Over/Under win totals: Looking at the ACC

With fall camp now under way all over the country, just weeks stand between the country and one of it’s favorite pastimes: gambling on unpaid student-athletes. Thi week, Rivals.com is taking a look at Vegas’ projected win total for each Power Five Conference program and ventures a guess on the over-under for the 12-game regular season. Today, we examine the ACC.

Sports gambling is illegal 49 states, so the following picks should be used for entertainment only. Unless, of course, you live in Nevada, in which case it’s totally cool to bet your children’s’ college tuition based on the halfwit advice imparted below.

Note: Win totals were taken from Betus.com. In the event that no total was listed on the site, the total was bulled from Bovada.lv.

OVER. It won’t be fun or pretty or great television, but the Eagles will find a way to win five despite playing next to no offense.

OVER. Uncertainty at quarterback? Sure, but surely there’s a capable option or two on a depth chart that includes a dash of experience and a wealth of highly touted recruits. The talent on the roster hasn’t dipped too much and it’s unlikely that Dabo Swinney and his staff have forgotten how to coach. At worst, this will be a push.

PUSH. Forget the win total. The smart bet here is the number of generic inspirational quotes tweeted by Duke assistant coaches before season’s end. Even if the line is in the thousands, take the over and bet every single one of your worldly possessions. Seriously, though, pawn your children and pets. You can buy them back.

OVER. Quarterback Deondre Francois takes a huge step forward as a sophomore and FSU rides its stable of running backs to at least 10 wins.

UNDER. Tech could be as good as they were a year ago and still only manage six wins. Non-conference games with Tennessee and Georgia bookend the season, and UCF, who hosts the Yellow Jackets in Week 3 isn’t the pushover it was a few years back.

UNDER. Louisville returns a wildly talented Heisman trophy winner, but lets not forget that Jackson got less impressive as the sample size grew. Eclipsing the nine-win mark in a loaded ACC isn’t an easy task.

OVER. I changed this pick three times before it published, so that speaks to the confidence level at work here. The quarterback spot will be an adventure and probably not the fun kind of adventure, but Miami’s running game and defense should be enough for the program to take a step forward. Should be … Might be. Please don’t bet your car on this.

UNDER. The Tar Heels, which struggled to defend the run a year ago, are relying on transfers at quarterback and at key offensive line spots. There’s too much of a chance that something goes horribly wrong to consider the over.

PUSH. Picking “push” seems like a copout, but I’m all about copouts. The Wolfpack can hide a soft secondary if the defensive front meets expectations. Seven seems like the right number.

OVER. Quarterback Max Browne finally becomes something resembling the star he was in high school, and the Panthers win eight games. Side bet: The over-under on 15-yard penalties called on Pat Narduzzi for violating a new rule banning coaches from running onto the field to dispute calls is set on 1.5. Pound the over on that one as well.

OVER. Oranges for everyone. Dino Babers enters year two of his rebuild with a experienced, dynamic quarterback and a game against Central Connecticut State. The Orange may flirt with bowl eligibility.

UNDER. Even the most intense Virginia fan on Earth would give the over a side eye. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall seemed to be tempering already low expectations at ACC Media Day. And while UVA has a couple of stars, the rest of the talent on the roster is, well, in need of an upgrade.

UNDER. Nope. Justin Fuente is a fine coach with a bright future, but nine wins is lofty for a team that could drop its opener to West Virginia. The ACC schedule is a bear.

UNDER. Generally, it’s less than ideal when your most imposing returning weapon is a tight end. Wake Forest hasn’t been to back-to-back bowl games since 2008. That streak will continue.