LeVelle Moton joins N&O college football Week 6 picks for North Carolina schools

On our first try with this week’s guest picker, N.C. Central men’s basketball coach LeVelle Moton, he tried to pick the Pittsburgh Steelers to win every game, although that would really only work for Texas-Oklahoma, a game both teams seem equally likely to lose at this point.

Moton doesn’t have big shoes to fill. Our first two guest pickers — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour and former ABC 11 sports anchor Mark Armstrong — were a combined .500, which perhaps suggests the folks at the Old Reliable may actually know what they’re talking about. Perhaps.

It’s an off week for 4-1 NCCU in football so Moton’s loyalties are completely unfettered and he’s prepared to upgrade the guest-picker performance.

“Feels like an undefeated week,” Moton said. “I’’m like Jimmy the Greek. ‘Velle the Greek.”

Florida State at N.C. State: Wake Forest bounced back from a (home) loss to Clemson with a (road) win over Florida State. The same scenario applies for the Wolfpack, albeit with the locales reversed. Even at Carter-Finley, it’ll be a tough task for N.C. State. Florida State, after many false starts, appears to be legit. No less than the Wolfpack’s slim hopes of getting back into the Atlantic Division race rest on this one.

Really, though, this should be less about the opponent than looking inward for N.C. State. The Wolfpack got outplayed at Clemson, plain and simple. There’s no way to atone for that, but N.C. State can at least make some amends — and hope for some help. N&O consensus: Wolfpack wins the battle for Chuck Amato’s heart

Moton says: “N.C. State’s too tough at home and they’re coming off a loss, so coach will have their undivided attention. They’ll bounce back.”

UNC at Miami: The annual battle of Perennial Sleeping Giants, two schools that are always just about to turn the corner. To be fair to the Tar Heels, they’ve only actually lost to Notre Dame and as ugly as that game was, it’s a far cry from losing to Texas A&M (insert requisite Appalachian State reference here) and Middle Tennessee State.

In what’s shaping up as the worst Coastal Division in recorded human history — as of today, James Madison, Coastal Carolina and Tulane would all stand as the highest-ranked teams in the Coastal — the winner of this game will have a key tiebreaker going forward. Which, given the history of the Coastal Division, probably means it won’t matter by the end. N&O consensus: The U(NC)

Moton says: “UNC’s defense is settling in. That was a huge win over Virginia Tech. The defense has some confidence they didn’t necessarily have before and I think the offense is going to put up points. They’ve done it. Now can they get stops?”

Duke at Georgia Tech: Speaking of soon-to-be-lamented Coastal Chaos, it’s hard to top Georgia Tech, days after firing its coach and the athletic director who hired him, going up to Pittsburgh and knocking off the defending division champions. That’s the pure, distilled essence of the Coastal Division, and oh how we shall miss it next season.

So what does all that mean for Duke this weekend? Who knows! On paper, the resurgent Blue Devils should have no problem with the Rambling Wreck. But Pittsburgh shouldn’t have either. N&O consensus: More rambling wreckage

Moton says: “GT’s coming off a huge win since the coaching change. Duke’s coming off a huge win, a program win. I’ll take Duke because I think they’ve got a great cohesive group.”

Army at Wake Forest: The triple option vs. the slow mesh, aka defensive coordinator nightmare fuel. Having successfully dismissed any notions of a Clemson hangover by going on the road to beat Florida State, the Deacons will have to refocus again for a nonconference opponent that, regardless of talent differential, is always a test of focus and discipline. That said, Wake’s already had one close call against Liberty. It’s hard to envision another. N&O consensus: The Deacons go rolling along

Moton says: “Wake Forest. They’re rolling right now. I believe they’re a top 15 team in the country — and should have beat Clemson.”

East Carolina at Tulane: One of the sneaky-good games of the weekend between a visitor that’s lost two games on missed kicks and a host that’s on the fringes of the top 25. Cincinnati’s appears to be the best team in the AAC, but it’s going to be a wide-open battle for second place and winning this one would do a lot for the Pirates, because not many teams are going to go on the road and beat Tulane this year. N&O consensus: Green Wave swamps Pirate ships

Moton says: “I just like what ECU’s doing. It’s almost like it’s not the typical ECU squad. Traditionally they’ve had some talent within their conference, but I think they’ve got their recruits in now. They just look a little more superior than they have in the past. I watched the N.C. State game, they should have beat them. They can compete with top-10, top-15 programs in the nation.”

BYU vs. Notre Dame: Someone had to be in on the joke when the Mormons and the Catholics decided to play a neutral-site game in Sin City. The Irish got its offense untracked two weeks ago in Chapel Hill. Maybe they’ll dominate BYU the way Notre Dame fans are going to dominate the nightlife on the Strip. N&O consensus: Like the falling casino sign that kills Patches O’Houlihan in “Dodgeball,” Cougars crushed by the Luck Of The Irish

Moton says: “What a game, what a place for it. I like Notre Dame in this one. They started off rough with the coaching change, getting adjusted. It’s a little different going from that assistant coach seat to the coaching seat. It’s different making suggestions than making decisions. But I think he’s got his feet up under him now. That was a huge win at Carolina, gave them some confidence.”

Texas at Oklahoma: Not exactly a vintage year for the old Red River Shootout, with the ghost of the Southwest Conference wreaking revenge on Texas (by Texas Tech) and Oklahoma (by Texas Christian) as they get ready to leave the Big 12. This game means something in that league; in the SEC, it’ll just be known as “another Saturday.” N&O consensus: Horns Up as the Sooner Schooner takes another tumble

Moton says: “Texas hands down. I like what they’re doing. Obviously, they always had the program, the money, the resources. It’s always been a question why they can’t succeed. They were Alabama before Alabama. My man (Lincoln Riley) leaving to go USC hurt Oklahoma. That’s not Oklahoma.”

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