Four Points of a Triangle – Week 6 Predictions

Somehow I managed to do it again and go a perfect 3-0 last week in my predictions. {Takes a bow} It wasn’t without a few close calls though….well, except for the North Carolina/Duke game. The Tar Heels jumped on the Blue Devils early with a 75-yard touchdown from Sam Howell to Ty Chandler and never looked back. Wake Forest got all they wanted from Louisville but Nick “Mr. Money” Sciba banged home a last second field goal to keep the Demon Deacons perfect on the season. And lastly, to round out the perfect 3-0, NC State let Louisiana Tech hang around a little too close at the end but eventually sealed the win by getting a last play interception to close the deal. So, I will take my wins in stride and with a smile, but I know that is all in the past now and have to look forward to this week’s games and strive for perfection yet again.

To the prediction room to see what lays ahead in the Triangle for Week 6…


Zonovan Knight, and his tandem teammate Ricky Person Jr., have both been integral to the Wolfpack being 4-1 heading into their bye week (photo: NC State Athletics)

#23 NC State – Bye

The Wolfpack have the best possible opponent this week in that they face no one. NC State will take their bye week to prepare for a road trip to Boston College, who will be no easy opponent. The Eagles suffered a heartbreaking lost in Death Valley last week and hope to recovery from that against NC State. Both the Wolfpack and Eagles have high aspirations for this season. But to achieve such lofty goals they must come out victorious in this one. More on this matc-hup in Week 7 of Four Points of a Triangle.


Duke looks to turn things around against Georgia Tech after falling short to North Carolina last week (photo: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports)

Georgia Tech @ Duke (Saturday Oct. 9th – 12:30pm)

The Blue Devils and Yellow Jackets both got pounded last week, each lost by 31 points. Therefore, both teams are looking for a restart in Week 6. The good news for these two teams is that their seasons are not lost. Both still have a shot at making a bowl game and, honestly, with UNC already having two conference losses, the Coastal division is still in reach. Sounds strange I know, but true. While this is not a marquee match-up within the ACC, it could still be a monumental win for either Duke or Georgia Tech. This one won’t come down to quarterback play or defensive stops. It all comes down to which team has the better run game and clock management. Georgia Tech has rushed for 100+ yards in four of five games but yet Duke has rushed for 100+ yards in all five of their games. If you like strong offensive lines who create big running lanes then this is the game for you. For whatever reason, I am going to take the road team in this one. Why, I am not totally sure. I just believe that RB Jahmyr Gibbs and QB Jeff Sims use their legs to lead the Jackets to an ACC road victory.

Prediction: Georgia Tech 30, Duke 20


#19 Wake Forest @ Syracuse (Saturday Oct. 9th – 3:30pm)

The cream of the crop keeps rising to the top of the ACC. I am sure you pictured the Wake Forest football team when I said that. However, some how some way, the Demon Deacons remain perfect on the season and are proving that they are a really good football team. Wake Forest needed Nick “Mr. Money” Sciba to put the final nail in the coffin to get the victory over Louisville last week. But a win is a win. Conversely, Syracuse was ever so close to defeating Florida State on the road, but once again tasted defeat due to a last second field goal by the Seminoles. So what will happen when one of the best in the ACC meets one of the worst? Well, for me, this one is simple. there is just too much of a talent gap between the Deacons and the Orange. Wake Forest is by far the better team here and even though this one is in the Carrier Dome, the Deacons still come out victorious and continue to rise to the top of the ACC.

Prediction: Wake Forest 38, Syracuse 17


Florida State @ North Carolina (Saturday Oct. 9th – 3:30pm)

Well what do you know, Florida State is no longer winless! (Being a kid of the 90’s and remembering the Seminoles literally ripping their ACC opponents apart when they first joined the conference makes the previous sentence seem so odd and foreign to utter, but yet in 2021 it is so true.) Now, granted they got everything they could handle from Syracuse, but somehow the Noles managed to get the job done and finally get that elusive first W of 2021. But this week they will take their one game winning streak to Chapel Hill to face the Tar Heels who looked really impressive last week in their win over Duke. Florida State has been “in” every game this season, except for the Wake Forest game, up until the final seconds. So I expect this one to be closer than most think. But it all hinges on the shoulder of one man, Mike Norvell. Coach Norvell must have a game plan to neutralize the explosive UNC offense and give his team a chance to go up early or keep in within one score for the first half. What is that game plan? I have no idea, hence why I am not a coach. But I know that is better than the alternative. If FSU lets Carolina go up early and by more than a few possessions, it’s all over for the Noles. Just look at what the Tar Heels did last week against Duke in the first quarter and from that moment on they were on cruise control. I predict that Carolina will get the win here. However, it will be closer than many anticipate, especially if Coach Norvell can keep the Seminoles “in” it for the first half.

Prediction: North Carolina 33, Florida State 21


Follow me on Twitter at @SJWoolard for more ACC content and Week 7 predictions next week.