Wolfpack Wager: NC State has tough Miami matchup, Pac-12 returns

While NC State returns to the gridiron this week after a bye week, so does the Pac-12, as the last Power Five conference to begin play in 2020. NCAAF week 10 is filled with what should be some entertaining matchups.

No. 11 Miami (-10.5) at NC State

Both Miami and NC State are coming off bye weeks to play in a rare Friday night ACC matchup. Last time out, the Pack was rolled over by North Carolina 48-21 in its first game since redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary suffered an injury. It wasn’t the offense that had a particularly poor showing, it was the defense that surrendered 578 total yards, including a dreadful 326 on the ground to the Tar Heels.

That same kind of performance won’t bode well against the Hurricanes, who have an up-tempo offense led by dual-threat quarterback D’Eriq King. With Leary out and the defense coming off the poor performance against Carolina, I don’t think it would be wise to bet on the Pack with Miami coming to town.

Pick: Miami -10.5

No. 1 Clemson (-5.5) at No. 4 Notre Dame

The game of the college football season thus far will pit the five-time defending ACC champion Clemson Tigers up against temporarily joined ACC member Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. The last time these two teams met, Clemson smacked Notre Dame 30-3 in the 2019 College Football Playoff.

This game will look very different than what many people thought it would at the beginning of the season due to Clemson’s star quarterback Trevor Lawrence being ruled out for the second straight game, after testing positive for COVID-19. Last week, freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei got the start for the Tigers and led them to a comeback win over Boston College after trailing by 18 at one point in the first half. While Uiagalelei looked impressive rallying his team, it was the defense that was perhaps most impressive, shutting out Boston College in the second half.

Notre Dame comes into the game undefeated but, at times, has not looked the part of a top-five team. The Irish began the season with a win over Duke, in which they had to pull away in the fourth quarter, and recently had a narrow 12-7 win over Louisville. Duke and Louisville have a combined record of 4-10.

With Notre Dame’s sporadic performances and Clemson seeming to have momentum after the comeback win over Boston College, expect the championship DNA of the Tigers to prevail over the Irish, while also covering the spread.

Pick: Clemson -5.5

Stanford at No. 12 Oregon (-10)

The marquee game of the Pac-12’s return is a primetime showdown between Stanford and Oregon. The Ducks are coming off a year in which they narrowly missed the College Football Playoff but ended up beating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. They will be a new-look team this year, however, having lost star quarterback Justin Herbert to the NFL.

After 10 straight seasons of winning eight games or more, Stanford had a down season last year, finishing 4-8 in what was the first losing season for head coach David Shaw. Like NC State, the Cardinal will be setting out to prove last year was a fluke and return to the glory days which featured talent such as Andrew Luck and Christian McCaffrey.

We’ve already seen what can happen to a team that loses its star quarterback to the NFL: Take a look at LSU. The fact that Oregon is ranked No. 12 and Stanford isn’t ranked means nothing in this game. The last time Stanford traveled to Autzen Stadium, the Cardinal pulled off a stunning overtime comeback win. While I’m not sure it will be a comeback or happen in overtime, I’d take Stanford to pull off another stunner against the Ducks.

Pick: Stanford +11

Last week, staff writer Bryan Pyrtle went 2-1, as Coastal Carolina smoked Georgia State 51-0 and Clemson’s late safety against Boston College hit the over by one point, but West Virginia crushed Kansas State by 27.

2020 Wolfpack Wager Record: 7-11

Bryan Pyrtle: 2-1

Camden Speight: 3-3

Andy Mayer: 1-2

Will Thornhill: 1-5

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