ACC Football News & Notes: Georgia Tech and Virginia Emerge as Frontrunners

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As the final month of the ACC football season begins, the conference championship picture is starting to take shape. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Virginia Cavaliers currently find themselves in the driver’s seat toward a possible matchup in the ACC Championship Game on December 6. While much can still change, these two have earned their standing through consistent play.

There are eight league games on tap this weekend, plus the notable non-conference clash between Boston College and Notre Dame. Let’s take a look at where the ACC stands and preview the key matchups.

ACC Power: A League of Contenders

The ACC is currently recognized as one of college football’s elite conferences, as evidenced by the rankings:

Poll	Team	Ranking
AP Top-25	Georgia Tech	#8
	Miami	#10
	Virginia	#15
	Louisville	#16
Coaches Poll	Georgia Tech	#7
	Miami	#9
	Virginia	#15
	Louisville	#17

The ACC is one of only three leagues to feature multiple teams in the top-10 of both major polls.

Weekend Game Previews: Playoff Hopes and Upset Watch

1. Syracuse (3-5, 1-4) hosts North Carolina (2-5, 0-3)

The Stakes: Both teams are desperate to snap four-game losing streaks. North Carolina holds a 4-3 all-time series lead, having won the last two.
Key Matchup: The Orange’s passing game, ranked $21^{st}$ nationally at $285.5$ yards per game, against the Tar Heels’ rushing defense, which ranks $21^{st}$ nationally, allowing only $110.6$ yards per game.

2. Miami (6-1, 2-1) at SMU (5-3, 3-1) – Big Game in Dallas

Series History: This is only the second all-time meeting; SMU won the only prior game $7-3$ in 1965.
SMU Defense: The Mustangs are a turnover machine, ranking $1^{st}$ in turnover gained (20), with 12 interceptions and 8 fumble recoveries. Their 20-game conference win streak ended last week.
Miami Defense: The Hurricanes boast a Top-10 defense in several key areas, including scoring defense, rushing defense, and yards per play.

3. Duke (4-3, 3-1) at Clemson (3-4, 2-3)

Series History: Clemson leads the all-time series $37-17-1$ and has won nine of the last ten since 2000.
Air Battle: Duke has won three of their last four, powered by a passing offense that is $4^{th}$ in the country at $319$ yards per game. Duke QB Danian Mensah leads the nation with $315$ passing yards per game. Clemson’s passing offense is also strong, ranking $22^{nd}$ at $284.29$ yards per game.

4. Louisville (6-1, 3-1) at Virginia Tech (3-5, 2-2)

Series History: The Hokies lead $6-3$ all-time. This is the first meeting in Blacksburg since 1991.
Streaks Alive: The Cardinals have scored 24 or more points in 21 straight games. VT has an incredible scoring streak of 391 consecutive games.
Player to Watch: ACC Running Back of the Week Isaac Brown leads the FBS in yards per carry average ( $8.69$ ). Virginia Tech is coming off a double-OT win over California, where QB Kyron Drones ran for 1 $137$ yards and two scores.

5. Pittsburgh (6-2, 4-1) travels to Stanford (3-5, 2-3)

Series History: Tied $2-2$ . This is Pitt’s first visit to Stanford since 1992.
Pitt’s Surge: Since changing quarterbacks, Pittsburgh has won four in a row, averaging 41 points per game and never scoring less than 30 points during the streak.
Stanford at Home: Stanford is $3-0$ at home this year. Their offense averages $138$ more yards at home than on the road and has scored $80$ points at home vs. $60$ on the road.

6. Virginia (7-1, 4-0) at California (5-3, 2-2)

Virginia’s Resilience: The Cavaliers have won three games in extra time this season, a feat achieved by only 10 teams in FBS history, and are the only team in FBS to win three straight games by three points or fewer.
Cal Defense: The Golden Bears’ defense is led by LB Cade Ulluave, who made a career-high 19 tackles, 3 TFL, and 2 sacks last week against Virginia Tech.

7. Georgia Tech (8-0, 5-0) at North Carolina State (4-4, 1-3)

Tech’s History: The Yellow Jackets are perfect in league play for the first time in program history and have won seven straight conference games dating back to last year. ACC Quarterback of the Week Haynes King threw for a season-high $304$ yards and $3$ TDs last week.
NC State Challenge: The Wolfpack are tough at home, having won 30 of their last 38 games at Carter-Finley Stadium. RB Hollywood Smothers leads the league in rushing yards ( $825$ ) and per game ( $103.1$ ).

8. Wake Forest (5-2, 2-2) at Florida State (3-4, 0-4)

Series History: FSU leads $31-9-1$ .
Wake Momentum: The Demon Deacons have won three in a row and are $2-0$ on the road this year.
FSU Desperation: FSU is coming off a bye week, looking to stop a four-game slide. Their offense has topped $400$ yards of total offense in each of their last six games.

Next week, we will look ahead to the final stretch of the regular season.