This year in the ACC for college football, it’s been all about the Atlantic Division. They have four ranked teams which are Clemson at 4, Wake Forest at 14, North Carolina State at 15, and Syracuse at 18. There are only two teams in the conference that are undefeated, The Clemson Tigers and the Syracuse Orange.
In the Coastal division, North Carolina has an opportunity to essentially secure a ticket to the ACC Championship Game after beating Duke and playing Pitt this week. The only teams close to them in terms of record (Duke is 4-3, Pitt is 4-2, and UNC is 6-1).
Teams like Clemson, North Carolina, and Wake Forest have won with explosive offensive production, while Syracuse has been able to win with their dominant defense. That defense has helped them stay near the top of the division in an all-out five team race between them, Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest.
It’s going to be wild second half! Here’s where the odds to win the ACC stand nearly halfway through the season according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Clemson (-310)
They haven’t been as dominant as Georgia or Ohio State this year, but they’ve played about as well as Bama has. They had one close call against Wake Forest, but otherwise they’ve been perfect.
Clemson clearly has the best shot at winning the ACC Championship, but they still need to prove that they can beat ranked teams—they’ve played two so far.
Wake Forest nearly beat them ranked 21 and North Carolina State made it only a 10-point game while ranked 10th.
Nevertheless, D.J. Uiagalelei seems to be having his breakout year, and I think he’s going to cap it off by winning the conference.
North Carolina (+700)
North Carolina may not have Sam Howell anymore, but they are still the odds-on favorite to win the Coastal division and make it to the championship game. This is thanks to a great 1st half by new QB Drake Maye who leads the conference in nearly every statistical category.
Elite level quarterback play from Maye could make this a good bet. We already know that they will likely be in the championship game, but if Maye continues his dominance, I don’t think there is any team they couldn’t beat… including Clemson.
Syracuse (+1600)
Syracuse has been the surprise of the season in the ACC. Between their dominant defense which has only given up 14 points per game, and Sean Tucker who has 842 total yards and 7 total touchdowns as their workhorse running back.
The real test for them will be in the second half as they play the other three ranked ACC teams including the Tigers in a game that could decide who wins the Atlantic division.
For as good as the Orange has looked this season, it’s all been against unranked opponents. I don’t think this team, and especially this defense will be able to replicate their successes in the second half of the season.
Pitt (+2000)
Much like North Carolina, the Pitt Panthers are trying to compensate for the loss of a cornerstone QB who drove their offense. Unlike North Carolina, Pitt doesn’t have Drake Maye to fall back on, and USC transfer Kedon Slovis is not doing them any favors.
Look, Pitt already has two losses, another one and they are basically out of this race. They are about to go on a two week stretch where they play North Carolina and then Syracuse, between those two games they are bound to lose one of them. I just don’t like their chances if they get to three losses and I think that will inevitably happen.
Wake Forest (+3000)
Wake Forest nearly beat the Clemson Tigers and have been able to handily win against everyone else they’ve played. If Wake Forest was in the Coastal division or if they played Clemson twice a year, the odds of them winning would skyrocket.
Unfortunately for them, they are not in the driver’s seat. If either Clemson or Syracuse remain undefeated Wake would be out, and in terms of Clemson they would need to lose two games for Wake to make the championships.
It’s just not great odds, and even if it does happen, Wake Forest would still need to win the rest of their games, it’s just too much to come back from.
Miami (+3000)
The Competition in the ACC, even in the Coastal division is way too high to assume you can make it to the championship game with three losses, even after defeating Virginia Tech last week. Miami already has three losses, and they still have half a season yet to play.
They would need a literal miracle to win the ACC championship at this point. Stay away from this bet.
North Carolina State (+4000)
North Carolina is in nearly the identical spot that Wake Forest is in. NC State is 5-2 while Wake Forest is 5-1, with both having narrow losses against Clemson.
This means NCST needs to win out the rest of the season after losing to Syracus last week. This includes beating Wake Forest in early November and hope for two Clemson losses.
Like I said with Wake Forest, I just think that’s not going to happen.
Wrapping it Up
This looks like a one-dog race. Clemson is the heavy favorite to win the ACC this year, but they deserve to be. Most sportsbooks offering with CFB bets offer futures on the ACC Championship. If you’re looking to get in on the action, Clemson is your best bet.
