College football spent the weekend in total mayhem, but the ACC mostly kept things in line. Five of the top seven teams in the country went down, and somehow the conference that usually serves up chaos on command had one of its calmer stretches of the season. Even so, Week 7 still found a way to leave a trail of questions, ugly finishes, and a few teams starting to separate from the pack.
Miami came out of the biggest stage with a win, though hardly the kind that inspires a parade. The Hurricanes needed double overtime to get past Florida State in a game they were expected to win by more than 20 points.
The ending brought plenty of controversy, and Florida State nearly landed the kind of miracle finish that would have flipped everything. Miami survived, advanced, and kept carrying the ACC banner, but it was a shaky kind of statement.
Wake Forest, on the other hand, kept looking like the program that belongs near the top of these ACC conversations. The Demon Deacons rolled into Cal and turned what could have been a dangerous road test into a 41-7 demolition.
Since that shocking road win at Louisville last month, Wake Forest has bullied three straight ACC opponents. The schedule does stiffen after next week’s bye, with Virginia and SMU waiting later on, but the Deacs keep winning in a way that makes the early October ranking look better every week.
SMU also kept its own position in the race intact. The Mustangs haven’t exactly dazzled, and they still haven’t played anywhere close to their best, but they are 5-1 at the season’s midpoint and they handled Virginia 23-13 this week.
That kind of win matters in a conference where margins keep getting tight. A mid-November showdown between SMU and Wake Forest could wind up determining Miami’s ACC Championship Game opponent, though the Mustangs still have work to do before that becomes real.
Boston College’s 27-21 win over Pitt only sharpened the frustration around the Panthers. Pat Narduzzi’s team keeps sliding, and losing Mason Heintschel a few weeks ago has clearly left a mark.
The Panthers gave Holden Geriner a short runway, then turned to true freshman Corey Dailey, who finished with fewer than 50% completions and two interceptions in the loss. Narduzzi was already griping about Pitt being overlooked a few weeks ago, and now the bigger question is whether this team can win again at all, especially with Miami coming to town next week.
That Boston College result also put Syracuse in an awkward spot. The Orange are still the team without a conference win, and that’s despite the fact that they’ve been more competitive than a 0-4 ACC record suggests.
Three of those league losses have come by one score. Still, Fran Brown’s group remains at the bottom of the standings in the one category that matters most, and the road ahead does not look friendly.
North Carolina, meanwhile, is quietly building something that looks far more useful than most people expected. Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels were pushed by Notre Dame a few weeks ago, then followed that up with back-to-back wins over Pitt and Duke.
At 4-2, UNC looks on track for at least a bowl game. Duke has the opposite feel right now, with Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils taking consecutive close losses and watching a repeat trip to the ACC Championship Game become harder to imagine.
And then there were the FCS tune-ups. Clemson handled Charleston Southern 37-0, though it managed only three points after halftime.
Stanford posted a 34-7 win over Elon. Neither result came with much flair, but both ACC teams took care of business in what was an unusual mid-October slate against lower-division opponents.
In Other News...
Syracuses Next Exhibition Comes With An Awkward Albany Twist
Syracuses next exhibition will come with a familiar face on the other sideline and a little extra pageantry in Albany. The Orange are set to play Siena at MVP Arena, where the Saints will celebrate their 2025-26 MAAC championship team with a banner and ring ceremony before tipoff, a scene that will draw in former Siena coach and current Syracuse coach McNamara along with several players and staff who were part of that group.
For Syracuse, the trip offers another early chance to sort through what worked and what still needs cleaning up after a previous loss. Exhibition games are about more than the final score, especially this time of year, and the Orange will be looking for sharper play and clearer roles against a program with a meaningful link to their coach and plenty of emotion built into the night. [Read more 🡒]
Buddy Boeheim Just Got Another NBA Shot With Something To Prove
Buddy Boeheim is getting another crack at the NBA after signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a familiar stop for the former Syracuse wing. Boeheim has already spent parts of three NBA seasons trying to carve out a place at the next level, and he also appeared in four games for Oklahoma City last year, giving the organization another look at what he can bring.
For Syracuse fans, there is a clear thread here: a player who helped define an era for the Orange is still pushing to stick in the league. Boeheim also stayed connected to his college roots this offseason by joining the Syracuse alumni team in The Basketball Tournament, and now he heads back into another NBA opportunity with plenty still to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Keeps Sliding As One Orange Star Carries An Unsteady Offense
Syracuses latest stumble came in a 34-26 loss to Louisville, a defeat that stretched the Oranges Atlantic Coast Conference losing streak to 11 games and left them searching for any sign of traction. Even with quarterback Malachi Nelson playing through a recent collarbone injury, the offense still leaned heavily on receiver Umari Hatcher, who put together a huge day with 224 receiving yards and kept Syracuse within striking distance.
Louisville had its own early hiccups, as quarterback Lincoln Kienholz worked through a slow start before settling in and steering the Cardinals to the win. For Syracuse, the bigger concern is how familiar the script has become: one standout performance on offense, not quite enough help around it, and another conference game slipping away before the Orange can turn it into something more. [Read more 🡒]