Presto’s Picks: Confluence of college football and basketball kicks, and tips, off

A composite image of WTOP's Dave Preston at a University of Maryland football battle left and a U Md basketball tournament to kick off the confluence of college football and college basketball WTOP Dave Preston A composite image of WTOP's Dave Preston at a University of Maryland football meeting left and a U Md basketball championship to kick off the confluence of college football and college basketball WTOP Dave Preston November is proof that more isn t invariably better sometimes it s just more College football s regular season wraps up with four weekends where teams enter and exit the playoff picture and we boil down the group of contenders by eliminating one pretender at a time Meanwhile all -plus Division I basketball programs men s and women s tipped off their seasons this week which gives us matchups such as Maryland vs Georgetown this Friday and George Washington vs American next Wednesday Even as somebody who enjoys consuming and covering both sports I find this akin to wrapping up a stack of pancakes while being handed a chicken wing As old habits die hard and as a voter in The Associated Press polls for both sports I will do my best to make sure I m not voting Indiana in my hoops Top or Florida on my football ballot Here s to reaching Thanksgiving in one piece Saturday s games James Madison - - Sun Belt at Marshall - - noon ESPN The top two scoring offenses in the conference square off as the Dukes will be expected to show up for the first half this time after allowing and points before intermission in their last two outings Even with those issues JMU leads its league in so a great number of defensive categories it makes more sense to list what the Dukes don t lead the Sun Belt in as they re tied for second with sacks and rank second in defensive passing efficiency The Thundering Herd beat the Dukes in Harrisonburg last year but have a new quarterback in Syracuse transfer Carlos Del Rio-Wilson And despite averaging points per meeting Marshall s conversion rate on third down is second-worst in the conference Presto s pick Dukes deliver another second half knockout - Maryland - - Big Ten at Rutgers - - p m FS The two schools formerly known as the New Kids on the Block from - square off with both schools needing a accomplishment to give their fading bowl hopes a boost While the Terps have had issues running the ball th in the Big Ten at yards per encounter and moving the chains th in the league the Scarlet Knights D is earning one as they rank th in the Big Ten in stopping the run and the pass as well as sacks produced and points allowed They re dead last in defensive passing efficiency and total defense SHI Stadium is no RAC which even under the new name Jersey Mike s Arena remains a tough place to play as Maryland has won five of its last six games in Piscataway Presto s pick Terrapins triumph - No Virginia - - ACC vs Wake Forest - - p m ESPN There are those who claim the Cavaliers control their own destiny in the ACC race and pursuit of a College Football Playoff berth I beg to differ as destiny by definition is a predetermined program of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency according to Merriam-Webster and therefore cannot be controlled U Va does control its path to the postseason and will certainly be tested by a Demon Deacons company that came within a two-point conversion of upsetting Georgia Tech Wake s defense ranks second in the ACC at stopping the pass and is led by Clifton Virginia native Nick Andersen s tackles The bad news for Wake being that Nick is a safety which means way too numerous opponent s runs are reaching the defense s third level Kippy and Buffy are taking tailgating to the next level by pouring a Cabernet Pfeffer for the first time This rare red grape originally from Bordeaux where it s called Mourtao will make a splash Saturday evening in the form of the Stirm Cabernet Pfeffer Slightly hazy in the glass this bottling hits the nose with strawberry cranberry and thyme aromas according to Wine Enthusiast s Matt Kettmann The palate is very peppery with a zippy refreshing acidity that enlivens the brisk red-fruit flavors Presto s pick Cavaliers hit Wake on the nose with a - win Navy - at No Notre Dame - p m NBC The Fighting Irish have recovered after the th - start in plan history winning six straight by an average of points while returning into the top behind the one-two punch of running backs Jeremiyah Love who s averaging yards per carry and Jadarian Price who s averaging They also have a freshman quarterback CJ Carr who ranks fifth in nationally in passer rating The Midshipmen are coming off their first loss of the season and haven t held an opponent to under points since September The nation s top ground contest will also be tested by a Fighting Irish D that holds foes to yards per battle good for th best in FBS Can Blake Horvath repeat the good from last year s outing yards rushing and a touchdown while limiting the bad two fumbles lost plus an interception Presto s pick Mids come up short - Georgetown beats Richmond Howard falls at South Carolina State Towson tumbles to Villanova William Mary crushes Campbell Morgan State slips to Delaware State Last week - 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