And just like that, we are on the cusp of November. What’s Mario Cristobal’s record in November at Miami? I was just asking! I don’t actually want to know. Anyway, Georgia Tech and Virginia still control
their respective destinies. Pitt is now a scoring machine with their freshman phenom quarterback. Louisville is quietly on a roll with their lone conference loss. Miami faces their first non-Florida road test this weekend.
Without further ado, let’s get to the rankings.
1. Georgia Tech – 8-0 overall, 5-0 conference
The Yellow Jackets handled Syracuse last Saturday, 41-16. GT quarterback Haynes King had himself a day: 25-31, 304 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 12 rushes, 91 yards, 2 touchdowns. That guy is the definition of a gritty, win-at-all-costs, crazy competitive college quarterback. GT plays at NC State before their second bye. I will say, their game vs Pitt on 11/22 looks considerably tougher now than it did a month ago. Still, the Yellow Jackets should still be the overwhelming favorite to make it to Charlotte.
2. Virginia – 7-1, 4-0
Virginia has won their last two games against Washington State and UNC by a combined three points. That is not great. Still, wins are wins. The Cavaliers are halfway to an undefeated season in conference play and a spot in Charlotte for the 2025 ACC Championship. Virginia has a much tougher road ahead than Georgia Tech however. Up first is a trip to Cal this Saturday for a 3:45 PM EST kickoff. Eastern ACC teams have had trouble at Cal and Stanford this season, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this one comes down to the last couple possessions. After Cal, the Cavaliers finish with Wake Forest, Duke, and Virginia Tech.
3. Louisville – 6-1, 3-1
The Cardinals were down 3-0 to Boston College with five minutes left in the first quarter. And that was as hairy as it got for Louisville, as they went on to win comfortably, 38-24. The Cardinals are a legitimate threat to make the CFP. Even better for them, the schedule is manageable: at Va Tech, vs Cal, vs Clemson, at SMU, vs Kentucky. I am far from the only one who thinks it, but Louisville coach Jeff Brohm is one of the very best football coaches in the country. It’ll be interesting to see if he tests the waters this offseason with some of the big jobs that are open. With coach Brohm being a Louisville alumnus, I have no idea what he’ll do.
4. Pitt – 6-2, 4-1
Oh buddy. The Panthers look great lately. (Nervous sigh). I don’t love it. This Mason Heintschel kid is a stud. He’s thrown for 1,210 yards and 9 touchdowns in his four starts. Damn. After eight games, Pitt doesn’t want to play spoiler. They want to keep winning and have a shot at the CFP. With their crazy competitive coach, talented quarterback, and challenging schedule, I wouldn’t rule it out.
5. Duke – 4-3, 3-1
The Blue Devils had a bye last week after their tough home loss to Georgia Tech the week prior. Manny Diaz’s squad plays on the road the next two weeks: at Clemson, at UConn. I have no idea if Cade Klubnik is playing for Clemson, and I’m too lazy to look it up. Either way, it’s a highly winnable game for Duke. If they can win out and get to nine wins again, that would be a great accomplishment for Manny Diaz and his team. Maybe they take a step up in 2026 if quarterback Darian Mensah stays in school.
6. Miami – 6-1, 2-1
Good second half against Stanford. Defense looked great after the first drive. Yeah, yeah. I want to talk about Shannon Dawson’s press conference yesterday where he was being combative regarding Canes media and fans questioning the lack of outside running. While I appreciated his detail in describing the nuance of the run game within his answers, I am more aligned with fellow SOTUer Craig Smith. The two of us might not be football coaches who break down film, but we know this team well and more importantly, WE HAVE EYES! We see Fletcher and Brown ram into the backs of their offensive linemen too many times per game. If that’s not the running game strategy, then our backs are the dumbest players ever with no peripheral vision. Obviously that’s not the case, so it’s by design. It’s not like we’re hallucinating watching these plays. The crowd was booing last Saturday night. Ugh. Unless he’s setting everyone up (which I highly doubt), I am nervous for the rest of this season. The offense needs to be more consistent and explosive. They need to help out a defense that has been more than serviceable so far. It has completely flipped from last season. Crazy. Ah, to be a Miami Hurricanes football fan.
7. SMU – 5-3, 3-1
The Mustangs have to be kicking themselves after their road loss to Wake Forest last Saturday. SMU was so close to being 4-0 in conference play going into the big matchup with Miami this Saturday at 11 AM local time. Quick aside: I thought for sure this game would be in primetime. I wonder if it would be if SMU didn’t lose at Wake. I’m going to be driving to Orlando with my little boy during the game to see nana and papa because that’s his nap time. I want more primetime games! Anyway, it’s probably a good thing I’ll be driving during this matchup as I am already terrified of the Canes getting down early and not being able to recover. SMU is a solid team with a good coach, which is a perfect recipe to beat a Cristobal-led Miami team.
8. Wake Forest – 5-2, 2-2
I should’ve taken the Demon Deacons with the points last Saturday. I like them this Saturday as road underdogs vs FSU. Getting back to last week, Wake made SMU play a slow, ugly, low-scoring, defensive game that fit the home team perfectly. Still, it was a clutch win. The Demon Deacons trailed by two points with 2:53 remaining in the game. Backup quarterback Deshawn Purdie completed a 25-yard pass to Kamrean Johnson that gave their kicker a chance from 50 yards out. Ball game. After FSU, Wake plays Virginia, UNC, Delaware, and Duke. Wake Forest football is on the rise!
9. Virginia Tech – 3-5, 2-2
The Hokies got to .500 in conference play after the win over Cal last Friday night. Va Tech quarterback Kyron Drones threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more. I’m sure the Hokies would love to play in a bowl game this season, especially after starting 0-3 and losing their coach. I don’t see it happening though. They would have to win three of four against Louisville, FSU, Miami, and Virginia. I wonder if Va Tech’s administration has someone in mind already for the job. They have to, right?
10. Cal – 5-3, 2-2
The Golden Bears took a 20-10 lead into halftime at Va Tech last Friday night, but they couldn’t hold on, and ended up losing in double overtime, 42-34. Still, Cal has multiple chances in November to play spoiler. And Canes fans sure hope that’s the case. It starts this Saturday vs Virginia. That stadium better be rocking and rolling just after noon local time. The Golden Bears travel to Louisville the following week for their last long road trip of the season. With a good coach and young and talented quarterback, the future is bright for Cal football.
11. Clemson – 3-4, 2-3
The Tigers had a bye last week after their home loss to SMU the week prior. Clemson was without quarterback Cade Klubnik, which seemed to make a fairly big difference. Still, the defense gave up 35 points..at home. That would be unheard of just a couple seasons ago. The Tigers are going to have to fight to get bowl eligible. Besides a sure win vs Furman in late November, they face Duke, FSU, Louisville, and South Carolina. Whew. I will be very interested to see how the offseason plays out for Clemson should they somehow miss a bowl game after the preseason expectations put upon them.
12. Stanford – 3-5, 2-3
After a Miami missed field goal to open the game last Saturday night, the Cardinal marched right down the field and scored a touchdown to go up 7-0. I’m not going to lie, a devastating upset home loss flashed before my eyes. It all happened so fast! Luckily it was just a really short dream. Stanford held the lead until late in the second quarter, then the Canes tied the game. The second half was one-sided. Still, the first quarter-and-a-half weren’t bad for Stanford. There were a ton of shots of Andrew Luck on the sideline cheering loudly. He was interviewed during the game at one point. Cool. The Cardinal return home to play Pitt this Saturday. I could see that game being over after the first quarter, or tied midway through the fourth quarter. I hope it’s the latter.
13. NC State – 4-4, 1-3
The Wolfpack seemingly have no bite left. The win over Virginia in early September feels like it last year it was so long ago. And remember, that wasn’t a conference game. Ugh! Of course it wasn’t. Whatever. NC State hosts Georgia Tech this Saturday, then has a bye, then travels to Miami. That’s a rough three-week stretch for Dave Doeren and his squad. I would say they have a chance to play spoiler, but the defense has been too bad lately. I don’t see the offense scoring enough points to overcome the other side of the ball.
14. Syracuse – 3-5, 1-4
The Orange could not pull off the upset at Georgia Tech last Saturday. No surprise there. I’ll say it for the 857th time: they aren’t the same team without quarterback Steve Angeli. And unfortunately for Syracuse coach Fran Brown, his backup isn’t Trinidad Chambliss from Ole Miss or Mason Heintschel from Pitt. Too bad, so sad. I am very much looking forward to Miami’s home game against Syracuse in a few weeks. There better be some payback dished out after last year’s season-ending loss. Ugh. I get irritated just thinking about it.
15. FSU – 3-4, 0-4
The Seminoles had a bye last week. That’s good. It means they didn’t extend their conference losing streak. Got ‘em. I have no idea what FSU is going to do this offseason with Mike Norvell. I understand keeping him since the schedule next year is pretty rough. Norvell can take the losses, lessen his buyout, then be shown the door. On the other hand, if there is someone FSU really wants, this offseason is the time to get him. LSU, Penn State, and Florida are all good jobs. Auburn might have a vacancy. The time could be now. The Seminoles host Wake Forest this Saturday. We’ll see how FSU responds (inside joke, if you know you know).
16. UNC – 2-5, 0-3
The Tar Heels have been playing better lately. At least that is what I hear from the college football pundits out there. I wouldn’t know as I will not object myself to UNC football in 2025. I love that Belichick went for the win vs Virginia last Saturday in overtime. It was the right decision, they just came up a couple inches short. Damnit. It would’ve been the perfect ACC upset, and great for Miami of course. Oh well. UNC plays Syracuse and Stanford the next two weeks. Bill Belichick’s first ACC win might be coming soon. Rejoice!
17. Boston College – 1-7, 0-5
There isn’t much left to say about Boston College football this season. They have officially been eliminated from bowl eligibility, so they’re first in something. Hey-o! Sadly, there’s a great chance BC is 1-10 going into its second bye. The next three games are vs #12 Notre Dame, vs SMU, and vs #8 Georgia Tech. Hey, at least those three seemingly unwinnable games are at home. Go Eagles!
See you next week!
