Miami’s surge after Week 5 left the rest of the ACC looking up at the Hurricanes, and the latest AP Top 25 Poll makes that gap pretty clear. The Hurricanes sit at No. 4 with 1,524 points and two first-place votes after rolling past Clemson, and the real intrigue now is who else from the league still has a foothold in the rankings.
For the ACC, the next name after Miami is SMU. The Mustangs checked in at No. 24 with 167 points, even after a shaky showing against Boston College.
That was enough to keep them as the conference’s second-highest ranked team, though they slipped three spots from No. 21.
Just behind them is Pitt at No. 25, and the margin is tiny. The Panthers trail SMU by only five points, even with Mason Heintschel out for the rest of the year.
Wake Forest is the first team outside the top 25 with 142 points, while Duke sits fourth among ACC teams receiving votes with 83. Duke was on a bye, which may have cost it a little attention from voters.
Clemson, Louisville, Virginia, and Virginia Tech did not receive votes.
That leaves Clemson with a pretty narrow path to another ranked opponent the rest of the way. The Tigers are off in Week 6, then host FCS Charleston Southern in Week 7. Their schedule after that includes Virginia Tech at Death Valley later in October, a Halloween trip to Florida State, and then a November stretch featuring Georgia Tech at home, Duke on the road, and South Carolina at home.
Virginia Tech could still work its way into the rankings before the Clemson game on Oct. 24, but it would need to beat Cal on the road and Georgia Tech at home first. Pitt could also help shape the picture if it stays steady without Heintschel and reaches 7-0 with wins over North Carolina and at Boston College before a possible big road trip to Miami.
SMU and Wake Forest could hover around the rankings for a while, but Clemson would only see either of them in Charlotte. With Miami looking as dominant as it does, that feels like a long shot.
That makes Duke the most realistic candidate. The Blue Devils are 4-0 coming out of their bye, and their path is pretty manageable.
They host North Carolina, go to Virginia, get Boston College at home on Halloween, then travel to North Carolina State on Nov. 7.
If they avoid a stumble, a 9-0 start is in play, with six ACC wins before a huge road game at Miami. Manny Diaz will be wanting revenge against The U.
In Other News...
Tony Elliott Just Added To Clemson Fans' Biggest Dabo Succession Fear
Virginias 38-7 loss to Florida State was another rough reminder of how hard Tony Elliotts rebuild has been, especially after the Cavaliers had already shown a little life by beating North Carolina State earlier in the season. Florida State overwhelmed Virginia at the line of scrimmage, getting a school-record five rushing touchdowns from Ashton Daniels and piling up 10 sacks, a performance that left Elliotts team searching for answers on both sides of the ball.
For Clemson fans, the bigger concern is what Elliotts struggles might mean in the long view of the programs coaching tree and any eventual Dabo Swinney succession talk. Elliott was once viewed as one of the most prominent names tied to Clemsons future, but the inconsistent results at Virginia have only complicated that conversation and added another layer to a fear Tigers fans already know well. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Just Got A Painful ACC Reality Check
Miamis trip to Memorial Stadium delivered more than a signature win. No. 4 Miami controlled Clemson 41-13 to seize sole possession of first place in the ACC, with quarterback Darian Mensah and the Hurricanes defense making key plays throughout the night. For Clemson, it was a rough step backward in a conference race that has already started to tighten, as the Tigers fell to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in league play.
The bigger concern for Clemson was how difficult it was to generate much of anything offensively against a Miami team now sitting at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the ACC. The Hurricanes left little doubt about the gap on this night, while Clemson was left to sort through what went wrong after a lopsided loss at home. In a league where every result can reshape the standings quickly, this one served as a blunt reminder of where the Tigers stand and how much cleaner theyll need to play from here. [Read more 🡒]
Dabo Swinneys Postgame Message Raised A Bigger Clemson Concern
Clemsons home loss to No. 4 Miami did more than drop the Tigers to 3-2 on the season. It also reinforced how far this group still has to go against ranked competition, with the 41-13 defeat leaving Clemson 0-2 in those games and searching for answers after a night when Miamis talent showed up early and often.
Afterward, Dabo Swinney sounded as if he was trying to balance accountability with perspective, talking about freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds development while also pointing to the need for continued growth, focus and better production in the running game. Swinney said he has seen improvement in toughness and physicality since the opener, but the bigger concern now is whether those gains are enough to keep Clemson from getting stuck in the same place when the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]