ACC Football: Week three predictions for every ACC game
The ACC has had a great season so far, winning games against the SEC and having Florida State near the top of the rankings and there are four teams ranked in the AP poll (Florida State, Duke, North Carolina, and Miami).
This week, there is a lack of marquee games in the league as most teams are still going through their non-conference slates. Florida State does open conference play on the road against a Boston College team that barely beat Holy Cross. In the non-conference, Georgia Tech travels to Ole Miss, Pitt travels to West Virginia, North Carolina hosts Minnesota, and Louisville travels to Indiana.
This year, I have gone 9-3 in both weeks and I am 18-6 for the year. My losses last week included picking A&M over Miami, Pitt over Cincinnati, and Virginia Tech over Purdue.
So who wins each ACC game this week? Let's pick them. (Note, I will be previewing and picking Georgia Tech vs Ole Miss later this week)
Thursday, Sept. 14th
No. 22 Miami vs Bethune-Cookman (7:30 p.m. ACC Network)
Miami scored a big win over Texas A&M last week
Miami was the story of the ACC last week when they beat Texas A&M at home and scored the biggest win of the Mario Cristobal era. Now, Miami gets a bit of a breather against an FCS foe in Bethune-Cookman. The big thing for Miami will be to stay healthy coming out of this game. The Hurricanes had some key defenders injured in that game and coming off of five days rest, they just need to get out ahead and then get their starters out.
Final Score: Miami 48, Bethune-Cookman 10
Friday, Sept. 15th
Virginia at Maryland (-14) (7:00 p.m. FS1)
Virginia is now 0-2 to start the season after losing to in-state James Madison and it is a wonder about where Tony Elliott's team is going to finish this year. The only bright spot coming out of that game is freshman Anthony Colandrea, who threw for nearly 400 yards. Maryland is not an elite Big 10 program, but they are good enough to handle business at home against what might be the ACC's worst team.
Final Score: Maryland 31, Virginia 13
Saturday, Sept. 16th
No. 3 Florida State (-27.5) at Boston College (12:00 p.m. ABC)
This is going to be a bloodbath. Boston College lost their first game of the season against Northern Illinois (who lost to Southern Illinois this weekend) and then barely beat Holy Cross this weekend. Florida State looks unstoppable on offense right now and I doubt the Eagles do much to get in their way. Florida State cruises in this one.
Final Score: Florida State 52, Boston College 16
Louisville (-9.5) at Indiana (12:00 p.m. Big Ten Network)
Louisville is now 2-0 after getting a win against Murray State last Thursday and now they go into Big Ten territory to take on Indiana. The Hoosiers played Ohio State tough in the opener and then beat Indiana State and they are hoping to pull a big upset. I think Indiana is one of the worst teams in the Big Ten and that is mostly due to their offense. The Louisville defense should not have a lot of trouble stopping them and Jack Plummer should find Jamari Thrash for plenty of yards on Saturday.
Final Score: Louisville 34, Indiana 14
Wake Forest (-14) at Old Dominion (12:00 p.m. ESPN2)
Wake Forest got their second win of the year last week by beating Vanderbilt and the Demon Deacons are traveling to Old Dominion to try and earn their third win. Wake Forest has looked fine on offense, but they have not really been tested yet. I think that continues this week and Dave Clawson's team will be 3-0 heading into a matchup with Georgia Tech.
Final Score: Wake Forest 38, Old Dominion 20
VMI vs. NC State (2:00 p.m. CW Network)
NC State was disappointing in the rain-delayed loss to Notre Dame, but this is an easy bounce-back opportunity for the Wolfpack. The concerning thing for Dave Doeren's team is the offense does not look very good right now. The offensive line has struggled and the wide receivers have looked average. The Wolfpack will get a win this week, but there are some concerns with this team.
Final Score: NC State 42, VMI 7
North Carolina (-7.5) vs. Minnesota (3:30 ESPN)
North Carolina survived another scare from App State and they don't get any breathers this week with Minnesota coming to town. This is going to be a big test for the North Carolina offense because the Golden Gophers' strength lies in their defense. The other side is what is the question for Minnesota and it will be interesting to see if North Carolina can hold their own. After a stellar performance against South Carolina, the defense for UNC took a step back by allowing 34 points to App State. I think the home-field advantage and the benefit of having an elite quarterback get North Carolina the win.
Final Score: North Carolina 31, Minnesota 20
Duke (-19.5) vs. Northwestern (3:30 p.m. ACC Network)
Duke did not have a letdown after their big win over Clemson and now they get a game against what might be the worst power conference team in the country. The Blue Devils are big favorites and as long as they don't come out complacent, they should get a win here. Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard has gotten off to a great start this year. Northwestern is 1-1 this season and just picked up a win against UTEP.
Final Score: Duke 35, Northwestern 10
Virginia Tech at Rutgers (-7) (3:30 p.m. Big Ten Network)
Yes, you read that right, Rutgers is a touchdown favorite heading into a home matchup against Virginia Tech. The Hokies followed up their win over Old Dominino with a dud performance against Purdue, although that game was delayed by the weather. It is tough to trust Brent Pry and Virginia Tech right now, especially on the road. I don't think Rutgers is that good, but I don't think the Hokies offense can get enough done to get a road win.
Final Score: Rutgers 21, Virginia Tech 14
Syracuse (-2.5) at Purdue (7:30 p.m. NBC)
Syracuse is 2-0 heading into their game against Purdue
This is going to be the biggest test of the year so far for Syracuse, who have wins over Colgate and Western Michigan under their belt. Quarterback Garrett Shrader has played well through two games and the defense for Syracuse has been solid, but this is going to be their toughest test.
Purdue is going to be solid at home and I think this game could go either way, but I trust Dino Babers more than Ryan Walters at the moment in the coaching matchup.
Final Score: Syracuse 31, Purdue 27
Pitt (-1) at West Virginia (7:30 ABC)
It is good to see two rivals playing each other but be prepared for a low-scoring game. Neal Brown is trying to salvage his job at West Virginia and beating the Panthers would help out. Pitt is coming off of a bad loss to Cincinnati and the offense is still trying to figure things out.
In games like these, I like to find the units on either team that I trust the most and right now, I trust the West Virginia running game and offensive line more. I think it will be an ugly game for the most part, but Brown finds a way to get a much-needed win and drop Pitt to 2-1.
Final Score: West Virginia 20, Pitt 10
Clemson (-24) vs. Florida Atlantic (8:00 p.m. ACC Network)
Clemson started slow last week but found a way to get going and won big vs Charleston Southern. The Tigers need to take care of business this week before their season-defining game against Florida State the following week. FAU has been disappointing so far this season and I don't see them being able to hang around for long in this one.
Final score: Clemson 41, FAU 14
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