ACC Report – Week 3

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

8 minute read

Boston College at Wake Forest (ESPN, 5:30 p.m. ET)
This game has had its kickoff moved up a couple of hours due to the approach of Hurricane Florence to the state of North Carolina, but unlike UNC and N.C. State, they will be playing this week rather than electing to cancel their game. The Eagles head into Winston-Salem as five-point favorites as of Tuesday evening. Boston College enters the game 6-0-1 ATS over their past seven conference games, and 5-0 ATS in their past five outings. In addition, they're 10-1-1 ATS over the past 12 contests dating back to last season while going 5-1-1 ATS in the past seven against winning teams and 13-3 ATS in the past 16 on the road against a team with a winning home mark. Wake has been pretty solid, too, posting a 10-3-1 ATS mark over the past 14 ACC battles while hitting at a 5-2-1 ATS clip across the past eight games at home. However, they're just 3-7 ATS over their past 10 appearances on Thursday and 0-4 ATS in the past four dating back to last season. The 'under' has hit in four straight meetings in Winston-Salem, and each of the past eight in this series, too.

Miami-Florida at Toledo (ESPN2, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The Hurricanes hit the road for a date with MAC power Toledo, a team which hung with them in South Florida for a half last season before Miami pulled away in the second half. The public loves Miami in this one, but keep in mind that they are 2-5 ATS in the past seven against winning teams, 1-5 ATS in their past six overall and 0-4 ATS in the past four road contests. While Toledo is 9-2-1 ATS in their past 12 games in September, and 7-3 ATS in the past 10 overall, they're just 2-5 ATS in their past seven outside of the conference. The under is 8-1 in Miami's past nine road games, but the over is 4-1 in their past five non-conference battles. The over is 7-3 in Toledo's past 10 non-conference contests, too.

Florida State at Syracuse (ESPN, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The Seminoles dropped their opening game against Virginia Tech, and that also doubled as their conference opener. They can ill-afford another setback, and face a difficult Syracuse team on the road. The Orange have been putting up video game-like offensive numbers, averaging 58.5 points per game (PPG) at Western Michigan and at home against FCS Wagner. As such, the Orange are seventh in the nation in scoring offense, and 30th in total yards with 508.0 per game. FSU is a much better opponent than their previous two, however, and this will be the biggest challenge yet. Florida State enters the game 0-7-2 ATS across the past nine conference battles, and 1-5-2 ATS in their past eight against winning sides. They're also 0-2-2 ATS in the past four on the road against teams with a winning home record. Syracuse, on the other hand, has covered four straight in September while going 8-3-1 ATS in the past 12 overall. The Orange, underdogs by three as of Tuesday evening, might have the advantage. The home team is 5-2 ATS over the past seven in this series. In addition, the under is 6-1-1 in FSU's past eight road games, and 21-7-1 in their past 29 ACC tilts. The under is 9-2-1 in the past 12 at home for 'Cuse, and 13-3-1 in their past 17 inside the league.

Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh (ACC, 12:30 p.m.)
It's another conference opener for both sides when the Ramblin' Wreck invade the Steel City to tangle with the Panthers. Georgia Tech hasn't had difficulty on offense, averaging 39.5 PPG through two outings, but they were trampled for 49 points last week at South Florida and will be looking for redemption. Speaking of trampled, Pitt was embarrassed 51-6 in their rivalry game aginst Penn State, showing how far they are from being an elite team in the nation. These sides met last season in Atlanta, with the Wreck coming up with a 35-17 win on Sept. 23. While Ga. Tech is 0-3-1 ATS in the past four road games, they're an impressive 7-2-1 ATS in the past 10 inside the conference. Pitt has posted a 4-1 ATS mark in their past five following a straight-up loss, but they're 7-19 ATS in the past 26 at home and 1-5-1 ATS in the past seven in the month of September.

Georgia Southern at Clemson (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.)
The Tigers of Clemson opened with Furman, faced a tough road trip to College Station for a battle against Texas A&M, and now it's back to Cupcake City. Might there be a letdown after their emotion win last week against the Aggies? The Eagles have posted a 3-9-1 ATS mark over their past 13 road games, and a trip to Death Valley might not be good for turning that around. Clemson is 8-3 ATS over the past 11 non-conference battles, although they failed to cover the opener against FCS Furman and last week's road game at Texas A&M. As of Tuesday evening the Tigers were favored by 33 1/2 at most shops after opening at 35.

Duke at Baylor (FOX Sports 1, 3:30 p.m.)
Duke packs the road gear for a second straight week after success away from home last week at Northwestern. The Bears also were on the road, toppling Texas-San Antonio to fire out to 2-0 SU this season. These teams met in Durham last season, with the Blue Devils coming away with a 34-20 win on Sept. 16, 2017. Duke could be stranded in Waco for a day or two after the game depending on how the Triangle area is affected by Hurricane Florence, and the approaching storm could be a bit of a distraction for the players, too. They're catching 6 1/2 from the Bears as of late Tuesday evening. Duke is 4-0 ATS in the past four against teams with a winning record, 5-0 ATS in the past five overall and an impressive 20-5-1 ATS in the past 26 non-conference battles. Baylor is 0-4 ATS in the past four at home, 2-9-1 ATS in the past 12 following a straight-up win and 0-4-1 ATS in the past five outside of the conference.

Ohio at Virginia (ACC, 4:30 p.m.)
The Bobcats of Ohio hit the road for Charlottesville for their second game of the 2018 campaign. Virginia suffered a setback last week at Indiana under rainy and sloppy conditions in Bloomington. This is a line that is a bit difficult to understand. Yes, Ohio is rested after a two-week layoff since their opening game win against FCS Howard. Remember, the Bobcats won that game just 38-32, struggling defensively at home. They're expected to hang with a mid-tier Power 5 team on the road, keeping it within three? Ohio allowed 645 total yards, and 484 passing yards against the Bison in that opener, and they even gave up 161 rushing yards. Virginia isn't likely to just win this game, but they might smash the Bobcats.

Western Kentucky at Louisville (ACC, 7:30 p.m.)
Things have been good for Western Kentucky in recent seasons, but 2018 appears to be a down year for the Hilltoppers. They lost their opener at Wisconsin by a 34-3 count, but at least they covered the 36 1/2-point number. However, they returned home last week to take on Maine, the 22nd-ranked team in FCS at the time, and the 'Toppers suffered the embarrassing loss on their home field. Now, they take it on the road to Louisville, a team which gutted out a 31-7 win against FCS Indiana State despite several starts and stops due to lightning and inclement weather. The Cardinals enter the game 0-2 ATS, but are favored by 22 1/2 as of Tuesday evening. A few years ago, Louisville should have joined Confernece USA rather than ACC. OK, that's a stretch, but they are 16-4-1 ATS in their past 21 vs. C-USA opponents, although they're just 1-9-1 ATS in the past 11 outside of the ACC.

Other Games
East Carolina at Virginia Tech (Postponed)
West Virginia at North Carolina State (Canceled)
UCF at North Carolina (Canceled)

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