ACC Football: Predictions for every week seven-game

North Carolina vs Miami headlines the ACC slate this week

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Oct 9, 2023 4:14 PM EDT

In this story:

The ACC is coming off of a wild week six and the conference race is starting to get clearer.

Louisville scored its biggest win in years by beating Notre Dame at home and they showed they have what it takes to be a contender in the ACC. The Cardinals have a favorable schedule the rest of the way and could find themselves in Charlotte in December.

Miami just lost in one of the most shocking fashions in college football history, but now must bounce back in a big road game against North Carolina, who just won in a blowout over Syracuse. The Tar Heels are also vying for a spot in the ACC Championship and a win over the Hurricanes would be a huge boost for their chances.

I am 47-9 on picks this year and went 6-1 last week, with the only loss being picking Notre Dame to beat Louisville.

Who will be the winners in the ACC this week?

Syracuse at Florida State (-17.5) (12:00 p.m. ABC)

Florida State just secured a home win over Virginia Tech and remains the favorite to win the ACC, while Syracuse is reeling a little bit after getting blown out in back-to-back games against Clemson and North Carolina. The Orange started the season 4-0 but could be looking at their third straight loss. I think with the injuries that Syracuse has sustained on the offensive side of the ball, it is going to be tough to keep up with a team like Florida State. The Seminoles offense is electric and Trey Benson had a great day running the ball against the Hokies. FSU will cruise at home this weekend.

Final Score: Florida State 41, Syracuse 14

Wake Forest at Virginia Tech (-1) (3;30 p.m. ACC Network).

This is a huge game for both teams in terms of making a bowl game. Wake Forest lost a close game to Clemson over the weekend and their offense still looks like it is not in sync this season, while Virginia Tech lost to Florida State. Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones had a disappointing game against the Seminoles, but he played well against Pitt and will look to regain that form this week. This is a tough game to predict, but I trust Dave Clawson as a head coach more than Brent Pry, and despite the game being at Blacksburg, the Demon Deacons will get a close win.

Final Score: Wake Forest 31, Virginia Tech 28

Louisville (-8) at Pittsburgh (6:30 p.m. CW Network)

Jack Plummer — Can Louisville continue their momentum this Saturday?
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Louisville had one of the signature wins of the weekend when they beat Notre Dame at home and now the Cardinals are starting to think about bigger prizes. They are now in the top 15 and their remaining schedule in the ACC includes the road trip to Pitt this weekend, a home against Duke (who might be without star quarterback Riley Leonard), home game against Virginia Tech (2-4) this season, a home game against Virginia (1-5 this season), and a road game against Miami (4-1). The issue at hand now for Jeff Brohm and his team will be staying focused and getting ready for each week and I think Louisville might start slow on Saturday against Pitt, but they won't lose.

Final Score: Louisville 35, Pitt 14

Miami at North Carolina (-4) (7:30 p.m. ABC)

This is going to be a fascinating game. Instead of an undefeated matchup of two teams looking to make an appearance in the ACC title game, Miami comes into this game off of one of the worst losses in program history when they did not kneel the ball down against Georgia Tech and then allowed the Yellow Jackets to score with one-second remaining. How will Miami respond? North Carolina just throttled Syracuse and quarterback Drake Maye is playing at an elite level right now. The game is in Chapel Hill and all signs point to North Carolina winning this game, but I think Miami finds a way to get off the mat and win this one, even though nobody thinks they will. Their defense is the best North Carolina has played this season and I think Tyler Van Dyke has a bounce-back game in a must-win spot for Miami.

Final Score: Miami 31, North Carolina 30

NC State at Duke (-3.5) (8:00 p.m. ACC Network)

The question in this game is going to surround the status of Duke quarterback Riley Leonard and whether he is able to play this week against NC State. If he is able to play, I think the Blue Devils will win this game because of their defense and his ability to run the ball. If he does not, a backup quarterback against NC State is not the most optimal situation. Despite allowing 41 points to Marshall, the NC State defense is pretty solid and would make life tough on a backup quarterback. I am going to roll with Duke, but the confidence in this pick is pretty low.

Final Score: Duke 24, NC State 21

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