ACC Football: Predictions For Every Week Six Game

Who will be the winners in the ACC in week six?

Sep 14, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) throws a touchdown pass against the Virginia Military Institute Keydets in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The month of October is here and the MLB Postseason chase is not the only thing heating up. The ACC conference race has some big matchups on deck this weekend, as there are only two games that the oddsmakers have a team favored by double-digits.

Week five was a wild week. Virginia Tech nearly upset Miami, Duke had a great comeback vs North Carolina, and both SMU and Clemson got resounding wins. Week six features a huge showdown between SMU and Louisville, Miami gets another test, Syracuse is an underdog out West, and Pitt looks to remain undefeated.

I went 7-2 last week, with my only misses being picking Louisville to beat Notre Dame and picking Wake Forest to beat Louisiana. My record for 2024 is 45-14.

Note: I will not be picking Georgia Tech vs Duke here, a full preview will come later this week.

Let's pick the winners in week six.

Friday, Oct. 4th

1. Syracuse at UNLV (-6.5), 9:00 p.m. ET. FS1

Yes you read that right, UNLV is indeed a favorite vs Syracuse on Friday night. UNLV has wins over Houston and Kansas already and is coming off of an impressive thumping of Fresno State. The Rebels are viewed by many to be the front-runner for the Group of Five playoff spot and for good reason. Syracuse is 3-1 after beating Holy Cross last week, but there are still questions as to how good this team is. They looked good in a win over Georgia Tech, but flopped against Stanford. I think there is a chance for an upset, but UNLV is playing really well right now and they are at home.

Final Score: UNLV 34, Syracuse 27

Saturday, Oct. 5th

2. SMU at Louisville (-7), 12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN

This is probably the biggest game in the ACC this weekend. The winner can announce themselves as the biggest threat to Miami and Clemson, while the loser will have an uphill battle to make it. This might be a must win for the Cardinals. If they lose this game, they still have Miami and Clemson on the schedule while SMU does not. I think it is a good game, but homefield advantage and an explosive offense give the Cardinals the advantage.

Final Score: Louisville 35, SMU 31

3. Boston College at Virginia (-1), 12:00 p.m. ET ACC Network

Assuming Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos is back (he missed last week), then I do like the Eagles to go on the road and beat Virginia. The Cavaliers can score, but the Boston College ground game with Castellanos is tough to stop. This is a big game that both teams need to inch closer to bowl eligibility. Give the Eagles to win on the road.

Final Score: Boston College 28, Virginia 24

4. Pitt (-2.5) at North Carolina, 12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2

It is tough sledding for the Tar Heels right now. After giving up 70 points in a loss vs James Madison, North Carolina blew a 20-point lead to rival Duke. Now they have to face a 4-0 Pitt team who is coming off of a bye week and their offense is clicking. I have a hard time seeing the Tar Heels stopping Pitt and the losing streak reaches three in Chapel Hill.

Final Score: Pitt 42, UNC 28

5. Wake Forest at NC State (-5.5), 12:00 p.m. ET, CW Network

Which team do you trust more here? The one that just lost to Louisiana or the team that could not get 200 yards in a close win vs Northern Illinois (and has looked bad all year)? I think Wake might be the worst team in the ACC this year and NC State is at home.

Final Score: NC State 27, Wake Forest 17

6. Virginia Tech (-7.5) at Stanford, 3:30 p.m ET ACC Network

The big question for Virginia Tech is going to be if they can move past the controversial loss to Miami. If they can and show up to play the way they did last Friday night, they should win this game. The Hokies came into the year with a lot of hype and last week was the first time they actually looked like that team. Stanford played Clemson tougher than the score might suggest so it won't be an easy out but give me the Hokies.

Final Score: Virginia Tech 35, Stanford 21

7. Clemson (-14.5) at Florida State, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN

Heading into the season, this was arguably the biggest game in the conference. Now, the Tigers are favored by double-digits on the road in Tallahassee and Florida State is hoping to avoid a 1-5 start. Brock Glenn is now starting at FSU and while it can't be much worse than DJ Uiagalelei, I don't know that it is going to be loads better. I think Clemson wins big.

Final Score: Clemson 35, FSU 13

8. Miami (-10) at Cal, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

This game has a chance to be more interesting than some might think. Miami barely escaped vs Virginia Tech last week and now has to go all the way out West to face Cal, who might have the toughest defense that Miami has seen all season. Cam Ward has been fantastic this year, but did have some costly turnovers vs the Hokies last week. This Cal defense is opportunistic and can create turnovers, but the question will be how much can the Golden Bears offense score? Miami showed some weakness in run defense last week and that is the best part of Cal's offense. This will be close, but Miami pulls away in the 4th quarter.

Final Score: Miami 38, Cal 24