ACC Betting Report – Week 5

Editor's Note: Don't miss out on winners in Week 5 from Joe Williams for the 2020-21 college football season. Click to win!

The Atlantic Coast Conference will have 10 out of the 15 schools in action for Week 5 for a total of six games, four within the conference and two non-conference matchups.

All games are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, except for Campbell-Wake Forest.

Conference

  • N.C. State at Pittsburgh
  • North Carolina at Boston College
  • Virginia Tech at Duke
  • Virginia at Clemson

Non-Conference

  • Campbell at Wake Forest (Friday)
  • Jacksonville State at Florida State

Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, Notre Dame and Syracuse are off.

Campbell at Wake Forest (Friday, ACC, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Betting Odds: Wake Forest -35, O/U OFF

  • Last Week: Campbell L 21-52 at Appalachian State (+33, 54)
  • Last Game: Wake Forest L 42-45 at N.C. State (PK, 53)

The Fighting Camels of Campbell, from Buies Creek, N.C., have been a thorn in the side of teams early on. They have played three FBS level teams already, falling at Georgia Southern 27-26 in the opener. They were handled by Coastal Carolina on Sept. 18, 43-21, and actually led at Appalachian State on Sept. 26 before petering out in the second half, falling 52-21. QB Hajj-Malik Williams is a dual-threat signal caller for Campbell, which is led by head coach and former NFL player Mike Minter.

Wake Forest has had a tough go of it this season, falling 37-13 in the opener at Clemson, although they did cover the 34-point number, before losing 45-42 at N.C. State on Sept. 19 in a battle which resembled a video game. They have been a rather one-track team offensively, rushing for just 93.0 rushing yards per game to rank 62nd in the country, and they're dismal on defense, yielding 512.0 total yards per contest to check in 63rd. They have also allowed 41.0 PPG, good for 63rd. On a positive note, they are plus-1 in the turnover department, an area they hope to continue to improve vs. Campbell.

N.C. State at Pittsburgh (ACC, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Betting Odds: Pittsburgh -14, O/U 49

  • Last Week: N.C. State L 24-45 at Virginia Tech (+6.5, 56)
  • Last Week: Pittsburgh W 23-20 vs. Louisville (-3, 53)

The Wolfpack looked good offensively in their opener against Wake Forest on Sept. 19, rolling up 45 points in a three-point win against the Deacs. Defensively, they were dismal. Unfortunately, that part continued last week at Virginia Tech, while the offense wasn't quite up to snuff. The Pack D is allowing 440.0 total yards per game (49th in the country), 231.5 rushing yards per game (64th) and 43.5 PPG (67th). As such, N.C. State has hit the 'over' in each of its two games to date, the only team in the ACC which can make that claim. Freshman S Khalid Martin, who suffered either a hip or neck injury at Virginia Tech, as the reports/info is rather conflicting, was taken by ambulance to the hospital. He has since been released, so that's good news.

The Panthers have fired out to a 3-0 SU start, thanks in large part to a suffocating defense. There were questions if the Pitt D was for real after a 55-0 trouncing of Austin Peay, an FCS opponent, back on Sept. 12. Pitt answered some questions with a 21-10 win over Syracuse, although the Orange were a bit banged up and disorganized on offense. But the Panthers really answered the bell against Louisville last week, scratching out a 23-20 victory against the Cardinals, keeping QB Micale Cunningham and WR Tutu Atwell at bay. Overall Pitt is No. 2 in the country in total yards allowed (177.0), No. 3 in passing yards allowed (121.0) and No. 2 in rushing yards allowed (56.0). They rank seventh by yielding just 10.0 PPG, too, while posting six takeaways in three games with a plus-4 turnover margin. That's a recipe for success.

North Carolina at Boston College (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Betting Odds: North Carolina -13.5, O/U 54

  • Last Game: North Carolina W 31-6 vs. Syracuse (-24.5, 66.5)
  • Last Week: Boston College W 24-21 vs. Texas State (-21.5, 57.5)

The Tar Heels had their game against Charlotte postponed last week after the 49ers had several players in coronavirus contact tracing quarantine, which would have crushed their defensive line. So we have seen UNC just once this season, and they were very impressive. They worked over visiting Syracuse at Kenan Stadium back on Sept. 12 by a 31-6 count. We have learned since that the Orange isn't very good, but it was an impressive showing nonetheless, especially on defense. The Heels allowed just 134 passing yards and 68 rushing yards in that rout.

The Eagles went down to Duke two weeks ago and roughed up a struggling Blue Devils side 26-6, winning outright as 3.5-point underdogs. They fell back to Earth a little bit against Texas State of the Sun Belt in their home opener, narrowly escaping with a 24-21 win on a game-winning field goal near the end of regulation. Believe it or not, though, that win over the Bobcats was far more impressive, as Texas State has a pretty powerful offense. B.C. is allowing just 13.5 PPG, ranking 12th in the country, and they also have three turnovers on defense, while not turning it over in two games on offense. The 'under' has connected in both games for the Eagles so far.

Jacksonville State at Florida State (ESPN3, 4:00 p.m.)

Betting Odds: OFF, O/U OFF

  • Last Week: Jacksonville State (making their season debut)
  • Last Week: Florida State L 10-52 at Miami-Florida (+12, 54)

Jacksonville State is one of 15 schools in the Football Collegiate Subdivision (FCS) which has pushed forward with their football programs despite the pandemic. They will open their season on the road against Florida State, and they haul in $400,000 for their troubles. The Gamecocks replaced Samford on the schedule for FSU. Did you know that this all-time series is tied 1-1? Florida State won the most recent meeting in 2009, with Jacksonville State taking the first one back in 1947. Did you know that Jacksonville State was 6-6 last season, and they have the longest active streak in FCS with 17 straight seasons at .500 or better?

The Seminoles have struggled on both sides of the ball through two games. FSU was dumped 16-13 in their home opener on Sept. 12 against Georgia Tech, a rather shocking result given the low preseason predictions for the Jackets. They had two weeks to prepare for their annual rivalry game at Miami, but had to play the game without head coach Mike Norvell after a positive COVID-19 test. The team's performance made their fans and alumni sick, as the Hurricanes blew through the defense for a 52-10 rout, easily covering a 12-point number. FSU is 0-2 SU/ATS heading into this game against this FCS foe, and not even a game against an FCS level team which was .500 last season seems like a guaranteed win at this point.

Virginia Tech at Duke (ACC, 4:00 p.m.)

Betting Odds: Virginia Tech -10.5, O/U 54

  • Last Week: Virginia Tech W 45-24 vs. N.C. State (-6.5, 56.5)
  • Last Week: Duke L 20-38 at Virginia (+4, 45)

The Hokies finally made their season debut after having their opener against N.C. State pushed back due to COVID-19 spikes in the Pack program. Then, their 'new' opener against Virginia was moved to December because of spikes in the Blacksburg campus. So the Hokies ended up opening with N.C. State anyway, and it was worth the wait. They were missing 23 players, including starting QB Hendon Hooker, due to...yep, coronavirus. So the team turned the reins over to Oregon transfer QB Braxton Burmeister, but he suffered a right hand injury in the second quarter. That meant they were down to third-string QB Quincy Patterson II. He kept the Hokies on pace, and they won 45-24 to easily, and surprisingly, cover a 6.5-point number as the over hit.

The good news for Duke is that they didn't quit in their game at Virginia. They opened with an 0-2 record, and the offense looked rather moribund in a home opener rout at the hands of Boston College, 26-6. They headed to Charlottesville last weekend and fired out to a 10-0 lead after one quarter, and a 20-17 lead after three quarters. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, it was a 60-minute game, and they were outscored in the even-numbered quarters by a score of 38-0. The offensive line is a bit of a wreck, as they were sacked five times last week. Duke also lost two more fumbles, and they have turned the ball over seven times through three games. QB Chase Brice, the former Clemson recruit, has been solid with 712 passing yards, and the Devils are averaging 254.0 passing yards per game. But their defense is giving up 275.0 per outing through the air, just 50th in the nation, and they have a minus-3 turnover margin. The over hit last week for the first time, but mainly due to Virginia's 38 points. Duke is averaging just 13.0 PPG through three.

Virginia at Clemson (ACC, 8:00 p.m.)

Betting Odds: Clemson -28, O/U 54.5

  • Last Week: Virginia W 38-20 vs. Duke (-4, 45)
  • Last Game: Clemson W 49-0 vs. The Citadel (-50.5, 57)

The Cavaliers made their season debut after COVID-19 concerns at Virginia Tech cancelled their Sept. 19 date. So the Hoos opened with Duke last week, and they humbled the Blue Devils 38-20 to cover a four-point spread, although if you had a ticket on that game, you know it wasn't a blowout. Duke actually led 20-17 after 45 minutes. The Cavaliers defense was super opportunisitc, forcing seven turnovers to aid them in the win. Their stars shined brightest, as RB Wayne Taulapapa rushed for 95 yards and two scores, and WR Lavel Davis posted 101 receiving yards, including two fourth-quarter touchdowns from QB Brennan Armstrong.

Clemson opened its season with a 37-13 win over Wake Forest, although they failed to cover a 34-point number. They also were unable to cover against The Citadel of the FCS, firing out to a 49-0 halftime lead as 50.5-point favorites, then calling off the dogs in the second half. As such, Clemson is 0-2 ATS with the under hitting in each outing. QB Trevor Lawrence played sparingly against the Bulldogs, but he still has 519 passing yards and three touchdowns through the two games. The Tigers defense is allowing just 6.5 PPG to rank fourth overall, they have allowed just 246.0 total yards, checking in fifth, and they're sixth in rushing defense with 61.5 yards per game allowed.

ACC Betting Results - 2020

2020 ACC STANDINGS
Team SU Conference  ATS Over/Under
Boston College 2-0 1-0 1-1 0-2
Clemson 2-0 1-0 0-2 0-2
Duke 0-3 0-3 1-2 1-2
Florida State 0-2 0-2 0-2 1-1
Georgia Tech 1-2 1-1 1-2 2-1
Louisville 1-2 0-2 1-1-1 2-1
Miami-Florida 3-0 2-0 3-0 2-1
North Carolina 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-1
North Carolina State 1-1 1-1 1-1 2-0
Notre Dame 2-0 1-0 1-1 1-1
Pittsburgh 3-0 2-0 1-1-1 1-2
Syracuse 1-2 1-2 2-1 1-2
Virginia 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0
Virginia Tech 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0
Wake Forest 0-2 0-2 1-1 1-1


Daily Newsletter - Sign Up Today!

Sign up to get daily betting columns and advice delivered directly to your inbox.
by submitting your data, you agree to VegasInsider.com Privacy Policy