The Mustangs stay on top after a close win and a Miami bye.
The ACC is beating up on itself this season. All but three teams have at least three conference losses. There is only one undefeated team in conference play. If the SMU Mustangs and Miami Hurricanes each win their last two games, they will play each other in Charlotte for the 2024 ACC Championship and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
Without further ado, let’s get to the rankings.
1. SMU – 9-1 overall, 6-0 conference
The Mustangs won a competitive game against a pesky Boston College team last Saturday. SMU’s offense came alive when it had to, and their defense flew around and made some plays. I don’t understand how they have been ranked so low in the CFP rankings. SMU is a legit team with a solid resume. Give Rhett Lashlee and all those former Miami guys some respect!
2. Miami – 9-1, 5-1
The Canes were off last week after suffering their first loss of the season to Georgia Tech in Atlanta the previous Saturday. I sure hope Coach Cristobal and his staff used the extra time to get his team focused and ready to play winning football these last two weeks of the regular season. Miami needs to come out and dominate Wake Forest at home this Saturday.
3. Clemson – 8-2, 7-1
Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik saved his team with his game-winning 50-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes left in the game. Pitt seemed poised to pull off the upset with their backup QB. It would’ve been nice to see Clemson go down again I guess. Either way, I don’t see a path for them to get into this season’s CFP.
4. Syracuse – 7-3, 4-3
It’s been a while since The Orange have been ranked this high. With Louisville and Pitt going down, I think it’s justified. Kyle McCord has started to light it up again through the air. They host UConn this weekend. Assuming they get past the Huskies, it should be a decent showdown with Miami to end the season.
5. Georgia Tech – 6-4, 4-3
The Yellow Jackets were off last weekend. More time for them to enjoy their win over Miami. Yuck. GT should get another win Thursday night at home against NC State. After that, they have to play Georgia. I imagine Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are going to want to beat GT as bad as possible to put an exclamation point on their season.
6. Duke – 7-3, 3-3
The Blue Devils were another team on a bye last weekend. They were able to rebound after their tough loss at Miami with a double-digit road win at NC State. Manny Diaz and Co. are hosting Virginia Tech this weekend. It’s the Saturday night ACC Network game, so the crowd will be rocking extra hard. Topping even an average Hokies team would be another big win for Duke in 2024.
7. Pittsburgh – 7-3, 3-3
The Panthers could taste the upset last Saturday afternoon against Clemson. Their defense held the Tigers to 8 total rushing yards before Klubnik’s scoring scamper. I will say, if Eli Holstein starts at QB for Pitt, I think they win. Nate Yarnell played valiantly and ended up throwing for 350 yards, but Holstein is a significant upgrade. Tough break for Pitt.
8. Louisville – 6-4, 4-3
I was shocked, then angered by the loss by the Cardinals at Stanford last Saturday. I saw it was a last-second field goal; always a tough way to lose. Then I saw the personal foul penalty on Louisville to give Stanford the yards to get into field goal range with only one second left in the game. Insane. Miami fans needed Louisville to keep winning to make the Canes look better to the CFP committee. Oh well.
9. UNC – 6-4, 3-3
The Tar Heels held off Wake Forest last Saturday. UNC running back Omarion Hampton went nuts, rushing for 244 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries. Mack Brown’s squad have won three games in a row after their four-game losing streak. An 8-4 season with a good looking offense would be a win for UNC this year.
10. Virginia – 5-5, 3-3
I had a sliver of hope the Cavaliers could pull off the upset at Notre Dame. Sadly, they did not come close. The Fighting Irish led 28-0 at halftime and never looked back. Tony Elliott’s team hosts SMU this Saturday. I could see them putting up a good fight in front of their home crowd.
11. Virginia Tech – 5-5, 3-3
The Hokies were on a much-needed bye last weekend after two tough losses in a row to Syracuse and Clemson. It’s been a tough season for VT. If a few plays go their way, they have seven wins and are feeling much better about themselves. I want to see how active they are in the transfer portal this offseason, both coming and going.
12. Boston College – 5-5, 2-4
The Eagles played SMU close last weekend. BC coach Bill O’Brien came in with a good game plan. Still, the Mustangs pulled away with their speed and talent. BC closes the season with home games against UNC and Pitt. After a strong start to the season, the Eagles could miss out on a bowl game in 2024.
13. NC State – 5-5, 2-4
The Wolfpack had a bye last weekend. While Dave Doeren’s squad has bounced back some from their early-season struggles, they have a tough end to the season. NC State plays at Georgia Tech and at UNC. Unfortunately for Wolfpack fans, I don’t think they’ll be planning for a bowl game. On the bright side, they can focus on basketball!
14. Wake Forest – 4-6, 2-4
The Demon Deacons put up a good fight at UNC last Saturday. To be completely honest, I don’t know anything about Wake’s football team. Watching them this Saturday at Miami will be my introduction to them. Miami better take care of business on Senior Day.
15. Stanford – 3-7, 2-5
Just when I thought the Cardinal were done winning conference games, they beat one of the top teams at the buzzer. Stanford has to be feeling way more confident heading into their annual matchup with Cal in Berkley this Saturday. I think the Cardinal can pull off the upset and get to three conference wins in their first season in the ACC.
16. Cal – 5-5, 1-5
I was surprised to see the Golden Bears in Josh Pate’s Top 25 Power Ratings before last Saturday. I have heard how decent of a team Cal is. The problem is, they keep losing close games. All five of their conference losses are by one score. To me, that doesn’t make them a good team. After all, Cal lost to FSU. Speaking of FSU..
17. Florida State – 1-9, 1-7
I saw a meme where FSU was losing to Bye Week 36-7. It was pretty funny. I don’t feel bad for the Seminoles in the least. I just don’t have much else to say about their season and direction as a program. They have a chance to climb in the rankings with a win against the 1-10 powerhouse Charleston Southern Buccaneers this Saturday. Whoop.
See you next week!