ACC Football Week 8: Game Previews and Spread Predictions
ATS Picks Season Record: 10-10 (3-2 last week)
ATS Best Bet Season Record: 2-1 (1-0 last week)
Many ACC teams are on bye once again this week, and Virginia took care of Georgia Tech 16-9 Thursday night. That leaves us with four ACC matchups to be played on Saturday, and the three highest ranked teams in the conference (No. 5 Clemson, No. 13 Wake Forest, No. 14 Syracuse) will be in action.
Saturday
#14 Syracuse (6-0) at #5 Clemson (7-0)
Spread: Clemson -14.5 (-104), Syracuse +14.5 (-118)
Moneyline: Clemson (-610), Syracuse (+440)
Total: 49.5 (-110)
Time/Channel: Noon ET, ABC
In the only all-undefeated matchup in college football this week, No. 14 Syracuse travels to Death Valley with their highest AP ranking in over two decades. No. 5 Clemson is on the borderline of the CFB playoff picture, and will look to boost their resume with another ranked win here.
Syracuse stands as one of the nine remaining unbeaten teams in college football after a 24-9 home victory over then No. 15 North Carolina State. Their conference-best defense, averaging 269 yards allowed per game, held the Wolfpack’s backup quarterbacks to five completions for 31 yards in the first half of the win. Wide receiver Oronde Gadsden has shown up in both of the Orange’s marquee wins this year (game-winning score against Purdue in Week 3), bringing in eight catches for 141 yards and two scores on Saturday.
Clemson continued to succeed this season with a 34-28 victory in a possible upset spot at Florida State last week, highlighted by a 27-0 run that carried through halftime. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has developed into an impressive game manager in his third year for the Tigers, posting a conference-low two interceptions this season despite being top two in yards and touchdowns.
The Pick: Clemson -14.5
Syracuse has been a nice story this season and they’ve earned this 6-0 record. However, they haven’t shown enough in the wins vs mediocre competition to inspire much confidence in pulling off a huge upset. A trip to Death Valley against a hungry Clemson side, that needs a dominant performance to vault themselves back into the playoffs, is quite the task. I’ll take the Tigers to win a rollover, so I’ll lay the 14.5.
READ: ACC Football Power Rankings: Week 8
Duke (4-3) at Miami (3-3)
Spread: Miami -9.5 (-115), Duke +9.5 (-105)
Moneyline: Miami (-350), Duke (+275)
Total: 57.5 (-110)
Time/Channel: 12:30 p.m. ET, ACCN
Despite equally encouraging starts to the year, Duke (started 3-0) and Miami (ranked No. 13 in Week 3) both need a win this week to stay afloat in the ACC Coastal and maintain in position for bowl eligibility.
The Blue Devils lost by one possession for the third-straight week last Saturday, falling 38-35 at home to now No. 22 North Carolina. Redshirt junior kicker Charlie Ham has cost them in consecutive matchups, missing essential field goals from 43 and 52 against UNC and Georgia Tech respectively. Signal-caller Riley Leonard posted a career high in rushing yards (130) in the defeat, including a franchise-long touchdown run from a quarterback (74).
Miami ended their 0-2 slide with a nail-biting 20-14 victory over Virginia Tech last weekend that saw the Hurricanes nearly sacrifice a 20-point cushion in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke turned in his highest rated performance of the year (74.1 QBR) on the heels of 351 passing yards and two touchdowns. The performance included a highlight reel throw to JUCO transfer wideout Colbie Young, who brought in nine catches for 110 yards in the win.
The Pick: Duke +9.5 (BEST BET OF THE WEEK)
These offenses beat you in two different ways; Duke is second in the league with 206 rushing yards per game while the Hurricanes are second with 325 passing yards per game. This figures to be a high-scoring affair, and the Blue Devils showed they could hang with one of the league’s best offenses last week. Duke has been competitive in every game this year, Miami cannot seem to finish late in games. Hard for me to believe that the Canes win this one by double digits, so I'll roll with the Blue Devils as my best bet for the second week in a row.
READ: DL Dion Bergan on Wake Forest’s Emerging Defense
Boston College (2-4) at #13 Wake Forest (5-1)
Spread: Wake Forest -20.5 (-105)
Moneyline: Wake Forest (-1600), Boston College (+900)
Total: 61
Time/Channel: 3:30 p.m. ET, ACCN
Click here to read our staff predictions.
Pittsburgh (4-2) at Louisville (3-3)
Spread: Louisville -2.5 (-112), Pittsburgh +2.5 (-108)
Moneyline: Louisville (-134), Pittsburgh (+112)
Total: 55.5 (-110)
Time/Channel: 8 p.m. ET, ACCN
Pittsburgh and Louisville face each other in the closest projected matchup of the week. Both teams are coming off wins before their respective bye weeks, and are looking to carry their momentum into ranked Week 9 matchups.
Following a pretty bad loss to an inspired Georgia Tech team, the Panthers may have discovered a new offensive identity in their Week 6 45-29 victory over Virginia Tech. In the win, junior running back Israel Abanikanda set school records with 320 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. This moved Abanikanda to 844 yards and twelve touchdowns on the season, both good enough for top marks in the ACC.
Coming off an equally disappointing loss at Boston College, the Cardinals thrashed Virginia 34-17 to acquire their first ACC win (1-3). While Malik Cunningham missed the matchup with a concussion (after starting 40 straight games), backup Brock Domann confidently stepped up in his stead with 346 total yards. Cunningham returns to Cardinal Stadium this week in a crucial spot.
The Pick: Louisville -2.5
I’ve gone back and forth on this one a couple times, as it is incredibly challenging to support a Jekyll and Hyde team like the Cardinals. They’ve looked magnificent in beatdowns over South Florida and Virginia, but have flopped in losses to Syracuse and Boston College. But with their star quarterback returning to a raucous home crowd, I’ll take Cunningham and the Cardinals to get back on track here, winning by more than a field goal.
All odds via Fanduel at time of posting.
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Chase is a contributing writer at Deacons Daily