ACC Football: Official Week Nine Game Predictions
The final week of October does not have a big headline game and the ACC's best team (Clemson) has a bye week, but there are still some intriguing games from around the league.
North Carolina could all but secure the Coastal Division with a win over Pitt. Wake Forest will try to avoid the upset trap against Louisville and Syracuse tries to get back on the winning side of things against Notre Dame.
Note: my official preview and prediction for Georgia Tech vs Florida State will be coming tomorrow and won't be coming here.
So who will be the winners in the ACC in week nine?
Thursday
Virginia Tech at NC State (-13.5)
NC State's offense has looked pretty bad since starting quarterback Devin Leary went down for the season, but it should be telling that NC State is still nearly a two-touchdown favorite. Virginia Tech has been a bad team this season, especially on offense. The Wolfpack defense is still elite and will win this game for them.
Final score: NC State 27, Virginia Tech 10
Saturday
Syracuse (-2.5) vs Notre Dame
Syracuse is looking to bounce back after losing its first game last week
Syracuse was close to pulling off the upset against Clemson in Death Valley and they will have to find a way to shake that off and welcome a struggling Notre Dame team to their home field. It is rare that you will see Syracuse favored over Notre Dame, but that is the case this weekend.
Notre Dame has not had a good offense, but its defense has been solid this season. Syracuse is going to have to give running back Sean Tucker more carries than they did last week if they want to win. I expect a low-scoring game in this one with Syracuse bouncing back to win.
Final Score: Syracuse 24, Notre Dame 21
Boston College (-7.5) at UConn
This was a line that stood out to me when I first saw it. One would usually assume that UConn is a three-touchdown underdog in any game they play because of recent history, but it is only 7.5.
The big difference in my opinion will be Eagle's wide receiver, Zay Flowers. He is one of the best in the country and I don't see the Huskies being able to stop the connection between him and quarterback Phil Jurkovec. Jim Mora Jr has done a nice job of getting UConn to play better than they have in quite a while, but the Eagles get the win.
Final Score: Boston College 34, UConn 23
Miami (-2) at Virginia
Miami is hoping for a road win at Virginia this week
Miami was embarrassed against Duke last weekend and is going to need a win this week if they still have any hopes of going to a bowl game. Virginia got its first ACC win under Tony Elliott last week against Georgia Tech and will look to keep building momentum under their first-year coach.
It is unknown whether Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is going to play in this game and if he does not go, it will be up to backup quarterback Jake Garcia, who did not look good last week in relief of Van Dyke.
I think Miami gets a win simply because I don't have enough trust in Virginia's offense to do enough. My confidence in the pick could not possibly be lower.
Final Score: Miami 24, Virginia 16
Wake Forest (-3.5) at Louisville
Wake Forest has been the ACC's second-best team this season
If it were 2023 and the divisions in the ACC were gone, Wake Forest would be favored to get into the ACC Championship game at the end of the year. However, there are still divisions and Wake is likely not getting another trip to Charlotte. The Demon Deacons are still hoping for a shot at a New Year's Six bowl game at the end of the season and need a win against Louisville this weekend.
The Cardinals got a win against Pitt last weekend, but it was far from impressive. Louisville benefitted from four turnovers from the Panthers and offensively, they struggled all game. I think the Wake Forest offense with Same Hartman will be too much for Louisville.
Final Score: Wake Forest 38, Louisville 24
Pittsburgh at North Carolina (-3)
Simply put, if the Tar Heels win this game, they are almost a lock to get to win the Coastal Division and get to Charlotte for the ACC Championship. North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye has been putting up great numbers all year and should be a first-team All-ACC quarterback after the season. The North Carolina offensive line is going to have a tough task with Pitt's defensive line however and that could be the difference.
Pitt's passing game has not been good this season, but they have a good rushing attack with Israel Abanikanda. The Panthers will try to create enough turnovers and win with the running game, but Maye will make enough plays for UNC and North Carolina will get to 7-1.
Final Score: North Carolina 34, Pittsburgh 21
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