ACC Betting Preview: Week 13

The end to the regular season has come and incredibly enough, we’re still in the black. Rivalry week gives us some good non-conference games as well as some interesting betting spots. Head on over to DraftKings Sportsbook and join in on the fun.

Wake Forest Demon Deacon @ Boston College Eagles
Boston College +5.5; Over/Under 64

Boston College’s slow start really let me down last week, but Phil Jurkovec did settle down and give the Eagles a chance. Now they get Wake Forest who has to win to make the ACC Championship game. Sam Hartman is going to get his but I think the Eagles can go toe to toe with the Deacs. I don’t love getting less than a touchdown with BC as in a higher scoring game, six points isn’t a huge spread to cover. This won’t be a field goal game, but there will be plenty of points. Give me the over.

Pick: Over 64

Georgia Bulldogs @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech +35; Over/Under 54.5

This is just too many points for a Georgia team who just needs to win this game and stay healthy on their way to SEC Championship game. We did see Notre Dame put 55 on the Yellow Jackets a week ago, but the Irish needed to win that one convincingly. Georgia Tech will throw everything they have at this game and that will be good enough to only lose by 30.

Pick: Georgia Tech +35

Florida State Seminoles @ Florida Gators
Florida State +3; Over/Under 59

You’ve gotta love a battle of historic powerhouses coming in with 5-6 records. However, these are two teams going in different directions. Florida State is somewhat relieved to be 5-6 while the Gators just fired Dan Mullen. Despite all that, Florida is still much better than the Seminoles and I find when teams let a coach go before the season ends it’s often indicative that the team isn’t responding to their leader and the players can get up for their next game or two (more on that later). The game will be competitive, but Florida State is still a year away in terms of talent.

Pick: Florida -3

Miami Hurricanes @ Duke Blue Devils
Duke +21; Over/Under 67

Duke’s defense is really bad. Miami is going to score at least 40. The question becomes, how many points will Duke score? Miami’s defense isn’t much better and Gunnar Holmberg should be back for the Blue Devils. The total is a few points too high for me and I think Duke can keep it within three touchdowns.

Pick: Duke +21

Virginia Tech Hokies @ Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia -7; Over/Under 63.5

Speaking of teams firing their coach before the season ends. Despite playing better than I thought they would, the Hokies ended up falling pretty easily at Miami. Now they come into the biggest game of their season, one they circle every single year. They have bowl eligibility on the line, but this is the sort of program that can be 0-11 and winning this game is all that matters. As for Virginia, I thought Brennan Armstrong would be rusty in his first game back, but he wasn’t. He was terrific. As for the defense, they weren’t awful. Certainly good enough to have won that game. If it weren’t for a couple mistakes (very big, shouldn’t be made mistakes), they’d be playing this game for the ACC Coastal Title. Virginia is the better team, playing better football, but I’ve been a fan of Virginia for close to 25 years and in that time I’ve seen them win this game all of three times. Firing Justine Fuente two weeks before this game all but sealed it for me and you could make the Hokies a favorite, and I’d probably still take them here. I hate to do it, but...

Pick: VaTech +7

Pittsburgh Panthers @ Syracuse Orange
Syracuse +13.5; Over/Under 57.5

This is way too many points to be laying for a team with nothing to play for. Perhaps I’m over-selling the narratives this week, but it’s college football and narrative matters more than in the NFL. Syracuse isn’t terrible and still has a bowl to be playing for. They’re at home and will be up for it. Pitt has the ACC Championship to play for and won’t risk showing much or getting guys injured. Give me the points and don’t be shocked if the Orange win this one outright.

Pick: Syracuse +13.5

Clemson Tigers @ South Carolina Gamecocks
Clemson -11.5; Over/Under 43

Clemson isn’t back by any means, but they’ve been better over the last couple weeks. They still have a shot at playing in the ACC Championship, but given the time of this game, they’ll know their fate at kickoff and this game won’t matter. They won’t want to lose to the Gamecocks. I expect a bludgeoning. Clemson rolls.

Pick: Clemson -11.5

Kentucky Wildcats @ Louisville Cardinals
Louisville -3; Over/Under 57

I’ve said it a couple times, but Louisville is a couple plays away from this season being a really spectacular one. Malik Cunningham is a playmaker that is a threat to do something on every play. I look at a Kentucky team that is 8-3 in the SEC and I think this could be a tough one for the Cardinals. However, they didn’t exactly play the best the SEC had to offer this year. They beat Florida and LSU, both of whom have already fired their coach while their other wins came against Missouri, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt. Not exactly a powerhouse collection of wins. Louisville is better than those teams and should be able to get the W in this one.

Pick: Louisville -3

Record: 43-38