It's time to give the ACC some well-deserved credit entering Week 8 of the college football season.
This conference hasn't gotten much love in recent years, and that was probably warranted, but the conference has shown plenty of improvement in 2022.
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The ACC entered Week 8 with five teams ranked in the latest AP Top 25 poll, including three top 15 teams in No. 5 Clemson, No. 13 Wake Forest and No. 14 Syracuse. All three of those schools are in action this weekend.
We started the year with a fake $1000 budget and have made 22 picks against the spread in seven weeks. After going 0-3 in Week 7, our budget now sits at $1,225 entering Saturday.
Here are our three picks for Week 8 (All spreads via PointsBet).
Season record: 12-10
NCAAF
No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson
Wager: $50
Pick: Syracuse +14
Not many people would've predicted Syracuse would be a top 15 team and undefeated by the time this showdown with Clemson rolled around.
You have to give the Orange a ton of credit for their 6-0 start to the season, but their schedule has been pretty weak. The only quality win Syracuse has earned came last week against N.C. State. Syracuse won 24-9 but the Wolfpack were without star quarterback Devin Leary due to injury.
That said, Clemson hasn't been very impressive at times this season, especially offensively. The Tigers beat Florida State by just six points last week and their 31-3 victory at Boston College two weeks ago wasn't as good as the lopsided score would indicate.
Clemson should still win this game, but doing so by more than two touchdowns seems pretty unlikely. Syracuse also is 5-1 against the spread (ATS) this season and 4-1 ATS in its last five games against Clemson. The Orange won't be afraid of Clemson, even on the road.
No. 20 Texas at No. 11 Oklahoma State
Wager: $50
Pick: Oklahoma State +6
Oklahoma State getting six points at home, where they have won 12 consecutive games in front of a raucous crowd, is bulletin board-worthy material for head coach Mike Gundy. The Cowboys have one of the nation's best offenses and rank No. 4 in scoring at 45.3 points per game. Oklahoma State's only loss came at No. 8 TCU on the road in a 43-40 overtime thriller last week.
Texas followed up its 49-0 demolition of rival Oklahoma with a 24-21 victory over Iowa State last week. The Longhorns' next three games are against ranked teams -- Oklahoma State, Kansas State and TCU.
Texas is 2-5 ATS and straight up in its last seven games versus Oklahoma State. The Longhorns also are 1-5 ATS in their last six road matchups overall. Texas has lost four consecutive games against ranked teams, with its last such win coming in the 2021 season opener versus Louisiana.
This game should be high scoring and close. We give the edge to the Cowboys because they are a better team overall and underdogs at home. Oklahoma State also has more experience playing big games late in the season.
Boston College at No. 13 Wake Forest
Wager: $50
Pick: Wake Forest -20.5
Boston College has played two good teams -- Florida State and Clemson -- over the last three weeks. The Eagles lost those matchups by a combined score of 75-17. Wake Forest is better than Florida State and nearly upset Clemson in double overtime a few weeks ago.
Demon Deacons quarterback Sam Hartman is a phenomenal player. He's completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 1,442 yards with 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Hartman shouldn't have too much trouble against a BC defense allowing 29 points per game -- the second-most among ACC teams. Wake Forest is 14th in FBS at 41.2 points scored per game.
BC is 1-5 ATS this season, while Wake Forest has covered in five of its six games. The Demon Deacons have won 12 of their last 13 home games, too.