by Scott Rickenbach
Monday, May 31, 2021ACC Atlantic Division:
Boston College – Middle of the pack team could finish at .500 or slightly above. This team strong offensively and has come a long way in the passing game. But their defense is still rebuilding in terms of schemes and personnel. Keep your eye on potential value with overs in their games.
Clemson – Class of the ACC as per usual and a great shot at an undefeated regular season. Very tough opener against Georgia but if they can get past that it will be a great shot at perfection through November. Lost some great players of course but this program just at another level. Everyone knows this of course so will be hard to find betting value in their games.
Florida State – Middle of the pack team could finish at .500 or slightly below. The Seminoles are rebuilding talent level here because frequent coaching changes – last season was Norvell’s first – means that getting the right talent to match the schemes has been difficult. I expect the offense to be okay but the defense is definitely the heart of the rebuild so this is another team where we could see some potential value with overs in their games.
Louisville – Middle of the pack team could finish at .500 or slightly above. Coach Satterfield trying to get the right players for his schemes but this is still a work in process. It is a bad sign how this team regressed last season compared to his first season at the helm in 2019 but this team should bounce back a little. I like their defense a bit but do not trust this offense and this could be a team to keep an eye on for unders as a result.
NC State – The biggest problem for the Wolfpack is they play in the same division of this conference as Clemson! This team likely to finish 2nd in the division. If they get strong play at the QB position this team can again score plenty of points. On defense they must get better, against the run in particular, though another concern I have here is that their schedule was rather easy last season. This year they have Clemson on their schedule.
Syracuse – This team very likely to be at the very bottom of the standings. The Orange were so bad statistically on both sides of the ball and I just don’t see signs of any great improvement when you think about the competition level they face in the ACC. Also, the offensive line continues to be a concern for this program and so many keys to level of play begin in the trenches.
Wake Forest – Middle of the pack team could finish at .500 or slightly below. This team has a solid offense but a questionable defense (again) so this could be another program to watch for plenty of overs in their games. The Demon Deacons have good depth and experience with this year’s team and could continuity with Clawson at the helm. It all adds up to improvement if they could just be better defensively. The trouble too is the latter part of the schedule is tough so even a solid performance early on could become derailed as the season goes on.
Boston College – Middle of the pack team could finish at .500 or slightly above. This team strong offensively and has come a long way in the passing game. But their defense is still rebuilding in terms of schemes and personnel. Keep your eye on potential value with overs in their games.
Clemson – Class of the ACC as per usual and a great shot at an undefeated regular season. Very tough opener against Georgia but if they can get past that it will be a great shot at perfection through November. Lost some great players of course but this program just at another level. Everyone knows this of course so will be hard to find betting value in their games.
Florida State – Middle of the pack team could finish at .500 or slightly below. The Seminoles are rebuilding talent level here because frequent coaching changes – last season was Norvell’s first – means that getting the right talent to match the schemes has been difficult. I expect the offense to be okay but the defense is definitely the heart of the rebuild so this is another team where we could see some potential value with overs in their games.
Louisville – Middle of the pack team could finish at .500 or slightly above. Coach Satterfield trying to get the right players for his schemes but this is still a work in process. It is a bad sign how this team regressed last season compared to his first season at the helm in 2019 but this team should bounce back a little. I like their defense a bit but do not trust this offense and this could be a team to keep an eye on for unders as a result.
NC State – The biggest problem for the Wolfpack is they play in the same division of this conference as Clemson! This team likely to finish 2nd in the division. If they get strong play at the QB position this team can again score plenty of points. On defense they must get better, against the run in particular, though another concern I have here is that their schedule was rather easy last season. This year they have Clemson on their schedule.
Syracuse – This team very likely to be at the very bottom of the standings. The Orange were so bad statistically on both sides of the ball and I just don’t see signs of any great improvement when you think about the competition level they face in the ACC. Also, the offensive line continues to be a concern for this program and so many keys to level of play begin in the trenches.
Wake Forest – Middle of the pack team could finish at .500 or slightly below. This team has a solid offense but a questionable defense (again) so this could be another program to watch for plenty of overs in their games. The Demon Deacons have good depth and experience with this year’s team and could continuity with Clawson at the helm. It all adds up to improvement if they could just be better defensively. The trouble too is the latter part of the schedule is tough so even a solid performance early on could become derailed as the season goes on.
