Predicting ACC football scores in Week 5: Clemson hosts Miami in primetime game
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A third of the regular season is already in the books, and Week 5 is on the horizon. There are no ranked matchups this week in college football involving ACC teams, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any good games.
Pitt vs. Virginia Tech is a battle of unbeatens, and Clemson looks to prove it’s back when it hosts Miami for a primetime showdown.
Here’s how every ACC game could play out this weekend.
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Pitt vs. Virginia Tech
We have a battle of unbeaten teams, and both programs believe they should be ranked in the top 25. James Franklin has drastically turned around Virginia Tech, and the Hokies have the No. 2 scoring offense in the ACC.
The strength of Virginia Tech is its offense and the Hokies are led by Penn State transfer quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. And this will be the biggest test he has faced this season.
Pitt also has a star at the quarterback position, Mason Heintschel, who has thrown for 13 touchdowns and one interception this season, but it’s the Panthers’ defense that is strong. Pitt has the No. 1 ranked scoring defense in the ACC, giving up 8.5 points per game.
Final score: Virginia Tech 24, Pitt 21
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. North Carolina
North Carolina is lightning delay away from being 3-0, and possibly being ranked, heading into a home game against Notre Dame. But Bill Belichick’s program came out flat two weeks ago against Clemson when play resumed, and the Tigers walked away with a 28-20 win.
The bad thing for North Carolina is that Notre Dame is playing some really good football, and it starts with quarterback CJ Carr. He is completing over 70% of his passes this season, and Carr is playing turnover-free ball. Carr has thrown nine touchdown passes to just one interception this season.
North Carolina is improved and its defense has been able to get after the quarterback, but Notre Dame is just too talented and loaded for this Tar Heels’ team.
Final score: Notre Dame 34, North Carolina 14
No. 4 Miami vs. Clemson
Since its opening-week loss to LSU, Clemson has rattled off three wins in a row and the Tigers took down an explosive Cal team, 24-10, on the road last weekend. Running back Gideon Davidson has done a good job on the ground, and if Clemson has any chance in this game, Dabo Swinney will need another big outing out of him.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah is playing as well as any quarterback out there. He might not be as explosive as Mississippi State signal caller Kamario Taylor, but Mensah is as efficient as anyone. He leads the nation, completing 88.7% of his passes, and Mensah has so many talented playmakers.
Clemson might keep this game close for a quarterback, but the Hurricanes will pull away.
Final score: Miami 31, Clemson 17
The rest of the games will be quick-hitter style:
- No. 21 SMU 38, Boston College 14
- Wake Forest 34, Stanford 20
- Syracuse 27, UConn 24
- Cal 31, UNLV 27
- NC State 31, Louisville 30
- Virginia 34, Florida State 21
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