By Jonathan Gillespie, College Football Correspondent

I am just going to get this out of the way: last weekend was rough. You always cheer on the underdog and hope to see massive upsets, however, when it’s your team who gets beat by the little guy, it’s not as fun.

Ouch…image from sbnation.com — Ouch…
image from sbnation.com

I am not going dwell on it anymore and stay positive for my Hokies. Also, there is quite a few games this week that will be fun to watch! So here are the games that I will be watching this week.

North Carolina at #16 Miami

This is the Thursday night game of the week. Yes, I will be watching this game over the NFL game because, well I like college more and the only NFL teams I really follow are Washington or Pittsburgh and they’re not playing. Both teams will be playing the Hokies and if there is any hope of salvaging the season for the Va Tech, they will need wins against both teams. Besides, I am not bashful in saying I am not a huge fan of Miami. I hope to see North Carolina pull off the upset. Miami is still my pick for the game but hoping the Tarheels can do me a solid and get the win.

Virginia at NC State

Virginia is looking like their program is turning around. Do I think they are true contenders in the ACC yet? No. I am no UVA fan but I would love to see the Commonwealth Cup mean something more that Virginia Tech’s ownership of the state. That being said, I think bowl eligibility is a big possibility this year for the Cavaliers. This week will a true test of that. This is my upset pick of the week: UVA over NC State

#12 West Virginia at #25 Texas Tech

So I am sorry, but I haven’t been watching a ton of Big 12. I want to provide some insight into how I feel this game will go. However, I have been driving a ton in the Blue Ridge Mountains for work. So because I am a new card carrying member of the “Corny Dad” group, I have been listening to some “Country Roads” while I have been driving. So my pick is West Virginia. Also, Will Grier is a dark horse pick for the Heisman. Whoa, I guess I had some analysis there.

Florida State at Louisville

The biggest disappointment this year so far has been Florida State. The Hokies destroyed them Week 1 and it seems they have never fully recovered. However, I need them to start getting some wins. One, because ACC is looking really bad right now and if they start winning it will add more value to the Hokies week 1 one. My pick is Florida State to get things back on track this week.

Virginia Tech at #22 Duke

I am not going to sugar coat this: last week was pretty much as bad as it could be. It was the worst loss that I can remember as a Hokie. That being said, we can’t dwell on it. Coming into the season I knew this would be a rough season. The Hokies are super young. Well, that showed last week.

That being said, I am no longer going to dwell on the past and nor should the Hokies. There is still a ton of season left and we are diving right into conference play. I am still very confident that Virginia Tech will do well this season. Most people are counting the Hokies out in this game. In the words of Lee Corso, “not so fast my friend.” I feel the players and coaches are desperate to wash the taste of last week’s loss. I can’t think of a better mouthwash than beating a ranked conference opponent. Hokies will right the ship and get a win on Saturday!

#4 Ohio State at #9 Penn State

The big game of the night. Penn State has been anything but consistent this year. They will need to be if they want to win this game. The Buckeyes will be pumped to have their Head Liar….I mean coach back. So this will be a hard test for the Nittany Lions. If they are to be in the college playoff this year, they need to beat Ohio State. To my family and friends who are Penn State fans, please get your Tums, adult beverage of choice, and maybe even a defibrillator ready. It’s going to be bumpy ride but I do pick Penn State over Ohio State.

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