ACC Football News & Notes: Virginia & Duke Lead the Way

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An interesting leaderboard in the ACC as Week 7 of the college football season draws near. The Virginia Cavaliers and the Duke Blue Devils hold a one-game lead over the rest of the league. What is also a little odd is that both teams will have this weekend off from play. There are six games in total for the weekend, with five of them being league games. The only non-league matchup is Wake Forest at Oregon State. So, let’s take a look at this weekend’s slate of games.

The polls look like this as Week 7 begins. In the AP Top 25 poll, the league has four teams ranked. Miami moved up to its highest ranking of the season, climbing to #2 after beating Florida State last Saturday night. Georgia Tech, which had a bye week, sits at #13. Virginia, who made the poll for the first time last week, used an overtime win on the road at Louisville to move up to #19. Florida State, despite losing its last two conference games, remains in the poll at #25.

In the US LBM Coaches Poll, Miami is ranked #2, Georgia Tech is #13, and Virginia is #24, while Florida State has dropped out of the rankings.

Two teams heading in opposite directions meet on Saturday afternoon. The Pittsburgh Panthers (3-2, 1-1) go on the road to play Florida State (3-2, 0-2). The Panthers made a quarterback change last week in their win over Boston College — and it paid off. Mason Heintschel was named ACC Rookie of the Week after throwing four touchdown passes and racking up 323 yards through the air against the Eagles. On defense, Pitt ranks second in the country and first in the league in rushing defense, allowing just 64.6 yards per game.

Florida State is trying to snap a two-game losing streak. The Seminoles rank second in the nation in rushing offense at 285.4 yards per game, third in total offense at 560.8 yards per game, and fifth in scoring offense at 46 points per game. While Pittsburgh leads the all-time series 6-5, these two teams are meeting for just the fourth time as league members.

Stanford (2-3, 1-1) travels to SMU (3-2, 1-1). This series is tied at one game apiece. Cardinal defenders Matt Rose (8 tackles) and Scotty Edwards (7.8 tackles per game) rank sixth and seventh in the league, respectively. The Mustangs lead the ACC with nine interceptions. Quarterback Kevin Jennings is third in the league with 287 yards of total offense per game and has thrown for at least 260 yards and a touchdown in every contest this season.

Virginia Tech (2-4, 1-1) faces a tough task heading to Georgia Tech (5-0, 2-0). The Hokies hold a 12-8 advantage all-time, but they are seeking their first win over a top-15 team since September 3, 2021. The Yellow Jackets are off to their best start since 2014 and will be playing their first game as a top-15 team since September 19, 2015. Georgia Tech leads the league in red-zone offense at 95%.

North Carolina State (4-2, 1-2) meets Notre Dame (3-2) on Saturday. The Wolfpack and Irish are tied 2-2 in the all-time series, with Notre Dame winning the last two. Wolfpack running back Hollywood Smothers, last week’s ACC Running Back of the Week, leads the conference with four 100-yard games and is second in the nation with 693 rushing yards. The Irish have won three in a row and are playing the second of six games against ACC opponents.

Saturday night, Clemson (3-2, 1-2) heads to Alumni Stadium to face Boston College (1-4, 0-3). The Tigers lead the all-time series 21-9-2 and have won the last 12 meetings. Clemson has also won 35 straight games against teams with losing records — the nation’s third-longest active streak. In last week’s win over UNC, the Tigers threw for a season-high 399 yards. BC defenders KP Price (10 tackles) and Omar Thornton (10 tackles) led the team in stops during the loss to Pittsburgh.

Next week, we’ll be back with more from around the ACC.