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Saturday’s loss by the Miami Hurricanes to Notre Dame changed the way the top five of the polls looked this week. While Miami still has plenty to play for, being the top dog in college football just got a little more difficult. The good news for the Hurricanes is they clinch a berth in the conference championship game with a win over Duke—or a loss by Louisville to North Carolina, a loss by Clemson to Georgia Tech, or an SMU loss to Wake Forest.
With regard to the polls, the AP Top 25 has Miami at No. 5, Wake Forest at No. 11, and SMU at No. 25. In the US LBM Coaches Poll, Miami is at No. 6, Wake Forest at No. 11, and SMU at No. 23. In the second College Football Playoff rankings, Miami sits at No. 7 and Wake Forest at No. 13. There is still a good chance for two league members to make this season’s College Football Playoff. The resumes of both schools will help: for Miami, its eight wins plus several high-quality Power Four victories; for Wake Forest, an 8-1 record, six straight wins, four Power Four wins, and four wins on the road against Power Four schools.
In fact, both of these teams lead all FBS programs with four Power Four wins. The ACC is the only league with five teams holding three or more Power Four wins. The league has a total of 18 Power Four wins, including eight in true road games and three played at neutral sites. As Week 11 begins, the league has four teams with two or fewer losses: Miami (8-1), Wake Forest (8-1), Duke (7-2), and SMU (7-2).
Now for a look at some of this week’s games. Duke is in Miami. The Blue Devils have won three straight, and their two losses have come by a combined seven points. Their 20-plus-point scoring margin is eighth-best in the country, and they have outscored their last two opponents by a combined 88-5 margin. RB Nate Sheppard leads the FBS in scoring, points, and touchdowns. With 1,189 yards, he needs just 52 yards to become Duke’s single-season rushing leader. Meanwhile, Canes QB Darian Mensah has three games with three passing TDs and a 75% completion percentage with zero picks. That is tied for the most such games by an FBS quarterback in 30 years; the last to do it was Fernando Mendoza in 2025.
Wake Forest is at SMU. Wake brings a six-game winning streak into this game and boasts the nation’s best scoring differential at +247. The Demon Deacons rank fourth in scoring offense at 43.3 points per game, 13th in scoring defense at 15.9 points per game, and lead the FBS with a 31.8-point average margin in league play. SMU is 6-0 at home with a +22.8 average scoring margin, ranking in the top 30 in both total offense and defense. The Mustangs sit at No. 11 in total offense, No. 7 in passing offense, No. 8 in yards per play, No. 9 in points per offensive possession, and No. 9 in third-down defense. QB Kevin Jennings is in the top 10 in passing efficiency, completion percentage, passing touchdowns, passing yards, and total offense.
Congrats on 100 career wins, @JeffBrohm 💯 https://t.co/iUgnM6K3GH
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) November 8, 2026
Louisville is at North Carolina. At 6-3, the Cardinals have lost all three of their games by three points, with two of those defeats coming against ranked teams in No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 16 Wake Forest. All six wins have come by at least eight points, including four by 24 or more points. Louisville ranks third in offensive plays per point and leads the FBS with 8.36 yards per play on first down. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels have lost three of the last four meetings against the Cardinals. However, UNC has scored on its last 13 trips to the red zone, with 10 of those resulting in touchdowns. The Tar Heels also rank fourth nationally in fourth-down conversion rate at a league-leading 76.9%, and they lead the ACC in fewest penalty yards (309) and fewest penalty yards per game (34.33). UNC is 1-2 against Louisville at home.
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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