Odds and Ends: Breaking down the ACC lines in Week 8
With the start of college basketball season rapidly approaching, we’ve hit the portion of the college football schedule where fans begin to debate how much they care about the it and how much they actually cared about it at all to begin with.
Unfortunately, the fanbases of the two ACC schools in the Commonwealth might be in this group.
The Hokies at least get the week off from watching their miserable team while Hoos fans get their Saturday off….because the team is playing on Thursday.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of the ACC slate.
UVa @ Georgia Tech (-3) O/U 45.5: A lot of times I like to play teams coming off their bye week when the first part of their season has been bad because I feel like it’s a fresh start. Everyone is saying the right things in Charlottesville, but it’s not inspiring me to take the Hoos at a small plus price. The Yellow Jackets were home favorites three times last year losing outright to Northern Illinois (19-point favorites), Virginia Tech (4 points) and Boston College (1 point). I really like Jeff Sims at quarterback and clearly there’s some momentum here since Geoff Collins left town.
For personal reasons, I hope UVa takes this because I have under 3.5 wins for Georgia Tech, but I just don’t know if I can trust them. The total has stayed pretty firm at 45.5 so far. I might take the Cavaliers in-game if they show a pulse early. Then again, I could take the Jackets if they move the ball and maybe settle for a FG.
Duke @ Miami (-9) O/U 59.5: Really? You want me to lay nine with Miami? The Canes have been so inconsistent this season and are coming off a completely lackluster win in Blacksburg. This team has lost its last two home games and what kind of homefield do we actually expect them to have?
Duke’s lost two straight by three points apiece and the only question is if the Blue Devils will be hungover after losing to North Carolina. We’ve seen money come in on Miami early in this one and I can’t help but wonder if it’s somewhat public money blindly backing the home team on reputation alone. I might wait as the week goes along and hope this thing gets to 10 before jumping on the Blue Devils.
Pittsburgh @ Louisville (-1) O/U 55: Louisville is another team that is hard to figure out in the ACC. They have impressive wins at UCF and UVa, but also lost to Zay Flowers in Chestnut Hill on October 1st. Malik Cunningham’s status is important as it makes a difference with this offense. Yes, they looked good in Charlottesville, but that was a one-game bump. With two weeks since then, I’d expect the starter to play, but this spread says maybe not. Both teams are coming off a bye week so there’s no advantage there. Pittsburgh has played just one road game so far and that was its revenge contest at Western Michigan. I think that’ll be a little bit of a shock to the Panthers as they struggle here. I can’t make a play without knowing the signal caller’s status though.
Syracuse @ Clemson (-13.5) O/U 51.5: My alma mater has been one of the best stories in college football as they beat NC State and continued an undefeated start. Not even the most optimistic Syracuse fan (not me) would have predicted bowl eligibility before Halloween. They’ve had an interesting history with Clemson losing by three last year in a game they certainly could have won with Dr. Bob (Thanks Brad) calling plays instead of last year’s OC. It’s tough to win in Death Valley and this Clemson offense is rolling. I’m really happy for DJU, who Clemson fans wanted to bench after a few incompletions against Georgia Tech. It’s a big number but this feels like the balloon bursting on the hot start and Clemson asserting themselves as the class of the conference.
Matt is the host of Border to Border from 3-4pm ET on 106.1 FM out of Richmond Virginia. He's a sports handicapper on Sportsmemo (Matt Josephs Betting Picks, Futures, & Predictions | Sportsmemo) and writes articles for Athlon Sports (Articles by Matt Josephs (Mid Major Matt) - AthlonSports.com | Expert Predictions, Picks, and Previews)
