ACC Football: Predictions for Every Week Nine Game

Who will be the big winners in the ACC this week?

There is one remaining unbeaten in the ACC. 

Florida State started slow but put the pedal down on Duke last week to remain the heavy favorite in the ACC. The Seminoles hit the road for the next two weeks before they face their next biggest challenge against Miami. 

The ACC starts their week on Thursday with a big bowl eligibility matchup between Syracuse and Virginia Tech. Syracuse has lost three in a row and needs two more wins to get to bowl eligibility while Virginia Tech is 3-4 and coming off of a bye week. 

Other games this week in the ACC include Duke vs Louisville, Georgia Tech vs North Carolina, Miami vs Virginia, Clemson vs NC State, and Pitt vs Notre Dame. 

I had another bad week of picks last week, picking Clemson, Pitt, and North Carolina. It was a 1-3 week and now I am 50-15 picking games this season. 

Note: I will have a full breakdown and prediction for Georgia Tech vs North Carolina later this week. 

So who are the winners this week in the ACC? All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook. 

Thursday, Oct. 26th

Syracuse at Virginia Tech (-3) (7:30 p.m. ESPN)

This is a big game for both of these teams. Syracuse had a really tough stretch of games against Clemson, Florida State, and North Carolina, losing all of them in blowout fashion. Virginia Tech also lost to Florida State, but quarterback Kyron Drones has been playing better and the Hokies offense has looked better than it did to start the season. Syracuse is really banged up on offense and I think a road win at Lane Stadium is too much to ask. 

Final Score: Virginia Tech 27, Syracuse 21

Saturday, Oct. 28th

Florida State (-20) at Wake Forest (12:00 p.m. ABC)

Florida State had to fight to get a win over Duke, but the Seminoles got the win and advanced to 7-0. FSU is going to be heavy favorites in nearly every game they play the rest of the way, including this week against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons got a win last week against Pitt and that gave a big boost to their bowl chances, but FSU is going to be too much for Wake, especially with the quarterback questions they have. 

Final Score: Florida State 38, Wake Forest 17

UConn at Boston College (-12.5) (12:00 p.m. ACC Network)

Boston College has won three in a row since their 1-3 start and the Eagles might be heading towards a bowl game. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos is playing really well and the defense forced three turnovers against Georgia Tech on Saturday. This team is playing well offensively and they should be able to roll to a win over UConn. 

Final Score: Boston College 34, UConn 21

Clemson (-10.5) at NC State (2:00 p.m. CW Network)

Clemson is coming off of a road loss against Miami. What makes that loss worse is that Miami was starting a true freshman quarterback and had lost two straight games. Clemson had problems once again turning the ball over and they could not run the ball against Miami. NC State has had its fair share of troubles on offense, but Raleigh is a tough place to play and the Wolfpack defense is a good unit. I think this will be a low-scoring game that Clemson will find a way to win. 

Final Score: Clemson 24, NC State 10

Pitt at Notre Dame (-19.5) (3:30 p.m. NBC)

Pitt had just pulled a big upset over Louisville and had to play a Wake Forest team that was down their top two quarterbacks. It looked like the Panthers would get another win, which was critical for their bowl hopes, but Wake won in the final seconds and crushed the Panther's chances. Notre Dame was off last week and when we last saw them, they were crushing USC. Fighting Irish win big because of their defense. 

Final Score: Notre Dame 34, Pitt 7

Duke at Louisville (-4.5) (3:30 p.m. ESPN)

Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer throws a pass against NC State.  / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

This is probably the most intriguing game of the week in the ACC. Both teams have one conference loss and can't really afford another. Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard's health is still in question, but even when he was banged up, the offense had success against Florida State on the ground. Louisville is shaking off a loss against Pitt and had a bye week to get ready for this game. All signs point to the Cardinals getting a win, but I think Duke's defense forces some mistakes from Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer and the Blue Devils get the upset. 

Final Score: Duke 21, Louisville 20

Virginia at Miami (-18.5) (3:30 p.m. ACC Network)

Both of these teams are coming off surprising wins, with Virginia's being the more shocking. The Cavaliers found a way to upset North Carolina and Miami had to defeat Clemson with a true freshman quarterback. Now both teams must regain their focus and for Miami, it will be about trying to stay in the ACC title race while UVA will try to stay in the hunt for a bowl. I think Miami has an overwhelming advantage on the line of scrimmage and their defense will contain the Virginia offense. Keep an eye out for if Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke can return to play this week. 

Final Score: Miami 35, Virginia 10

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