Wake Forest made the loudest statement of Week 4 in the ACC, and the ripple effect shows up all over the conference picture. The Demon Deacons went into Louisville and left with a 30-27 upset, the kind of result that forces a fresh look at the weekly hierarchy. With September in the books and the midpoint of the season approaching, the league’s rankings are already getting a serious shake-up.
At the top, Miami still sits undefeated and still looks like the conference’s clearest heavyweight. But the Hurricanes have mostly cruised through a light September slate outside of the road trip to Wake Forest, and the real test is waiting.
They head to Clemson this weekend, then won’t see another ranked opponent until Nov. 7 at Notre Dame. For now, the only other ACC team in the top 25 is SMU at No.
Wake Forest is the biggest mover here, and deservedly so. The Demon Deacons already gave Miami a tough fight, then backed it up by taking down Louisville on the road.
Jake Dickert has this group playing a level above where it was expected to be in year 2, and Gio Lopez has taken a clear step forward from his North Carolina season a year ago. The next stretch looks manageable too, starting with Stanford at home, and Wake Forest has a real shot at running the table over its next five games.
Louisville, on the other hand, is heading the wrong way fast. A week after knocking off SMU, the Cardinals laid an egg at home.
Lincoln Kienholz made plays through the air, but Louisville got nothing going on the ground, finishing with just 75 rushing yards at 2 yards per carry. Keyjuan Brown and Isaac Brown never found any rhythm, and the Cardinals need to clean it up quickly with NC State coming up on the road.
SMU is also sliding. The Mustangs had to work too hard to get past Missouri State for the second straight year, falling behind 10-0 before settling in and escaping with a 34-24 win.
That result doesn’t exactly inspire confidence when you stack it next to the rest of their recent work: a narrow win over Florida State, a close call against Missouri State, and the loss to Louisville in a top-25 matchup. That’s not the kind of profile that holds up for long.
Pittsburgh didn’t do anything flashy in a 59-0 wipeout of Bucknell, but the Panthers at least handled business. They stayed perfect in nonconference play and now move into the meat of the schedule, with eight straight ACC games beginning at Virginia Tech. Mason Heintschel still has to show more consistency, but Pittsburgh has positioned itself well entering league play.
Virginia kept its season on track with a 42-3 win over Delaware. The Cavaliers are 1-0 in ACC play despite the loss to West Virginia, and they still have everything in front of them. Their first true road game comes this weekend at Florida State, which should tell us more about where they stand.
Virginia Tech needed a late surge to get past Boston College 21-14 in Chestnut Hill. The weather mattered, with a Nor’easter bringing rain and wind that clearly affected the game, but the Hokies were still down 14-6 in the fourth quarter before scoring twice in the final eight minutes. That sets up a good one Saturday night in Blacksburg, where Virginia Tech hosts Pittsburgh in a matchup of unbeaten teams.
Clemson is trending up for the second straight week after another conference win. The early-season alarm bells in Baton Rouge are old news now; the Tigers are 2-0 in ACC play.
They took control of Cal in the second half and intercepted Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele twice. Next comes Miami on Saturday night in Death Valley.
Cal has not looked sharp in either of its conference games and fell apart late against UCLA before the loss to Clemson. Sagapolutele’s night was especially rough: two interceptions, a season-low 119 passing yards, and no touchdown passes for the first time in 2026.
Cal’s only score came on a fumble return. The Golden Bears are inching back toward where they were slotted in the preseason, and the next month will say plenty.
They go to UNLV before home dates with Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, then a road game at SMU.
Florida State got back to .500 with a 34-7 win over Central Arkansas, but the performance didn’t match the spread. The Seminoles were favored by nearly 45 points and still couldn’t get to 40 against a clearly overmatched opponent.
They also won despite the Bears holding a massive edge in time of possession while gaining fewer than 300 yards. Seven straight ACC games are next, and the schedule turns brutal in October with Virginia, Louisville, Miami, and Clemson all on the horizon.
NC State beat Appalachian State, and Dave Doeren made sure everyone knew it after the game. Still, the 41-31 final wasn’t comfortable, especially after the Wolfpack were outscored 21-13 in the second half. That’s not the kind of finish you want with Louisville and Wake Forest waiting over the next two weeks.
Syracuse took the week off after opening ACC play 0-2 with losses to Cal and Pittsburgh. The Orange have scored only 11 touchdowns in three games, and Steve Angeli has thrown five interceptions while taking eight sacks over that stretch. The road trip rolls on with UConn and Virginia over the next two weekends.
Stanford earned its first climb of the season after a surprising 34-31 win over Georgia Tech. The Cardinal had managed only 13 points across their first two conference games, so this was a major offensive step forward. Davis Warren led the way with 396 passing yards and three touchdowns, and Stanford forced two turnovers on Georgia Tech’s final two drives.
Georgia Tech’s slide continues. The Yellow Jackets have been disappointing, and the offense has not made up for the loss of Buster Faulkner while the defense has not picked up the slack either. They get a week off before Duke comes to Atlanta.
Duke rolled past William & Mary 62-7 and continues to look solid on both sides of the ball. The Blue Devils have now held opponents under 10 points in three of their four wins, and Manny Diaz keeps strengthening his case with every passing week. Duke is off this week before heading to Georgia Tech.
Boston College’s two-game winning streak ended in a tough loss to Virginia Tech. The Eagles were up 14-6 in the fourth quarter and let it slip away, falling 21-14.
They now face another difficult assignment with a trip to No. 21 SMU on Saturday afternoon.
In Other News...
Why Darian Mensah Could Give Miami A Clemson Problem Again
Darian Mensahs breakout night against Clemson in 2025 is the kind of performance Miami fans notice immediately, because it showed how a quarterback can stress a defense in more than one way. As Dukes starter, Mensah threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns in a 46-45 win, and the deeper look from Pro Football Focus points to a passer who got the ball out quickly, attacked down the field and still found enough high-end throws to keep Clemson off balance.
The matchup also offered a blueprint for how a skilled quarterback can work against Clemsons coverage looks and pass rush tendencies, even when the Tigers make adjustments the next season. Mensahs game was not clean across the board, especially when pressure arrived, but the combination of timing, depth of target and explosive plays is the part Miami will care about most. If the Hurricanes are studying how Clemson can be stressed again, this is the sort of film that makes the conversation worth having. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Enters Clemson With One Huge Question Around Its Offense
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What makes this trip especially intriguing is that both teams enter with conference standing on the line, and Miamis offense will be pressed to show it can travel and hold up against a defense that has clearly improved. Clemson is 3-1 and playing better on that side of the ball than it did in Week 1, so the Hurricanes may need more than just their usual explosiveness to leave with a statement win. The questions around Miamis health and offensive rhythm make this feel like the kind of game that can reveal a lot in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Stadium Debate Ignores One Risk Hurricanes Fans Should Take Seriously
Miamis football home remains a familiar target for critics, but the Hurricanes have kept recruiting at a high level even without an on-campus stadium. The issue keeps coming up because the program still plays at Hard Rock Stadium rather than right next to campus, which has long fed the argument that Miami is missing a key piece of the traditional college football experience.
For all the noise around bringing the team closer to home, the real question is whether the move would be worth the financial strain. A new stadium near campus could easily push past $1 billion, and the athletic department would be taking on serious risk in a market already crowded with other venues. The recruiting debate is loud, but the financial debate may be the one Miami fans should be watching most closely. [Read more 🡒]