ACC Football: Predictions for Every Week 13 Game
As hard as it is to believe, the last week of the regular season is upon us. The ACC title game is locked in for next week between Florida State and Louisville. Before that game though, both of those teams have to survive tests against SEC rivals.
Florida State has to prove it is a playoff-caliber team without star quarterback Jordan Travis and that starts on Saturday against the Gators. The Seminoles still have a lot to play for, but it is unknown how good exactly they might look.
Louisville has one more upset trap to navigate. Kentucky is not as good as in years past, but Mark Stoops is a really good coach and will have his team ready on Saturday.
Virginia Tech and Syracuse have opportunities to get to a bowl game with wins on Saturday, the winner of NC State and North Carolina will finish the year with nine wins, and Clemson can finish the year with four straight wins.
So who wins this weekend in the ACC?
Note: I will have a full breakdown and prediction for Georgia Tech vs Georgia later this week.
Friday, November 24th
Miami (-9) at Boston College (12:00 ABC)
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos
Both of these programs are looking to finish the year 7-5 and for Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley, he might need it to stay off the hot seat. Boston College just lost to an awful Pitt team and they have not been playing well in recent weeks, having also been blown out by Virginia Tech. The biggest question for me in this game is if Miami shows up and plays like it wants to be there. If they do, I think this game is a blowout. If not, Thomas Castellanos is an effective playmaker to give Miami trouble. Another question will be about the play of Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who played well against Louisville but has struggled in most other ACC games. I think Miami wins, but it would not surprise me to see this team no-show on the road on Black Friday.
Final Score: Miami 31, Boston College 17
Saturday, November 25th
Kentucky at Louisville (-7) (12:00 ABC)
The Cardinals still have very longshot playoff hopes and they need to beat an average Kentucky team to keep those alive. Louisville got a road win over Miami last Saturday and quarterback Jack Plummer played perhaps his best game of the year. There is a chance for an upset here, but I don't trust Kentucky to score enough and I think the Cardinals will get some points. Louisville wins and goes into the ACC Championship 11-1.
Final Score: Louisville 28, Kentucky 14
Pitt at Duke (-6) (12:00 ACC Network)
Pitt is coming off of a win over Boston College and Duke has had two straight tough losses to North Carolina and Virginia. Still, the unit I trust the most in this game is the Duke defense and I think they will shut down the Panthers offense on their way to a seventh win.
Final Score Duke 24, Pitt 7
Wake Forest at Syracuse (-3) (2:00 CW Network)
Syracuse just fired head coach Dino Babers yesterday, but the Orange can still get to bow eligibility on Saturday. This team has been decimated by injuries, especially at quarterback, and they are coming off of a loss on the road to Georgia Tech. That game was competitive though and with Wake eliminated from bowl contention, I think Syracuse will come out with an inspired effort to win the game.
Final Score: Syracuse 21, Wake Forest 17
Virginia Tech (-2.5) at Virginia (3:30 ACC Network)
Virginia Tech came back down to Earth on Saturday against NC State. After throttling Boston College, the Hokies did not look good in their loss to the Wolfpack and now Brent Pry's team needs a win over their rivals to get a spot in the postseason. Virginia got a win over Duke on Saturday and Tony Elliott has had this team playing well over the past month aside from a Georgia Tech blowout. I actually like Virginia at home to get a win and ruin their rival's chances of making a bowl game.
Final Score: Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 24
Florida State (-6.5) at Florida (7:00 ESPN)
Keon Coleman vs Miami
This is going to be a fascinating game. FSU will have a new quarterback with Tate Rodemaker and Florida will not only be trying to ruin Florida State's playoff chances but get to a bowl game. Florida has a quarterback injury of their own, with Graham Mertz going down with a collarbone injury against Missouri. If the Gators can run the ball and prevent big plays, they could pull an upset, but I think Mike Norvell will have his team ready to go and be able to dial up plays for Rodemaker and get out of the Swamp with a win.
Final Score: Florida State 31, Florida 21
Clemson (-7) at South Carolina (7:30 SEC Network)
South Carolina has won three games in a row after a 2-6 start and they will need to beat their rivals in order to get to another bowl game under Shane Beamer. Clemson is playing well right now and I think they are going to have a massive advantage on the line of scrimmage. Quarterback Cade Klubnik is playing well and I think Clemson will win this game by double-digits.
Final Score: Clemson 34, South Carolina 13
North Carolina (-2) at NC State (8:00 ACC Network)
This is a matchup of two teams that have gone in opposite directions. North Carolina has lost three of their last five games while NC State has won four in a row and has a chance to finish 9-3. The Wolfpack defense is playing fantastic and I think they will continue that against Drake Maye and the Tar Heels this weekend. Give me Dave Doeren as a home underdog any day.
Final Score: NC State 27, North Carolina 20
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