Raleigh mayor joins N&O college football Week 9 picks for NC schools, other ACC games
Long before she became a politician, Mary-Ann Baldwin worked for the Carolina Hurricanes, many years ago when they had just arrived in the town she now serves as mayor. Which to the extent necessary, serves to establish her sports bona fides as this week’s guest picker taking on the N&O staff. (She’s also a Boston Red Sox fan.)
Basketball broadcaster and Hall of Famer Debbie Antonelli went 4-3 last week, which doesn’t sound all that impressive, but was good enough to tie for first place. So Baldwin has some work to do. She was also glad for the distraction after what she called a “very difficult” two weeks since the mass shooting in Hedingham, but there’s no question that in a place like the Triangle, sports is one of the ways we heal.
“Let’s face it, when I am cheering on the Hurricanes, I bring it all,” Baldwin said. “That’s where your emotion goes, and part of being a sports fan does provide that release and that outlet. We’re good at it here.”
Pittsburgh at North Carolina: The biggest Coastal Division game left on the Tar Heels’ schedule (there are two bigger games against Atlantic opponents still to come) and while it wouldn’t quite decide the division, it’s pretty close.
Leaving it late against Wake Forest and N.C. State would lead to some frayed nerves, whereas a win Saturday night would leave UNC very difficult for anyone other than Georgia Tech to catch … and while a team winning the final season of the Coastal with an interim coach does feel like kismet, it really shouldn’t happen. N&O consensus: Tar Heels take control of the division
Baldwin says: “Pittsburgh does not have the team that they had before. And I tend to go with the home team if all other things are even slightly equal.”
Virginia Tech at N.C. State: Not quite the Thursday night slobberknocker under the lights this looked like in August, since Virginia Tech is the fifth-best team in the commonwealth and the Wolfpack is still reeling from the loss of Devin Leary for the season. But ESPN’s loss is Wolfpack fans’ gain. They get a prime-time evening at Carter-Finley against an opponent their team should be able to beat no matter who’s at quarterback.
Not to mention, a win gets the Wolfpack bowl-eligible. Which shouldn’t be an issue, but if you have the chance to take care of it now, you should. In a season when N.C. State has had to redefine its expectations, checking that box would mean more than it would have looked like in August. N&O consensus: The Wolfpack, like Hendon Hooker’s Heisman campaign, makes VT look bad
Baldwin says: “N.C. State has something to prove. And they’re going to come out and show it.”
N.C. Central at Delaware State: The Eagles’ stroll to the MEAC title took a tumble at South Carolina State in a textbook sequence of how-to-lose-as-a-road-favorite unfortunate events. To quote the school’s own Twitter feed: “Eagles have 2 touchdowns negated by holding penalties, missed 2 field goals, and threw an interception in field goal range in the 4th quarter.” NCCU would be no worse than a 12-point neutral-field favorite over the rest of the league; time to take care of business and hope for some help. N&O consensus: NCCU gets back on track
Baldwin says: “The Eagles have played well and they have something to prove as well.”
Wake Forest at Louisville: Must be late October, because Dave Clawson is starting to get a little bit salty that his team isn’t getting enough respect. He’s not technically wrong, because the Deacons are perennially underestimated and annually overachieve, but there was also a simple solution to that persistent problem: Beat Clemson. Wake still has some work to do to prove it’s the second-best team in the Atlantic (and therefore the second-best team in the ACC) but a road win over Louisville would go a long way toward that. N&O consensus: Louisville slugged
Baldwin says: “Wake Forest. They’re the better team.”
East Carolina at Brigham Young: Hard to figure the Pirates out sometimes. How can a team lose at home to Navy (and not the finest vintage of Navy football) and then turn around and not just beat a good Central Florida team but do it pretty handily? One answer: The Pirates are a couple kicks away from being 7-1. This much is certain: ECU’s capable of beating just about anyone on the right night. Whether that extends to Saturday night in Provo remains to be seen. N&O consensus: East Carolina, but only narrowly
Baldwin says: “My gut says East Carolina.”
Notre Dame at Syracuse: The Irish are 1-0 against the ACC this year with three more games to play. With three losses already, the Irish aren’t going anywhere Notre Dame ever wants to go. But if Notre Dame was in the ACC as a full member, it would still have a shot at Clemson in Charlotte and an opportunity to redeem its season. Look, we get that independence means a lot to Notre Dame. But if Notre Dame’s going to lose to Marshall at home, wouldn’t the program be better off with a second chance at relevance in the ACC? And that’s not something the Big Ten can offer, should it come to that. N&O consensus: Orange at home in the dome
Baldwin says: “Syracuse, because I’m taking a potshot at one of my friends who works at Notre Dame.”
Miami at Virginia: Hey, Virginia gets to face an opponent that’s been more disappointing this season! Although not by much, given the fact that Tony Elliott’s the only ACC coach who’s been able to stop Brennan Armstrong. The ACC has a financial investment but no emotional investment in the ritual joke Miami has become, a program forever living in the past — although Miami basketball’s been a lot of fun, for the most part. But watching a program that was fun to watch and becoming relevant again like Virginia sink back into the muck is hard on the heart of anyone who thinks the conference shouldn’t be leaving Greensboro. N&O consensus: Virginia, by default as much as anything
Baldwin says: “Virginia is the better team this year, and again, they’re at home.”
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