ACC Week 12 Best Bets: Louisville to Secure Title Game Slot

Louisville Clinches Spot in ACC Title Game

The Louisville Cardinals have a few scenarios in which they can officially clinch a spot in the ACC title game. But there’s one that’s the most straightforward —defeat the Miami Hurricanes. And with the second spot in the ACC Championship Game on the line and close to being locked up, there’s no better way to start the college football picks this week than by deciding if Louisville gets it done.

While the Cardinals were nearly upset last week by Virginia, Miami finds itself in the midst of a two-game skid. Prior to that, the Hurricanes pulled off victories in two overtime games (one of which was also against Virginia). Louisville’s offense boasts arguably the most explosive running back/wide receiver duo in the conference with Jawhar Jordan out of the backfield and Jamari Thrash as quarterback Jack Plummer’s go-to target.

While Miami has allowed just 312.5 yards per game defensively, the Louisville defense has impressed in its own right. The Cardinals have allowed only 300.1 total yards and 17.1 points per game, which could make life tough for Miami as well.

I’m going to buy into the motivation behind this game for Louisville, which boasts the top playmakers on the field, to get the job done and take the Cardinals as a pick’em in college football betting odds.

College Football Pick: Louisville Cardinals Pick’em

Georgia Tech Clinches Win No. 6

Georgia Tech came out strong last week against Clemson and looked primed to make a push for an upset win on the road against Clemson, jumping out to an early 7-0 lead. But a 21-point second quarter for the Tigers left the Yellow Jackets behind the eight-ball.

Now, Georgia Tech is back home and firm online betting favorites against a Syracuse team that got off to a 4-0 start to the season before losing five straight games and has been left seeking answers. The Orange defeated Pittsburgh last week, but are going to be in for a tough night when facing a Yellow Jackets offense with multiple playmakers.

Georgia Tech averages just shy of 200 rushing yards per game and slightly less than 250 passing yards. A home game with a chance to clinch bowl eligibility against the Orange, who allow 143.8 rushing yards per game and 237.4 through the air, is appealing on paper and college football spreads. But Syracuse’s passing attack has been MIA for much of this season, averaging just 181.6 yards through the air per game. That could make a huge difference if the Orange find themselves trailing early.

College Football Pick: Georgia Tech -6½ (-110)

Duke vs Virginia Teaser In Interesting Matchup

Everything about the current state of Duke football is a bit head-scratching. The injury to quarterback Riley Leonard has left them with very little upside passing the ball, and yet the Blue Devils still pushed North Carolina to double overtime in a 47-45 loss. I’ll chalk that one up to being somewhat of an outlier here as rivalries certainly bring out the best in teams in key moments.

But both Duke and its opponent in this game, Virginia, have leaned on their defense at times — which has been far more successful for the Blue Devils, which its 6-4 record proves. The Cavaliers are playing for pride this week at 2-8, and I think we see Duke maximize its potential upside with the ground game while leaning on Jordan Waters and company.

In turn, I expect this game to be lower scoring, especially since the Blue Devils’ defense has been extremely solid all year long. But in an effort to play it safe, I’m running this as a seven-point teaser. That will move Duke from -4 down to +3 and then take the total from 47 and move up to 54 while taking the under on that number in college football betting lines.

College Football Pick: 7-point teaser on Duke +3 and under 54 points (-130)