Presto’s Picks: Overstuffed conference races include Virginia, Navy playing for the postseason

Virginia's J'Mari Taylor carries the ball during an NCAA college football event in Chapel Hill N C Saturday Oct The running back can help the Cavaliers punch their ticket to the ACC Championship Tournament with a win over rivals Virginia Tech AP Photo Ben McKeown AP Ben McKeown Virginia's J'Mari Taylor carries the ball during an NCAA college football match in Chapel Hill N C Saturday Oct The running back can help the Cavaliers punch their ticket to the ACC Championship Battle with a win over rivals Virginia Tech AP Photo Ben McKeown AP Ben McKeown Thanksgiving week brings out the annual debates whether it s the sides dressing or stuffing or who deserves to be in the College Football Playoff And while countless are up in arms that a two-loss Notre Dame group whose best win is against an - USC is ranked ahead of a two-loss Miami whose best win is against well Notre Dame I m reminded of the -member committee s decisions over the last decade where instead of using the evidence to determine the verdict uses the verdict to determine the evidence used But there are still four teams that will get in regardless of their profile and the supersized conferences give us plenty of teams playing for the possibility of an automatic bid The fact that - club leagues can t have a true round-robin only adds to the intrigue but makes for an enthralling final regular-season weekend Virginia is one of six ACC teams in contention for a trip to the championship meeting in Charlotte The Big Ten has five still alive while the Big and SEC each have four schools competing for the two spots in their conference title games And it s not just a Power Four thing Navy is one of five schools in contention for the American Conference just as athletic as when they were called the American Athletic Conference last year Thursday night Navy - - American at Memphis - - p m ESPN The Midshipmen need a win plus a loss by either North Texas Mean Green meet - Temple or Tulane Green Wave face - Charlotte to lock up their first American Conference Championship Meeting appearance since Both of these teams are looking to turn around late-season slides the Mids have dropped two of three while the Tigers have lost three of five all of Memphis losses have come by fewer than eight points Related stories Presto s Picks SEC standing for Schedule Every Cupcake Presto s Picks Navy U Va JMU playing for December while Terps tailspin Presto s Picks Confluence of college football and basketball kicks and tips off Their run defense also ranks No in the conference and will provide one of the better tests to Navy s best-in-the-nation yards per outing ground competition Take the over Memphis has allowed points in four of their last five games while the Midshipmen have coughed up in six straight Presto s Pick Navy sinks in a shootout - Saturday s games No James Madison - - Sun Belt at Coastal Carolina - - p m ESPNU The Dukes are coming off their first one-possession win since Oct knowing that while they re assured of a berth in the Conference Championship Encounter a loss will burn down their faint playoff hopes The Dukes have dominated this series since joining FBS winning all three meetings by the average points of - The conference s top-ranked defense faces a Chanticleers offense that just had a streak of point games snapped at four But Coastal s matter this fall has been stopping teams as they ve coughed up and points in their five losses Will Wayne Knight deliver another big competition Presto s Pick Dukes dominate - No Virginia - - ACC vs Virginia Tech - - p m ESPN The Cavaliers advance to the Conference Championship Challenge for the first time since with a win although they can still get to Charlotte with a loss plus help The Hokies can salvage what has been a lost season since early September and stick it to their in-state foes one more time they re - in the series since they joined the conference Their problems this year begin with passing efficiency th in the ACC on offense and defense th U Va s trip to the top of the standings has been a byproduct of excelling on third down nd in the conference on offense st on defense and keeping quarterback Chandler Morris upright seven sacks allowed in eleven games Kippy and Buffy poured a Lynch Bages the last time the Cavaliers beat the Hokies and while they re tempted to enjoy a Bordeaux again this year they re going to stay inside the Commonwealth by pouring a red blend they ve become fond of over the years The Linden Claret shows pungent aromas of red currants and red raspberries along with fresh thyme mint and tarragon Maybe a bit of roasted red pepper in the background the winery website reads There is a perky and lively finish with a refreshing acidity Presto s Pick Cavaliers enjoy a lively finish to their season with a - win Maryland - - Big Ten vs Michigan State - - at Ford Field in Detroit p m FS The season can t end enough for these two teams as the Terrapins have dropped eight straight while the Spartans have lost nine in a row And while Maryland getting outscored - in the fourth quarter in three straight one-possession losses during October has been well-documented MSU is coming off a last-second loss at Iowa and fell in overtime at Minnesota to begin the month Coach Mike Locksley mentioned this week that these two teams are mirror images of one another and the two teams are th and th in the conference in scoring th and th in total yards th and th in passing as well as th and th in third down efficiency But the Spartans sacks allowed are the bulk in the Big Ten giving the Terps sacks in their - start eight sacks in the - swoon a chance to rekindle their pass rush Presto s Pick Terrapins end their lost season on a winning note - Last week - Season - Source