Very little movement with all the teams on a bye for Week 7.
The ACC had six teams on a bye week last Saturday, plus the favorites took care of business for the most part. Due to those two things, there was hardly any movement in the rankings for this week. With all the big conference games for the SEC and Big Ten starting, a few ACC teams have a good chance to move up in or enter the Top 25 AP Poll.
Without further ado, let’s get to the rankings.
1. Miami – 6-0 overall, 2-0 conference
The Miami Hurricanes were on a bye last week after two nail-biting come-from-behind wins against Virginia Tech and Cal. Miami will be happy to get left tackle Jalen Rivers back for the Louisville game. Defensive end Elijah Alston should play as well. Plus, it gave star Rueben Bain Jr. another week to get in better shape for a hopefully productive second half of the season.
2. Clemson – 5-1, 4-0
The Tigers continued their great start in conference play with another lopsided win against an overmatched team. I think they are right there with Miami in terms of overall team talent. Also, I will have to admit defeat in my doubting of Cade Klubnik’s ability if he keeps up his current play for another couple weeks. He has looked great leading Clemson’s offense. The Tigers look like a good bet to make it to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game.
3. SMU – 5-1, 2-0
I would still take SMU over Pitt in a neutral site game. That is why I have the Mustangs ranked ahead of the Panthers. They are coming off a bye week as well. SMU travels to Palo Alto, CA to take on Stanford this weekend. If the Mustangs can take care of the Cardinal and Duke a week later, they will be right there waiting for Miami or Clemson to slip up, giving up one of the top two spots in the conference.
4. Pittsburgh – 6-0, 2-0
Pitt could find themselves in the same position as SMU. The Panthers have a bye this Saturday, then play six weeks in a row to close the season. They have Syracuse, SMU, and Virginia before hosting Clemson on November 16th. It’s an incredible opportunity for Pat Narduzzi’s squad after such a disappointing 2023 season.
5. Louisville – 4-2, 2-1
The Cardinals held on against what seems to be a legitimately good Virginia team. Louisville is also hanging on for dear life for a chance at Charlotte with all the teams ahead of them in the conference standings. If they beat Miami this weekend, they will be given new life as a team to be taken seriously. If they lose to Miami this weekend, they are probably looking at a lesser bowl game and dreaming of 2025.
6. Syracuse – 5-1, 2-1
The Orange hung on at NC State last weekend after building a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter. That is a big relief of a win before Syracuse’s bye this Saturday. Their biggest test of the season to date will be the following Saturday at Pitt. The winner of that game will probably be the ACC’s true dark horse for this season.
7. Georgia Tech – 5-2, 3-2
The Yellow Jackets seemed to be on their way to overtime against UNC last Saturday, then Georgia Tech running back Jamal Haynes broke loose for a 68-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left in the game. Just like that, Tech avoided disaster and UNC’s season got even worse. GT hosts Notre Dame this Saturday. It would be a perfect time for one of those classic Yellow Jacket upsets they’re known for lately. Beat Notre Dame!
8. Virginia – 4-2, 2-1
Ah, so close! The Cavaliers could taste a home victory over Louisville, but gave up a late fourth quarter touchdown. Still, they look light years better than they did the last couple seasons. Having said that, Virginia travels to Clemson this Saturday, then plays at Pitt, at Notre Dame, and vs SMU in consecutive weeks after their second bye. That is a rough stretch. If Tony Elliott can lead his team to an upset of just one of those teams, that is a huge success for the Virginia football program.
9. Boston College – 4-2, 1-1
BC was off last week. They needed a break after their game at Virginia the previous Saturday. The Eagles were up 14-0 before giving up 24 unanswered points in the loss. I didn’t see that coming. BC has two good opportunities to get back on track with games at Virginia Tech and vs Louisville before their second bye. I’m interested to see what kind of adjustments Bill O’Brien makes for his team.
10. Duke – 5-1, 1-1
The Blue Devils are favored at home this weekend against Florida State. I would not have guessed that before the season started. Head coach Manny Diaz has a solid defense and decent offense in his first season in Durham, NC. It would be cool to see them take down FSU and have some momentum going into their games vs SMU and at Miami the following two weeks.
11. Virginia Tech – 3-3, 1-1
The Hokies were another Week 7 bye team. They host BC this Saturday with the opportunity to go above .500 in conference play and overall. With games vs GT, at Syracuse, and vs Clemson coming, they better beat the Eagles at home or Virginia Tech will be sweating out bowl eligibility for this season.
12. Stanford – 2-4, 1-2
The Cardinal appear to be the “good bad team” in the ACC this season. They beat Syracuse on the road, then got blown out by Clemson, VT, and Notre Dame in consecutive weeks. They did play those teams tough to start the game, then got overwhelmed by superior talent. Still, I could see Stanford pulling off one more upset this year.
13. Wake Forest – 2-4, 1-2
The Demon Deacons hung with Clemson for about a quarter before getting blown out at home last weekend. That’s something I guess. Actually, it’s really not. I’m just grasping at straws with Wake Forest this season. Wake travels to UConn this Saturday. I’m checking the matchup and UConn is 4-2. Huh?! 4-2?! Is UConn football back?!
14. FSU – 1-5, 1-4
The Seminoles probably wish they could just have bye weeks for the rest of the 2024 season. They seem to be a complete mess. As a Miami fan, it’s fun to watch. Yet as much of a mess as the Seminoles are this year, October 26th is still a rivalry game and the Canes and their fans should be very wary of a fired up FSU team coming into Hard Rock Stadium.
15. Cal – 3-3, 0-3
The Golden Bears fell just short of pulling off yet another upset, this time against Pitt last weekend. Cal kicker Ryan Coe missed a 40-yard field goal with less than two minutes left in the game. If a couple plays go their way, the Golden bears are 5-1 and 2-1 in conference play. Instead, they are 3-3 and 0-3 in conference play. That’s college football for you, baby!
16. UNC – 3-4, 0-3
The Tar Heels are having a rough year on and off the field. Former player Tylee Craft died last Saturday morning from a rare form of lung cancer. Craft fought the deadly disease for two and a half years despite only being given a couple months to live when diagnosed. Thoughts and prayers go out to the Craft family and the UNC football program. He was an inspiration to his teammates and beyond. Tylee Craft will be missed but not forgotten.
17. NC State – 3-4, 0-3
The Wolfpack are just plain bad. This Saturday, they travel to Cal to see who will fall to 0-4 in ACC play. Exciting! If Cal plays half as well as they did against Miami, they will win. If not, Cal might still win with how NC State is playing lately.
See you next week!