Week 9 Picks and Power Rankings
Week 9 Game Picks
A great week from both of us last week as we both went 4-1. Woodrow's Winners still holds a 1 game lead against me, but I'm going to get it back this week. 7 games this week, let's get to the picks!
Last Week:
ACC Guru: 4-1
Woodrow's Winners: 4-1
Season Total:
ACC Guru: 34-36
Woodrow's Winners: 35-35
Virginia Tech at NC State (-13.5) Thursday 7:30 PM ESPN
ACC Guru: Yes, the Hokies have looked bad for most of the year, but their defense has shown flashes, they just run out of gas by the end of the game. NC State looks lost without Devin Leary. The offense is almost non-existent with Jack Chambers at QB. They don’t seem to trust him, and they will look to run the ball a ton. This should speed up the game, and keep the Hokie D fresher. NC State should win this one at home, but the Hokies keep it within 2 TDs.
Woodrow's Winners: NC State -13.5
Notre Dame at Syracuse (-3) Saturday 12 PM ABC
ACC Guru: I have been flat-out wrong about Syracuse this year. Yes, the Clemson turnovers kept them in the game last week, but they looked the part of a top 20 team in the country. Syracuse has the better defense, offense, and a great kicker. The Orange win, cover, and stay alive for an Orange Bowl bid.
Woodrow's Winners: Syracuse -3
Boston College (-7.5) at UConn Saturday 12 PM CBSSN
ACC Guru: UConn has won 2 games against FBS opponents this year. A feat they haven’t accomplished since 2017. BC has never lost to UConn, and I don’t think it happens this year either. I’m picking BC this week in the survival pool, so I’m hoping for and predicting a blow-out.
Woodrow's Winners: Boston College -7.5
Georgia Tech at Florida State (-24) Saturday 12 PM ACCN
ACC Guru: Florida State opened as a 21-point favorite and I liked the Jackets at that number, so I love it at 24. Yes, Florida State is way better than Georgia Tech, but GT is frisky enough to keep this close, and these 2 teams normally play close games. There’s only been 1 double-digit win in this series since 1998 (10 games). Give me GT with the points.
Woodrow's Winners: Georgia Tech +24
Miami at Virginia (+2) Saturday 12:30 PM RSN
ACC Guru: UVA won a football game! But still left plenty of points out there… Miami does not look good right now. I’m ready to be hurt again, and this time I’ll get to see it in person. *Quietly* UVA wins outright..
Woodrow's Winners: Virginia +2
Wake Forest at Louisville (+4) Saturday 3:30 PM ACCN
ACC Guru: Wake Forest continues to not get any respect from Vegas or the computer models. They are a DESERVING top-ten team in the country. Dave Clawson does a great job of getting his team to ignore this, and they just keep rolling off wins. Louisville has played better they last 2 weeks, but I don’t think they can keep up with Wake’s offense. The Deacs are 6-1 ATS this year, and they’ll add another one to the win column on Saturday.
Woodrow's Winners: Wake Forest -4
Pitt at North Carolina (-3) Saturday 8 PM ACCN
ACC Guru: Pitt looks broken. If it weren’t for Abanikanda’s career day against Virginia Tech, they would have lost 3 straight games. North Carolina looks like they’re easily the best team in the Coastal, even with their defense, and Drake Maye might be the ACC POY, not just rookie of the year. Pitt may be able to put up enough points to keep it close, but I’m ultimately giving the edge to the home team.
Woodrow's Winners: North Carolina -3
Power Rankings
1) Clemson 8-0 (6-0)
Last Week: W 27-21 vs Syracuse
This Week: Bye
2) Wake Forest 6-1 (2-1)
Last Week: W 43-15 vs Boston College
This Week: @ Louisville
3) Syracuse 6-1 (3-1)
Last Week: L 21-27 @ Clemson
This Week: vs Notre Dame
4) Florida State 4-3 (2-3)
Last Week: Bye
This Week: vs Georgia Tech
5) North Carolina 6-1 (3-0)
Last Week: Bye
This Week: vs Pitt
6) NC State 5-2 (1-2)
Last Week: Bye
This Week: vs Virginia Tech
7) Louisville 4-3 (2-3)
Last Week: W 24-10 vs Pitt
This Week: vs Wake Forest
8) Duke 5-3 (2-2)
Last Week: W 45-21 @ Miami
This Week: Bye
9) Pitt 4-3 (1-2)
Last Week: L 10-24 @ Louisville
This Week: @ North Carolina
10) Miami 3-4 (1-2)
Last Week: L 21-45 vs Duke
This Week: @ Virginia
11) Virginia 3-4 (1-3)
Last Week: W 16-9 @ Georgia Tech
This Week: vs Miami
12) Georgia Tech 3-4 (2-2)
Last Week: L 9-16 vs Virginia
This Week: @ Florida State
13) Virginia Tech 2-5 (1-3)
Last Week: Bye
This Week: @ NC State
14) Boston College 2-5 (1-4)
Last Week: L 15-43 @ Wake Forest
This Week: @ UConn