ACC Championship Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Pittsburgh Panthers Predictions, Picks, Odds

• When Wake Forest has the ball – Plenty of stars ot make this a game
• When Pittsburgh has the ball —  Welcome to the Kenny Pickett show
• X-factors to watch

Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Pittsburgh Panthers Odds

Odds presented by: DraftKings Sportsbook

 Wake Forest vs Pittsburgh Prediction and Picks

Just as we all suspected — Wake Forest taking on Pittsburgh in the ACC Championship game. Okay, maybe it wasn’t expected. Either way, there’s going to be a team winning the league for the first time ini a long time come Saturday. Some league championship games are looking as if they will be old-fashioned boxing matches, but this one appears as if it will be a new-age shootout. It’s the first to 50 who’s going to win this one, and we think the Panthers have the most trustworthy quarterback and that’s the difference in this one.

Pick:

 Pittsburgh to cover the spread (-110)

Garcia’s 2021 record: (21-20)

• Panthers are 5-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record
• Panthers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall
• Panthers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games on grass
• Panthers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games as a favorite
• Under is 4-1 in Panthers last 5 games in December
• Over is 15-5 in Panthers last 20 games overall
• Over is 7-3 in Panthers last 10 vs. a team with a winning record
• Over is 11-5 in Panthers last 16 games as a favorite
• Demon Deacons are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games on grass
• Over is 5-1 in Demon Deacons last 6 vs. a team with a winning record
• Over is 5-2 in Demon Deacons last 7 games following a ATS win
• Over is 5-2 in Demon Deacons last 7 conference games
• Over is 5-1 in Demon Deacons last 6 games following a straight up win

Demon Deacons Bring Some Firepower

Wake Forest scored 35 points or more in 11 of 12 games — that’s an unbelievably consistent offense. And it’s no surprise why when you saw the ACC postseason awards today with eight players on the offense being named All-conference.

The team is led by the passing offense, which is of course spearheaded by quarterback Sam Hartman. The sophomore was named 2nd team All-ACC, finishing the regular season with 3,711 yards, 34 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. And don’t forget he’s a dual-threat quarterback — he ran for 340 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns.

One reason the offense was so unstoppable is that the team has not one, but two 1,000-yard receivers. A.T. Perry could be a Biletnikoff Award finalist, racking up 56 catches for 1,112 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Jaquarii Roberson also got postseason honors, catching a team-high 62 passes for 1,024 yards and eight scores. Wake Forest now faces a Pitt defense that without question improved throughout the season.

After giving up 44 points in a loss to Western Michigan, the Panthers held seven of the next nine opponents to fewer than 30 points.

Kenny Pickett Come on Down

He isn’t going to be the Heisman Trophy winner, but Kenny Pickett just had one of the best seasons of any quarterback to ever play at Pittsburgh. Pickett finished tied for second in the nation in passing touchdowns (40), fifth in yards (4,066) and eighth in QBR (81.8) while throwing just seven picks.

He too has a go-to receiver, and it’s the eye-popping Jordan Addison. The sophomore jus finished the regular season with video game numbers: 85 catches, 1,353 yards (15.9 yards per catch) and 17 scores. It’s no wonder he was first-team All-Conference (as was Pickett).

The Panthers averaged better than 39 points per game in November and are doing exactly what they want — peaking at the right time.

X-factors to Watch

For both of these teams, the x-factor is all about what type of production they’re going to get out of the ground game.

For Wake Forest, it’s been a running back by committee (that’s what happens when you lose the likely Doak Walker Award winner and a potential Heisman finalist in Kenneth Walker III to the transfer portal) but it’s been pieced together.

Christian Beal-Smith (113 carries, 557 yards, and seven touchdowns), Justice Ellison (94 carries for 477 yards and six touchdowns), and Christian Turner (110 rushes for 420 yards and five touchdowns all have to carry some of the weight.

For the Panthers, it’s a very similar story.

The three-headed tandem is Israel Abanikanda (109 rushes, 580 yards, and five touchdowns), Vincent Davis (119 rushes, 511 yards, and four touchdowns), and Rodney Hammond (92 rushes, 462 yards and five scores).

All are capable, but Davis has had the hot hand lately, rushing for 175 yards over the past two games on just 25 attempts.

How to Watch Wake Forest vs Pittsburgh