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Capsule previews for Thursday and Friday's college games. All times Eastern and all rankings Associated Press.

THURSDAY:

NORTH CAROLINA (4-3) at No. 14 VIRGINIA TECH (5-2), 7:30, ESPN.

FAVORITE: Virginia Tech by 15.

COACHES: Butch Davis (16-16 in third year at UNC) and Frank Beamer (182-91-2 in 23rd year at Va. Tech).

While Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress had to be pleased his defense held Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to 175 yards passing Sunday, he couldn't have been happy that, for the second consecutive game, an opponent used explosive plays to move quickly down the field near the end of the opening half.

Random observations of a Wednesday-morning quarterback ...

-- San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary will start Alex Smith on Sunday because Smith "gives us the best opportunity to win the football game." Has there ever been a more cotton-candy cliche?

A gift arrives Saturday with a full slate of college football excitement set for Halloween. The on-field bedlam of this unpredictable season might just be matched by the -- shall we say -- colorful activity in the stands and tailgates.

So with that in mind, here are the season's five scariest statistics so far:

As most of you know, here in Florida the wind can sometimes play havoc with your game.

Almost never is it perfectly calm with no wind. So, therefore, you must have a shot that can stay out of the wind. I think everybody should know how to hit the low knockdown shot that penetrates through the wind. So here's how you hit that low knockdown shot.

Brett Favre's adjustment to being a member of the Minnesota Vikings appears to be nearly complete. The sight of Favre in a Vikings uniform is no longer jarring to the senses, and the quarterback cleared a major hurdle this month when he beat the team he was once synonymous with, the Green Bay Packers, at the Metrodome.

Every Monday has become the same old routine this football season at Southeastern Conference headquarters in Birmingham.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive talks to a football coach angry over officiating, tells the coach to shut his yapper and then issues a public reprimand.

PITTSBURGH - Funny thing is Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley actually thought he would escape ridicule from his teammates Sunday after toting the football 77 yards in what seemed like 2 1/2 minutes to score the most unlikely defensive touchdown we've seen around here since, well, Super Bowl Sunday.

Wrong.

All college football, all the time, for a Monday morning quarterback:

-- The college game has become a beauty contest in the eyes of human pollsters and computers alike. But why should that be the case? Shouldn't grinding out a tough win be just as meaningful as piling up numbers?

Week 7 NFL picks from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's pigskin prognosticator.

All times Eastern.

Minnesota Vikings (6-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2), 1 p.m., Sunday