And then there were two..undefeated teams in conference play.
The ACC cleared up quite a bit after last weekend as two of the four undefeated teams went down. The Louisville Cardinals dominated the Clemson Tigers on the road, while SMU handled the Pittsburgh Panthers at home. The Mustangs and Miami Hurricanes now control their own destines for the ACC Championship Game.
Without further ado, let’s get to the rankings.
1. Miami – 9-0 overall, 5-0 conference
The Canes started hot last Saturday, had a terrible second quarter, then turned up the intensity in the second half to pull away from the Duke Blue Devils. Miami’s secondary left a lot to be desired despite pulling down three interceptions. Still, Cam Ward leads the nation’s best and most explosive offense. The Canes can score in bunches, changing the momentum of a game quickly. It’s Charlotte or bust for Miami in 2024.
2. SMU – 8-1, 5-0
The Mustangs took it to Pitt last Saturday night. SMU scored three second-quarter touchdowns to help them build a 31-3 halftime lead. Their offense is fast and efficient. Their defense is better than they get credit for. They are fun to watch. Rhett Lashlee seems to be a good head coach; I always liked him as Miami’s OC. After nine games, SMU controls their own destiny for a spot in this year’s CFP. That’s a pretty good first season in the ACC for the Mustangs.
3. Louisville – 6-3, 4-2
The Cardinals are a really good football team! Their three losses are all by one possession, and they are all against quality ranked opponents: Notre Dame, SMU, and Miami. I watched the entire game against Clemson, and Louisville dominated. Jeff Brohm is a really good to possibly great coach and his roster is full of a bunch of dudes who love to compete and do not give up. With respect to Vanderbilt, I think Louisville is the best 6-3 team in the country.
4. Clemson – 6-2, 5-1
Just like Larry David said at one point during the Seinfeld reunion season: “I was going to give the benefit of the doubt, then something said no, don’t, it’s not for you. It’s not my thing.” That should’ve been me with Clemson. I hesitantly bought in a week too early. I should’ve waited for them to play a good team like Louisville. Duh me. Also, Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik looked plain bad. I honestly don’t know if he can hang against the better/more talented defenses in the county.
5. Pittsburgh – 7-1, 3-1
I thought Pitt was going to play SMU closer last Saturday night. The Panthers couldn’t get anything going on offense. More surprisingly, their defense didn’t wreak havoc and force the Mustangs into some first-half turnovers or big mistakes. Pitt still has a lot to play for and I’m sure they’ll get extra pumped for their matchup with Clemson in two weeks.
6. Syracuse – 6-2, 3-2
The Orange got a nice overtime home win against Virginia Tech last Saturday. Syracuse QB Kyle McCord only threw one interception, and their offense stayed committed to the running game. They did win against a backup QB, but it’s still a quality victory and gets Syracuse bowl eligible.
7. Duke – 6-3, 2-3
The Blue Devils suffered two tough losses in a row. Their offense came to play against Miami, but they committed too many turnovers and the defense couldn’t contain Cam Ward and his receivers for long enough. Still, I view a good team when I watch them. I could see Duke getting to ten wins this season.
8. Virginia Tech – 5-4, 3-2
The Hokies lost QB Kyron Drones for the Syracuse game. If he plays, I think Va Tech wins their fourth conference game in a row and they are right there with Pitt and Clemson. Hopefully Drones comes back for their game this weekend against said Tigers. If so, the Hokies could easily give Clemson their second ACC loss in a row.
9. Georgia Tech – 5-4, 3-3
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a bye for their matchup on Saturday with Miami. This is a big spot for Tech. A record of 6-4 with a win over a top five team looks so much better than 5-5, 3-4 in conference play. I will be attending this game. Needless to say, I am more than a little nervous.
10. Wake Forest – 4-4, 2-2
The Demon Deacons are coming off a bye and climbing the rankings. I like their chances vs Cal at home on Saturday night. If Wake can pull off that win, they travel to UNC with a chance to win four games in a row. Not bad for what looked to be an awful season heading into October.
11. NC State – 5-4, 2-3
Speaking of looking good lately, the Wolfpack are coming off a sweep of the West Coast ACC teams, giving them their two conference wins. Freshman QB CJ Bailey is getting better every week. Like I said before, they can build some solid momentum for 2025 with a strong finish to 2024.
12. UNC – 5-4, 2-3
The Tar Heels whooped the Seminoles in Tallahassee last Saturday. Running back Omarion Hampton had himself a day: 32 rushes for 172 yards and 4 TDs, plus 3 catches for 93 yards and 1 TD. UNC put up 500 yards of offense and looked like the UNC team from the past few years. The Tar Heels could easily win their last three games and end up with a respectable 8-4 record after some early season struggles.
13. Virginia – 4-4, 2-3
Another team coming off a bye, Virginia lost all their early-season momentum. Hopefully Tony Elliott coached his team up during their week off, because they travel to Pitt and Notre Dame in back-to-back weeks. The Cavaliers would be the perfect spoilers for Notre Dame’s chances at the CFP. (Shakes head). Wishful thinking from a Miami fan.
14. Boston College – 4-4, 1-3
The Eagles are yet another team coming off a bye. They have lost three games in a row and winning two of their last four in order to reach bowl eligibility will be no easy task. BC hosts Syracuse, travels to SMU, then plays UNC and Pitt at home to end the season. After going 4-1 in September, it would be tough for Bill O’Brien to miss out on a bowl game in his first season.
15. Cal – 4-4, 0-4
Phew. Okay, Cal is the last team coming off a bye. The Golden Bears snapped their four-game losing streak with a win over former conference rival Oregon State a couple weeks ago. Cal still has four more chances to get their first ACC win, with the best one coming in three weeks vs Stanford. I don’t know if Cal can go on the road and overcome the football powerhouse known as Wake Forest this Friday night.
16. Stanford – 2-7, 1-5
The Cardinal have now lost six games in a row after their win at Syracuse in late September. They have a bye this week, then host Louisville, visit Cal, and visit San Jose State. Needless to say, it was not a great debut season for Stanford in the ACC. The silver lining for them is how well they will do in all the Olympic sports. That’s something, right?
17. FSU – 1-8, 1-7
The Seminoles got crushed last Saturday by a mediocre UNC team in Tallahassee, 35-11. I didn’t watch a single second of the game because I don’t hate myself. I did hear people say they thought some FSU players quit at some point. I don’t know. I do know the Seminoles are heading towards winter recruiting time in about as bad a position as possible for a big-time college football program. What a shame.
See you next week!