The ACC underwent a major shakeup this past weekend with Florida State falling on the road to Virginia. The fans in attendance stormed the field with extreme quickness and set the stage for the Saturday slate. Miami and Clemson were off this week but that didn't lower the intrigue. Here's how the conference stacks up after Week 5.
1. Miami (4–0)
Miami was on a bye but nothing changes at the top. The Hurricanes are still sporting a +101 scoring margin (147–46) with their most recent win being a 26–7 performance over Florida. UM held UF to 141 yards and the Gators were 0-for-13 on third down. DL Rueben Bain Jr. has been one of their best players and even has some Heisman buzz. (through Week 4, Bain has 11 solo tackles, 2.0 sacks, 1 FF, 1 INT). Next up, Miami will go on the road to face FSU.
2. Georgia Tech (5–0, 2–0)
Georgia Tech stayed perfect with a 30–29 OT road win at Wake Forest. GT's defense stonewalled the Deacons' 2-point try in OT for the win. QB Haynes King has led the way with 758 pass yards and 380 rush yards. The dual-threat engine of Brent Key’s unbeaten start now has head-to-head wins over Clemson and Wake Forest in the ACC.
3. Louisville (4–0, 1–0)
Louisville trailed 17–0 at Pitt, then won 34–27 with a second-half shutout and 339 yards, 4 total TD from Miller Moss. Cards are +78 (153–75). Best player: QB Miller Moss has been great so far with 1,029 passing yards and a 72.7 QBR. This week they get No. 24 Virginia.
4. Virginia (4–1, 2–0)
Virginia is ACC's team of the week from week 5. A 46–38 (2OT) over No. 8 FSU and one of the quickest field storms ever helps them receive the honor. QB Chandler Morris has 1,279 passing yards on the season and accounted for 5 TDs vs FSU. The head-to-head winner over FSU locks UVA in at No. 4 here.
5. Florida State (3–1, 0–1)
The Seminoles were one of the surprise teams in college football this season but a loss to UVA in 2OT hurts the momentum. FSU is still a top-10 offense nationally by yardage and +136 overall (212–76), but per the head-to-head respect they sit behind UVA. WR Duce Robinson had 9 receptions for 147 yards and TD against Virginia and is also a team leader with 346 receiving yards on the year. Miami is up next FSU so they will get a chance to bounce back soon.
6. Duke (3–2, 2–0)
Duke blasted Syracuse 38–3 in the Dome, rolling up 504 yards and forcing 3 turnovers. While Syracuse is still trying to adjust to losing QB Steve Angeli for the season, it is still a good win for the Blue Devils who have losses to Tulane and Illinois. RB Nate Sheppard rushed for 168 yards and 2 TDs while also recording 4 receptions for 33 yards against Syracuse.
7. California (4–1, 1–0)
Cal got a 28–24 road win at Boston College on a 51-yard TD with 1:30 left in the game. A red-zone INT with 15 seconds left sealed it. The defense is looking good as they are only allowing 18 PPG and CB Hezekiah Masses has 4 INT through Week 5. They would be higher on the list if they were undefeated or if their schedule was more challenging thus far. Duke is up next for Cal so they will get a shot to move up soon enough.
8. Syracuse (3–2, 1–1)
The Steve Angeli era is paused for now and the pieces weren't picked up last week against Duke. This Syracuse team was already up and down (a close win against UConn and a big win over Clemson) with Angeli at the helm. Now, without one of their best players, things could go sideways quick. SMU is the test next week and then they get a much-needed bye.
9. Pitt (2–2, 0–1)
Letting a 17–0 start slip away vs. Louisville hurt Pitt in the rankings this week. They start conference play 0-1 with a loss and also went down against West Virginia out of conference. Boston College is a very winnable game for the Panthers this week.
10. Virginia Tech (2–3, 1–0)
After firing their head coach, Virginia Tech has recorded two straight wins. In week 5 the Hokies beat NC State, 23–21, and had 229 rushing yards at 7.4 yards per carry. RB Terion Stewart had 174 rushing yards last week and VT rises to No. 10 above NC State becuase of the head-to-head.
11. NC State (3–2, 1–2)
NC State has now suffered two-straight ACC losses, but their head-to-head win over Wake Forest in week 3 keeps them from free falling. QB CJ Bailey has 1,323 passing yards on the season and the Wolfpack gets a tune up game against the Campbell Fighting Camels this week.
12. Wake Forest (2–2, 0–2)
Wake Forest suffered a 30–29 OT heartbreak vs. GT this past week and has now dropped two straight games. RB Demond Claiborne (366 rushing yards) leads the ground game for Wake. They get Virginia Tech this week.
13. SMU (2–2)
SMU got a chance to take a deep breathe last week on a bye. Through the first four weeks, SMU only has wins over FCS opponents and has dropped two games to Big 12 teams (Baylor and TCU). Conference play starts for them this week as they get Syracuse who is also trying to pick up the pieces of their season.
14. North Carolina (2–2)
The bye was an opportunity for UNC not to lose. Coming off the heels of the UCF loss, it was probably beneficial to be out of the headlines in week 5. They will face Clemson, who is also coming off a bye, in the ACC toilet bowl this week.
15. Stanford (2–3, 1–1)
A 30–29 thriller over San Jose State doesn't exactly change the narrative around Stanford. They had a poor start to the season and are one of the worst teams in the ACC. QB Ben Gulbranson has been stuffing the stat sheet though (1,167 passing yards on the year and 444 passing yards vs San Jose State). They have a head-to-win over Boston College so they remain above them.
16. Boston College (1–3, 0–2)
Boston College blew a late lead in the 28–24 loss to Cal last week. That's just the kind of season it appears to be for BC as their three losses this season come by a total of 16 points. BC gets Pitt this week.
17. Clemson (1–3, 0–2)
No change for the Tigers who were on a bye last week. The losses are against good teams: LSU, Georgia Tech, and Syracuse (led by Steve Angeli), but the only win is against Troy. And that was certainly not in impressive fashion. By season's end they should rise much further, but for now, Clemson can stay at the bottom.