Roy Williams joins N&O college football Week 10 picks for NC schools, other big games

Before he ever coached a high school basketball game, if only by a few months, Roy Williams was the backs coach for the freshman football team at Owen High School in Asheville, a job that came with the basketball coaching job, and one he did four of the five years he was at Owen.

He also officiated “hundreds” of flag-football games during his illustrious intramural officiating career as a North Carolina student. Still, when it comes to picking winners, there’s another story from his past that takes precedence.

“This is how good I am at these kind of deals,” Williams said. “When I was a high-school coach, I had Marquette. I ran the pool for the high school. My principal had Tennessee. I was so disappointed with Marquette, I traded for Tennessee. That was 1977.”

Marquette won, needless to say. Maybe he knows a bit more now — we’ll find out, anyway. The happily retired former North Carolina basketball coach is this week’s guest-picker. Two weeks in a row our challengers have tied multiple people from The N&O sports staff (by going … 4-3) so the pressure is on, sort of.

Wake Forest at N.C. State: MJ Morris will become the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Wolfpack since Philip Rivers, which is kind of crazy when you think about it. Morris was impressive against Virginia Tech but that’s the ACC’s junior varsity; Wake Forest is the deep end of the pool. The Deacons, meanwhile, have everything to prove after their worst performance in Louisville since the Cardinals had a copy of their playbook.

State’s been able to conjure up some magic at home under the lights; the Wolfpack will need it to beat Wake, although not falling behind by three scores would help. N&O consensus: Leaning Deacons

Williams says: “Wake was so bad last week, they’ve got to have a great week of concentration. State’s quarterback being hurt is a big part of it but I just think Wake’s going to have enough going in and winning at State with how badly they played last week. Sam Hartman is not going to have that kind of week again.”

North Carolina at Virginia: The Tar Heels have now lost three-sevenths of their front seven for the season in the past two weeks, which isn’t great, but if there’s a good week to adjust to that, this is it. Virginia has gone six quarters and four overtimes without a touchdown. Tony Elliott is some kind of quarterback guru; D.J. Uiagalelei looks like a different player without him and Brennan Armstrong looks like a different player with him.

Nevertheless, North Carolina’s going as far as its offense can take it, which appears to be pretty far. Drake Maye was not only the Tar Heels’ best passer but their best runner against Pittsburgh, and Josh Downs is the ultimate get-out-of-jail card in tough situations. N&O consensus: The biggest win in the South’s Oldest Rivalry is 66-0 (Virginia, 1912); that record could fall Saturday

Williams says: “Too much Drake Maye. I’m still stunned. I watched the game last week and how they keep putting Bryce Young and (C.J.) Stroud — and now they’ve added a third QB — up there talking about the Heisman. I don’t see anyone having a better year than Drake Maye.”

Duke at Boston College: Not even Mike Elko could have imagined being a touchdown road favorite in this one back in August, but the Blue Devils are ascendant and the Eagles are … not. Boston College is coming off a loss to Connecticut, a team N.C. State beat by 31, and it will be a good week to see how Duke handles expectations, especially during a Friday night national game.

If the Blue Devils don’t get their sixth win in this one, they’ll surely get it against Virginia Tech in Durham next week. But there’s no reason to mess about. N&O consensus: Duke makes all four of the Big Four bowl-eligible for the first time ever

Williams says: “Boston College, just the home team.”

Howard at N.C. Central: As expected, NCCU bounced back from the loss at South Carolina State with a win at Delaware State, even if it was perhaps a hair closer than expected. Davius Richard was added to the Walter Payton Award watch list two weeks ago, and 272 yards passing and 72 yards rushing isn’t going to hurt his candidacy. Howard’s unbeaten in the MEAC (2-0), but that won’t be the case Sunday. N&O consensus: Eagles fly high at home

Williams says: “The Bison cannot go down. My kids thought the dancing Bison was the best mascot they’d ever seen when we played Howard in the NCAA tournament 100 years ago.”

Appalachian State at Coastal Carolina: The unintentional comedy of college-football urine charts — yes, control-freak football coaches very closely police the tint of their players’ micturition — arose again this week, somewhere, and while it’s tough to beat Texas-ex-coach Tom Herman’s “championship hydration levels,” Coastal Carolina’s No. 1 color for No. 1 (as posted by local writer Mitchell Northam) is not clear but … teal. Look, if teal’s coming out of you, that doesn’t make you a Chanticleer, it makes you deathly ill. Anyhoo, big Sun Belt East game this week. N&O consensus: Apps not the first to have a rough time in Myrtle Beach

Williams says: “Both teams are very good but Coastal’s at home.”

Clemson at Notre Dame: The Irish haven’t lost a regular-season game to an ACC opponent — you know, that conference they’re a 20 percent member of but somehow still get a full vote on matters like moving the conference office — since 2017. Miami, of all teams. Hard to imagine now, Miami winning a big game. Anyway, Notre Dame has lost two postseason games to the ACC since then, both to Clemson — the 2018 Cotton Bowl, a College Football Playoff semi, and the 2020 ACC title game, when Notre Dame was allowed to be a full member when it was convenient for the Irish and we were all supposed to feel sorry for them or something.

Ironically, this is the year Notre Dame needed to be in the ACC because the Irish are nationally irrelevant. Instead, they’ll steal a spot from an actual ACC team in one of the ACC’s mid-tier bowls, because — you’ll never guess — Notre Dame gets to participate in that process despite not being a football member. N&O consensus: Outlined against a blue-gray November sky, Clemson pushes the Irish one step closer to the Cheez-It Bowl

Williams says: “Little bit of a challenge here. It’s just that I think Notre Dame has gotten better and better. They beat us early and I’ve seen a little more of them since then.”

Tennessee at Georgia: Remember that year every SEC game finished like 6-3 and the SEC Media Industrial Complex told us that was because SEC defenses were so much better than everyone else? And then that year when every SEC game finished 52-48 and the SEC Media Industrial Complex told us that was because SEC offenses were so much better than everyone else? Well, these two teams are actually … pretty good. Take the Vols and the nine points (and the under), but the Dawgs get it done. N&O consensus: Uga X might get some extra treats after this one

Williams says: “This is the hard one. One time coaching at Kansas, we were playing in the NCAA regional in Knoxville. They were looking for a basketball coach and the marquee outside said ‘Go Jayhawks, Roy please stay!’ So my heart says Tennessee but I just think Georgia’s got too much. I’m going with my brain over my heart.”

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