The ACC keeps producing the kind of football that makes the rankings debate impossible to ignore. Miami is the clear headliner, and the Hurricanes backed that up Saturday by pounding Clemson 41-13 even while missing their starting three cornerbacks and juggling offensive line spots because of a chain of injuries. Nationally, though, the conference still gets painted with a broad brush: Miami is viewed as elite, and everyone else is lumped somewhere between solid and forgettable.
That perception has not been helped by the ACC’s out-of-conference results. The league’s six wins include victories over Maryland, Illinois, Purdue, and Rutgers from the Big Ten, a group that is 10-13 overall.
Pitt and North Carolina also beat UCF and TCU, respectively, and those two teams are a combined 5-5 this season. TCU’s offense has managed only three touchdowns in three Power 4 games, which helps explain why the ACC’s résumé has not exactly jumped off the page to voters.
Still, there are teams in this league doing more than enough to earn respect. Wake Forest is 4-1, and the Demon Deacons actually gave Miami a closer game than Clemson did.
SMU is also 4-1. Pitt, after losing its starting quarterback, still went to Virginia Tech and pulled out a comeback win after falling behind 14-0.
The Panthers are 5-0. Duke is 5-0 too.
And yet the rankings tell a different story. SMU sits at No.
- Pitt is No.
- Wake Forest is unranked, though it is receiving votes.
Duke is also unranked, but receiving votes as well.
At the same time, the SEC and Big Ten keep stacking ranked teams, even with some glaring losses mixed in. The SEC has five teams in the top 10, including one that just lost by 24 on the road.
The Big Ten has six teams in the top 25 despite going 4-10 out of conference. The ACC, for its part, went 4-0 against the vaunted Legends and Leaders this season.
The frustration is simple: SEC teams seem to get credit even when they lose in conference, while Big Ten teams appear to skate by no matter where the losses come from, and even timid scheduling seems to carry little consequence. ACC teams, meanwhile, keep looking like they’re being judged by a harsher standard simply because they wear ACC uniforms.
In Other News...
UNC Has A Bigger Problem Than Just Losing To Notre Dame
Jordan Shipp gave North Carolina a reason to keep watching, and Billy Edwards Jr. found ways to keep the offense moving, but the larger picture from the Notre Dame game was hard to ignore. The Tar Heels showed a few flashes from key players, and Jordan Faisons work stood out on the other side, yet the game kept circling back to the same concerns that have shadowed UNC for stretches this season.
The rushing attack never found much traction, which put even more weight on the passing game, and the defense had its own trouble handling the Irish. For a team trying to sort out what it really is, the loss looked less like one bad afternoon than another reminder that the issues run deeper than the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Just Made Miamis Poll Rise Even Harder To Ignore
Miamis rise in the polls got another push after a convincing win over Clemson, while Notre Dame also climbed following its 37-26 victory over North Carolina. For a Tar Heels team trying to keep pace in a difficult stretch, the loss to the Fighting Irish fit into a larger picture of how much every result is being magnified in the rankings race.
The updated AP Top 25 and AFCA Coaches Polls reflect that ripple effect, with both Miami and Notre Dame picking up points as the seasons weekly pressure keeps building. Their upcoming games and strength of schedule figures only add another layer to the conversation, because for North Carolina and the rest of the ACC, every matchup now carries the kind of weight that can reshape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Billy Edwards Jr. Is Putting UNC In A Tough Spot
Billy Edwards Jr. gave North Carolina enough to keep things moving against Notre Dame, but not enough to steady the offense. He finished 17 of 28 for 208 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, a line that captured both the promise and the frustration around his play as the Tar Heels fell 37-26.
The turnovers were costly, and they also underscored a bigger issue for UNC: the passing game has not found the consistency it needs with Edwards at the controls. With the next week looming, he is already under pressure to clean things up and protect his role as the starter. [Read more 🡒]