No. 13 Wake Forest’s trip to Clemson tops ACC Week 12 slate
Here are things to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Week 12:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 13 Wake Forest at Clemson. The Demon Deacons (9-1, 6-0) took a big step toward winning the league’s Atlantic Division race by beating No. 25 North Carolina State last weekend. Now they just have to win either of their last two games to clinch a trip to the ACC championship game.
The first comes at Clemson, the reigning six-time division and league champion. The Demon Deacons haven’t beaten the Tigers (7-3, 5-2) since 2008 and haven’t won at Death Valley since 1998.
“They’re a team that we respect and they’ve been the best team in the ACC,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “So it would be obviously a huge win for our program if we can find a way. But again, they’ve certainly had our number.”
BEST MATCHUP
Syracuse RB Sean Tucker vs. N.C. State’s run defense. Tucker is No. 2 nationally by averaging 136.2 yards rushing per game and he has 11 rushing scores. Tucker faces a Wolfpack defense that entered the week at No. 11 in the Bowl Subdivision ranks against the run by allowing just 102.1 yards per game. N.C. State is surrendering just 3.22 yards per carry.
LONG SHOT
Georgia Tech is flirting with posting the same record in Year 3 under Geoff Collins as it did in Year 1. The Yellow Jackets (3-7, 2-6) have a chance to show a clear sign of progress with Saturday’s trip to No. 6 Notre Dame. Georgia Tech has lost five straight since edging Duke on a late score on, and enters this game as a 17 1/2-point underdog according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The division tiebreakers are becoming clearer.
Wake Forest gets two shots to claim an Atlantic-clinching victory, either at Clemson or the following week at Boston College. Clemson must win Saturday to keep alive its outside chance, though the Tigers would also need Wake Forest to lose its finale and for North Carolina State (7-3, 4-2) to lose one of its last two games.
If the three teams tie at 6-2, the tiebreaker would go to the Wolfpack.
No. 20 Pittsburgh can wrap up the Coastal Division race by beating Virginia on Saturday, while the Cavaliers can clinch the trip to the ACC championship game by winning their last two games. Virginia Tech, which just announced the departure of head coach Justin Fuente, is still in the mix as well.
IMPACT PLAYER
Miami freshman quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has been putting up big numbers entering Saturday’s visit from the Hokies. Van Dyke thas thrown for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in four straight games.
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25
___
Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap
