of a lose to Jimbo’s FSU crew in Tallahassee and I am sure nothing will make them happy to beat their old rival in Miami. I will be such an extremely happy Hokie if this can be a win.

Michigan 12 vs. Michigan State 7

    When you looked at the schedule in the beginning of the year, this game seemed like it was going to be a regular ol' rivalry game. Michigan wasn’t expected to be this good so fast and Michigan State was slated to be really good. After beating Oregon in the beginning of the season, people were starting to believe that maybe this could be the year for the Spartans. Well, Captain Khaki himself Jim Harbaugh pulled a Lee Corso and yelled, "not so fast, my friend!" Michigan has been dominating teams the past three weeks. Three shutouts in a row is impressive. However, I really feel like the Spartans will win. However, in a bold prediction, the loss to their in-state rival will fuel Michigan to win against their even greater rival, Ohio State.

Florida 8 vs LSU 6

    The top ten match up of the week. I feel like the winner of this game could be the representative of the SEC in the college playoffs. Sorry, Alabama you have to sit out this time. Florida is surging this year, back to be the powerhouse it once was. However, I like LSU in this game. Les Miles has probably the coolest name for a coach in football today, the Mad Hatter. That isn’t the reason I am picking them, just a fun fact. I think LSU is the stronger team.They easily have one of the best running backs in the country in 

USC, South Carolina, Maryland

    In the past week all three teams lost their head coaches. Two were fired and one stepped down. This is strange because normally you don’t see this until much later in the season.

     I won’t say much about USC Head Coach Steve Sarkisian. It’s a very sad story. He is dealing with some personal issues and I hope only the best for him and a quick recovery. I hope he eventually can find his way back to coaching. 

    Former Maryland head coach, Randy Edsall was fired for the standard reasons, Maryland was doing terrible. I think it’s their own fault for moving to the Big Ten. They can say whatever they want but it was clearly a money move. By the way, how's that going for you now, Maryland?

2nd place in the Big 10 in 2014...it's going pretty good for us here on the basketball court! The women's basketball team made the Final Four! As long as it's not football, Maryland's hanging in there. 

    The most interesting case for me is Steve Spurrier resigning at South Carolina. It piqued my interest because we have a coach at Virginia Tech who has not been getting his teams to perform as well as in the past(I know that is a serious understatement). However, here is Steve Spurrier; he recognizes that this team is not performing as well as they should and backs away. I don’t like how he did it mid-season. Perhaps there is health reasons he isn’t divulging. I still feel he should of at least finished the season. Either way Steve did it on his own terms. So Frank; please take notes. We love you man. We want to see you be able to walk away from Virginia Tech, not be kicked out.

    It will be interesting to see how all three of this programs rebound in the next few years. It’s tough to lose a head coach. However, if the Eagles keep on underperforming, Chip Kelly may be available for you.

"Wyld J" Jonathan Gillespie is GGR's college sports correspondent.