ACC Football Game Picks: Clemson Challenges Georgia, Cal Debuts

Golden Bears try to go to 12-0 all-time vs. UC Davis but can they cover a three-touchdown spread?

Jaydn Ott / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

All 17 Atlantic Coast Conference teams play this weekend, beginning Thursday all the way through Monday. So the Labor Day weekend was preceded by Jake and I laboring to pick all 16 of these games.

There are some stinkers, to be sure. Early-season mismatches we see on most teams’ schedules on an annual basis.

But there are also some terrific games, starting with ACC title contender No. 14 Clemson taking on top-ranked Georgia, winner of two of the past three national championships.

No 19 Miami visits Florida in a game with meaning outside the borders of the Sunshine State. No 10 Florida State, coming off an opening loss to Georgia Tech at Dublin, Ireland, tries to avoid falling to 0-2 when it hosts Boston College on Monday evening.

And, of course, Cal opens its schedule with a non-conference game at home vs. UC Davis, an opponent it has beaten in all 11 previous meetings.

Here goes . . . 

Last week: Jake 1-1, Jeff 0-2

All picks against the spread 

Betting line from 

THURSDAY

— Western Carolina (plus-33.5) at No. 24 North Carolina State, 4 p.m., ACC Network

Jake:  Western Carolina is a pretty good FCS team, and Western Carolina quarterback Cole Gonzales is the preseason Southern Conference player of the year.  The Wolf Pack looks like an ACC contender but huge spreads like this early in the season are dangerous. Pick: Western Carolina

Jeff: NC State is 7-0 all-time vs. Western Carolina, about to be 8-0. Can the Wolfpack cover this spread? Well, in 2019 it was 41-0. They have won by more than 33.5 points in five of their seven meetings. Pick: North Carolina State

— North Carolina A&T (plus-37.5) at Wake Forest, 4 p.m., ESPN+

Jake: North Carolina A&T is an FCS team that went 1-10 last year and is not expected to be any better this year. Wake Forest (1-7 in the ACC last year) is not great, but is far superior to North Carolina A&T, especially at home. But can Wake Forest beat anyone by 38 points, especially with uncertainty at quarterback? Pick: North Carolina A&T

Jeff: Man, this is a game I can’t imagine watching. Wake will win but the Demons Deacons are picked 15th in the ACC so this spread if just too big. Pick: North Carolina A&T

 

— North Carolina (minus-1.5) at Minnesota, 5 p.m., FOX

Jake: North Carolina has a talented running back in Omarion Hampton, but the loss of quarterback Drake Maye is critical, especially in a road opener. Pick: Minnesota

Jeff: North Carolina fans are thinking if the Heels can beat a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team in their opener, they could start the season 8-0. Pick: North Carolina

FRIDAY

— Elon (plus-24.5) at Duke, 4:30 p.m., ACC Network

Jake: Duke is coming off an 8-5 season and will be motivated at home in the first game under new head coach Manny Diaz. The concern is that Elon, an FCS school, can score.  Pick: Duke

Jeff: Maalik Murphy, who was 2-0 as a starting quarterback for Texas last season, has won the No. 1 job with the Blue Devils. Elon will have trouble containing the one-time five-star prospect. Pick: Duke

— TCU (minus-9.5) at Stanford, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Jake:  It’s just a feeling, but Stanford should be better in Troy Taylor’s second season at the helm. And the Cardinal is at home. Pick: Stanford

Jeff: Sonny Dykes was 0-2 with Cal playing at Stanford Stadium, outscored 98-35. TCU might flip that result, but not sure the Horned Frogs cover. Pick: Stanford

SATURDAY

— No. 14 Clemson (plus-13.5) vs. No. 1 Georgia at Atlanta, 9 a.m., ABC

Jake: This is a large spread considering Clemson is a contender for the 12-team national playoff. But Georgia is a powerhouse with a quality quarterback (Carson Beck), and the game is in Atlanta.  Pick: Georgia

Jeff:  A year ago, Clemson opened the season on the road and lost 28-7 to Duke. Clemson will be better this season, but Duke is not Georgia. Pick: Georgia

— Virginia Tech (minus-13.5) at Vanderbilt, 9 a.m., ESPN

Jake:  Vanderbilt is the worst team in the SEC, and even at home the Commodores could get knocked around by a physical Virginia Tech team. Pick: Virginia Tech

Jeff: Five voters picked Virginia Tech to win the ACC in the preseason media poll. And while that might be overrated the Hokies, we figure that should cruise in this one. Pick: Virginia Tech

— Austin Peay (plus-26.5) at Louisville, 9 a.m., ACC Network

Jake:  Austin Peay is not as good as last year’s squad that went 9-3 and reached the FCS playoffs. Louisville has retooled with a lot of transfers at the skill positions, so the Cardinals may be a little ragged in their opener. Nonetheless . . . Pick: Louisville.

Jeff: After three years at Oregon and three at Texas Tech, quarterback Tyler Shough begins his seventh season of college football at Louisville. He turns 25 next month, and his experience should settle the Cardinals. Pick: Louisville

— Kent State (plus-23.5) at Pitt, 9 a.m., ESPNU

Jake:  Pitt should be better than its 3-9 squad of last season, but it will have trouble beating any opponent by more than three touchdowns. Pick: Kent State

Jeff: Pitt was 20-7 the two years before sliding to 3-9 a year ago. Plus, the Panthers are 7-0 all-time vs. Kent State, winning by an average margin of more than 27 points. Pick: Pitt

— No. 19 Miami (minus-2.5) at Florida, 12:30 p.m., ABC

Jake: We’ll see if Miami QB Cam Ward deserves being called the ACC player of the year favorite. Florida coach Billy Napier needs to win a game like this one to get off the hot seat. Miami is simply more talented. Pick: Miami

Jeff: Miami was picked to finish third in the ACC, but coach Mario Cristobal is just 12-13 over his first two seasons with the Canes. Can Washington State defector Cam Ward make the difference?  Pick: Miami 

— Ohio (plus-15.5) at Syracuse, 12:30 p.m., ACC Network

Jake:  Ohio lost a ton of talent through the transfer portal, and there is optimism in Syracuse with the new head coach Fran Brown. Pick: Syracuse

Jeff: Syracuse running back LeQuint Allen had seven 100-yard rushing games last season on the way to a 1,000-yard season. He kicks off his junior campaign with a big game against Ohio. Pick: Syracuse

— UC Davis (plus-23.5) at Cal, 2 p.m., ESPN+

Jake:  Cal always beats FCS teams, but seldom covers the spread in those games.  The Bears are still figuring out who their quarterback will be. Cal will win, but . . .  Pick: UC Davis

Jeff: Lots of change at Cal this season, but a new coach at Davis. The Bears will be fired up for this game. Pick: Cal

— Richmond (plus-21.5) at Virginia, 3 p.m., ESPN+

Jake: Virginia is expected to finish near the bottom of the ACC standing, and Richmond is a strong FCS program that figures to vie for a postseason berth again. Pick: Richmond

Jeff: These in-state schools haven’t squared off since 1979 so you can bet this is a big game for the Spiders. Virginia is a basketball school.  Pick: Richmond

— Georgia State (plus-21.5) at Georgia Tech, 5 p.m., ACC Network

Jake: Georgia Tech is coming off its impressive win over Florida State, while Georgia State is playing its opener and picked to finish last in its division of the Sun Belt.  Trust Yellow Jackets QB Haynes King to keep Georgia Tech rolling. Pick: Georgia Tech

Jeff: One result last season gives us an insight to Georgia State. The FCS Panthers were 7-6 but lost 56-14 to LSU. Georgia Tech comes in with momentum after last week’s win over Florida State. Pick: Georgia Tech

— Houston Christian (plus-44.5) at SMU, 5 p.m., ESPN+

Jake: This is staggering point spread, and SMU was not impressive in its close win over Nevada last week. The Mustangs can pile up points when they are clicking, and Houston Christian is a mediocre FCS program.  But the spread is too much. Pick: Houston Christian

Jeff: These teams met in 2018, when an SMU team coached by Sonny Dykes beat HCU 63-27. That Houston team was 1-10 and even it would have covered a 44.5-point spread. Pick: Houston Christian 

MONDAY

— Boston College (plus-21.5) at No. 10 Florida State, 4:30 p.m., ESPN

Jake:  The theory is that the Seminoles will be fired up to prove that their loss to Georgia Tech was a fluke, and having a game under their belts should help.  But I’m not completely sold on FSU QB DJ Uiagalelei. Pick: Boston College

Jeff: I’m not sure how good the Seminoles will be this season, but they’re playing this one at home, not in Dublin, Ireland. And they’re playing a Boston College team picked 14th in the ACC. FSU understands it can lose once and still be in the hunt for a spot in the 12-team playoff. But not twice. Pick: Florida State