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It's Separation Saturday in the ACC Coastal Division this week. After 5 weeks of Coastal teams turning in perplexing results, this weekend's games may finally start to bring some clarity in the division's pecking order. Let's take a look at what Vegas has to say about all of the ACC's games this weekend.
1) Coastal clashes
Virginia is a 7-point favorite at home against Pittsburgh
Georgia Tech is a 1-point UNDERDOG at home against Miami
North Carolina is a 2-point UNDERDOG at home against Virginia Tech
Both Virginia and Pittsburgh will enter Scott Stadium undefeated in league play on Saturday. Vegas originally set the line for this game at Virginia (-3.5), which means that a lot of the bets coming in so far have been in favor of the Wahoos. It's not hard to understand why. Pitt has looked increasingly vulnerable the last two weeks in home losses to Iowa and Akron. If the Cavaliers can contain Panther tailback James Conner, they should go to bed Saturday night as victors.
The Georgia Tech/Miami game features another line that's moved since the open. The Jackets actually opened as 3-point favorites, which means that a lot of the early money has come in favoring the Hurricanes. Miami shut down Duke last week and looks to be turning the corner on its season. The Jackets could really cement their legitimacy with a win against the Canes. Despite being 4-0, Georgia Tech hasn't looked dominant at any point. Should be an enlightening matchup to say the least.
Finally, North Carolina is a home underdog against Virginia Tech. The loser here starts their conference slate 0-2 and likely falls out of the Coastal race. After seeing North Carolina in person last week, I think they've got a great chance against the Hokies. Carolina has enough offense to give Tech trouble, and their defense is good enough against the run that Michael Brewer will have to make plays with his arm. Carolina's pass defense is dreadful, but Tech's pass offense is suspect. This one may come down to whether Brewer continues his interception display.
2) Atlantic Division Games
Florida State is a 38-point favorite at home against Wake Forest
Clemson is a 15-point favorite at home against NC State
Syracuse is a 3-point UNDERDOG at home against Louisville
The Seminoles need to make amends for their shaky performance last weekend against an NC State team that struggled to put away Old Dominion. Fortunately for the 'Noles, Wake Forest comes to town. It should be another learning experience for Dave Clawson's troops. Hey, at least basketball season is coming soon for Wake, right? Wait...they've been awful at basketball recently? Scratch that.
Saturday's matchup in Death Valley is an interesting one. If the NC State team that played inspired ball against FSU shows up, they could cover the 15-point spread and give Clemson a scare. I think the Tigers and the Tiger fans will ultimately be too much for the 'Pack, but stranger things have happened. Look out for new Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. That kid could be a Heisman candidate by the time his career is over.
Finally, Louisville is a slight favorite on the road at Syracuse. This line has been cut in half this week, with Louisville originally opening up as a 6.5-point favorite. Again, it will be interesting to see which teams show up. Will the Cardinals bring the squad that rolled Miami? Or will they bring the squad that laid an egg in Charlottesville? Syracuse needs a win in a big way. I wouldn't be shocked to see them get one here.