ACC Betting Report – Week 3

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

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The Atlantic Coast Conference will have 12 out of the 15 schools in action for Week 3 for a total of eight games, four within the conference and four non-conference matchups.

All games are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17, 2020.

Conference

• Syracuse at Pittsburgh
• Boston College at Duke
• Miami, Fl. at Louisville
• Wake Forest at N.C. State

Non-Conference

• South Florida at Notre Dame
• Charlotte at North Carolina
• Central Florida at Georgia Tech
• The Citadel at Clemson

Florida State is off, while the Virginia and Virgina Tech game was postponed.

Syracuse at Pittsburgh (ACC, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Betting Odds: Pittsburgh -21.5, O/U 50.5

• Last Week: Syracuse L 6-31 at North Carolina (+23.5, 67)
• Last Week: Austin Peay W 55-0 vs. Austin Peay (-30.5, 48.5)

The Orange struggled in Chapel Hill last week, posting just 202 total yards of offense, while running for just 68 yards. They were tattooed on the other side of the ball, coughing up 463 total yards, including 303 yards through the air.

That's great news for the Panthers, who annihilated FCS Austin Peay 55-0. It was so bad that they played just two 10-minute quarters in the third and fourth, therefore officially there was no action on the game since you need at least 55 minutes to be official for grading purposes. Even with 10 less minutes they rolled up 456 total offensive yards while allowing just 137 total yards, including one yard - yes, three feet - of rushing.

Boston College at Duke (ESPN3, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Betting Odds: Duke -5.5, O/U 51.5

• Last Week: Boston College (this week is their opener)
• Last Week: Duke L 13-27 at Notre Dame (+21, 50.5)

The Eagles are making their debut, while the Blue Devils are looking to bounce back after a hard-fought two-touchdown loss in the shadows of Touchdown Jesus in South Bend. Duke led 3-0 after 15 minutes, and they trailed just 17-13 after 45 minutes before the Irish pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Duke was limited to 334 total yards of offense while allowed 441 total yards. These teams haven't met since Oct. 3, 2015 when the Blue Devils edged the Eagles 9-7 at Wallace Wade Stadium in the rain.

South Florida at Notre Dame (USA, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Betting Odds: Notre Dame -24.5, O/U 51.5

• Last Week: South Florida W 27-6 vs. The Citadel (-16, 52)
• Last Week: Duke W 27-13 vs. Notre Dame (-21, 50.5)

Notre Dame made their official ACC debut last week, pushing past pesky Duke by a 27-13 score, but they didn't really have any comfort until the fourth quarter when they pulled away.

They'll face a South Florida team which ran for 302 yards last week, but that was against FCS The Citadel. They'll obviously get a much more stern test this weekend. The Bulls defense allowed just 84 total yards through the air, and only six points. Duke lost the turnover battle 2-1 to the Irish, and the Notre Dame rush defense yielded just 75 yards.

Charlotte at North Carolina (ESPN3, 3:30 p.m.)

Betting Odds: North Carolina -29.5, O/U 60.5

• Last Week: Charlotte at Appalachian State L 20-35 at Appalachian State (+16.5, 59.5)
• Last Week: North Carolina vs. Syracuse W 31-6 (-23.5, 67)

The 49ers face another tough in-state road game against the ranked Tar Heels this week. Charlotte allowed 512 total yards, including 308 yards on the ground. They were able to post 20 points to grab the cover.

UNC was good for 463 yards, including 303 yards through the air, and QB Sam Howell was the start of the show. Chazz Surratt picked up a pair of sacks and ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors. The defense was stout, allowing just 202 total yards and 68 yards on the ground to the visiting Orange.

UCF at Georgia Tech (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)

Betting Odds: UFC -7.5, O/U 60.5

• Last Week: UCF (this week is their opener)
• Last Week: Georgia Tech W 16-13 at Florida State (+13, 49.5)

UCF was supposed to face FIU of Conference USA, but that game was called off as the Golden Panthers delayed the return of fall sports to Sept. 16, four days after their football game was scheduled. So now they will open in Atlanta against the Ramblin' Wreck, a team which surprised Florida State in Tallahassee and ruined the debut of new head coach Mike Norvell.

The Yellow Jackets are getting away from the primarily ground-based offense, opening things up under second-year head coach Geoff Collins and offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude. They gave true freshman QB Jeff Sims, the ACC's rookie of the week, a start and he showed out. He completed 24-of-35 passes for 277 yards with 64 more yards on the ground. 

The Citadel at Clemson (ACC, 4:00 p.m.)

Betting Odds: Clemson -44.5, O/U 57.5

• Last Week:The Citadel at South Florida L 6-27 (+16, 52)
• Last Week: Clemson at Wake Forest W 37-13 (-35, 59)

The Citadel, an FCS military academy from Charleston, S.C., was able to amass just 84 yards through the air, and they allowed 404 total yards of offense, including 302 yards on the ground. It's likely to get a lot worse facing the dynamic duo of QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne. The Tigers were in midseason form, boatracing Wake Forest at Truist Field in Winston-Salem.

The Tigers rolled up 561 total yards on offense, including 376 yards through the air. The defense is as sick as ever, as the Deacs posted just 37 rushing yards.The Tigers faced one FCS team last season, Wofford, winning 59-14 but failing to cover the 48.5-point number. The Tigers are 3-0 SU in the past two seasons against FCS teams, but 0-3 ATS with two under results. The last time they covered against an FCS foe, they won 61-3 against The Citadel on Nov. 18, 2017, covering a 46-point number with an over result.

Miami-Florida at Louisville (ABC, 7:30 p.m.)

Betting Odds: Louisville -2.5, O/U 64.5

• Last Week: Miami-Florida vs. Ala.-Birmingham W 31-14 (-15.5, 55)
• Last Week: Louisville vs. Western Kentucky W 35-21 (-13, 55.5)

Miami showed off its new toy, as QB D'Eriq King took over the reins of the offense. New offensive coordinate Rhett Lashlee and head coach Manny Diaz have decided to employ the spread offense, the first time Miami will use that style in school history.

It paid some dividends against UAB last Thursday, as they totaled 492 total yards, including 337 yards on the ground. UAB took advantage of the only turnover of the game, scoring due to favorable field position early, but Miami outscored then 31-7  to finish. The Canes also allowed only 80 yards on the ground. The Cardinals pushed past in-state rival Western Kentucky, passing for 343 yards from QB Micale Cunningham, while the defense allowed only 129 yards through the air.

Wake Forest at N.C. State (ACC, 8:00 p.m.)

Betting Odds: N.C. State -2.5, O/U 54.5

• Last Week: Wake Forest vs. Clemson L 13-37 (+35, 59)
• Last Week: N.C. State (this week is their opener)

Wake Forest looks to get things right after mostly having everything go wrong last week at home against Clemson. They head to an empty Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Perhaps the lack of fans will be a good luck charm, as the Deacs are just 1-5 ATS in their past six in Raleigh.

They have struggled against N.C. State for years. The home team has also covered 16 of the previous 20 in this series, with the favorite 5-1 ATS in the past six. 

ACC Betting Results - 2020

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