Collegiate Times

Thursday, Sept. 1

Western Carolina @ Georgia Tech, 7:30 p.m.

The Yellow Jackets and Catamounts will start their seasons by meeting for the first time since 1994. Junior Tevin Washington, who started four games in Nesbitt’s place last year, will take over quarterbacking duties in Tech’s standard option-attack under head coach Paul Johnson’s direction, but the Catamounts will be featuring a new “Pistol” scheme made famous by Nevada’s Chris Ault. Western Carolina will start sophomore Brandon Pechloff at quarterback, a 6-foot, 7-inch mammoth, and will try to upset the Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Prediction: Georgia Tech 34, Western Carolina 10

Wake Forest @ Syracuse, 8 p.m.

Head coach Jim Grobe will try to get the Demon Deacons back on track this year with sophomore quarterback Tanner Price returning as the team’s signal-caller. Running back Josh Harris was one of the few bright spots for Wake Forest, as he rushed for 720 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman last season.

The Orange, on the other hand, had a surprise year in 2010 under head coach Doug Marrone, ending the season 8-5 with a victory over Kansas State in the Pinstripe Bowl. Syracuse lost its star at running back, Delone Carter, but junior quarterback Ryan Nassib will lead the offense after throwing for 2,334 yards with 19 touchdowns in 2010.

Prediction: Syracuse 31, Wake Forest 21

Saturday, Sept. 3

Northwestern @ Boston College, noon

Boston College’s carousel of quarterbacks continued in head coach Frank Spaziani’s first season with the Eagles last year, finally settling on true freshman Chase Rettig. The biggest challenge for the Eagles is that they will have to open this season without star running back Montel Harris, who is out at least two weeks from arthroscopic knee surgery.

On the flip side, Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald has taken his team from Big Ten doormat to contender, leading the Wildcats to three consecutive bowl game appearances. Northwestern could have the best quarterback in the Big Ten with Dan Persa leading the Wildcats’ spread attack. Persa threw for 2,581 yards with 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions last season.

Prediction: Northwestern 24, Boston College 21

Louisiana-Monroe @ Florida State, 3:30 p.m.

The Seminoles are on nearly every preseason top 10 watch list, as they return 16 starters on offense and defense for second-year head coach Jimbo Fisher. New signal-caller E.J. Manuel has received attention as a potential Heisman candidate, replacing first-round draft choice Christian Ponder. Florida State’s defense is led by junior defensive end Brandon Jenkins and cornerback Xavier Rhodes. While there is a multitude of four- and five-star prospects on FSU’s roster, inexperience could still be a factor.

Louisiana-Monroe got more than what they expected out of freshman quarterback Kolton Browning last season, as he threw for 2,552 yards with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. If the Warhawks want any chance of beating FSU, they’ll need a big game from Browning and his arm.

Prediction: Florida State 45, Louisiana-Monroe 17

James Madison @ North Carolina, 3:30 p.m.

With a little over a month left in the offseason, UNC decided to fire Davis on July 27 due to a plethora of NCAA violations that had been committed over his tenure as coach. Now, interim head coach Everett Withers will pick up the pieces and try to salvage the team’s 2011 season. New quarterback Bryn Renner’s first test will be a JMU team that will try once again to upend an FBS opponent.

Following several years of consistent success and a big upset over Virginia Tech last season, the Dukes appear to be positioning themselves for a move to FBS. Head coach Mickey Matthews will now call the plays in addition to working closely with the quarterbacks. He will need to find a replacement for Drew Dudzik, who was a key player in their win over Virginia Tech.

Prediction: North Carolina 31, James Madison 14

Troy @ Clemson, 3:30 p.m.

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A version of this article appeared in the Sep 2 issue of the Collegiate Times.