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2021 ACC Football Preview & Betting Predictions

August 17, 2021
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The 2021 ACC schedule will open in Blacksburg, Virginia at Virginia Tech University where the Hokies will host the North Carolina Tar Heels. That’s a big game right out of the gate for North Carolina and Virginia Tech. It’s especially true for the Tar Heels who should have a pretty good team this season.

Anything less than going to the ACC Championship Game is going to be a failure for North Carolina. This isn’t going to be a cakewalk to the ACC Championship, and then if they do get there, a very large challenge likely awaits them from the ACC Atlantic. The Clemson Tigers are the clear favorites to win the ACC despite losing Trevor Lawrence to the NFL.

Clemson are the defending ACC Champions with a 34-10 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame? If you missed it last season, Notre Dame joined the ACC for a year because of COVID. Their scheduling wasn’t going to work out playing as an independent. The ACC let them join, and now hope to welcome them permanently in the future.

Notre Dame only joined the ACC out of desperation. I don’t know if they’re enthused about the idea of joining the ACC full time. Who knows with conference realignments what the ACC is going to look like in ten or even five years. Maybe it’s best that the Fighting Irish stay out of the conference picture.

The Tigers should have a clear path to the ACC Championship, but the ACC Coastal is a little less clear. The Tar Heels have talent, but so do the Miami Hurricanes, and to a lesser extent, Virginia Tech might have something to offer. The Hokies will have to catch some breaks along the way, but you never know with injuries. Let’s take a look back at what transpired in 2020.

2020 Quick Season Recap

There isn’t too much to go over last season in the ACC. Everything that happened went as expected. Clemson cut through the competition pretty easily and deserved to win the ACC Championship. They finished the season at 10-2 in a tie with the Fighting Irish at the top of the standings.

Clemson lost in a wild one in overtime against Notre Dame in the regular season without Trevor Lawrence in the saddle. It wouldn’t have mattered with the defense playing so poorly, though. The game went to overtime and the Fighting Irish outlasted Clemson, 47-40.

The Tigers were able to fix their mistakes from the first meeting and put the clamps on the Notre Dame offense. They weren’t able to breathe off the line in that one. Notre Dame quarterback, Ian Book, rushed for -35 yards on 10 attempts. Leading Irish runner, Kyren Williams, gained just 50 yards on 3.3 yards per carry.

Behind Clemson and Notre Dame, there were a lot of average teams in the ACC. NC State and UNC both finished at 8-4, while Miami was lurking with a record of 8-3. With Notre Dame gone, North Carolina and Miami move closer to the spotlight.

ACC Coastal Preview and Prediction

The ACC Coastal is likely going to be a race between North Carolina and Miami. Virginia Tech might be able to surprise, but I’m not so certain that they’re on North Carolina and Miami’s level. That said, the Hokies have the Tar Heels at home in the season opener in a hostile environment in Blacksburg.

That could be an opening week trap for North Carolina on the road. If they don’t come prepared, that could turn into a trickier game than it should be for the Tar Heels. North Carolina are currently -5.5 favorites over Virginia Tech, so oddsmakers are expecting the final score to finish within a touchdown. They don’t face Clemson in the regular season. In other words, a win against Virginia Tech could pave a nice path for the rest of the schedule.

North Carolina might have the best quarterback in the conference going into the season. Sam Howell could develop into a dark horse Heisman Trophy contender in 2021. North Carolina is going to have to do everything right, along with probably beating Clemson and winning the ACC. However, Howell would be in serious Heisman talks if he can lead the Tar Heels to that point.

If Howell was with the Oklahoma Sooners, he would probably be a top Heisman contender and not an outsider. Howell would put up big numbers in the Sooners’ offense against Big 12 defenses. The 20-year-old junior passed for 30 touchdowns and 7 interceptions as a sophomore. This coming off 38 touchdowns and 7 interceptions as a freshman in a normal season.

North Carolina returns all of its offensive line. Howell and the running backs will be working with a familiar unit up front. The defense should hold up well for the Tar Heels as well. They return talent in the secondary and should have one of the better units in college football. Storm Duck is back after missing ten games last season. As a freshman in 2019, he was one of the better players on the defense. Tony Grimes and Kyler McMichael should produce as well.

The Hurricanes could be the team that spoils the party for the Tar Heels. Miami brings back D’Eriq King at quarterback, which is going to make this team a dangerous offense. King is a dynamic quarterback that can get it done with his arm and legs. He may not be Kyler Murray, but King has the talent to succeed in the ACC. The former Houston Cougar passed for 23 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on 64.1% passing last year. He also rushed for 538 yards and an additional 4 touchdowns on the ground.

King suffered an ACL injury and had to undergo surgery in the offseason. For a quarterback that plays like him on his legs, this could be a concern. A defense that lost a lot of talent to the NFL and graduations is a big question mark too. They had three defensive ends go to the league in this recent draft. North Carolina should be more fundamentally sound defensively, hence why I lean with the Tar Heels in the ACC Coastal. A big challenge awaits Miami in Week 1, with a monster challenge against Alabama.

ACC Atlantic Preview and Prediction

I feel more strongly about the direction of the ACC Atlantic than any other division in college. This is going to be a division for Clemson to win. There is no doubt that the Tigers should be able to clear this field with ease.

While Clemson loses Trevor Lawrence, they insert a fully capable quarterback in D.J. Uiagalelei. This also isn’t a case of Clemson going with a guy that doesn’t have any experience. Lawrence was out for some time with COVID last year, so Uiagalelei had a great opportunity to step up in his absence. Uiagalelei received valuable experience last year for the Tigers.

It seemed like a negative at the time, but the fact he saw the field in a big game worked out for developing him for 2021. Uiagalelei passed for 439 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead Clemson to 40 points in a 47-40 loss against the Fighting Irish in the regular season. That was a big game in primetime under the lights, but Uiagalelei handled the spotlight well. Expect him to target ultra talented receiver Justyn Ross early and often. The two should combine for a big season to put Uiagalelei as an outside Heisman contender.

Workhorse running back Travis Etienne is in the NFL with Lawrence. Their offensive line had issues at times last season, and the absence of Etienne should hurt if they can’t shore up the line. There is no clear No. 1 running back, with Clemson likely going running back by committee to open the season. I’m not falling in love with Clemson to win the National Championship, but who is going to stop them in the ACC Atlantic? Even if Uiagalelei struggles, the Clemson defense is going to shine again. I can’t remember the last year this defense hasn’t been elite.

There is little resistance for Clemson in this division. I think if anyone pulls off a shocking upset it’s going to be the Louisville Cardinals. 22-year-old Malik Cunningham is an intriguing quarterback this season. He has talent, but I’ve been waiting for him to really take off in his career. Interceptions have been a problem for him. Cunningham threw for 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 64.1% completions last year.

He also gained 609 yards on the ground with 7 rushing touchdowns. Lamar Jackson he is not, but if Cunningham can take care of the ball better, maybe Louisville surprises some folks. However, I’m not so high on the Cardinals’ defense. After allowing fewer than 200 passing yards per game a season ago, the best in the ACC, they lose three starters in the secondary. It’s tough to go with anyone but Clemson in the ACC Atlantic.

ACC Final Verdict and Prediction

Clemson are the overwhelming favorites to win the ACC Championship to the surprise of no one. You have to drink a whole jug of juice if you want a Clemson ticket. BetOnline currently has Clemson at -600 to win the ACC. Money will continue to pour in on the Tigers despite little value with that price. No doubt that the Tigers are going to be a good team, but I do believe that North Carolina can be a dark horse this season.

With Sam Howell and what should be a stiff Tar Heels’ defense, this should be a well-rounded team with no glaring holes. Their offensive line situation is better than Clemson, who are without their two biggest offensive contributors from last. Uiagalelei will put up numbers, but Howell is an experienced quarterback that is going to get looks from NFL teams that finish at the bottom of the league in 2021. Howell is a top-10 selection with the potential for top-5 with a strong season. I will take a chance on North Carolina to pull off the upset in the ACC.

ACC Championship Odds
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