Miami is still perched at No. 1 in this week’s ACC power rankings, and after the Hurricanes survived Florida State 43-35, they’ve left the conference race with a little less clarity and a lot more intrigue.
Miami kept its unbeaten season intact in a rivalry win, and the bigger question now is how the league would look if the Hurricanes take a conference loss at some point. Even then, they could hang onto the top spot because of the strength of their roster and the quality of their ACC wins. Notre Dame waits on the November schedule as a non-league matchup, but for now Miami remains the team to beat.
SMU stays right behind at No. 2 after handling Virginia 23-13. The Mustangs were tested early, but they found enough to get it done, and their week ahead looks favorable with California coming to town. Syracuse follows next on Halloween in Central New York, and after that, the road to the ACC title gets a lot steeper in November.
Wake Forest continues to be one of the biggest stories in the conference at No. 3.
The Demon Deacons’ only loss came against Miami, and they’re carrying a No. 17 ranking in the latest AP Top 25. Virginia is up next, and Wake should be favored in each game until its Nov. 14 meeting with SMU.
Clemson sits at No. 4, still very much in the picture to get back to the ACC championship game after winning it in 2024. The Nov. 14 showdown between SMU and Wake Forest adds another layer to the race, since one of those teams is guaranteed to take a loss there. If SMU beats Wake Forest and then drops its Syracuse game, both SMU and Wake could wind up with two conference losses.
The battle for No. 5 was tight, and Virginia edged out Louisville and North Carolina in a crowded group. UNC beat rival Duke, Louisville had to rally from double digits to beat Syracuse, and Virginia came up short against SMU. Florida State was also in the mix had it knocked off Miami, but this spot looks like one that could shift again quickly.
North Carolina checks in at No. 7, followed by Florida State at No. 8, Virginia Tech at No.
9, Georgia Tech at No. 10, Pittsburgh at No.
11, Duke at No. 12, Boston College at No.
13, California at No. 14, Stanford at No. 15, and North Carolina State at No.
Syracuse sits at No. 17, and the Orange’s ACC losing streak is looking harder and harder to snap. Boston College had looked like the most realistic path to a win later in the season, but the Eagles beat Pittsburgh on Saturday and improved to 3-3.
That leaves North Carolina, SMU, Clemson and NC State on the rest of Syracuse’s conference slate. The best remaining chance appears to be a home game against NC State in November, though with the quarterback situation still unsettled, Syracuse looks more likely to finish at the bottom of the rankings in late November.
This week’s ACC schedule opens with two conference games on Friday. Duke visits Virginia for a 7:00 p.m.
ET kickoff, and NC State heads to Stanford at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Saturday starts with Pittsburgh at Miami and California at SMU in the noon window. Boston College plays at Georgia Tech at 3:30 p.m.
ET, then Clemson hosts Virginia Tech at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Syracuse closes the night at North Carolina with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
In Other News...
Syracuse's Top 2027 Commit Is Suddenly Raising The Wrong Questions
Elijah Kimble has been one of the more important long-term recruiting wins in Syracuses 2027 class, a highly regarded running back with the kind of talent that can change the outlook of a future roster. But a recent game has shifted the conversation away from upside and toward something far less comfortable, as his team came out on the wrong end of the result and the attention around him centered on a series of on-field problems.
Reports from the game described multiple behavioral issues, including a helmet toss, personal fouls and an altercation after the final whistle. For Syracuse, the bigger concern is not what happened in one loss so much as what it suggests about Kimbles maturity and discipline before he ever arrives on campus in 2027, because the next chapter of his development now comes with a different set of questions attached. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Fans Keep Reading Into One Fran Brown Sideline Moment
A sideline photo from after Syracuses home loss sent Orange fans into detective mode this week, with athletic director Bryan Blair and coach Fran Brown caught in a conversation that quickly became its own storyline. It was the kind of moment that can take on a life of its own when a program is searching for answers, and Syracuse is doing plenty of that right now amid a skid that has raised plenty of questions around the team.
Brown has since pushed back on any notion of tension, saying his relationship with Blair is good and that the two stay in regular contact and support each other. Still, the buzz around the image says plenty about the mood around the program heading into the matchup with North Carolina, where every detail seems to draw extra attention until Syracuse can turn the conversation back to football. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Just Took Another Brutal Hit At Quarterback
Syracuses quarterback room took another major hit this week, and it came at a time when the Orange could least afford it. Fran Brown announced that Amari Odom is done for the rest of the 2026 season after shoulder surgery, adding another layer of uncertainty to a position group that has already been stretched thin.
Malachi Nelson is also expected to miss several weeks after tightrope surgery for a high-ankle sprain, leaving Syracuse to lean on Steve Angeli and Danny Lauter for the time being. For a team trying to stabilize its offense, the biggest question now is how Brown and his staff will manage the position while waiting for bodies to return. [Read more 🡒]