If there was any question about who owns the ACC right now, Miami answered it emphatically Saturday night.
MIAMI 41, CLEMSON 13
This wasn’t a close game that got away late. This was an ass-kicking.
Miami walked into Death Valley and physically dominated Clemson on both sides of the football. Darian Mensah threw for 227 yards, Mark Fletcher Jr. scored twice, and the Hurricanes ran for 192 yards against a Clemson defense that was supposed to keep this thing competitive.
The Miami defense made Tait Reynolds uncomfortable all night, stopped Clemson on fourth down and finished the humiliation with a pick-six.
Miami is now 5-0 and 3-0 in the ACC. The Hurricanes aren’t simply the best team in this conference—they may be the only ACC team that belongs in the national championship conversation.
As for Clemson, the Tigers have now been destroyed by LSU and Miami. This is no longer about one bad night. Clemson simply does not have the elite personnel it once had.
FLORIDA STATE 38, VIRGINIA 7
Now that looked like Florida State football.
After being outplayed in the opening quarter, the Seminoles exploded for 38 unanswered points. Ashton Daniels was the entire show, accounting for 319 total yards and setting a school record with five rushing touchdowns.
The biggest statement, however, may have come from the Florida State defense. The Seminoles recorded 10 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and held Virginia to seven points.
Virginia entered the game believing it could contend in the ACC. It left Tallahassee looking completely overmatched.
WAKE FOREST 57, STANFORD 3
Good Lord.
Wake Forest didn’t beat Stanford—it disassembled the Cardinal.
The Demon Deacons piled up 519 yards, converted 77 percent of their third downs and held Stanford to 197 total yards. Wake controlled the game from beginning to end and outscored the Cardinal in every quarter.
At 4-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play, Wake Forest has become one of the most interesting teams in the ACC. This team is no longer just hanging around. It is becoming a legitimate problem.
PITT 35, VIRGINIA TECH 33
Pitt remains undefeated, but this victory came with an enormous price.
The Panthers overcame a 14-point deficit, forced four turnovers and survived when Virginia Tech missed a potential game-winning field goal. Pitt is now 5-0 for the first time since 1991.
But quarterback Mason Heintschel reportedly suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. That is a devastating loss for a player who had thrown 14 touchdowns with only one interception.
Virginia Tech gained nearly 500 yards, and Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 434 yards and three touchdowns. But four turnovers erased all of it.
Pitt survived the game. Now we find out whether it can survive the loss of its quarterback.
NC STATE 31, LOUISVILLE 28
NC State found a way to win a game Louisville probably should have controlled.
The Cardinals produced explosive plays, including a 70-yard touchdown run from Isaac Brown, but their defense could not get off the field consistently. NC State ran 84 offensive plays, controlled the football for more than 37 minutes and repeatedly found open receivers.
Louisville has now lost consecutive conference games and fallen to 2-3 overall. The Cardinals have talent, but something is seriously wrong with this football team.
NC State moves to 3-2 and keeps itself alive in the ACC race.
SMU 25, BOSTON COLLEGE 16
This wasn’t pretty, but SMU handled its business.
The Mustangs sacked Boston College quarterback Mason McKenzie five times and held the Eagles scoreless over seven consecutive possessions. That defensive stretch was the difference.
SMU improves to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the ACC. The Mustangs may not be dominant, but they continue to find ways to win.
Boston College is now 0-2 in conference play and already finds itself buried near the bottom of the standings.
SYRACUSE 42, UCONN 41 — OVERTIME
Syracuse nearly pulled off one of the great collapses of the season.
The Orange watched UConn score 27 unanswered points to force overtime before finally escaping by a single point. Syracuse got the victory, but nobody should feel particularly good about it.
Surviving UConn in overtime does not erase an 0-2 conference record. It simply keeps Syracuse’s season from falling completely apart.
NOTRE DAME 37, NORTH CAROLINA 26
North Carolina showed some fight, but Notre Dame eventually wore the Tar Heels down.
UNC pulled within one point on a 98-yard kickoff return to begin the second half, but the Irish responded with two long, physical touchdown drives. CJ Carr completed 21 of 29 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns, while Notre Dame held North Carolina to only 77 rushing yards.
The Tar Heels looked more competitive than they did in their previous loss, but competitive losses still count as losses. North Carolina is 2-2 and remains winless in ACC play.
UNLV 39, CAL 31
Cal rallied from a 24-7 deficit and briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter, only to give the game right back.
UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold accounted for five touchdowns as the Rebels regained control late. Cal showed some toughness during the comeback, but once again failed to finish.
The Golden Bears have now lost two straight and fallen to 2-3. They are becoming another middle-of-the-pack ACC team with no consistency.
JB’S ACC TAKEAWAYS
Miami has separated itself. The Hurricanes are 5-0, physically dominant and clearly the class of the conference.
Wake Forest is becoming dangerous. The Demon Deacons have won consecutive ACC games and just delivered the most complete performance of the weekend.
Florida State may finally be waking up. Ten sacks and five rushing touchdowns from Ashton Daniels will get your attention.
Pitt’s season just changed. The Panthers are undefeated, but losing Mason Heintschel could completely alter their championship ceiling.
Clemson is no longer elite. The Tigers can still beat average teams, but when they step up in competition, the talent gap becomes obvious.
Louisville is collapsing. Back-to-back conference losses have exposed serious problems on defense and along the sideline.
The ACC race currently runs through Miami. Loo Pitt, Wake Forest, SMU and an idle Duke remain in the conversation—but after what happened in Death Valley, everyone else is chasing the Hurricanes.
