Expect Plenty Of Points In ACC Championship Game

Two of the nation’s highest-scoring offenses face off in Charlotte as Pittsburgh (10-2 SU, 9-3 ATS) takes on Wake Forest (10-2, 6-6). The Panthers have gone OVER the total in 15 of their last 20 games while the Demon Deacons have eclipsed the total in six of their last eight.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The total had gone up a couple of points by the time of writing Sunday night, and don’t be surprised to see it go up even more as kickoff approaches. Both of these teams have seen 83 or more points scored in two of their last four games.

Wake Forest News & Notes

The Demon Deacons have already accomplished a lot, winning 10 games for the first time since 2006 — which was also the first and only time they reached an ACC championship game. That means complacency could be a concern this week for coach Dave Clawson following last week’s satisfying 41-10 victory over Boston College that clinched the Atlantic Division crown.

“It was a great moment for Wake Forest and for our football team and the guys that have been here all year,” quarterback Sam Hartman told the Associated Press after throwing three touchdown passes and running for another against the Eagles.

Hartman has now thrown a touchdown pass in 15 straight games dating back to last season, although BC did hold him under 300 passing yards for just the second time in his last eight outings.

Wake Forest has scored at least 40 points in six of its last seven games and enters the postseason ranked third in the nation with an average of 42.9 points per outing. Unfortunately for the Demon Deacons, they often need to score that many points in order to win. Wake’s defense ranks 100th in yards allowed and has surrendered 40 points or more in four of its last six games.

Pittsburgh News & Notes

Quarterback Kenny Pickett threw his 40th touchdown pass in last week’s 31-14 victory at Syracuse, breaking Dan Marino’s school record for TD passes in a season. The senior has been remarkably consistent, throwing for at least two scores in every game and tossing four or more scoring strikes in five of his 12 outings.

The Panthers managed to keep their foot on the gas against the Orange despite having clinched the Coastal Division the previous week, covering the 11.5-point spread to move to 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS in their last nine.

Pitt’s elite run defense led the way, holding Syracuse’s conference-leading ground attack to just 25 yards and an average of 0.8 yards per carry. The lower-scoring affair was just the fifth time the Panthers have gone UNDER the total in their last 20 games.

See Odds Shark’s Best NCAAF Sites

How Wake Forest Will Cover

If the Demon Deacons are going to pull off the upset, it’s going to have to be on the arm of Hartman. Although Pittsburgh’s defense has excelled against the run, Wake’s star sophomore could enjoy a field day against a Panthers secondary that was 113th in the nation against the pass.

How Pittsburgh Will Cover

Some of the Panthers are making their second trip to the ACC final in four years, having been part of the 2018 team that was blown out by Clemson. Pitt’s defense is also more likely to get the key stop that could determine this game, holding opponents to an average of 23.3 points this season.

Computer Pick: Pittsburgh -3

Conference Championship weekend is upon us and you can see all our NCAAF predictions over at our college football computer picks page.