Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich
It's Halloween, I'm mixin' it up on ya today. Is Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell next up to receive the Dinich curse? ...
Jack in Chicago, Ill., writes: Heather! You can't keep mentioning Jameel Sewell's INT-free streak. The guy LOVES coughing up the football and the jinx is officially on. My friends and I actually placed bets last week on how many pass attempts it would take before he threw an interception and will do so again this week. That said, who do you think is better: Jameel Sewell or Tyrod Taylor? Seems like a no-brainer but given the talent (or lack thereof) surrounding them, I think it becomes a little more unclear.
HD: Tyrod is obviously surrounded by more talent, but he's also got slightly more experienced players around him, too. Tyrod has been more productive, and he's thrown the ball less, plus he's made fewer mistakes, so I'd give the edge to him.
Todd in Altoona writes: Heather I enjoy reading your blog. Do you think that Virginia's numbers against the secondary are a little bit skewed because, they have not played a passing attack as good as Duke's is all season? I think that the best passer they have faced just looking at the stats is William and Mary's RJ Archer or the TCU quarterback which didn't have a good day, but TCU is more known for their defense anyway. What are your thoughts?
HD: Thanks for reading, Todd. I'm looking at Virginia's schedule, and I think you're right, which is why when I made my picks, I gave Thad Lewis more credit than I did the Cavaliers' secondary. Duke is No. 6 in the country in passing offense. Nobody else they've played even comes close or is ranked among the nation's top 40.
KMAC! in Raleighwood, N.C., writes: H-Din (since abbreviations are fun),Don't you think that Clemson will let CJ Spiller use the Coastal Carolina game as a huge opportunity to boost his statistics for Heisman standings? I know for a fact that I'm licking my chops at the thought of him just going wild against a completely overmatched team. Sure its Coastal Carolina, but 300+ all purpose yard days are remarkable, and he COULD do it again on Saturday if the coaching staff allows...
HD: I think the staff would be more concerned about getting Spiller injured unnecessarily than boosting his statistics. The Tigers have a huge game looming against Florida State. I bet they save Spiller's best for then. Plus, voters who pay attention would say, oh, he racked up 300 of those yards against an FCS school. Nah, not worth it.
T. White in New Haven, Conn., writes: so is it time for UNC coach Butch Davis to bench TJ Yates and start preparing for the future? He has yet to preform consistently well in his injury filled 3 seasons as a starter.
HD: I sense this staff is pretty dedicated to Yates, and I'm not sure it would help matters throwing a rookie in there right now, especially at the expense of a redshirt. He hasn't been as productive, but not all of it has been his fault.
Justin in Atlanta, Ga., writes: Heather - do you still do the Twitter updates on the ACC Conference Call each week? I haven't been receiving any for a while now.
HD: Well, I was worried I started to clog up everybody's Twitter accounts because I was doing so many of them. I guess I could try again and work for a better balance. I'll try again next week.
James in Atlanta writes: Admit it, if the team in Atlanta was called Florida St, the ACC would be held in a much higher regard. Think about it....FSU 7-1, Miami 5-2, V Tech 5-2....That sounds like a pretty strong top of the conference, right? Yet the ACC gets labled as weak because of nothing more than Brand Recognition. Thoughts?
HD: I'll admit it, but that doesn't mean I think it's right, it's just the way it is. Brand names, tradition, history, whatever you want to call it goes a long way in college football, and a lot of college fans want to see the traditional powers -- including Notre Dame and Michigan -- in the discussions every year. There's a different buzz when FSU and Miami are at the top. It's just the way it is, and it's no disrespect to Georgia Tech. I think Paul Johnson is helping change that perception there.
Justin in Alpharetta, Ga., writes: Do you think georgia tech will make it to the orange bowl... and also do you think that clemson will hold the atlantic spot?
HD: Just by looking at it right now, you'd think that, yes, but this is the ACC, where the standings can change in an instant. That Florida State-Clemson game is key, and will be even bigger if the Noles win on Saturday. I think Georgia Tech has a much easier route to the title game, but if they face Clemson again, considering how close the game was during the regular season and how desperate the Tigers are for an ACC title, I think they could pull off the upset.
Jim in Atlanta writes: Hi Heather:I agree with all of your picks. I do think you are conservative with the final score differences though. Are you sure you don't want to change your prediction for the Tech/Vandy game? You have picked against them the last two weeks.
HD: You agree with ALL of them? It must be a full moon. But Duke winning by 10 on the road isn't exactly conservative. I'll stick with that score for the Vandy game, though.
It's Halloween, I'm mixin' it up on ya today. Is Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell next up to receive the Dinich curse? ...
Jack in Chicago, Ill., writes: Heather! You can't keep mentioning Jameel Sewell's INT-free streak. The guy LOVES coughing up the football and the jinx is officially on. My friends and I actually placed bets last week on how many pass attempts it would take before he threw an interception and will do so again this week. That said, who do you think is better: Jameel Sewell or Tyrod Taylor? Seems like a no-brainer but given the talent (or lack thereof) surrounding them, I think it becomes a little more unclear.
HD: Tyrod is obviously surrounded by more talent, but he's also got slightly more experienced players around him, too. Tyrod has been more productive, and he's thrown the ball less, plus he's made fewer mistakes, so I'd give the edge to him.
Todd in Altoona writes: Heather I enjoy reading your blog. Do you think that Virginia's numbers against the secondary are a little bit skewed because, they have not played a passing attack as good as Duke's is all season? I think that the best passer they have faced just looking at the stats is William and Mary's RJ Archer or the TCU quarterback which didn't have a good day, but TCU is more known for their defense anyway. What are your thoughts?
HD: Thanks for reading, Todd. I'm looking at Virginia's schedule, and I think you're right, which is why when I made my picks, I gave Thad Lewis more credit than I did the Cavaliers' secondary. Duke is No. 6 in the country in passing offense. Nobody else they've played even comes close or is ranked among the nation's top 40.
KMAC! in Raleighwood, N.C., writes: H-Din (since abbreviations are fun),Don't you think that Clemson will let CJ Spiller use the Coastal Carolina game as a huge opportunity to boost his statistics for Heisman standings? I know for a fact that I'm licking my chops at the thought of him just going wild against a completely overmatched team. Sure its Coastal Carolina, but 300+ all purpose yard days are remarkable, and he COULD do it again on Saturday if the coaching staff allows...
HD: I think the staff would be more concerned about getting Spiller injured unnecessarily than boosting his statistics. The Tigers have a huge game looming against Florida State. I bet they save Spiller's best for then. Plus, voters who pay attention would say, oh, he racked up 300 of those yards against an FCS school. Nah, not worth it.
T. White in New Haven, Conn., writes: so is it time for UNC coach Butch Davis to bench TJ Yates and start preparing for the future? He has yet to preform consistently well in his injury filled 3 seasons as a starter.
HD: I sense this staff is pretty dedicated to Yates, and I'm not sure it would help matters throwing a rookie in there right now, especially at the expense of a redshirt. He hasn't been as productive, but not all of it has been his fault.
Justin in Atlanta, Ga., writes: Heather - do you still do the Twitter updates on the ACC Conference Call each week? I haven't been receiving any for a while now.
HD: Well, I was worried I started to clog up everybody's Twitter accounts because I was doing so many of them. I guess I could try again and work for a better balance. I'll try again next week.
James in Atlanta writes: Admit it, if the team in Atlanta was called Florida St, the ACC would be held in a much higher regard. Think about it....FSU 7-1, Miami 5-2, V Tech 5-2....That sounds like a pretty strong top of the conference, right? Yet the ACC gets labled as weak because of nothing more than Brand Recognition. Thoughts?
HD: I'll admit it, but that doesn't mean I think it's right, it's just the way it is. Brand names, tradition, history, whatever you want to call it goes a long way in college football, and a lot of college fans want to see the traditional powers -- including Notre Dame and Michigan -- in the discussions every year. There's a different buzz when FSU and Miami are at the top. It's just the way it is, and it's no disrespect to Georgia Tech. I think Paul Johnson is helping change that perception there.
Justin in Alpharetta, Ga., writes: Do you think georgia tech will make it to the orange bowl... and also do you think that clemson will hold the atlantic spot?
HD: Just by looking at it right now, you'd think that, yes, but this is the ACC, where the standings can change in an instant. That Florida State-Clemson game is key, and will be even bigger if the Noles win on Saturday. I think Georgia Tech has a much easier route to the title game, but if they face Clemson again, considering how close the game was during the regular season and how desperate the Tigers are for an ACC title, I think they could pull off the upset.
Jim in Atlanta writes: Hi Heather:I agree with all of your picks. I do think you are conservative with the final score differences though. Are you sure you don't want to change your prediction for the Tech/Vandy game? You have picked against them the last two weeks.
HD: You agree with ALL of them? It must be a full moon. But Duke winning by 10 on the road isn't exactly conservative. I'll stick with that score for the Vandy game, though.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Heather Dinich
Dinich covered ACC and Big Ten football for five seasons before joining ESPN.com in November 2007. She's an Indiana grad but somehow her favorite day of the week is Saturday.
