ACC Football Previews & Predictions: Week of October 21, 2021
It's a busy weekend for ACC football, as there are seven games on the docket. Last weekend we went 3-2 against the spread, can we again be in the plus? Here are our picks for the week, against SI Sportsbook's spread.
Wake Forest (-3) at Army, Saturday, noon
Anytime you play a service academy you hope to see a high spread, because that is easy money. This isn't the case though. Wake Forest is the class of the ACC right now, but Army has the ability to take long time consuming drives that prevent any huge leads from building up. Three points seems a bit too small however, especially given the Demon Deacons had a bye week to prepare for the triple option, Wake should win this by about a touchdown.
Pick: Wake Forest (-3)
Massachusetts at Florida State (-35.5), noon
UMass showed earlier this year that they can hold their own against a big spread, keeping it relatively close against Boston College. That being said, that game was the matchup where Phil Jurkovec got hurt. FSU should win this easily, but five plus touchdowns seems like a lot.
Pick: UMass (+35.5)
Syracuse at Virginia Tech (-3.5), 12:30
Looked at this quickly and thought, it's a Hokies home game, go with VT. But Sean Tucker and Syracuse's rushing attack could be a major issue for a VT defense that has struggled against the run. Syracuse has been the king of three point losses, if they do it again here you win.
Pick: Syracuse (+3.5)
Clemson at Pittsburgh (-3.0), 3:30
This is my pick of the week. Clemson's offense has been abysmal all season, and I don't believe they will figure it out against a very good Pitt team. Kenny Pickett has struggled against Clemson in the past, but this could be the game he puts it all together and has his Heisman moment. If Pitt can get three touchdowns, I just don't see how Clemson keeps pace.
Pick: Pitt (-3.0)
NC State (-3.0) at Miami (7:30)
Dave Doeren has never defeated Miami. That changes on Saturday. This features two teams heading in completely different directions. NC State should win this game easily.
Pick: NC State (-3.0)
Georgia Tech vs. Virginia (-7.0)
In terms of confidence this falls near the bottom of my selections this week. This game could go a million different ways as both teams have been inconsistent all year. Virginia can put up points with Brennan Armstrong, but they give them up just as easily. And good luck if you can figure out what Georgia Tech is this year.
Pick: Virginia (-7.0)
Boston College vs. Louisville (-6.5), 4:00
The more I think about this game the more I like Boston College. The Cardinals defense is a major issue, their rushing defense is bad and their passing defense is worse. BC could figure out a few things on offense in this game. On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles defense is in much better condition to stop Louisville than they were last year.
Pick: Boston College (+6.5)