ACC Football: Official Week 13 Game Predictions
Rivalry week is here in college football and some of the best in the country are in the ACC.
Florida State and Florida face off on Black Friday, as do North Carolina and North Carolina State. North Carolina has already clinched a spot in the ACC championship, but their long-shot hope at the college football playoff is gone after losing to Georgia Tech. NC State is reeling after losing two in a row but hopes to pull the upset.
Elsewhere in the conference, Clemson hopes to keep their playoff hopes alive against red-hot South Carolina, Miami hopes to get bowl eligible against Pitt, and Duke and Wake Forest try to finish 8-4.
Note: My official prediction for Georgia Tech vs Georgia is coming tomorrow.
So who wins this week in the ACC?
NC State at North Carolina (-6.5)
Can North Carolina's offense get back on track?
What a gut punch last week was for North Carolina. The Tar Heels blew a 17-point lead to Georgia Tech and third-string quarterback Zach Gibson and any long-shot playoff hope the Tar Heels had are gone up in smoke.
Now, North Carolina must be on the rebound and face an NC State team that has lost to Boston College and Louisville in back-to-back games. The Wolfpack's offense is struggling right now and I think UNC quarterback Drake Maye has a bounce-back game and gets the win at home.
Final Score: North Carolina 35, NC State 27
Florida at Florida State (-9.5)
Florida State is the hottest team in the ACC
Clemson might be the highest-ranked team in the ACC, but Florida State might be the team playing the best football in the conference right now. The Seminole's offense is clicking on all cylinders and they should be able to score at will on the Gator's defense.
Florida State's defense is also playing well, but they have not exactly faced the best offenses as of late. Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson can present problems for Florida State, but I trust FSU to get more stops than Florida.
Expect a close game early due to it being a rivalry game, but Tallahassee is going to be rocking and Florida State will win comfortably.
Final Score: Florida State 38, Florida 21
South Carolina at Clemson (-14.5)
Clemson's defense will need to stop a red-hot South Carolina offense
South Carolina had been having trouble scoring points leading up to last week's shocking 63-38 win over Tennessee. Spencer Rattler threw for six touchdowns and the Gamecocks knocked the Volunteers out of the playoff picture. Now, they get to go against a ferocious Clemson defense that just held Miami to under 100 yards.
Clemson should be on full alert after what South Carolina pulled off last weekend. The Gamecock offense had not been playing well all season before their explosion last week, but facing this Tiger's front seven is a different beast.
I think Clemson plays a complete game and heads to the ACC Championship game 11-1.
Final Score: Clemson 30, South Carolina 17
Louisville at Kentucky (-3)
Louisville is hoping to finish the season 8-4, but it won't be easy against their rivals. The Wildcats played Georgia as tough as anyone has this season and the defense is the reason.
This is probably going to be a low-scoring game and it is hard to trust either offense. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is a favorite in NFL mock drafts, but he has not had the season some thought he would. I like Louisville to go on the road and win this game.
Final Score: Louisville 21, Kentucky 17
Wake Forest (-3.5) vs Duke
Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman might be playing in his last game on Saturday
Wake Forest snapped their losing streak last week against Syracuse and can finish the season 8-4 with a win over Duke. It has been a disappointing finish to the season for the Demon Deacons after a 6-1 start, but they have a chance to finish strong.
A win over Wake Forest would be a great exclamation point to Duke's season. The Blue Devils were picked to finish at the bottom of the division this season, but have been a great story under first-year head coach Mike Elko.
I like Wake Forest and their offense to go on the road and get a win this week, but this will be a competitive game.
Final Score: Wake Forest 31, Duke 28
Syracuse (-10.5) at Boston College
Not long ago, Syracuse was 6-0 heading into a game against Clemson and was ranked in the top 15 of the country. The Orange are now 6-5 and in need of a win this weekend against Boston College, who just got blown out by Notre Dame.
The Eagles pulled an upset over NC State a couple of weeks ago, but I think Syracuse will seize on the opportunity to get its seventh win of the season and take down Boston College on the road.
Final Score: Syracuse 27, Boston College 13
Pittsburgh (-6.5) at Miami
Miami needs this win to get to bowl eligibility, but I wonder if that is as motivating as it should be for Miami. The Hurricanes are going to be undergoing a big roster change this offseason and players are already hitting the portal. The quarterback position is a question mark and the offense was dreadful last week against Clemson.
Pitt's defensive line can present problems for Miami, as can the running game. Miami's defense is up and down and does struggle with tackling. There is just no real reason to trust Miami to pull this off this weekend. Pitt wins a close and ugly game to put Miami at 5-7 and the Panthers finish 8-4.
Final Score: Pitt 24, Miami 10
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