The ACC has been defined by grit and grind wins so far this season. Will this trend continue? And don’t forget about the highly anticipated matchup’s that are creeping closer once October rolls around.
17. Stanford
Stanford’s magic quickly evaporated last weekend in their 48-20 loss to Virginia. Up next they face San Jose State, which can be a winnable game if they emulate their gameplan from their matchup versus Boston College. It won’t get much easier for them after San Jose State with their upcoming matchups versus SMU, Florida State, and Miami on the horizon.
16. Virginia Tech
Virginia picked up their first win last weekend with a 38-6 win versus Wofford. Kyren Drones looked much more in control in this one and completed 84% of his passes. The firing of Brent Fry boosted their overall morale, let’s see if they can carry it over in their next game versus NC State.
15. North Carolina
The Bill Belichick era for Tar Heel Football continues to make headlines, but for the wrong reasons. Now, they sit at 2-2 with an ugly 34-9 loss to UCF. It’s clear that North Carolina has talent issues, and in turn they can’t seem to figure it out offensively. Belichick’s expertise has always been defense, but even that side of the football hasn’t looked sharp either.
14. Boston College
A well needed bye week came last week for the Eagles. An ugly loss to Stanford stings, but the Eagles must put that game behind them and shift their focus now towards California. The Golden Bears offense stalled last week, and the Eagles must capitalize on that opportunity. Let’s hope they watched the film from California’s loss to SD State last weekend.
13. Wake Forest
Wake Forest battled hard in their last game but could not seal the deal and fell 34-24 versus NC State. Despite the loss, there are positives to be taken away from this game. Up next they face a red hot Georgia Tech team who is looking to assert their dominance.
12. SMU
Giving up 517 total yards in a loss to TCU is not ideal. SMU’s defense continues to struggle and now is on the outside looking in. QB Kevin Jennings needs to be better with taking care of the ball as well after throwing five total picks in four games so far. Syracuse will not have Steve Angeli on this one, so taking advantage of the Orange without him next weekend is imperative.
11. Duke
Darrian Mensah and the Duke offense showed grit this past weekend with an impressive 45-33 win versus NC State. Mensah went 19-28 with three passing touchdowns and posted an 88.2 QBR. Running back Anderson Castle had himself a day as well with three touchdowns of his own. What it comes down to for the Blue Devils is their consistency on defense and being able to keep up offensively with the upper echelon of ACC teams.
10. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh has a chance to rebound from their brutal loss to West Virginia. Their bye week hopefully allowed them to regroup, and they face Louisville next, who have yet to be tested this year. Will Pittsburgh spring on the opportunity?
9. Clemson
An offseason with lofty expectations is quickly spiraling fast for the Tigers. At 1-3, they’re having as bad of a start as you could ask for. Dabo Swinney’s future is not looking bright as head coach, and unless they miraculously turn things around it could get even uglier for Clemson. A win versus North Carolina would help steer the ship in the right direction, but not by much.
8. California
California was on a roll before their offense came to a crashing halt in their 40-17 loss versus San Diego State. It’s a recurring trend from the Golden Bears, but given their previous three wins it may be chalked up as an anomaly if they can handle their business versus Boston College this week.
7. NC State
A 45-33 loss to Duke last weekend drops NC State down a few notches in the rankings. Duke’s offense had their way, and the Wolfpack had no answer. CJ Bailey struggled in this one, and threw three interceptions, a problem the team has been trying to clean up. Unless they clean up on defense and turnovers, it could spell trouble for them for the remainder of the season when they face the likes of Miami, Florida State, and Notre Dame.
6. Syracuse
Despite the impressive win versus Clemson, the Orange announced that their QB Steve Angeli will miss the remainder of the season due to injury. It’s a huge blow to their offense, and now the keys will be handed to Rickie Collins. A lot will unfold after their game this weekend versus Duke.
5. Virginia
Virginia took care of the challenge versus Stanford with a 48-20 win last weekend. Their offense has scored 182 so far and looks dynamic. Wide receiver Trell Harris scored three times last weekend, and his presence adds another player that defenses must gameplan around. A Friday game versus Florida State looms, and will tell us a lot after facing arguably their toughest opponent.
4. Louisville
The Cardinals handled their business with a 40-17 win versus Bowling Green. Like Florida State, their defense is coming up strong. They’ve yet to be truly tested – but that may come with their conference matchup versus Pittsburgh, who will definitely be ready to go after a crushing loss to West Virginia.
3. Florida State
Tommy Castellanos and the Seminoles walloped Kent State 66-10 last weekend, and are on cruise control. Castellanos has a 91.6 QBR this season and continues to highlight his playmaking abilities which is translating to winning football. Their defense has yet to surrender more than 17 points this season, which is something the rest of the ACC cannot ignore.
2. Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech continues to prove that they belong in the conversation as one of the best teams in the ACC. Quarterback Haynes King controlled the offense well with three total touchdowns in their 45-24 win versus Temple. Up next they have a conference matchup with Wake Forest, which could be an underrated game given how tough the Demon Deacons looked versus NC State.
1. Miami
The way the Canes are playing right now is impressive to say the least. After a 26-7 win versus Florida, it’s clear that Miami is the best team in the ACC. They get themselves a well deserved bye week this week, which gives them more time to prepare for the highly anticipated matchup versus Florida State on October 4th.
