One week left. Two teams for one spot in Charlotte to face SMU.
We are almost to the finish line in ACC play for the 2024 season. The SMU Mustangs clinched their spot in the ACC Championship Game. If the Miami Hurricanes can beat Syracuse, they’re in. If not, the Clemson Tigers will slide in. I am both excited and very nervous for next Saturday’s game in Western New York.
Without further ado, let’s get to the rankings.
1. SMU – 10-1 overall, 7-0 conference
The Mustangs took care of business last Saturday afternoon at Virginia. Rhett Lashlee’s squad held the Cavaliers scoreless through three quarters. I wasn’t surprised in the least. It can be argued (and I believe it to be true) that Miami has a higher ceiling, but SMU has been the most consistent team in the ACC this season. I think they are going to beat Cal and finish 8-0 in their first season in the ACC. Impressive.
2. Miami – 10-1, 6-1
The Canes started slow yet again, then exploded in the fourth quarter for a decisive win. The defense played their best game in weeks, which was the highlight of the victory. If Lance Guidry’s unit can dial up pressure and hold up well enough on the back end, they can take care of Syracuse. I don’t want to get cocky, but I like Miami’s chances on offense in a dome.
3. Clemson – 9-2, 7-1
The Tigers took care of The Citadel last Saturday. It was a nice warmup for their season finale rivalry game against South Carolina. Clemson needs to beat their in-state nemesis to have a chance of reaching this year’s CFP. The Gamecocks are playing with a ton of confidence right now. They’ve won five games in a row and are making a push for the CFP themselves. Pretty cool for there to be such stakes for this rivalry game.
4. Syracuse – 8-3, 5-3
The Orange held on against UConn last weekend, 31-24. Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord threw for 470 yards and 2 touchdowns, completing 37 of 47 pass attempts. Impressive. How was Syracuse’s running game you ask? Well, they ran for 68 yards on 33 attempts, a 2.1 YPC average. Not great. I could see The Orange airing it out all over the field against Miami. They have nothing to lose and would love to keep their old Big East rival out of the ACC Championship Game.
5. Georgia Tech – 7-4, 5-3
The Yellow Jackets escaped with a one-point win over NC State last Thursday night. It was an exciting victory. GT now has to turn their attention to Georgia for a Friday night game in Athens. If GT can pull off that upset, their 8-4 record would look pretty great considering they beat two top ten teams. I just don’t see Kirby Smart losing a home game that he really needs to win.
6. Duke – 8-3, 4-3
The Blue Devils were on the right side of another close ACC matchup last weekend with their 31-28 win over Virginia Tech. Duke QB Maalik Murphy completed two bombs to wide receiver Eli Pancol to jump out to a 14-0 lead. Manny Diaz’s squad is solid and should be considered to be ranked in tonight’s CFP Top 25.
7. Louisville – 7-4, 5-3
The Cardinals bounced back in a big way from their horrific loss at Stanford. Louisville smoked Pitt, 37-9. Louisville got out to a 34-0 lead before Pitt finally scored late in the third quarter. I guess the Cardinals are the best four-loss team in the country now. They need to beat Kentucky this weekend and end their season on a high note.
8. Boston College – 6-5, 3-4
The Eagles put a whooping on UNC last Saturday. With how Boston College was playing recently, I didn’t see it coming. Good for them, though. Bill O’ Brien has BC bowl eligible in his first season. They host Pitt to end the year. I think the Eagles will be fired up to get to seven wins an stay above .500.
9. Pittsburgh – 7-4, 3-4
Sheesh. Four losses in a row for the Panthers. I thought they would play Louisville close, but that game was over before halftime. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi needs a win over BC this weekend to end the season and have some momentum going into 2025.
10. UNC – 6-5, 3-4
Speaking of momentum, North Carolina’s came to a screeching halt last weekend. They were outclassed by BC in every aspect of the game. Mack Brown needs his team to beat rival NC State this Saturday to keep the mood positive around his program in Chapel Hill.
11. Virginia – 5-6, 3-4
Cavaliers fans probably would have taken a 5-6 record before the season with how bad they’ve been the last few years. Tony Elliott’s squad has played hard and been competitive since September. Opponents have had to take them seriously and play well to beat them. Hopefully this carries over to 2025.
12. Virginia Tech – 5-6, 3-4
The Hokies better beat their in-state rival this Saturday. If they don’t, not reaching bowl eligibility due to a season-finale loss to your most bitter rival while being considered a preseason dark horse to reach the CFP is about the worse way possible to end a season.
13. Cal – 6-5, 2-5
The Golden Bears stormed back to beat their arch-rival Stanford in Berkley last weekend. Solid win for Cal as they can finally break out of the bottom three in my rankings. Cal was also being mentioned a lot last weekend when people pointed out that they did what a #15 Texas A&M team could not do, win at Auburn.
14. NC State – 5-6, 2-5
The Wolfpack came so close to winning at Georgia Tech last Thursday night. I was rooting for it. That Miami loss to GT still bugs me. The Canes gave that game away. They should’ve kicked some field goals and held on for dear life at the end instead of having to come from behind. Ugh.
15. Wake Forest – 4-7, 2-5
The Demon Deacons didn’t look too great on offense once they started facing pressure from Miami. Wake running back Demon Claiborne can be explosive and is an awesome kick returner, I’ll give them that. Duke visits Wake Forest this Saturday. I like the Blue Devils’ chances.
16. Stanford – 3-8, 2-6
The Cardinal could’ve had two nice conference wins in a row, but no. I have no idea what to expect from Stanford next season, but it’s not much. Miami hosts Stanford in 2025. That’s a long trip for the team from Palo Alto, CA.
17. Florida State – 2-9, 1-7
The Seminoles earned a much-needed win last weekend over Charleston Southern. I saw yesterday that their game vs the Florida Gators will be on ESPN2 in primetime, 7:00 PM EST. Love it. I am going to watch as much of that game as I will the Texas vs Texas A&M matchup. I want to see how much better DJ Lagway looks than either of the FSU quarterbacks. Haha.
See you next week!