For the first time in an expanded college playoff era, the ACC Championship game winner may not be included in the postseason tournament. That’s because the unranked Duke Blue Devils (7-5, 6-2 ACC) will face off against the No. 17-ranked Virginia Cavaliers (10-2, 7-1 ACC) on Saturday night in Charlotte.
A Duke win would likely eliminate the ACC from postseason competition. The Blue Devils lost to three potential playoff teams – including their opponents on Saturday – en route to their 7-5 record. Still, the North Carolina school won the conference’s tiebreaker thanks to help, allowing them to play in this game.
Virginia’s path to the playoffs is a simple one: win, and you’re likely in. The Cavaliers would likely continue to rank above the Sun Belt’s championship winner with a victory on Saturday. Can the Cavs defeat Duke a second time this season? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for the ACC Championship game on Saturday night.
Quarterback Chandler Morris is looking to end his collegiate career with a bang. The senior signal-caller has 2,586 passing yards this season, completing nearly 66 percent of his passes. He accounted for 14 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns in Virginia’s offense thus far.
While the Cavs like to pound the football, Morris was needed to attack the Blue Devils’ secondary during their regular season matchup on November 15th. He threw for 316 yards by completing 23 of his 35 passing attempts, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions against Duke.
With the ACC Championship on the line, expect Duke to continue forcing Virginia to win with Morris. Bettors should take him to finish above the 230-yard mark, covering his player prop in the conference championship contest.
Nate Sheppard has been a force to reckon with this year. The freshman running back has accumulated 865 rushing yards on 157 carries, scoring nine times on the ground in 2025. He’s also caught 30 passes for 235 yards, scoring one more time through the Blue Devil’s aerial attack.
Virginia didn’t allow Sheppard any breathing room in their previous matchup. The Cavs held the 5-foot-10 athlete to just 43 yards on 12 carries. There’s no reason to believe Duke will have a better rushing game on Saturday, and bettors should take the under Sheppard’s rushing prop total.
Duke found a gem in wide receiver Que’Sean Brown. The sophomore has 52 receptions this year for 665 yards and three touchdowns. He’s caught at least three passes in 11 of his team’s 12 regular-season games.
Brown is reliant on big-play catches to earn his yardage. When he’s surpassing the 47-yard mark, he’s caught a 25-yard or longer pass in all but one game thus far. Against Virginia earlier this year, his longest catch was six yards. Expect Duke to create opportunities to throw downfield to him Saturday against Virginia, allowing him to cover his player prop bet.
It’s always hard to defeat a team twice in one season. Before the COVID pandemic, the NCAA revealed that 20 of the past 33 conference championship game rematches resulted in the same team winning both contests.
That bodes well for Virginia holding serve and winning this contest. Bettors should expect a close first half before the Cavaliers pull away from Duke in the third quarter. Take Virginia to win this game by more than the 3.5-point spread on Saturday night.