The ACC spent week two looking a lot stronger than it did in the opening stretch, and the league’s power picture has shifted just enough to make week three feel real. There were blowouts, a few statement wins, and a couple of losses that changed the mood around certain teams. At the top, though, nothing budged: Miami is still the team everyone is chasing.
The Hurricanes backed that up again against Florida A&M, where Darian Mensah turned in another Heisman-esque performance. He completed 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Miami continues to look like a team built to overwhelm people. That’s why they remain No. 1, and right now they don’t look like they’re going anywhere.
Virginia stays right behind them at No. 2 after a 59-3 demolition of Michael Vick-led Norfolk State. The Cavaliers also blasted NC State in week zero, so the early evidence points to a veteran team that can really control games. West Virginia will be a useful test, but for now Virginia has earned its spot near the top.
Louisville sits in the next tier after handling Villanova 59-13 and looking every bit like a top-level ACC program through two weeks. Lincoln Kienholz was especially sharp in his second game with the Cardinals, finishing 16-of-21 for 332 yards and two touchdowns. A bigger measuring stick is coming fast, with SMU on deck next week.
SMU, meanwhile, showed cleaner football in its 56-10 win over UC Davis. The Mustangs didn’t turn it over, which is a welcome change from week one, but it’s still hard to know exactly how much was fixed against a much lighter opponent. Their trip to Louisville should tell a lot more.
Duke delivered one of the league’s best non-conference wins of the weekend, taking down Illinois 31-27. The Blue Devils got efficient quarterback play from Walker Eget and a huge effort from Nate Sheppard, who turned in what looked like an All-ACC-level performance. That kind of win matters, and Duke is starting to look dangerous.
Virginia Tech drops to No. 6 even after doing what it was supposed to do against Old Dominion. The Hokies have been impressive against weaker competition, beating VMI and ODU, but the trip to College Park should be a much better barometer. Their defensive line has been a wrecking crew, leading the country in tackles for loss and sacks through two weeks, while the offensive line has left some concerns behind, especially with Maryland’s strong front waiting.
Pitt showed some real toughness in its 206-yard defensive effort against UCF, and the Panthers didn’t even allow the Knights’ first points until a little more than two minutes remained in the fourth quarter. Syracuse comes to town on short rest Thursday night, which makes this one even more interesting.
Wake Forest also picked up a hard-earned win, beating Purdue in double overtime. Gio Lopez looks fully in charge of the offense, but staying unbeaten is a different story now. Miami is heading to Winston-Salem, and that’s a brutal assignment against a team that’s rolling.
California’s win at Syracuse was messy, but it was still a win. The Golden Bears got just 249 yards and averaged only 4.2 yards per play, yet Steve Angeli’s late pick-six gave them the lead and they escaped 21-18. Syracuse outgained Cal 436-249, but turnovers and penalties sunk the Orange, and Angeli threw three interceptions in the loss.
Syracuse’s defeat also underscores a rough second week for a team that had the game in its hands statistically but couldn’t finish it. That’s the kind of loss that lingers.
Clemson’s offense at least looked a little better against Georgia Southern, with freshman Tait Reynolds taking over at quarterback. Still, there are plenty of questions hanging over the Tigers, on offense and as a whole.
North Carolina didn’t change much in the eyes of the rankings after a 35-3 win over ETSU, but this is clearly a different Tar Heels team than the one from a year ago. A home date with Clemson in week three gives them a chance to add something meaningful to the résumé.
NC State remains a team with real doubts attached, even after its 73-0 rout of FCS Richmond. That kind of blowout doesn’t erase the week-zero offensive collapse against Virginia, and the bigger question is still whether the offense can hold up once ACC play starts.
Florida State stays at No. 12 after its bye, and the schedule isn’t giving the Seminoles much breathing room. They head to Tuscaloosa to face No. 10 Alabama in week three, the same team they upset in one of last season’s biggest shocks.
Georgia Tech falls to 0-2 after getting hammered by No. 15 Tennessee.
The Volunteers ran for 299 yards, including 147 from DeSean Bishop, and the Yellow Jackets now face a tough road to recovery. They may need to steal an ACC road win just to keep the season from slipping away.
Boston College moved up a spot after knocking off Rutgers 28-21. Mason McKenzie looked more comfortable, completing 18 of 29 passes for 252 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, while also running for 94 yards and another score. That’s a useful step forward for the Eagles.
Stanford drops to the bottom after its bye week, and the early returns have been thin. Outside of the week-zero fourth-quarter comeback against Hawaii, the Cardinal have had a hard time generating much offense to start the year.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Brings Back A Familiar ACC Rival In 2027
The ACCs 2027 football schedule release gave Virginia Tech a fresh look at the road ahead, and it comes with a familiar twist. After years of conference realignment and shifting divisions, the Hokies will once again see former Coastal Division rivals on the slate, a reminder of how much the leagues old neighborhood still shapes the new setup.
Virginia Techs conference lineup, along with its nonconference dates, fits the ACCs broader scheduling principles, including protected rivalries and Power Four nonconference games. The leagues athletic directors approved the 2027 slate during recent meetings, but more sweeping scheduling conversations remain on hold for now as the ACC waits for clarity on College Football Playoff expansion. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech's Fast Start Now Faces Its First Real Test
Virginia Tech has spent the first two weeks looking like a team that can dictate games on both sides of the ball, with a defense that has piled up tackles for loss and sacks at a national-best pace while helping push the Hokies to a 2-0 start. Grant Wells has given the offense enough stability, Jalen Williams has been part of the pressure that has set the tone up front, and Dalton Keene has been one of the more reliable options as the Hokies settle in around him.
Maryland now brings a different kind of challenge, and it arrives at a good time for a team trying to find out how real this opening burst is. The Hokies have reason to trust their special teams and the line play in front of Wells, but this is the sort of nonconference game that tends to show where the cracks are, and Virginia Tech is about to learn whether its fast start can hold up when the opponent forces a longer, tougher night. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech's 2027 ACC Slate Brings Big Matchups And One Noticeable Twist
Virginia Tech now knows the shape of its 2027 football schedule, and it comes with the usual ACC mix of opportunity and difficulty. The Hokies will play 12 opponents in all, including nine conference games and three non-conference matchups, with five league home dates and four on the road. The slate also gives fans a clear look at the kind of heavy lifting the league is asking for, with games on the schedule against Miami, Notre Dame, Clemson and Louisville.
The non-conference side adds its own wrinkle, pairing the Hokies with The Citadel, Liberty and Notre Dame. Under the ACCs new scheduling model, Virginia Tech will continue to see a rotating set of conference opponents, which means the 2027 lineup carries both familiar rivalries and a few fresh twists. For a program trying to map out the road ahead, the bigger question may be how the balance of those league games sets up the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]