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It’s time to put some respect on the ACC.
The conference entered Week 5 with only two ranked teams, but it deserves to have a couple more sneak into the AP Top 25 poll. No. 4 Miami and No. 21 SMU handled business and both picked up conference wins to remain in the league race.
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Pittsburgh and Wake Forest both made solid cases for a spot in the poll, both winning in different ways this week. The Panthers handed Virginia Tech its first loss of the season, and Miami’s rout put Clemson in the ACC loss column.
After Pitt’s road win, Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi called out AP voters.
“We got a hell of a football team,” Narduzzi said. “If any of those voters out there wake their ass up, they might figure that out.”
Here’s how the rest of the ranked ACC teams, and those seeking a spot in the poll, performed this week.
Undefeated Pittsburgh handed also-undefeated Virginia Tech its first loss, 35-33, under head coach James Franklin. The Panthers (5-0, 2-0 ACC) came back from a 14-point deficit after capitalizing on four Hokies turnovers — a pair of fumbles and a pair of interceptions.
Virginia Tech was never fully out of the game, thanks to solid performances on offense and defense. The Hokies held Pitt to 295 yards of total offense, compared to 499 of their own and had a chance for a walk-off win. Virginia Tech kicker John Love’s 36-yard field goal missed, just shy of the left upright.
It also pulled off the win after starting quarterback Mason Heintschel left the game with an undisclosed injury early in the second half. He was later seen on crutches.
Virginia Tech and Pitt were unranked in Week 4, despite being undefeated Power Four teams. A dozen teams in last week’s top 25 poll have one loss, including eight of the nine programs at the bottom. UCLA was the only undefeated team ranked No. 17 or lower.
No. 21 SMU returned to the win column with a 25-16 victory over Boston College, despite finishing with more than 100 fewer yards.
The Mustangs (4-1, 2-1 ACC) actually trailed the Eagles, 10-6, at the end of the first quarter after giving up a field goal and a touchdown. However, SMU did not allow another score until the fourth quarter, when Boston College scored on a 75-yard drive that featured two explosive plays and a free first down.
SMU finished with just 218 yards of total offense and 58 rushing yards. Boston College recorded 322 yards and ran for 114.
The Mustangs’ defense pushed the team past the Eagles, stepping up where its offense fell short. Notably, it won the line of scrimmage and sacked BC quarterback Mason McKenzie five times. Marques White was responsible for three stops in the backfield.
Boston College left Dallas after putting together drives that ended with 5 yards, 2 yards and -1 yards. Additionally, the Eagles put together a nine-play, 48-yard march down the field only to turn the ball over on downs.
Despite the win, SMU didn’t look particularly great, either. It had to punt after committing three 10-yard penalties and giving up a sack on QB Kevin Jennings. The Mustangs lost 40 yards on the three-and-out and faced a fourth down and 50 situation.
Another three-play drive resulted in a loss of 15 yards after a tackle for loss and sack.
Will the Mustangs remain ranked? Probably, but they’ve got some work to do.
No. 4 Miami still looks like a national title contender and the favorite to win the ACC.
The Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0 ACC) dominated Clemson on the road, 41-13, having little issue with Dabo Swinney’s crew and handing them their first conference loss of the season.
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Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah had one of his least efficient games, completing 18 of 27 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown. Despite a lower completion rate, he still got the job done and the run game provided support. Mensah also fumbled the football after a 34-yard gain but recovered it in the end zone to score.
Mark Fletcher and Javian Mallory recorded double-digit carries for a combined 140 yards. Fletcher scored two touchdowns in the lopsided game. Miami found the end zone in every quarter, and scored on an interception to seal the victory
Clemson (3-2, 2-1 ACC) couldn’t get out of its own way, an issue this season, losing one fumble, recording the interception and committing 91 yards in penalties.
Swinney’s hot seat was already warm, but it might get hotter than Miami in July.
Like Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech, Wake Forest received votes in the Week 4 poll but failed to crack the top 25. It has a solid argument to move into the poll after several ranked teams lost and the Demon Deacons rolled to a historic win.
Wake Forest (4-1, 2-1 ACC) defeated Stanford (2-3, 1-3 ACC), 57-3, at home en route to the program’s largest margin of victory in an ACC game.
Quarterback Gio Lopez, now under his ex-offensive coordinator from South Alabama, has continued to succeed for the Deacs. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for three, scoring nearly half of the Deacs’ TDs.
As if Jake Dickert’s squad didn’t already look like a solid team, it racked up 519 yards of total offense, while holding Stanford under 200. Twelve different receivers hauled in a catch during the win, and six rushers finished with positive yardage.
The Cardinal’s lone points came on a 43-yard field goal. It had another chance in the first quarter, one of the same distance, but Stanford was unable to convert.
Wake Forest put together one of the best all-around performances, making a once-proud Stanford program look like a shell of the same place that produced Christian McCaffrey, Andrew Luck and John Elway.
Duke led the ACC in non-ranked teams, but the Blue Devils had a bye this weekend.
(While Notre Dame is technically independent in football, it was included as a pseudo-ACC member because it played a Triangle team.)
Most people probably did not expect a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown, failed two-point conversion and for North Carolina to have any chance against No. 3 Notre Dame. The matchup on Saturday in Chapel Hill featured all three, but the non-ACC-but-kind-of-ACC visitors took home the win.
The Tar Heels forced a punt on the opening drive, and followed that up with a touchdown. They took a 7-0 lead on Billy Edwards’ 6-yard pass. Then UNC allowed 21 unanswered points — the Irish scored off back-to-back interceptions from Edwards — and had, at one point, a 14-point advantage.
UNC started the second half with Jaden Jefferson’s 98-yard kickoff return touchdown, but the two-point conversion failed, and the Heels trailed by one.
Ultimately, Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr came up big in the victory. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns. The Irish still managed to develop a run game, rushing for 241 yards on the ground, despite rainy conditions through the game. They had a 100-yard rusher (Jonaz Walton) and receiver (Jordan Faison).
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