ACC Football Week 8 Pick Em

Week 8 marks the first time this season that all teams in the ACC are playing and none of them are playing a game against an out-of-conference opponent. So if you are a fan of ACC football then you are licking your chops right now. There are some great games on the slate for Saturday including a couple of games where there will be an emotional surplus on the field (Virginia Tech vs. Clemson & Florida State vs. Miami).

I ended up going 2-2 in my picks last week. I finally showed some confidence in Miami and they promptly let me down and I made the big mistake of thinking that Virginia isn’t a terrible team. My record for the year now is at 48-13 (.786 winning percentage). I’m going to do my best to get back over 80% on my picks this week.

Let’s get to the picks!

Virginia Tech vs. Clemson

The Hokies literally owned the Tigers for the 15 year period before last year, but Clemson turned it around last year. The Tigers beat the Hokies twice last year by a lopsided margin and Virginia Tech is looking for revenge. Frank Beamer’s squad looked like they turned it around last week against Duke, and they may have finally found a running back to feature in freshman J.C. Coleman. I will renew my faith in the Hokies if they go into Death Valley and win, but until then I will believe in Clemson. Pick: Clemson over VT

Wake Forest vs. Virginia

Let’s get this out of the way up front; the Cavaliers are bad. Virginia is now 2-5 and in the midst of a five game losing streak. It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is for the Wahoos, the talent surrounding that position is subpar. For that reason I’m going to pick the Demon Deacons. Pick WF over UVa

Boston College vs. Georgia Tech

Both of these teams have been disappointing the season. The Yellow Jackets are trying to get back on track and I believe that Boston College is the perfect opponent to make that happen. The Eagles’ offense is good, but their defense is atrocious. This will be the second time this season that BC will face a triple option. The first time was against Army and the Eagles simply couldn’t stop it. Pick: GT over BC

North Carolina State vs. Maryland

Maryland continues to surprise me. Every time I pick them to lose, they win. So I’m sure Terp fans hope I pick against them again. Wish granted. NC State is simply too good a team to lose this game. They have superior talent at almost every skill position and I don’t think this game will even be close. Pick: NC State over Maryland

North Carolina vs. Duke

This game is for the Victory Bell, and Duke hasn’t won this game since 2003. Duke is playing for everything in this game while UNC is playing for essentially nothing. Duke will be trying to win their sixth game of the season, effectively making them bowl eligible for the first time in 17 years. UNC is ineligible for postseason play this year, but that hasn’t stopped them from playing well in their first year under head coach Larry Fedora. However, I think that Duke’s home field advantage will assert itself and Sean Renfree will make a play late to win the game and send Duke to the postseason. Pick: Duke over UNC

Florida State vs. Miami

The Seminoles bounced back last week against Boston College. This week they travel to play rival Miami. This rivalry has lost some of its intrigue the past couple of years. Florida State appears to either be back or well on their way, while the Hurricanes are still looking for the ladder to success. The Seminoles are a better team right now and that’s why I’m going to pick FSU on the road. Pick: FSU over Miami