ACC Football News & Notes A Look at Week 8

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As we begin week eight of the college football season, the top three teams in the ACC have winning streaks of at least five games. Two of those teams, Miami and Pittsburgh have already become bowl eligible. Four others, Clemson, SMU, Georgia Tech, and Duke could reach six wins this weekend. We are getting to that time of the year where making sure you have enough wins for a bowl game becomes somewhat important.

So too is the race for the top two spots in the ACC. The Clemson Tigers still have a two-game lead on the field. The race for the second spot is a three-way race for now. Miami, Pittsburgh, and SMU have the best shot. However, there are still plenty of teams that believe they have a shot at playing for a title. Let’s take a look at the league before Week 8 begins.

The league added a team to this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll. Miami is at #6, Clemson at #10, Pittsburgh at #20, and the newest member SMU is at #21. For the Mustangs, this is their first trip inside the poll. The same four schools are ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Syracuse and Louisville received votes in both polls.

The ACC has two games that will be played during the week. First up on Thursday night, Boston College (4-2, 1-1) goes on the road to meet Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1). Virginia Tech will be celebrating its 30th anniversary of playing Thursday night football. The Hokies first game on Thursday night took place on September 22, 1994, against West Virginia. VT won that game 34-6. This will be the seventh time these two programs have met on Thursday night. Each team has won three times.

On Friday night, Florida State (1-5, 1-4) will be at Duke (5-1, 1-1). A victory by the Blue Devils makes them bowl-eligible for the third straight season. The Seminoles have never lost to Duke holding a 22-0 advantage all-time.

The rest of this week’s schedule is on Saturday. There is one non-conference game as Wake Forest (2-4, 1-2) travels to Connecticut (4-2). These two teams have not seen each other since the 2007 Meineke Bowl as Wake Forest won that game 24-10. This will be the third time all-time they have met with each team winning a game.

Miami (6-0, 2-0) is at Louisville (4-2, 2-1). Miami QB Cam Ward has been named the ACC Quarterback of the Week four times and three out of the last four weeks. He leads the nation in passing touchdowns with 20 and in passing yards per game at 369.8 yards. Cardinals QB Tyler Shough has thrown for 1,674 yards which has him ranked in the top 20 in the country, and fourth in the league. He is averaging 279 yards a game in the air. That is also top 20 and fourth in the league. His favorite target WR Ja’Corey Brooks is leading the ACC with six receiving touchdowns. His 572 yards have him second as does his 95.3 receiving yards per game.

Clemson (5-1, 4-0) hosts Virginia (4-2, 2-1) and the Tigers have won five straight dating back to the 2008 season. Their ranking of #10 is their highest since the 2023 season. They have outscored their opponents by more than 100 points so far this year. Virginia PK Will Bettridge has made 2.17 field goals this season. It ranks him second in the country, and number one in the conference.

NC State (3-4, 0-3) makes the cross-country trip to meet California (3-3, 0-3). This will be the first time these two have met on the football field. Both teams are looking for their first conference win. The Golden Bears’ defense is tied with Minnesota and UNLV for the nation’s lead in interceptions with 13. Nohl Williams is number one in the country with six picks. Wolfpack freshman QB CJ Bailey is the first NC State freshman quarterback to throw for at least 1,000 since 2019. Bailey has thrown for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns.

Georgia Tech (5-2, 3-3) hosts Notre Dame (5-1) The Irish are the #12 ranked team in the country. Georgia Tech has not beaten ND since 2007. They have not won at home since 1976. The Yellow Jackets have not won a game against a team ranked 12th or higher since 2015. Their offensive line has allowed only one sack this season. They are one of just three teams that have done that. The Yellow Jackets can become bowl-eligible with a win and it would be the second straight year for them.

SMU (5-1, 2-0) heads to Stanford (2-4, 1-2) to meet the Cardinals. The Cardinals are looking for their first win over a ranked team since 2021. This will be the third-ranked team that Stanford has played. SMU kicker Collin Rodgers leads the ACC in scoring at 10.2 points per game. His 2.17 field goals have him ranked second in the nation. The Mustangs are looking for three straight bowl games since 2009-12.

Next week we’ll look at the final weekend of games for the month of October in the ACC.