ACC Rundown: Showdown in Atlantic Division
Consider Saturday to be a moving day in the ACC with either North Carolina State or Florida State dealing with conference loss No. 2. If Clemson takes care of business, the loser of that game will fall two games back in the ACC Atlantic Division.
There is also a huge showdown in the Coastal Division with North Carolina and Miami meeting up.
They are among four games with spreads of four points or less so there is the potential for some competitive affairs this week.
Clemson and Wake Forest are both favored by at least 17 points so there should be a little bit of everything on the schedule in the ACC.
According to the college football betting lines, Clemson (-225) remains the heavy favorite in the odds to win the ACC title followed by Miami (+650) and North Carolina (+800)
Clemson remains fifth in both national polls followed by No. 14 North Carolina State and No. 15 Wake Forest. Syracuse broke into the Associated Press poll at No. 22 and the American Football Coaches Association poll at No. 21.
Pack checking in at 14th in both polls this week.#1Pack1Goal | #HTT pic.twitter.com/d31mdMjcNv
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) October 2, 2022
Clemson (+1400) is fourth in the odds to win the national title according to the sportsbook.
Let’s check the latest NCAAF picks, stats, injury reports, and NCAAF predictions. We’ve plenty of NCAAF expert picks for you to consider.
Game of the Week
FSU Seminoles vs NC State Wolfpack
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
- Line: North Carolina State -3
Jordan Travis of FSU and Devin Leary of North Carolina State are two of the ACC’s most experienced quarterbacks and it shows with 18 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. They will be tested by two of the best defenses in the ACC.
North Carolina State leads the ACC in pass efficiency defense with a mark of 102.4 and the Wolfpack also lead the way with seven interceptions.
They are also two of the five ACC teams allowing less than five yards per play. Host NC State leads the ACC, giving up just 4.46 yards per offensive snap, while Florida State isn’t far behind at 4.87.
Both teams have shown improvement on the defensive side of the ball from a season ago. The Wolfpack (4-1, 0-1 in the ACC) are the only ACC team yet to allow an offensive play of at least 40 yards while FSU (4-1, 2-1) leads the conference with just three offensive plays of 30 yards or longer allowed.
Jared Verse leads the Seminoles with four sacks, while North Carolina State’s Tyler Baker-Williams and Aydan White are tied for the ACC lead with two interceptions.
Six of the last seven meetings between these teams went under the total. North Carolina State is favored by three points and this could be one of the more competitive ACC contests.
Other Games to Watch
Louisville Cardinals vs Virginia Cavaliers
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Noon ET (ACC Network)
- Line: Louisville -3
Louisville saw quarterback Malik Cunningham and running back Tiyon Evans injured in last week’s loss to Boston College. Both are still listed on the Cardinals’ depth chart, but keep an eye on their status as kickoff approaches as they rank third and seventh in the ACC in rushing yards per game.
The teams rank eighth and ninth in total defense, so there is the potential for points to be scored in this one.
Virginia has won three of the last four meetings and covered in six of the last eight.
Virginia Tech Hokies vs Pittsburgh Panthers
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
- Line: Pittsburgh -14½
It’s been a bit of a slow start for both teams in 2022. Pittsburgh (3-2, 0-1) led the ACC with an average of 41.4 points per game en route to the 2021 conference title. That number has fallen to 33 in 2022. Virginia Tech (2-3, 1-1) has the fewest trips to the red zone of any ACC team.
The Pittsburgh duo of SirVocea Dennis and Calijah Kancey each have three sacks, but they are going up against a Virginia Tech team that has allowed just seven sacks.
Something to consider for those who bet online: Six of the last nine matchups between the Panthers and Hokies finished under the total. Pittsburgh is coming off a stunning loss to Georgia Tech and the 14-point favorites will look to rebound.
Duke Blue Devils vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
- Line: Duke -3
Both the Blue Devils and Yellow Jackets have pulled off some surprises.
Duke began the season 3-0 while Georgia Tech is coming off an upset of defending ACC champion Pittsburgh.
Both teams have work to do on defense as the Blue Devils are 11th and the Yellow Jackets 13th in the ACC in total defense. This matchup might have flown under the radar in past years, but that is not the case in 2022.
Georgia Tech (2-3, 1-1) is trying to win back-to-back conference games for the first time since 2018. That was also the last time the Blue Devils (4-1, 1-0) won five of their last six games. Duke is favored by three in this one according to the college football spreads.
Four of the last six games in this series have finished over the total.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs Miami Hurricanes
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Line: Miami -3½
If you love offensive shootouts, this could be the game for you.
North Carolina (4-1, 1-0) is last in the ACC in total defense, allowing 451 yards per game, while the only team to give up more yards per play than the Tar Heels is Miami (2-2). It is no wonder that the total for this contest is at 66.
It has been a strange start for Miami on defense as the Hurricanes have given up 45 plays of 10 or more yards, the best mark in the ACC. However, no ACC team has surrendered more plays of 50, 60 or 70 yards than the Hurricanes.
It won’t get any easier with North Carolina freshman quarterback Drake Maye leading the ACC with 1,594 passing yards, 19 touchdown passes and a passer rating of 187.6.
Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke was among the top Heisman Trophy candidates in the conference coming into the season per the college football betting. However, he is completing less than 60% of his passes with four TD passes and three interceptions so he has fallen back in the Heisman race.
North Carolina receiver Josh Downs missed two games, but he looked healthy last week with season highs of eight catches and 120 receiving yards.
North Carolina is going for its fourth win in a row against Miami. The Tar Heels were listed as underdogs in two of those contests, just as they are this weekend.
Clemson Tigers vs Boston College Eagles
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
- Line: Clemson -21
This could be a dangerous game for Clemson if the Tigers allow that to happen.
The undefeated Tigers are coming off hard-earned wins over Wake Forest and North Carolina State. If Clemson has any hope of being a part of the four-team College Football Playoff field, the Tigers can’t start looking ahead to next week’s matchup with Florida State.
BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec is being projected as a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He threw for three scores in last week’s win over Louisville.
Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei has eight touchdown passes, no interceptions and two scoring runs in the last three games. According to the college football predictions, he has the best odds (+2000) to win the Heisman among ACC players.
The Tigers might be getting star defensive lineman Bryan Bresee back for this one.
Clemson (5-0, 3-0) has won the last four games at Boston College (2-3, 1-2) and has taken the last two by 46 and 20 points. The Tigers are favored by 21 points.
Army Black Knights vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
- Line: Wake Forest -17
The mere mention of these two teams conjures up memories of last year’s unforgettable 70-56 affair, when Wake Forest had 638 yards of offense and Army countered with 595 yards.
Even though quarterback Sam Hartman and receiver A.T. Perry are back for the 4-1 Demon Deacons, the offense isn’t quite as explosive this year.
