College Football Predictions Oct. 7: ACC Week 6 Best Bets Headlined by High-Scoring Matchups

I still think Florida State comes close or possibly covers this spread of -24, but the over has appeal based on Virginia Tech’s recent play and the ability of quarterback Kyron Drones to extend the play with his legs. Drones is fresh off an impressive five total touchdown performance against Pittsburgh, as he threw for three scores to go with 228 yards while tacking on two rushing touchdowns.

With a total set at 53 points in the latest college football odds, I’ll happily bank on Florida State scoring 35-plus and the Hokies getting their share. FSU running backs Trey Benson and Rodney Hill, along with quarterback Jordan Travis should have running lanes, as Virginia Tech has allowed 177.6 rushing yards per game this season.

College Football Pick: Over 53

Miami and Georgia Tech Put Points on the Board in a Hurry

Sticking with the theme of “lots of points” let’s turn the attention to the Georgia Tech vs. Miami (FL) game, one which the Hurricanes should also have little trouble pushing near the spread that’s hanging right around three touchdowns. But instead of targeting Miami, I’m going to look at the total for this game also, as Georgia Tech has managed to put points on the board consistently, including scoring 23 against Ole Miss on the road.

In five games, Georgia Tech has averaged 32.4 points, and that includes the aforementioned road matchup with Ole Miss, along with 34 points against Louisville and 30 against Wake Forest.

Miami’s run defense has been stellar, allowing 48 yards per game, but the Hurricanes have given up 225 yards through the air, and Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King is playing well, throwing for 1,480 yards, 15 touchdowns, and just four interceptions in five games.

Pair that against a Georgia Tech defense allowing 203.6 passing yards and a whopping 224.2 rushing yards per game —while Miami averages nearly 300 passing yards and 222.5 rushing yards, and it’s a recipe for a lot of points to be scored and one of the more enticing college football picks of the week.

College Football Pick: Over 57½ points

Clemson Continues To Show Doubters It Is Still Legit

After Clemson’s brutal 28-7 loss to Duke in the opener, many essentially wrote the Tigers off, and at the time it was probably fair to do. While the Tigers are 3-2, their offense managed to get back on track with major mismatches against Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic. But the 66 and 48-point showings for Clemson’s offense apparently injected some life, as it held its own in an overtime loss against Florida State and then scored 31 in a win over Syracuse on the road.

As for Clemson’s matchup this week with 3-1 Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons got through the first three games against overmatched opponents with two double-digit wins and a three-point victory against Old Dominion. They then proceeded to fall 30-16 at home to Georgia Tech, a team who’s struggled at times defensively, specifically against the run.

The Wake Forest offense is going to be in for a brutal day on the road in Death Valley against a Clemson defense allowing 266.4 yards per game. Tack on the improved play from Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik, who’s accounted for 12 touchdowns (10 passing, two rushing) over the past four games and running back Will Shipley’s three scores in the past two games, and I think we see Clemson roll here.

College Football Pick: Clemson -21 (-110)

Marshall Gives NC State All it Can Handle & UNC Gets Job Done for Teaser

After going back and forth on how to play two games I find appealing in Marshall vs. NC State and Syracuse vs. North Carolina, I opted to play them together as a teaser in a spot that makes a lot of sense.

A talented Marshall team heads to Raleigh as a +6½ point underdogs while North Carolina is at home as a -9 point favorites against the Orange, a team fresh off its first loss of the season against Clemson. I opted to roll this as a 7½ point teaser while dealing with the slight bump in juice, as getting Marshall at +14 and North Carolina at -1½ looked too appealing to pass up.

The UNC vs. Syracuse matchup has the potential to see plenty of points, but after watching Clemson hold the Orange to 14 points, it led me to pause just slightly on the over of a high total set at 60. But UNC appears to have turned a corner, winning its last two games by 17 and 18 against Pittsburgh and Minnesota. And aside from the double-overtime thriller against Appalachian State, they outscored Minnesota and South Carolina at home 62-30.

As for NC State, I do believe the Wolf pack will rally back after a tough loss to Louisville last week and win this game, but Marshall has a number of offensive weapons capable of keeping this close.

Quarterback Cam Fancher showed off his ability to utilize his legs in the running game last week, totaling 102 rushing yards to go with 278 passing yards and two scores. The Thunder Herd also have a running back in Rasheen Ali capable of putting up big yards in a hurry if he can get rolling, posting games of 137 and 174 rushing yards this season with the latter against Virginia Tech.

Most importantly, Ali has scored at least two touchdowns in each of the four games this season for Marshall, tallying an impressive nine so far on the season. I don’t see NC State blowing out Marshall here and I like the Herd to cover two scores.

College Football Pick: 7.5-point teaser on Marshall +14 and North Carolina -1½ (-145)