The ACC keeps lurching from one surprise to the next, and last Saturday was no different. Syracuse pulled off an overtime upset of North Carolina, Virginia Tech stormed back in the fourth quarter to beat Clemson in Death Valley, and Stanford’s win over North Carolina State ended with Dave Doeren out at NC State.
At the top, Miami looked sharp in a 52-23 win over Pittsburgh. The Hurricanes have their momentum back, and next weekend’s meeting with Notre Dame should say plenty about Mario Cristobal’s team.
Wake Forest stayed put after a week off, riding a four-game winning streak into its bye. The Demon Deacons have a manageable stretch ahead, though a trip to SMU is still on the schedule.
SMU, meanwhile, delivered the kind of performance that matched the preseason buzz. The Mustangs rolled Cal 59-20 and controlled the game in every phase, even with Wake Forest and Notre Dame still waiting later on.
Louisville also returns from a bye this week and gets Syracuse next. The Cardinals won’t see another ranked opponent until the regular-season finale.
Virginia Tech is finding its footing again after that two-game skid earlier this month. The Hokies have now won back-to-back games, and the latest came in comeback fashion against Clemson at home.
Boston College is making a real push in the middle of the pack. The Eagles have won two straight and are starting to look like a team with a clear path to bowl eligibility after putting 49 points on Georgia Tech on the road.
Duke snapped its losing streak by edging Virginia with just over a minute left. Boston College will be the next test for the Blue Devils.
North Carolina’s loss to Syracuse was a rough one, especially considering the Orange entered the game as one of the weaker teams in the conference. Now the Tar Heels have to turn around and host No. 1 Miami, which is a completely different assignment.
Florida State got through its bye week and now gets Clemson under the lights on Halloween night in Tallahassee. The Seminoles are back in action with that one on deck.
Clemson, though, is sliding. The Tigers have lost two of their last three and head to Florida State carrying the kind of frustration that has been building around Dabo Swinney.
Virginia’s season has gone sideways as well. The Cavaliers have dropped four of six overall and three of their last four, leaving them with basically no shot at reaching the ACC Championship before November even arrives.
Credit to Syracuse for finding a way against North Carolina in overtime. The Orange pulled off the upset, and they’ll host SMU this weekend with a much tougher challenge ahead.
Pittsburgh’s promising start has been undone by three straight losses, and the injury to Mason Heintschel changed everything for the Panthers.
Stanford got a huge day from Davis Warren in its win over North Carolina State. He completed 22 of 37 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. The catch for the Cardinal is the travel schedule: three straight road games are next.
That East-to-West Coast grind is one of the roughest parts of ACC life right now, and NC State felt it in a big way. The Wolfpack dropped the shocker to Stanford and then moved on from longtime head coach Dave Doeren.
Georgia Tech’s win over Duke now looks like the outlier. The Yellow Jackets were beaten 49-27 by Boston College and gave up 24 fourth-quarter points at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Cal is also in a tough spot. The Golden Bears have lost four of five, and their first stop on a three-game road swing ended in a 59-20 defeat. Over their last two games against Wake Forest and SMU, they’ve been outscored 100-27.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Has Virginia Reeling In A Statement First Half
Wake Forest spent the first half putting Virginia on the back foot with a balanced, efficient attack that piled up more than 250 yards and turned possessions into points. The Deacons mixed two touchdown drives with two field goals, and Gio Lopez helped keep the offense moving while Ty Clark III gave the ground game a finishing touch.
The bigger edge came from the other side of the ball, where Wake Forest kept Virginia from finding any rhythm on key downs. The Cavaliers converted just two of four fourth-down tries, and the Deacons added an interception along with a crucial stop near the goal line to keep the pressure squarely on Virginia as the half wore on. [Read more 🡒]