Week seven of the college football season starts this weekend and we have a four-way tie at the top of the ACC with 2-0 records. Pittsburgh is at 1-0, a half-game back. The league has depth this season that will make the race to the finish line a good one. Six games are on tap, all are league games. Let’s take a look at where we are.
There is a change in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for this week. Out is Louisville and in is SMU at #25. The Mustangs are joined by Miami at #6, the fifth straight week they have been in the Top 10. Clemson is at #10, and Pittsburgh is at #22. The same four teams are ranked in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll. The Hurricanes’ late-night win at California moved them up a couple of spots from eighth to sixth. It also makes them bowl-eligible. They are one of two teams that have done that. The other is Indiana from the Big-10 In the Tigers’ win over Florida State, head coach Dabo Swinney surpassed Bobby Bowden for the most career coaching victories with an ACC program with number 174. Clemson beat Florida State 28-13 in prime time last Saturday.
For the first time since 1991, the Pittsburgh Panthers have started a season at 5-0. They completed a non-conference schedule at 4-0. It’s the first time in program history they have gone unbeaten in non-league play. This week, they host the California Golden Bears (3-2, 0-2). This will be the first meeting as league members and the Panthers lead the All-Time series at 3-2. Last week, Pittsburgh QB Eli Holstein threw for 381 yards vs North Carolina. That number is a Pittsburgh freshman program record. The Golden Bears lead the country in interceptions with 11. Defensive back Nohl Williams leads all of FBS with five of them.
The Stanford Cardinals (2-3, 1-2) head to South Bend to meet Notre Dame (4-1). The Cardinals will be trying to snap a two-game losing streak. These two teams have split their last ten meetings. The Cardinals defense has allowed only 88.2 yards on the ground. That’s the second-fewest in the ACC. The Irish already have a win vs an ACC school defeating Louisville 31-24 on September 28.
Georgia Tech (4-2, 2-2) heads to Chapel Hill to face the Tar Heels (3-3, 0-2). In last week’s comeback win over Duke, it was the running game that led the charge. The Yellow Jackets ran for a season-high 245 yards with RB Jamal Haynes running for 128, matching his career high. The Tech defense ranks third in the league in total defense allowing 312.5 yards a game. They have held four of their six opponents to less than 100 yards. North Carolina can run the ball too. They have had a 100-yard rusher in every game they have played. Omarion Hampton leads the conference with 764 yards. That total has him third in the nation. The Tar Heels are looking to snap a three-game losing streak which is their first since 2019. They are 0-2 in league play for the first time since 2017.
Clemson (4-1, 3-0) heads to Winston-Salem NC to face Wake Forest (2-3, 1-1). The Tigers have won 17 of the last 18 games and the last seven straight in Winston-Salem. Running back play has been good for both teams. For the Tigers, Phil Mafah is fifth in the league with 496 yards. In last week’s win over FSU, he ran for 154. The Demon Deacons came back from a 10-point deficit to beat NC State last week. It was only the second time they rallied from double-digits to beat a Power-5 team. Demond Claiborne ran for 136 yards in the win, with two TDs. He is sixth in the conference with 471 yards on the ground.
Louisville (3-2, 1-1) is at Virginia (4-1, 2-0). The Cardinals have won the last two and are 7-5 All-Time vs the Cavaliers. For the second time in league play, Virginia erased a 14-point deficit to win. Last week, it was Boston College who suffered the fate. Virginia’s 2-0 league record is their best start since 2019. Louisville Ja’Corey Brooks leads the ACC with 97.8 receiving yards. He also has 489 receiving yards which places him second in the ACC. The Cardinals will try to stop a two-game slide on Saturday.
Syracuse (4-1, 1-1) is at NC State (3-3,0-2). The Wolfpack holds a 13-3 record vs the Orangemen while Syracuse has already beaten two ranked opponents in Georgia Tech and UNLV. Orangemen QB Kyle McCord is second in the league in passing touchdowns with 17, passing yards per game 362.8, passing yards with 1,814, and points responsible with 108. He ranks in the top four in the nation in all of these categories. NC State’s Darvin Vann leads the conference in forced fumbles with 0.50 a game. DK Kaufman is tied for the league lead in fumbles recovered with two.
Next week we will be back with more from the ACC.
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