Week 9 gave the ACC a little bit of everything at quarterback - upset wins, shootouts, and a few performances that changed the shape of the conversation heading into November. And after all that, Darian Mensah is still sitting at the top of the league’s Week 10 rankings.
Mensah held off a crowded field by delivering when Miami needed him most in the 38-35 win at North Carolina. He finished 22-of-29 for 274 yards and three touchdowns, then found Malachi Toney on a 9-yard slant for the late score that helped the Hurricanes survive.
Miami now turns to a huge road game against No. 11 Notre Dame to open the month, but it will do so without Toney for the foreseeable future, which makes Cooper Barkate and Daylyn Upshaw even more important for Mensah.
Right behind him, CJ Carr remains part of the national Heisman Trophy and No. 1 NFL draft pick chatter as Notre Dame prepares for Miami.
That matchup between No. 1 Miami and No.
11 Notre Dame is the most anticipated quarterback showdown involving an ACC team this season.
Billy Edwards Jr. also made a strong move after a season of uneven play. In North Carolina’s loss to Miami, he threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns, and much of the Tar Heels’ offense came through the screen game.
Still, Edwards Jr. delivered some of the day’s best throws, fitting touchdown passes to Jelani Thurman and Trech Kekahuna through traffic. North Carolina closes non-conference play against Connecticut this weekend at noon EST on CBS Sports Network, and the last time the Huskies faced an ACC opponent, they allowed Amari Odom to throw for 335 yards and five touchdowns.
Steve Angeli’s name belongs in the mix after Syracuse pulled off the upset of No. 19 SMU, 30-27.
Angeli led the Orange on an 11-play, 68-yard go-ahead drive and capped it with a two-yard touchdown pass to Noah Meyers with 17 seconds left. SMU’s Kevin Jennings still posted a big stat line in defeat, finishing 29-of-36 for 352 yards and two touchdowns.
His first scoring throw went to Jalen Hale across his body, and later he found Jalen Cooper on a contested sideline catch late in the third quarter. The Mustangs stay home for a Friday night matchup with Virginia Tech, a fellow 6-2 team, at 7 p.m.
EST on ESPN.
Virginia Tech’s Ethan Grunkemeyer enters that game coming off a bye after throwing for 2,140 yards, 17 touchdowns and only two interceptions in his first eight games with the Hokies. The matchup matters because Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is the only ACC quarterback who has thrown for more than 250 yards on SMU’s defense. Virginia Tech has been uneven against the pass in league play, holding Tait Reynolds to 153 yards two weeks ago but allowing Jackson Brousseau and Alberto Mendoza to top 300.
Louisville’s Lincoln Kienholz keeps climbing after a sharp showing in the Cardinals’ 52-24 rout of Stanford. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, including an off-script strike to TreyShun Hurry, and added 62 rushing yards plus another score while helping Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown on the ground.
Louisville heads to Georgia Tech for a 7:30 p.m. EST game on ACC Network, and the Yellow Jackets still haven’t held an ACC offense under 400 total yards.
They’ve also given up nearly 300 rushing yards over their last two games.
Davis Warren also earned his place in the rankings despite Stanford’s second-half fade at Louisville. He threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns, connecting deep with Nico Brown and Aiden Black.
His lone interception came on a throw that didn’t quite fit through a tight window to his intended target. Stanford is on its second bye after playing in Week 0 and will return with a road trip to Virginia Tech.
Wake Forest’s Lopez had one of the most productive outings of the week in the Demon Deacons’ 51-7 win over Virginia. He found Carlos Hernandez eight times for 136 yards and his only touchdown pass, and he added 64 rushing yards to a Wake Forest ground game that piled up 309 yards.
The Demon Deacons finish non-conference play against Merrimack in Week 10 at 3:30 p.m. EST on ACC Network, and Lopez is likely to sit most of the second half with SMU coming up next week.
Rounding out the rankings, NC State’s Bailey put together a mixed but effective day in the Wolf Pack’s 31-10 win over California. He went 13-of-25, but he also delivered two deep touchdown throws, layering passes over defenders to Deandre Desinor and Chance Robinson.
NC State stays home for its crosstown rivalry game with Duke at 12:30 p.m. EST on the CW, and the Blue Devils enter at 6-2 overall after allowing Alberto Mendoza to throw for over 200 yards in ACC play.
In Other News...
UNC Just Lost A Key Path To Cameron Fens Help
The latest legal turn around college basketball eligibility has put Cameron Fens in a precarious spot, and North Carolina is watching closely. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and vacated the nationwide injunction in Wisne v. NCAA, a ruling that had been part of the broader fight over fifth-year players seeking another season of eligibility.
For Fens, the impact is immediate because he is still tied up in a separate Tennessee case, where the state Court of Appeals stayed his injunction and left him ineligible for now. His path back onto the court now hinges entirely on how that Tennessee lawsuit plays out, leaving UNC with one fewer avenue for help and another unresolved eligibility question hanging over the roster. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Just Got A Real Shot At A Five-Star Guard
Brady Pettigrews recruitment is starting to take shape, and North Carolina is firmly in the mix. The five-star guard has trimmed his list to 10 programs, putting the Tar Heels alongside a heavy group that includes Duke, Kentucky, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and others, and he recently wrapped up an official visit to Chapel Hill.
Pettigrew is currently ranked No. 9 overall in the Class of 2028, which already makes him one of the most coveted guards in the country. There is also growing speculation that he could reclassify into an earlier class, a possibility that would only heighten the urgency around his recruitment, even if no decision has been confirmed yet. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Delivered The Response Fans Needed After Early Criticism
After an uneven opener, North Carolina answered with the kind of complete effort fans had been waiting to see, rolling past Wofford 109-70 in its second game of the season. The Tar Heels looked far more connected on both ends, and the box score reflected it, with five players finishing in double figures and Terrence Brown pacing the way with 21 points.
Maximo Adams added a double-double as UNC controlled the glass and showed the depth that had been missing a game earlier. It was the sort of response that does not erase early questions, but it does give the Tar Heels a much better baseline to build from as the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]