It can be dizzying following your ups and downs, ACC. Some presumed wins, some brutal losses. And the social media folks still talking about the lawsuits.
We discussed it last week with Florida State’s loss to Georgia Tech. Yeah, it was a conference game, but it was the then-#10 team in the country losing to a team picked to finish eighth in the conference. And doing so on a national broadcast when there were no competing games to watch.
This week, things are a big roller coaster.
The Thursday Crews
Wake Forest did its job, beating FCS North Carolina A&T, 45-13. Some of the talk Thursday was about the slow start for the Demon Deacons, being down 10-7. But by Saturday night, they are looking as nimble as Sugar Ray Leonard in his prime.
North Carolina was down at halftime to Minnesota Thursday before coming back to get a 19-17 road win. But the Tar Heels lost quarterback Max Johnson to a broken leg. He had surgery Friday and is out for the season, at the very least. Conner Harrell is the quarterback going forward.
If all you know about the NC State game from Thursday night is that the Wolfpack beat Western Carolina 38-21, you don’t know the entire story. The Catamounts were leading NC State 21-17 at the end of the third quarter. It was anything but easy for the Wolfpack despite a big fourth quarter and a big night from quarterback Grayson McCall.
And Friday?
Credit to Duke. The Blue Devils did what they were supposed to do. They beat Elon 26-3 and did not need a dramatic comeback to do it. They were pitching a shutout until the closing seconds of the game.
Stanford…well ACC, you all wanted them. Some of us were telling you, buyer beware. The Cardinal are not good. Haven’t been since the early days of the David Shaw era. TCU put up nearly 200 more yards of offense in a game at Stanford Stadium that was only 70% full for a big-time opponent.
And then Saturday happened.
Blows Absorbed
No one other than a couple of people on ESPN College Gameday thought Clemson was going to beat Georgia. But even the biggest cynics didn’t see 34-3 beatdown coming. The Tigers…picked to finish second in the ACC, averaged all of three-and-a-half yards per play. The rumblings from Clemson fans to replace quarterback Cade Klubnik will begin in 3…2…1. Good thing ACC fans don’t hate Clemson the same way they hate Florida State, even though the courthouses are just as busy for both schools.
There were questions about where an improved Virginia Tech team belonged in the ACC lineup. The questions are unanswered after Saturday’s loss at Vanderbilt. The Commodores were showing off their renovation of their stadium, as long as you don’t try to sit in it. More than a year later, it still isn’t done. But hey, at least the scoreboard isn’t dangling from a crane this season. But on the field, it was a different story. The football renovation looks good. VA Tech was turned into a one-dimensional offense with 322 passing yards and only 34 yards by its starting running back.
Fortunately for you, ACC, Miami opened against Florida and coach Billy Napier whose future in Gainesville is dubious at best. Your college football playoff landscape for now is painted in South Beach green and orange. Good thing Cam Ward is the real deal.
And let’s not overlook Syracuse’s win over Ohio. It’s not something that was ever a lock in the Dino Babers era.
And the TBD Portion
We are just getting started. There is a lot of football left to play. Of course, that means there could be troubling games ahead.
The conference is going to get its conference champion into the playoffs. It’s about who, if anyone, makes it after that. A two-loss second-place team is a 50-50 proposition. A three-loss second place is a likely, “No thank you,” from the committee.
