With three weeks left in the regular season, the ACC race is starting to sort itself out - and so is the mess at the bottom.
Georgia Tech remains stuck in the basement, and Saturday night’s blowout loss to Louisville only made the picture darker. The Yellow Jackets are now headed toward their first bowl-less season of the Brent Key era, and a 2-10 finish is very much in play with Clemson, Wake Forest and Georgia still ahead.
The offense has gone nowhere, the line has been a problem, and the defense has been a disaster. A rivalry date with Clemson is next.
At the other end of the spectrum, Miami is still the team everyone is chasing even after suffering its first loss. The Hurricanes fell on the road to Notre Dame after digging out of a 24-3 hole, but they still look like the league’s favorite. Without star WR Malachi Toney, Miami kept fighting, yet couldn’t make enough plays in the biggest moments to complete the comeback.
The biggest climb this week belonged to SMU. The Mustangs bounced back from their loss to Syracuse by hammering Virginia Tech on Friday night, and that result sent the Hokies tumbling.
Virginia Tech’s defense got shredded for 51 points, most of it through the air, and with that, any path to Charlotte and the ACC Championship game is gone. For James Franklin, it can still be a successful season, but Friday night was a shocker.
SMU now gets Wake Forest next, and that game suddenly carries major weight. A win would give the Mustangs a huge boost in their ACC Championship chase. A loss would end it.
Wake Forest, meanwhile, is sitting on one of the biggest games in school history after cruising past Merrimack 77-0 with starter Gio Lopez on the bench. The Demon Deacons host SMU next, with ACC and College Football Playoff hopes hanging over both teams.
Duke has also forced its way back into the conversation. After back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina, the Blue Devils have answered with blowout wins over Boston College and NC State.
They still have Miami and Wake Forest left, so the road is there. The question now is whether they can shock the Hurricanes and former Duke QB Darian Mensah on Saturday.
Louisville didn’t move up despite a 27-point win, but the Cardinals are still very much in the hunt. Their offense keeps producing, even if the competition has been lighter, and they still have a shot at reaching the ACC Championship game. Next up is a trip to Chapel Hill.
North Carolina’s season is hanging around, too. After coming up short against Miami last week, the Tar Heels went on the road and beat a solid UConn team. Bill Belichick’s squad is now one win from bowl eligibility and gets Louisville at home next weekend with a chance to dent the Cardinals’ ACC hopes.
Clemson keeps winning in its own messy way. The Tigers clinched bowl eligibility with four field goals and a scoop and score at Syracuse, and they still have an outside shot at the ACC Championship. Georgia Tech is next, which gives Clemson another chance to keep the push alive.
Syracuse entered Saturday with some momentum, but the offense stalled at home against Clemson. Even without allowing an offensive touchdown, the Orange came up short and took a hit to their bowl hopes. They’ll try to get their fifth win on the road at NC State next week.
NC State’s loss to Duke was ugly, but the bigger storyline in Raleigh is the report that former quarterback Philip Rivers is coming back to be the head coach. The Wolfpack host Syracuse next weekend.
Boston College’s bowl hopes took a major hit in a home loss to Florida State. The Eagles couldn’t get the stops they needed, and now they head to Notre Dame to face a Fighting Irish team coming off the win over Miami.
Florida State deserves credit for the way it handled the week. With interim head coach Rick Stockstill in charge, the Seminoles went on the road and kept fighting through all the turmoil and change around the program. Next up is a Friday night trip to Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh was off this week and will host Florida State next Friday.
Virginia Tech took the biggest fall of the week, while Stanford, Virginia and California all had quieter weekends. Stanford was off and returns next Saturday against Virginia Tech.
Virginia also had the week off and will play Cal next weekend. California was idle and heads to Virginia next Saturday.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Just Turned One Bad Loss Into A Bigger Program Debate
A home loss to Louisville only sharpened the questions hanging over Georgia Techs season, because this one was not just about a bad result on the scoreboard. The Yellow Jackets have been sliding for weeks, and the issues are familiar enough by now to feel structural: the running game has gone nowhere, third-down offense has been a problem, and the overall execution has left plenty of room for doubt about where the program is headed under the current staff.
For a fan base looking for signs of progress, the frustration is starting to spill beyond one afternoon in Atlanta. There is still a recruiting class on the way in 2027 that offers some long-term hope, but that is cold comfort right now when the present keeps producing the same questions. The bigger issue is whether this is a temporary dip or a deeper indictment of how Georgia Tech is being coached and developed week to week. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Heads To Clemson With Brent Key Facing Real Pressure
A rough afternoon against Louisville left Georgia Tech with more questions than answers, and the timing could hardly be worse. The Yellow Jackets were beaten 44-17 at home, while Clemson went on the road and handled Syracuse to move to 6-3, setting up a trip to Death Valley with the Jackets trying to steady a season that has been uneven on both sides of the ball.
Brent Key has already acknowledged that multiple issues are still working against his team, and the most obvious one remains the offense, where consistency has been hard to find and the quarterback situation is still unsettled. Georgia Tech goes into the Clemson game as a clear underdog, which only sharpens the pressure on Key to show progress before the stretch run starts to feel even more unforgiving. [Read more 🡒]