College football 2021: Predictions for Power Five, plus AAC, title games

ACC Championship Game

Matchup: No. 16 Wake Forest (10-2) vs. No. 15 Pittsburgh (10-2)
Time/TV: Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC
Location: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.)
Spread: Pitt -3

This might turn out to be the most entertaining game of the entire weekend. And believe it or not, it has the least amount of stakes for the College Football Playoff.

But that’s how fun to watch these teams are. Both of these teams already have two losses and neither will be getting a shot at the playoff. So this ACC title is simply for bragging rights in the conference. At least it’s somebody new this year in the ACC and not just Clemson like it has been the past several years. So I know I’m looking forward to the game.

If you like offense, then you came to the right place for this one. This game features two of the most high-powered offenses in the country. It also features two of the worst defenses. So expect there to be a lot of points in this one. The over/under for this game is currently at 71. I would hammer the over if I was placing any bets. I cannot imagine this game going under that marker. I honestly expect both teams to score over 40 points and could very well get close to 100 total points between the two.

The passing offenses will be the most fun thing to watch, in my opinion. This game features two outstanding quarterbacks as well as multiple future NFL receivers.

Wake Forest has Sam Hartman under center who has been phenomenal all season long. He struggles with his accuracy at times but can throw the deep ball very well. It helps that he has weapons such as A.T. Perry and Jaquarri Roberson who both have over 1,000 receiving yards on the year.

For Pittsburgh, they have one of the best quarterbacks in the entire nation in Kenny Pickett. He has come out of nowhere this season and improved his play immensely. He will likely finish top five in the Heisman voting given his consistent stellar play all year long. I believe Pickett has more to play for than Hartman in this game. He is still vying for the Heisman Trophy and more importantly is looking to solidify himself as a first-round pick. He could very likely be the first quarterback taken off the board next April if he plays well to end the season. That is why I expect Pittsburgh to win.

I think they’ve been more consistent this season and have a slightly better defense than the Demon Deacons. It will be a very high-scoring shootout, but I predict that the Panthers will prevail in a close one.

My prediction: Pittsburgh wins 49-47