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Week 6 in the ACC will be a busy weekend with seven games on tap. The polls are adding schools from the league as the weekend gets started. In the AP Top 25, Miami has moved into the top five at #4. SMU, after their home win over Boston College, is at #24, while Pittsburgh makes its first appearance in the rankings at #25. In the LBM Coaches poll, Miami is at #4, SMU at #21, Duke enters the poll for the first time at #23, and Pittsburgh sits at #24.
AP Poll: October 4 📊 https://t.co/F8TGeIA262
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) October 4, 2026
The games get started on Friday night as Florida State heads to Louisville. The Seminoles lead the all-time series 18-6, including 7-3 on the road. FSU has won the last two meetings and six of the last 10. The last time these two met was the 2023 ACC Championship game, with Florida State winning 16-6 and finishing that season 13-0. The Seminoles come into this game off a win over Virginia in which they gained 464 yards of offense; QB Ashton Daniels ran for a school-record five touchdowns, finishing with 136 rushing yards and 183 through the air. Louisville is averaging 486 yards of offense, 38.6 points per game, 287.4 yards passing, and 198.6 on the ground. QB Lincoln Kienholtz has already thrown for 1,394 yards and 9 touchdowns against one interception, completing 69.1% of his passes.
North Carolina is at Pittsburgh. Tar Heels defensive lineman Xavier Lewis ranks second in tackles for loss at 2.13, third in sacks at 1.50, fourth in total tackles for loss at 8.5, and fifth in total sacks with 6 a game. UNC is tied for 10th in the country in red zone defense at 69.2%. Pittsburgh has one of the better quarterbacks in the country in Mason Heinschel, who is tied for 6th in the nation with 14 touchdown passes. He also ranks in the top 15 in points responsible for with 90, which ties him for 15th place. The Pittsburgh defense is tied for 4th in fewest turnovers lost with 4, and they are second in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 55.6 yards per game.
Wake Forest is at North Carolina State. The Demon Deacons are just outside the top 25, largely due to their win over then-#16 Louisville. They are one of eight teams in the FBS to secure a road win over a top-20 team this season. Their offense ranks 17th in the nation in passing yards per completion at 14.26 and 23rd in passing offense with 286 yards a game. On defense, they rank 8th in fourth-down conversion percentage at 16.7%, 22nd in sacks at 2.80, and 22nd in tackles for loss at 7 per game. The Wolfpack rank 8th in third-down conversion percentage at 53.4% and are 10th in time of possession at 33:50 a game. NC State also boasts one of the nation’s best field goal kickers in Kanoah Vinsett, who is tied for 1st in the country at 100% on his made attempts.
Duke is at Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils own an eight-game winning streak, which is tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the country. They have outscored their last two opponents by a combined 97-14 score, and 145-44 for the year. The defense has not allowed a second-half touchdown all season, ranking in the top 10 in fewest first downs allowed (4th) and scoring defense (6th). The offense ranks in the top 10 in fewest sacks allowed (2nd), tackles for loss allowed (4th), and turnovers lost (4th). The Yellow Jackets have been excellent on special teams; kickoff returner Rahkeen Smith is third in the nation, averaging 39.1 yards per return, and has already returned one for a score.
Virginia Tech is at California. The Hokies have already recorded two Power Four road wins this year. In the opening month, they averaged 41.2 points and 469.8 total yards. They are ranked in the top 20 in completion percentage (3rd), passing offense (11th), first downs made (12th), and scoring offense (15th). On defense, they lead the nation in tackles for loss, rank 5th in sacks, 14th in rushing defense, and 19th in fewest first downs allowed. Golden Bears QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is 20th in completions per game at 21.40, while on defense, DB Kingston Lopa leads the nation with 5 interceptions.
Syracuse is at Virginia. Orange quarterback Aman Odom is 2nd in the country in completion percentage at 77.1%. The team is tied for 10th in time of possession at 33:50 per game, and Daxien Kerr ranks third nationally in punt return average at 21.2 yards per return. Virginia is tied for 4th in fewest turnovers lost with 2. Their defense ranks 11th in fourth-down conversion percentage at 20.0%, 2nd in team passing efficiency defense at 91.72%, and is tied for 6th in the country with 7 interceptions.
Stanford is at Notre Dame. The Cardinal have committed only 2 turnovers so far this year, with Tevarua Tahiti tied for 2nd nationally in fumbles recovered with 2. The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 25-14 and have won the last three meetings. The last time these two teams met was on November 29, 2025, with Notre Dame winning 49-20 at Stanford Stadium.
With rankings hanging in the balance and high-powered offenses set to clash, Week 6 shapes up as a definitive proving ground for the Atlantic Coast Conference. From Friday night’s historic rematch in Louisville to the coast-to-coast travel challenges in California, these seven matchups will undoubtedly alter the trajectory of the conference race and shake up national polls by Sunday morning.
Author Profile
- John is VP of NGSC Sports and head of our New England operations. He covers sports in the America East, Big East, ACC, Hockey East conferences.
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