The Crippler's Take on the Atlantic Coast Conference





The Crippler's Weekly Predictions and Previews of
Atlantic Coast Conference Football Games

Once the season starts, this page will have a detailed analysis and prediction for every game involving an ACC team so check back every week.
Predictions will be updated on Thursday afternoons


NOTE: Predictions are done based on the home team so inter-conference games, such as Clemson/South Carolina will only appear on the SEC Prediction page since USC is the home team but Vandy/Duke is on the ACC page because the game is at Duke.
Crippler's Prediction Results

ACC Straight-Up 32-15
ACC Spread 25-15-1
Overall Straight-Up 88-31
Overall Spread 57-52-1


GAMES FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 17


Maryland (-3) at North Carolina State
The Terps are in the driver's seat for the ACC Title and with a win this weekend, Maryland will become the first team to dethrone FSU since the Noles joined the conference. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to the 2001 ACC Champions...the Maryland Terrapins. Congratulations Ralph Friedgen and the entire staff. Quite an accomplishment for a team picked near the bottom of the conference. N.C. State could put up a fight considering the game is in Raleigh but Maryland will be focussed and ready to go.
The Crippler picks MARYLAND 31, N.C. STATE 24

Virginia Tech (-15) at Virginia
The Hokies and Cavaliers resume their rivalry this weekend. It wasn't too long ago that UVa owned this rivalry but in recent memory, VT has dominated. Well, the recent trend will continue this weekend. The Hokies have come back to earth recently from college football's elite but they are still good enough to beat the Cavs and once again, get to the Gator Bowl.
The Crippler picks VIRGINIA TECH 24, VIRGINIA 10

Georgia Tech (-7.5) at Wake Forest
Not sure what to think about this game. These two teams are so streaky that it's pretty much a toss-up. If both teams play their best, the Jackets win easily but GT hasn't played their best much this year and they have a tendency to fall asleep during some of their games and before they know it, they've lost. (see last week against Virginia). In any case, home field will not factor in at all as Wake's field is hardly intimidating. In a close one, I see the Jackets pulling it out.
The Crippler picks GEORGIA TECH 24, WAKE FOREST 17

Duke at North Carolina (-27.5)
Tobacco Road rivals square off in Chapel Hill this weekend. Okay, so no one cares about this rivalry until basketball but it's still an important game for the Heels, who need to win to keep bowl hopes alive and Duke is still trying to snap the nation's longest losing streak. Sorry, Dukies, won't happen this week. UNC is much better and will win this game going away but take heart Devil fans, the season kicks off in less than a week for your beloved basketball team. I wonder if Coach K can get a lifetime contract to coach football too??? hmm....
The Crippler picks NORTH CAROLINA 35, DUKE 10


GAMES FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10


North Carolina State at Florida State (-18)
I've got bad news for the rest of the ACC, the Seminoles are rolling. Any hopes of someone else in the ACC displacing FSU as league champ are slowly fading away. Maryland had their chance...didn't happen. Clemson had their chance...who's your daddy Tommy? The Wolfpack get their shot this weekend in Tallahassee. Sorry, Pack, but Bobby Bowden names his score in this one and FSU inches that much closer to yet another FSU title.
The Crippler picks FLORIDA STATE 44, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 14

Georgia Tech (-14) at Virginia
Has Tech finally found themselves after an impressive win over UNC last week? Well, probably not, but they are still good enough to beat the lowly Cavs, who actually lost to Wake Forest last week and are firmly entrenched in 8th place in the ACC (thank God for Duke!!!). Tech has more talent than UVa and shouldn't have much of a problem.
The Crippler picks GEORGIA TECH 34, VIRGINIA 17

Wake Forest at North Carolina (-14)
With four losses, UNC now finds themselves fighting for their bowl lives in Chapel Hill this week against Wake. The Deacs showed some promise in beating Virginia last week but UVa doesn't have anywhere near the team that the Tarheels do. I dont think UNC blows Wake out but they win comfortably. Wake will have all kinds of trouble moving the ball on UNC's defense, which I expect to set up a couple of TDs for the Heels.
The Crippler picks NORTH CAROLINA 24, WAKE FOREST 14

Clemson at Maryland (-7)
It's getting down to critical time for Tommy Bowden's Tigers. It already hasn't been the season that many Tiger fans wanted and the next two tames don't get any easier. The Terps, on the other hand, are still having a dream season despite the loss in Tallahassee last week. They are in prime position for a good bowl berth and can still win the ACC with an FSU slip-up. Byrd Stadium in College Park will be sold out for the first time in God-only-knows-how-long and it should be a football atmosphere, something that has been lacking at Maryland for a long time. With Clemson's defense being so poor, I just can't see them winning in College Park. Face it, Tiger fans, the team is just not that good this year and Maryland is very good. Expect that 8 game Clemson winning streak over Maryland to end this Saturday.
The Crippler picks MARYLAND 28, CLEMSON 23


GAMES FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 3


North Carolina at Georgia Tech (-3.5)
The Jackets and Heels get together in Atlanta on Thursday in a huge game for ACC standings. UNC has only 1 conference loss and is in position to make a run at a good bowl game. Georgia Tech has been somewhat of a disappointment but they are still a very talented team. The oddsmakers have GT favored, which is surprising. I see UNC's defense dominating the game as usual and Godsey and company struggling to move the ball.
The Crippler picks NORTH CAROLINA 20, GEORGIA TECH 14

Troy State at Maryland (-23)
Ralph Friedgen gets his first chance to show how he can coach after a loss. How will the Terps respond? Well, they know they still control their own destiny. If they win out, they win the ACC. Troy State has shown the ability to play with the big boys but I don't think they can hang with Maryland.
The Crippler picks MARYLAND 45, TROY STATE 17

North Carolina State (-17) at Duke
The Wolfpack and Blue Devils get together on Tobacco Road this week. This game is in Durham but there is no such thing as a home crowd for Duke. NCSU needs to win this game if they hope to get into a minor bowl. Duke lost the Academic Bowl last week to Vanderbilt, extending their losing streak, and I don't expect this week to be any different for the Devils.
The Crippler picks NC STATE 45, DUKE 20

Wake Forest at Virginia (-3)
The Deacons and Cavaliers get together in Charlottesville this week in a game that really has little bearing on the ACC standings or any bowl considerations. Anyway, pride is at stake for both teams. Virginia is a very streaky team. Not much was expected of them but they played above their heads in a few games but have looked awful in a few others. Wake, on the other hand, has been pretty consistent all year. Not quite good enough to challenge or win big games but good enough to be competitive and show alot of promise. This game is pretty even so the advantage goes to the hometeam.
The Crippler picks VIRGINIA 21, WAKE FOREST 17

Florida State (-8) at Clemson
Bowden Bowl III is in Death Valley this weekend. That's bad news for Clemson as they seem to play much worse in Clemson than they do on the road. One reason for this, as pointed out by several players, is because the home fans boo the team and get down on them too quickly. If that happens this week, then look for a huge rout. Papa Bowden will have an opportunity to make a statement this week. Clemson still has a mathematical shot to win the conference. Well, that will be gone after this week. Daddy sends another message to Junior and keeps the possibility of extending the Noles streak of ACC Titles alive.
The Crippler picks FLORIDA STATE 31, CLEMSON 17


GAMES FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 27


Virginia at North Carolina State (-7)
Pride and just about any chance of a bowl is on the line for both of these teams in Raleigh this weekend. UVa has been up and down all year with no consistency while the Wolfpack have not shown the promise everyone thought they had coming into the season. I look for Philip Rivers to throw, throw and throw some more and I can't see Virginia's offense keeping pace. It will be a close one for sure but I think the Pack pulls it out.
The Crippler picks NC STATE 20, VIRGINIA 14

Vanderbilt (-7.5) at Duke
Conference cellar-dwellers meet in Durham this week as the ACC's worst meets the SEC's worst. Okay, honestly, who really cares who wins this game? There won't be anymore than 10-15,000 people in the stands and that is a generous estimate. Basically, nothing is at stake except maybe a little conference bragging rights (a very little!) and the SEC is the better conference so go with the Commodores in this one.
The Crippler picks VANDERBILT 20, DUKE 10

Clemson (-8) at Wake Forest
Well, how will Clemson respond to the thrashing they received last week against the Tarheels? That is the biggest question of this game. Clemson will score some points. Wake's defense is not nearly as good as UNC and Woody Dantzler will not be held out of the endzone two weeks in a row but Wake will score too as Clemson's defense hasn't proven it can stop anyone this year. If Clemson can rebound and put last week's game behind them, they can win easily. If that game still lingers on their minds, then Wake will be in it all day, which would be bad news for the Tigers. I think Clemson wins but not nearly as easily as they would like.
The Crippler picks CLEMSON 31, WAKE FOREST 20

Maryland at Florida State (-7.5)
The Terps and Noles battle in Tallahassee this weekend in a game that most people thought would have an ACC leader playing...the difference is that ACC leader is NOT the Seminoles. This game has now become a must-win game for FSU if they hope to keep their stranglehold on the ACC title. If Maryland wins this game, it will have all but locked up the ACC crown. I'm not sure Maryland is ready for this type of game, especially in Tallahassee but then again, I never expected Maryland to be unbeaten this far into the season. I think the Seminoles finally settle on some stability at the QB position and dash Cinderella's slipper, at least for the time being.
The Crippler picks FLORIDA STATE 24, MARYLAND 14


GAMES FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 20


North Carolina at Clemson (-7)
The red hot North Carolina Tarheels, on the heels of a four-game winning streak travel to Clemson to take on Tommy Bowden's Tigers. These two teams could not be more polar opposites. UNC likes to beat you with their tenacious defense, led by defensive ends Julius Peppers and Ryan Sims but they will not flat out outscore opponents. Clemson, on the other hand, foregoes playing any defense and beats opponents by racking up 40+ points every week. If UNC can keep Woody Dantzler from scrambling and making big runs, then UNC will win this game. Woody cannot beat UNC if he is forced to be a pocket-passer. UNC's DEs like to rush the QB and they will need to try to stay in position and keep Woody contained for them to have a chance. I just can't see it happening but UNC will give Clemson all it wants on the Tigers' Homecoming.
The Crippler picks CLEMSON 28, NORTH CAROLINA 24

Duke at Maryland (-25)
The lowly Blue Devils travel North to take on the surprising Terps. Maryland is all alone at the top of the ACC ladder right now, much to everyone's surprise. Ralph Friedgen has everyone in College Park believing big things are happening with the football program but they must avoid a letdown after an emotional overtime victory in Atlanta last week. Okay, I'll be serious for a minute. It doesn't matter one bit if Maryland has a letdown. They will still kill Duke.
The Crippler picks MARYLAND 41, DUKE 14

North Carolina State at Georgia Tech (-12.5)
The Wolfpack and Yellowjackets meet this week in a desperation game for both teams. Both had lofty goals coming into the season and neither has lived up to them as of yet and neither can afford another loss right now. This fact should make for a very interesting game in Atlanta and I expect another wide-open shootout that these two teams have been accustomed too. Philip Rivers and George Godsey should both have big days and I think this game will come down to which defense makes a big play late in the game to preserve the win. The game is in Atlanta so I give the edge to Tech.
The Crippler picks GEORGIA TECH 35, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 28

Florida State (-12) at Virginia
The Seminoles get back into conference action this week as they travel to Charlottesville. The Noles took a beating last week at home against Miami and FSU fans must now admit the fact that they are just not that good this year. *gasp* If FSU was to lose this week, it would mark the first time since God-only-knows when that FSU was not ranked at all. Not likely. UVa has lost two in a row and does not have anyone to matchup with FSU this year, even though FSU has come back down to the middle of the ACC pack.
The Crippler picks FLORIDA STATE 28, VIRGINIA 14



ACC ARCHIVES
Here are archived links to the Crippler's preseason preview as well as previous week's predictions


Crippler's Preseason Preview

Crippler's Archived Weekly Predictions for August 25 - October 13


Jump straight to The Crippler's SEC Previews


To The Crippler's NCAA Football Page


Note: All pointspreads are taken from USA Today and are a combination of all the major Las Vegas Casino odds. They are provided for entertainment purposes only and not meant to be used a tool for gambling.