ACC Football News & Notes: The Final Weekend of Play

Read Time:3 Minute, 36 Second

The season that started back in summer camp in August, has now reached its final weekend. The ACC, along with the rest of college football, will wrap up their regular season play this weekend. The race to the championship game is really just a three-team race between SMU, who has a one-game lead, Clemson, and Miami. Both of these schools have one loss. However, for the Tigers, their league schedule is over while the Hurricanes head to Syracuse to finish things up. Let’s take a look at what is going on and focus on the important games this weekend.

In the polls, the same three teams are ranked. In the AP Poll, Miami is at #8, SMU is at #9, and Clemson is at #12. In the US LBM Coaches Poll, Miami is at #7, SMU is at #9, and Clemson is at #12. In the latest CFP rankings, Miami is at #6, SMU is at #9, and Clemson is at #12. The later poll is important since three teams have a chance to be a part of the 12-team college football playoffs as we play the final weekend of the season. The three ACC teams in the playoff picture are tied for the second most among all conferences.

The ACC now has 11 bowl-eligible teams after Boston College and California won their games last Saturday. There are three teams that still have a shot at going bowling. NC State (5-6), Virginia (5-6), and Virginia Tech (5-6). The final weekend has some non-conference games on the schedule. The league has a 46-17 overall record in non-league games. The 46 wins are the second most among all FBS conferences.

As for the teams and games that mean the most this weekend, Miami heads to Syracuse on Saturday. A Miami (10-1, 6-1) win will put them in the conference championship game. They are one of eight Power-4 teams that have just one loss. They are one of 13 teams with seven wins over Power-4 teams. Their offense has produced this season. They have won by 14 points on seven different occasions and have reached the 50-point mark five times which is the most of any FBS school.

They will face a Syracuse team (8-3, 4-3) whose quarterback is having a great season. Kyle McCord, who transferred in after last season, is now the single-season passing leader with 3,946 yards. Last week vs Connecticut, McCord was 37-of-47 for 470 yards which was a career-high. The Orange will bring a two-game winning streak into this game. Six of Syracuse’s eight wins have been by one score. That is tied for the most in the nation. This game features two of the game’s better QBs in Cam Ward of Miami and McCord.

North Carolina State (5-6, 2-5) will head down the road to Chapel Hill to meet North Carolina (6-5, 3-4). This is an interesting game for a couple of reasons. First, the Wolfpack need to win the game to play a bowl game. They have played in a bowl game in nine of the last 10 years. The Wolfpack have a 3-2 record in one-score games. For the Tar Heels, RB Omarion Hampton needs just 25 yards to have back-to-back 1,500-yard rushing seasons. This Tuesday, it was announced that head coach Mack Brown would not finish the 2024 season as the head man.

Virginia (5-6, 3-4) goes to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech (5-6, 3-4. The winner of the Commonwealth Clash will become bowl-eligible. The Cavaliers are trying to stop a two-game losing streak and four of their last five games have been against ranked teams. The Hokies are trying to stop a three-game losing streak. Their last win was back on October 26 vs Georgia Tech. For Virginia, a win would get them to a bowl game for the first time under coach Tony Elliot. They have not won at Lane Stadium since 1998. For Virginia Tech, a win would give them back-to-back seasons in bowl games since 2018-19.

Next week, we looked ahead to the ACC championship game.