ACC Football News & Notes: One Spot Left to Claim for Title Game

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We hope that all of you had a great Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the final weekend of regular season games in the ACC.

Congrats to the Pittsburgh Panthers (9-2, 6-1) for winning the Coastal Division and punching their ticket to the championship game. The 48-38 win last weekend over Virginia gave the Panthers their second Coastal title in the last four years. What they do not know is who will be the team they will face on that first Saturday night in December. That is because the Atlantic Division is still undecided thanks to Clemson’s win over Wake Forest last Saturday. Here is what’s left to be played for this coming Saturday in the league.

The Demons Deacons (9-2, 6-1) finish their regular season on the road at Boston College (6-5, 2-5). Wake must defeat the Eagles this Saturday to win the division and claim a spot in the ACC title game. The Eagles lead the all-time series between the two at 14-11-2. However, the last ten meetings that have taken place at Chestnut Hill have been split between the two teams. In ACC play, Boston College holds a 9-6 edge. Games between these two have become close contests since 2014. This game could come down to which defense can keep the other team’s QB under control. Wake’s Sam Hartman has some impressive numbers in the passing game (235- 391, 36 TD’s and 9 INT’s). He’s averaged 315 yards a game. The Demon Deacons average 47 points per game and have scored 474 for the season. Boston College scores 28 points per game and 286 for the year. Their defense is rated fourth in the league with 338 yards a game allowed. They are the third best scoring defense at 20 points per game. Noon time kickoff is scheduled for Alumni Stadium.

Before that game takes place, North Carolina State (8-3, 5-2) will already know their fate. That’s because their game will take place on Friday with UNC (6-5, 3-4). The Wolfpaxk must win and hope that the Eagles do the same vs Wake. If that happens, it would create a three-way tie at 6-2 in the division. The good news for Wolfpack fans is that their team has won the last three games and nine of the last twelve between the two. Home field has been good for the Pack as well, having won their last nine games at home dating back to last season. The Tar Heels offense has been good under Mack Brown scoring at least 30 or more points 22 times over the last three seasons.

The Clemson Tigers will need lots of help if they are going to make their seventh straight trip to the ACC championship game. They will need both Wake Forest and North Carolina State to lose their games. The Tigers (8-3, 6-2) are done with league action. They finished their season on the road at South Carolina. Their win over Wake Forest last Saturday did two things for the program. First, they improved to 58-5 vs league teams. Second, it marks the eleventh straight regular season that the Tigers finished with at least six wins in conference play.

Syracuse (5-6, 2-5) has one more shot to become bowl eligible this Saturday. They must head to Pittsburgh and beat the Panthers to join the group that made the bowl season. The Orange will take with them a two-game losing streak. They will also be trying to snap a three-game losing streak to Pitt. Six of the last nine meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less or in overtime. Last year’s game saw the Pittsburgh defense limited Syracuse to 171 total yards in a 21-10 loss to the Panthers.

Next week we will look ahead to the championship game