Syracuse is no longer stuck at the bottom of the ACC pile.
After spending the past two weeks at No. 17, the Orange climb all the way to No. 11 in the latest conference power rankings. That rise is a little jarring at first glance, but the case is straightforward enough: the teams behind Syracuse have either looked worse over the last month or already lost to the Orange this season. Syracuse also gets a chance soon to show it belongs ahead of North Carolina State when those teams meet in a few weeks.
At the top, Miami keeps rolling. The Hurricanes blasted Pittsburgh 52-23 and once again leaned on a loaded offensive group led by Malachi Toney, Mark Fletcher, and Darian Mensh.
Miami gets North Carolina this week, then turns to a highly anticipated non-conference date with Notre Dame on Nov. 7.
The road to Charlotte keeps looking cleaner by the week.
SMU holds firm at No. 2 after a dominant 59-20 win over California. The Mustangs put up 42 unanswered points in the second half, and now they head into a Saturday trip to Syracuse. Some sportsbooks have SMU as a 9.5-point favorite, though that number may raise eyebrows for anyone who has followed the recent history between these teams.
Wake Forest stays put at No. 3 as it gets set to face Virginia, coming off the Cavaliers’ Friday night loss to Duke. The loser in that matchup is likely finished in the race for Charlotte.
Louisville moves into the top five after beating Clemson, giving James Franklin and his squad a boost in the standings. The Hokies still need help from teams above them if they want a path to Charlotte.
The rest of the upper half of the league shakes out with Virginia at No. 6, Florida State at No.
7, Duke at No. 8, Clemson at No. 9 and Boston College at No.
Below Syracuse, North Carolina sits at No. 12, followed by Stanford at No. 14, Georgia Tech at No.
15, California at No. 16 and North Carolina State at No. 17.
This week’s ACC slate is all on Saturday after two Friday night games last weekend. Three conference matchups hit the noon ET window: Syracuse-SMU, California-NC State and Boston College-Duke.
Stanford visits Louisville at 3:15, Virginia travels to Wake Forest at 3:45, and Clemson heads to Florida State for a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff.
In Other News...
Syracuse Just Gave Fran Browns Season New Life
For a Syracuse team that had been trying to find some traction in the middle of the season, Saturdays 30-27 win over No. 19 SMU at the JMA Wireless Dome felt like more than just a good night. Steve Angelis late touchdown pass to Noah Meyers finished off a victory that had been hard to come by against ranked competition, and it gave the Orange a result they can point to as the kind of turning point a season sometimes needs.
It was Syracuses first win over a ranked opponent since November 2024, and it came at a time when the margin for error in the ACC had already started to shrink. At 4-4 overall and 2-4 in conference play, the Orange still have work to do, but this was the kind of performance that can change the tone around a team and keep the rest of the schedule from feeling like a long climb. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Just Delivered Another Ranked Win Fans Wont Forget
Syracuse keeps finding ways to make November feel bigger than the calendar says it should. Under Fran Brown, the Orange knocked off 19th-ranked SMU 30-27 at home, leaning on a defense that never let Kevin Jennings get comfortable even as the Mustangs quarterback still managed 351 yards and two touchdowns. The pressure came from all over, with Keyshawn Johnson and others getting to Jennings and Demetres Samuel Jr. helping swing the game with a forced fumble.
Noah Meyers then delivered the kind of finish that turns a good win into a memorable one, scoring the game-winning touchdown and sending the home crowd into the kind of celebration Syracuse has been chasing in ranked matchups. For a program trying to build real staying power under Brown, this was the sort of result that matters beyond one Saturday, because it showed the Orange can win a tight game against a ranked opponent by making the decisive plays late. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Finally Got The Ranked Win Fans Needed But Not Easily
Syracuse finally got the kind of ranked win its fans have been waiting for, but it took every bit of 60 minutes to get there. The Orange knocked off No. 19 SMU 30-27 on a late touchdown pass from Steve Angeli to Noah Meyers, a result that not only snapped their drought against ranked opponents but also pulled them back to .500 at 4-4. It was the sort of game Syracuse had to have, and for a while it looked like the Orange might control it with a strong first half.
Instead, the second half turned into a grind, with SMU pushing back and forcing Syracuse to answer possession after possession. The Orange still found enough from its defense and rushing attack to stay in the fight, and when the moment arrived, Angeli delivered the throw that made the difference. For a team trying to steady its season, it was a much-needed win, even if it came with plenty of stress attached. [Read more 🡒]